NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Can the Redskins just fast forward to next Monday?

That should be the day that the team finally says so long to coach Jim Zorn, and starts to think about the future. Sunday night the team showed once again why a complete overhaul is necessary, as they played like a team that didn’t care at home against the Cowboys, losing in uninspiring fashion 17-0.

The team has tried it all. From sending players home to having a guy that was playing bingo at the start of the season call plays, nothing has worked. And that’s exactly what it was like again Sunday night, as the Cowboys didn’t do all that much, but they did more than enough to gain a win to put them into the playoffs in the NFC.

The Redskins are limping towards the finish, as they are 0-2 and have been outscored 62-12 since front office chief Vinny Cerrato resigned and Bruce Allen was named general manager less than two weeks ago. Allen will have a lot to think about when changes start next Monday.

After losing 45-12 last week, the Skins managed 218 yards, and were just 4-for-14 on third downs. They put up just 43 yards rushing, and Jason Campbell did little to think that he should be the starting QB next season. He went 24-for-39 for 199 yards with a pick.

The Redskins defense, which did have Albert Haynesworth starting even after being sent home Friday, kept them in the game, but it really wasn’t much of a game. Dallas had 390 yards, as Tony Romo threw for 286 yards, and Marion Barber and Felix Jones combined for 118 combined yards.

The now 4-11 Skins will finally put to bed this awful 2009 season as they play in San Diego against the Chargers next Sunday.

The Broncos no longer control their playoff destiny and will need a lot of help to avoid missing the postseason for the fourth straight season.

After falling behind 27-10 in the middle of the third quarter, the Broncos rallied to tie the game 27-27 with 4:00 remaining in regulation. The Broncos defense, after being torched in the first half, forced the Eagles to three and out on four consecutive possessions to enable the Broncos rally.

In what has been a reoccurring theme this season, Denver could not convert third and short situations. On two separate possessions early in the fourth quarter, Denver received great field possession and failed to convert third and two on both drives.

Kyle Orton threw three touchdown passes but passed for only 189 yard on 27 completions and threw a costly interception to kill a potential scoring chance as Orton threw an ill-advised pass intended for TE Tony Scheffler.

As die-hard of a Broncos fan that I have been for over 20 years, I have to admit this team does not deserve to even make the postseason. Their inability to pass the ball downfield or convert third and short yardage situations has become comical. Somebody needs to tell Josh McDaniels enough with the screen passes; I hope that somebody will be owner Pat Bowlen.

For about a week or so, the big question that was tossed about in light of the Indianapolis Colts’ quest for an undefeated season was whether Peyton Manning and Co. would play the entire game Sunday against the New York Jets. The issue was laid to rest in the third quarter when head coach Jim Caldwell brought in the reserves; the Jets capitalized on the act of mercy as they rallied to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, defeating Indianapolis 29-15 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Colts struck paydirt first as Joseph Addai scored on a 22-yard run while adding a 22-yard Adam Vinatieri field goal to jump to a 9-0 lead; a 25-yard Jay Feely FG helped New York get to within 9-3, which would be the score as both teams went to their respective locker rooms at halftime.

The Colts’ downfall began when Brad Smith fielded Pat McAfee’s kick to start the second half 6 yards into the end zone, ran it out, found a seam along the right side and raced down the sidelines. He even managed to stay in bounds after getting hit at about the Colts 20, going 106 yards to give the Jets a 10-9 lead. But the Colts came right back. They moved 81 yards, the last coming when Donald Brown bounced off two Jets defenders and scooted into the end zone to make it 15-10 with 10:13 left in the third quarter; Brown’s conversion run failed. At the 5:36 mark of the third quarter, Caldwell pulled Manning and Co. with the Colts holding a 15-10 lead. That was it for Manning, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and Joseph Addai – and the Colts’ win streak.

