NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Eli, after fumbling the ball, on what could have been a possible 1st down conversion late in the 4th quarter

The Giants put in a valiant effort, but mistakes, turnovers and penalties cost them the game as the Eagles won 27-17. The Giants had everything lined up for them to win, but this loss is on them.

The Eagles started off the scoring early, on a 4 yard touchdown run by Mike Vick. After a 24 yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes, the Eagles answered right back with a 38 yard field goal. They added one more, this time a 24 yarder, to make it 13-3 before half.

To start the second half, the Eagles added yet another field goal, this time from 28 yards, to make it 16-3. Giants got right back in the game, late in the third, with a 2 yard Travis Beckum touchdown.

The game was changed in the 4th quarter, when Justin Tuck sacked Mike Vick and forced a fumble. Two plays later, the Giants were on top after Derek Hagan scored from 5 yards out to give the Giants a 17-16 lead. The Eagles did answer back, after LeSean McCoy ran the ball 50 yards to the house. After a two point conversion, it was 24-17 Eagles. David Akers added a field goal at the end to ice the game and make it 27-17.

The offense started slow, but got its act together in the second half, running and passing much better. Still, too many penalties and turnovers. The Eli fumble was awful at the end, and cost them the game. Can't have those penalties and turnovers.

The defense was sharp throughout. Vick didn't go crazy and they kept them in the game till the offense could match. The big play, obviously, was the Tuck strip sack and fumble recovery that led to the touchdown. They bent, but they did not break. It was a remarkable performance for this defense. The one blemish, and it was a big one, was the McCoy 50 yard run for a TD, after a Jason Pierre-Paul offsides.

Mistakes, penalties, turnovers. All of them kept them from winning a winnable game. The Eli fumble was just awful. As was the offsides on Jason Pierre-Paul. You cannot be a great team if you turn the ball over, commit penalties, and make mistakes. Can't do it. They gave this game away. This is a good football team. But they haven't been showing it lately. This is abou as bad of a loss as you can get. And it was all preventable.

Take On The Game From: Eagles Gab

Senior writer jclombardi highlights Packers headlines about win over Vikings.

Hot Packers rout reeling Minnesota: If it wasn’t already obvious that the teams headed in opposite directions after that game, it became crystal clear Sunday afternoon at the Metrodome. The Packers produced just 14 yards of total offense in their first three drives, with Rodgers misfiring on three of his first five pass attempts. But the Packers scored on their next four possessions, including touchdowns to end three straight drives, to put the game out of reach. Rodgers finished 22 of 31 for 301 yards and his passer rating (141.3) was a season high. QB Rodgers passed for four touchdowns, three of them to Greg Jennings, and the Packers added further pain to their rivals’ miserable season with a 31-3 victory before a crowd of 64,120. Green Bay (7-3) scored the final 31 points of the game to record its most lopsided victory ever at the Metrodome. It’s going to be tough to slow down the Packers based on the way they’ve played over the last month. The constant has been a defense that has allowed just one touchdown in its last three games. The only points the Packers allowed Sunday came on a 24-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell midway through the first quarter. Green Bay also had two takeaways, giving the defense 12 in its last 14 quarters. CB Woodson forced a fumble and CB Williams picked off a pass that the offense converted into a crucial touchdown just before halftime.

Packers sweep Vikings in convincing fashion: The victory, the largest margin for the Packers here since the Metrodome opened in 1982, accomplished so much in one shot. It ran the Packers' winning streak to four games and their record to 7-3, which keeps them on pace with the Chicago Bears for first place in the NFC North Division. It also capped a satisfying sweep of quarterback Brett Favre and the Vikings, a year after Favre humbled the Packers with a sweep of two hot-blooded games that were the difference in the division race. For the second time this season, Rodgers outdueled Favre with a better passer rating (141.3 to Favre's 51.2) and exploited the Vikings' glaring weakness with Asher Allen and rookie Chris Cook at the Nos. 2 and 3 cornerbacks. Cook, the Vikings' nickel back, was the stumblebum of choice in the first half. Jennings smoked him for a 47-yard catch that set up a field goal. WR Jones did the same for receptions of 39 and 3 yards, the latter a fade for a touchdown with 5 seconds left in the first half that put the Packers up 17-3. The Vikings gave Cook the hook in the third quarter. Jennings, who had three touchdown catches on the day, then torched Allen's one-on-one coverage for two scores in the second half, a 46-yard catch-and-run on a comeback route that opened the 21-point lead in the third quarter, and a 22-yard fade on a daring third-down call that closed out the scoring in the fourth quarter. Favre, on the other hand, couldn't solve a Packers defense that has been one of the NFL's best the past three weeks — coordinator Dom Capers' crew has given up 10 points total to the New York Jets, Dallas and the Vikings.