When Curtis Painter, Manning’s replacement, returned to the field for his second series, the boos began. They grew louder when Painter was hit by linebacker Calvin Pace and lost the ball, with Marques Douglas recovering and scoring. A 2-point conversion pass from Mark Sanchez to Dustin Keller made it 18-15 and put the Colts’ hopes for victory in jeopardy. The Jets would ice the win in the fourth quarter on a 43-yard Feely FG and a 1-yard Thomas Jones TD run.

Sanchez was efficient, at best, going 12-of-19 for 106 yards while Manning went 14-of-21 for 192 yards; Painter was decidedly worse, going 4-of-11 for 44 yards and an interception. The Jets rushed for 202 yards, led by Jones with 105 yards on 23 carries and a TD while Shonn Greene carried the ball 16 times for 95 yards; Addai led the Colts with 40 yards on 6 carries.

Jerricho Cotchery led the Jets receivers with 4 receptions for 45 yards while Keller caught three for 19 yards; Austin Collie led the Colts’ wideouts with 6 receptions for 94 yards while Dallas Clark caught four for 57 yards. New York’s (8-7) playoff aspirations are on the line next Sunday when tey host the Cincinnati Bengals while Indianapolis (14-1) finish their regular season when they travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills – also next Sunday.

The San Francisco 49ers, during their game against the visiting Detroit Lions, began rather slowly – perhaps a result of the hangover from last week when they were eliminated from playoff contention. But they got their act together in the second half, as turnovers, along with two touchdownsscored about six minutes apart, helped San Francisco make short work of Detroit 20-6.

But to be fair, the Lions had a very green Drew Stanton at quarterback, and it showed in his play as he was replaced by Daunte Culpepper halfway through the fourth quarter. After a pair of Ricky Schmitt field goals (33 and 39 yards, respectively), Smith led the 49ers on a third quarter drive before he got the ball to Vernon Davis for his 12th touchdown catch of the season, one shy of San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates’ record for tight ends.

On the next drive, Smith found a wide-open Gore on fourth-and-1. Gore scampered to the 6 on a 48-yard gain. Two plays later, he dived in from the 1 to make it 20-3. In addition to the rushing touchdown, Gore rushed for 1,000 yards for the fourth consecutive season – a first for a 49ers running back. The Lions didn’t score again until Jason Hanson kicked another field goal late in the fourth quarter after Culpepper came in and the game had long been decided.

Smith had a decent effort for the 49ers, going 20-of-31 for 230 yards and a TD while Stanton went 11-of-21 for 130 yards and 3 interceptions; Culpepper relieved Stanton late, going 7-of-12 for 51 yards. Gore led the 49ers rushing attack with 71 yards on 28 carries and a score while catching 4 passes for 81 yards; Maurice Morris led the Lions with 37 yards on 18 carries.

In addition to Gore’s receptions, Michael Crabtree caught 4 passes for 68 yards while Calvin Johnson led the Lions with 7 receptions for 96 yards while rushing twice for 32 yards. San Francisco (7-8), in addition to seeking a .500 record, finish their season when they travel to St. Louis next Sunday to take on the Rams while Detroit (2-13) complete their season at Ford Field agianst the Chicago Bears – also next Sunday.

As if the St. Louis Rams needed a blast from the past to remind them of their glory days, Kurt Warner and the rest of the Arizona Cardinals welcomed them to Glendale. And from what Warner did to the Rams today, it was almost like saying, “St. Louis Rams, this was your life!!”; Warner exploited the Rams’ secondary to the tune of 313 yards and a pair of touchdowns, leading Arizona to the 31-10 destruction of St. Louis at University of Phoenix Stadium. The win allowed the Cardinals to reach 10 wins for the first time since 1976, well before the Cardinals called the desert their home.

Although the Cardinals clinched their divisional title last week, head coach Ken Whisenhunt wanted Warner to fine-tune his passing game in preparation for the postseason. Suffice it to say, Warner didn’t disappoint. After a scoreless first quarter, Arizona started the second with a five-play 80-yard touchdown drive. The score was set up by a 45-yarder to Steve Breaston, the Cardinals’ longest pass play of the season. Warner threw 10 yards for the score to Larry Fitzgerald.

On its next possession, Arizona went a methodical 83 yards in eight plays, Early Doucet getting his first TD catch of the season on an 18-yard pass from Warner. The Cardinals drove from their 17 to the Arizona 1 on their last possession of the half, but they stalled on the St. Louis 1, and Mike Nugent – playing in place of injured Neil Rackers – kicked a 19-yard field goal with 8 seconds left to make it 17-0.

St. Louis needed to challenge an official’s call to get the touchdown that cut the Cardinals’ lead to 17-7; Brandon Gibson was ruled out of the end zone on a 21-yard reception, but a review showed one foot and a knee had come down inbounds. Arizona went 57 yards in nine plays with Tim Hightower bowling over from the 2 to make it 24-7 with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third and would coast the rest of the way for the victory. In addition to the Cards’ win, Arizona’s became only the 10th player in NFL history to have 20 interceptions and 20 sacks with a sack of Rams QB Keith Null late in the second quarter while Warner became only the second QB to throw 100 TD passes with two different clubs – the other being Fran Tarkenton.

Speaking of Warner, he had a decent effort, going 24-of-38 for 313 yards and 2 TD’s while Null went 20-of-31 for 171 yards with a TD and 3 interceptions. Beanie Wells led the Cardinals’ rushers with 68 yards on 17 carries and a score while the Rams were led by Chris Ogbonnaya with 9 carries for 45 yards.

Anquan Boldin led the Cardinals receivers with 8 receptions for 116 yards while Breaston caught four for 64 yards; Fitzgerald caught five for 48 yards and a TD while Doucet caught a pair for 43 yards and a TD. Gibson led the Rams with 5 receptions for 51 yards and a score while Danny Amendola caught six passes for 38 yards.

Arizona (10-5) finishes their regular season next Sunday when they host the Green Bay Packers while St. Louis (1-14) returns home for their season finale, hosting the San Francisco 49ers – also next Sunday.

A 61-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski aside, the Raiders were full of mistakes and anger on Sunday in Cleveland as the team got behind early and never caught up in losing 23-9 to the suddenly hot Browns. The Raiders dropped to 5-10 with the loss and failed to win back-to-back games for the fifth time this season and to reach six wins in a season for the first time since the 2002 season.

The game was full of mistakes, mostly on the Raiders side. QB Charlie Frye threw for 333 yards, but also threw three picks, including one on the teams second play of the game. That was turned into a Jerome Harrison 17-yard touchdown run by the Browns that put them ahead for good.

The team also put up way too many penalties. They committed 13 fouls for 26 yards and had two players — cornerback Stanford Routt and tight end Tony Stewart — ejected for flagrant fouls. It came in the second quarter as the team could have gotten back into the game, but instead allowed a late TD to fall behind 17-3.

The drive came after the Raiders had cut their deficit to 10-6, but then they allowed a Browns drive that went 93 yards in the final 1 minute, 46 seconds of the first half. They did get the Janikowski 61-yard bomb to cut the lead to 8 on the final play of the half, but that’s the closest they would get.

Cleveland scored on two Phil Dawson field goals in the second half, and Frye threw a killing pick at the Browns 5-yard line as they tried to rally late. The loss put the team at 5-10 on the season. They will close out the year at home next week against the 8-7 Baltimore Ravens.

After a season that could have been lost more than once, the Texans will enter the 17th week of the season still alive in the AFC Playoff race, and that’s about all you can ask for. Sunday the Texans went to South Florida and landed an early uppercut, and held on to top the Dolphins 27-20.