Packers 31, Vikings 3: Williams turns the tide: With Rodgers having thrown for 301 yards and four touchdowns, backup Matt Flynn was in the middle of mopping up the final 6 ½ minutes of the Packers' 31-3 domination of the Minnesota Vikings. Rodgers, meanwhile, was walking along the Packers' bench, shaking hands with every defensive player he encountered. With 2:53 left in the game, he arrived at Tramon Williams, whose interception in the closing minutes of the first half had helped turn a nip-and-tuck affair into the blowout it became. Asked after the game what his quarterback had said to him, Williams laughed. He couldn't remember. In reality, nothing really needed to be said. Everyone inside the Metrodome Sunday knew just how big Williams' interception of Brett Favre with 1:03 left until halftime had been. ""Huge," said Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who watched Rodgers direct the offense on a six-play, 53-yard sprint in the next 58 seconds to turn Williams' interception into a 3-yard Rodgers-to-James Jones touchdown and a 17-3 halftime lead. "I mean, they had a little momentum on the drive; it's a one-score game. That's a big play in the game no doubt about it." Williams' interception was part of a larger impressive defensive effort, of course, which is why Rodgers was going down the sideline offering his thanks and congratulations.

After the Dallas Cowboys got a win in interim head coach Jason Garrett's debut last week in New York, they had their sights on making it two in a row and winning Garrett's home coaching debut. Winning at home had been a problem for the Cowboys this year. They had a 0-4 record heading into today's game with the Lions. The good news for the Cowboys was the Lions were even worse on the road having not won a road game since October 2007.

The Cowboys started well when QB Jon Kitna led the team on an opening drive score. Kitna hit impressive rookie Dez Bryant on a 1-yard touchdown pass to put the home side up 7-0 early. Bryant made a great catch over a Lion's defender and hauled in the pass for his 6th touchdown of the year.

After that he offense seemed to stall and that would be all the Cowboys could manage in the first half. Detroit retaliated with a long drive of their own, kicking a field goal at the beginning of the second quarter to make it 7-3.

As the half was drawing to the close and the Cowboys pinned deep they decided to run the ball from inside their own 5-yard line with 50 seconds left in the second quarter. HB Felix Jones lost the handle on the ball on a nice run and the Lions recovered it at the Dallas 14-yard line. Three plays later, WR Nate Burleson scored to give Detroit a 10-7 halftime lead.

Through the first half of the game, fans started to wonder if the Cowboys were slipping back into their old ways. Detroit had the advantage in most statistical categories after the first half and the Cowboys were only able to generate 96 yards of total offense.

The dumb penalties made a return for the Cowboys as the third quarter got underway. Pinned again deep in their own end, guard Leonard Davis was called for holding rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in the end zone, which gave the Lions a safety and 12-7 lead.

Then rookie Bryan McCann decided he wanted to change the game in similar fashion to his 101-yard interception return for a touchdown last week in New York. Detroit's punt unit appeared ready to down the ball around the Cowboys' 5-yard line. One of Detroit's gunners stopped the ball from bouncing into the end zone by swatting it out to who he thought was his coverage team. Instead, it was McCann who picked up the loose ball, ran outside and turned the corner to find nothing but blockers ahead of him. He flew down the sideline for a 97-yard touchdown, giving the Cowboys a 14-12 lead.

It seemed that is what the Cowboys and the fans needed to get the momentum rolling. A rejuvenated defense took the field and immediately caused a turnover when DE Jason Hatcher, back from injury, caught a fumble out of mid air at the Detroit 19-yard line. The Cowboys needed just four plays to get in the score again, as Kitna threw to a wide open Austin for the score making it a 21-12 game.

While the momentum seemed to fly to the Cowboys side Detroit made a strong push to get it back and on the following possession went 80 yards with a deep ball to WR Nate Burelson getting 58 of them. Lions QB Shaun Hill found all-star Calvin Johnson for a 14-yard touchdown pass making the score 21-19.

But Dallas didn't lie down or even let the Lions regain the momentum as Kitna led the team back down into the Lions red zone and, aided by a penalty on Ndamukong Suh, scored on a 4-yard touchdown reception by Miles Austin extending the lead to 28-19. The Cowboys didn't stop there as the stopped the Lions with a big sack and then got the ball back. Kitna led and 80-yard drive capped off by a Kitna bootleg around the left side for 29 yards and the final score. No one in their right mind saw that coming and the Cowboys closed it out at 35-19.

The Cowboys are now on a 2-game winning streak and will look to continue that next week when they host the Champs from New Orleans on Thanksgiving. The team does look rejuvenated and fresh under Garrett we'll see if they can keep it rolling.

For the past three weeks, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has not been the same Peyton Manning. The stats may show today that he played well, going 38-of-52 for 396 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions, along with a 96.3 rating; he didn’t.