Houston scored on their first five possessions, then hung on while the Dolphins worked their way back into the game to win by a touchdown. The team plays New England at home next week, and a win there will equal a 9-7 season, and could mean a seed in the AFC as a wild card.

"That's why we're here—to take this franchise to the next level," said Matt Schaub, who threw for 286 yards and two early scores. "All we can do is control what we do, and that's what we did today.”

The Texans were outscored 20-0 in the final 31 minutes, but after they built a 27-0 lead, it was enough to hang on for the win. At one point Houston enjoyed advantages of 15-2 in first downs and 307-46 in yards.

Andre Johnson scored once and made five catches for 71 yards for his second consecutive 1,500-yard season. A win next week will equal the first winning season for the Texans in franchise history. "That's why I came here—to get this team and this organization in position like this," coach Gary Kubiak said.

The Dolphins rallied with scoring drives of 61, 79, 74 and 58 yards to make it a game, but the Texans did enough in the end to get it done. The win not only gives Houston a shot at a winning year, it also means that the Dolphins are about done in terms of the AFC Playoff race.

"It's unacceptable for us to play like this when the season is on the line," Miami running back Ricky Williams said.

The Falcons may not be on their way to the NFL playoffs, but they didn’t play like it on Sunday, as they dominated the bumbling, stumbling Buffalo Bills and won easily 31-3 at the Georgia Dome. The team started fast, as Matt Ryan threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Roddy White on Atlanta's first play from scrimmage, and the Falcons were never challenged in the runaway win.

Ryan threw for three scores and went 18-for-35 for 250 yards and a QB rating of 103.3. The Falcons D laid a beating on Bills backup QB Brian Brohm, as they allowed just 178 total yards to the Bills, including a season-low 40 yards rushing. Brohm was 17-for-29 for 146 yards with two interceptions for the now 5-10 Bills.

"I think for the second straight week I felt like our defense played very solid," said Falcons coach Mike Smith.

Atlanta had two interceptions and two sacks in the win. Buffalo converted only 2 of 10 third-down plays. They are only 7 of 45 on third-down conversions while losing three of their last four games. The victory puts the Falcons at 8-7, and even though they will miss the postseason, they are in position to post back-to-back winning records for the first time in franchise history.

"When it comes to the playoffs and making the postseason, things didn't go as well as planned, but we can still finish with a winning season," said linebacker Mike Peterson. "I'm sure the fans and the organization can be very happy about that."

The Falcons close at Tampa Bay next week.

The Panthers turned the Giants “good-bye” to Giants Stadium on Sunday a complete joke, as for the second week in a row the team beat up a supposed NFC power, beating the Giants with ease 41-9.

QB Matt Moore may have given the team a glimpse of the future at QB, as he threw three touchdown passes, and Jonathan Stewart rushed for a franchise-best 206 yards and the Panthers shredded New York's defense for 416 yards, including 247 rushing.

"We had to come out here and play tough and play to win, regardless of what they had on the line," said Moore, who completed 15 of 20 passes for 171 in his seventh NFL start.

Stewart ran for a 29-yard touchdown and set up another score by Brad Hoover with a 52-yard run. It was a great outing for the Panthers run game, who did it without usual leading rusher DeAngelo Williams, who was not available due to injury.

"It is shocking and it is disappointing," said Giants QB Eli Manning, who finished 29 of 43 for 296 yards and two interceptions. "When you have a shot to get into the playoffs and everything is right in front of us, to come and have mistakes and turnovers and penalties, we did about everything we could just to try to lose that game."

The Panthers controlled the game with long scoring drives, as they scored on drives of 63, 51 and 29 yards on its next three possession, the last set up by Richard Marshall's interception.

"Even though we've had some ups and downs, the character of this team is showing as the season comes to an end," said Stewart, who averaged 7.4 yards a carry.

The Panthers, now at 7-8 on the season, will have a chance at a .500 season next week as they take on the 13-2 Saints at home, who lost to Tampa Bay in OT Sunday.