Tom Brady barely came out on top as the New England Patriots squeaked out with a 31-28 victory at home. It was like revisiting last season. Manning started struggling really earlier, starting off the first drive with an interception. This would cap off with a Tom Brady to Wes Welker touchdown. The Colts would struggle the next few drives and it led to another score for the New England Patriots.

But the Colts would march back, Manning found tight end Gijon Robinson open for a one-yard touchdown. The Pats would storm back with a Benjarvus Green-Ellis touchdown to put the Pats up 21-7. With only a few minutes remaining in the first half, Manning drove the Colts down the field for a touchdown to Reggie Wayne to cut the deficit to 21-14. Manning was scary good on that drive, with the key play coming off a broken tackle which could have resulted in a sack. Manning would then find a long completion to a wide-open Donald Brown to the left side of the field, which set up the Wayne touchdown.

Indy would struggle in the third quarter, however. Manning would throw an interception and wasn’t on target at all. The defense was even worse, especially on the run. Danny Woodhead was running all over the Colts in the third. After a few big runs, Woodhead busted out for a 36-yard touchdown to bring the Patriots up 28-14.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Pats would extend their lead to 31-14. Hhm, it was just like last year, wasn’t it? The Colts were facing with a 31-14 deficit in the second half. There, Manning would get really hot. He found Blair White for a five-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 31-21 with 7:57 remaining in the game. After a three-and-out by New England, Manning would find White again for another touchdown to bring the Colts down by three points, 31-28.

After yet another three-and-out, the Colts had one last shot to score. There were two minutes left in the game. Manning was driving down the field, completing passes everywhere. The Colts were now in New England territory, knowing they are going to score no matter what, unless if they make a mistake. Inside the 25, Manning was looking close to the end zone, but the ball would wound up in a Pats’ defender’s hands, which would ultimately end the game.

The Colts easily could have tied the game and send this thing into overtime. But it was Manning, who choked. Manning has choked two times in the past three weeks. This is why many still keep debating between Manning and Brady. Both guys choke. And Pats fans need to admit that Brady chokes, too (example: Blowing your perfect record to the 10-6 Giants in the Super Bowl). But many always say Manning chokes more. It’s not true. Manning gets hated on way too much.

Manning needs to improve. So far, these last three weeks bring a cause for concern with the Colts. Indy is now down to 6-4, tied for first place in the division with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Next week, they face the tough San Diego Chargers. Their record may not show anything bright, but they are a tough opponent. But then again, the Colts are undefeated at home so far. If the Colts can lose no more than one game, just one game, they are good to go for the year.

The Colts need to fix themselves. We all know the Colts could have won this game. All this interceptions were just unnecessary. Going just a little off target shows how bad it can be. And that is what happened to Manning.

But hat-tip to the Patriots, they played really good. Although it was a lost, this is easily one of my most favorite games of the year.

Brady was very accurate in this game, going 19-of-25 for 185 yards with two touchdowns and a 123.1 rating. Brady really must be thanking Woodhead for the strong performance, as he had seven rushed for 69 yards. Green-Ellis also played well with 96 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown.

Manning dealt with a very poor running game. Donald Brown had 68 yards on 17 carries. But most of his yards was thanks to a 36-yard rush. Other than that, the Colts got a bunch of one-to-two yard rushes.

Reggie Wayne had eight catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. Pierre Garcon had five catches for 62 yards. Deion Branch had seven catches for 70 yards while Wes Welker had five catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.

But you know what this game proves? The Colts can beat the Patriots anytime. And if these two meet in the playoffs, I have all the confidence in the Colts. If you haven’t noticed, the Colts were playing without like 20 of their key players. Joseph Addai, Austin Collie, Gary Brackett, Bob Sanders, and all of those guys that aren’t out for the year will be available for the playoffs. And if these two meet, the Colts will win.

This loss won’t affect all that much. All Indy needs to do is beat the Titans at least once and the Jaguars and they got the division win. And then that is when they get serious: the playoffs.

6-4, so what? Many other franchises would kill for this record. Especially if the Colts were in the AFC or NFC West. Indy is fine. Manning played decent, but he needs to play a lot better next week.

Come on Colts, you got to improve. It was a solid game, but that one little mistake changed it all. Great game. Now just get those Chargers next week at Lucas Oil.

THE GOOD

The Run Game
The Bucs finished with 42 carries for 162 yards, their third game in the last four with 154+ yards. Rest has been good for Cadillac Williams. He had a juking, clobbering, tackle-busting 26-yard run in the 4th to put the 49ers away for good.

The Run Defense
Pounding the rock is no longer San Francisco's strong suit, but Gore is a good back and the Bucs aren't used to this kind of performance. The Niners's Gore ran 12 times for 23 yards.

Ronde Barber
Is it time to crown this secondary the best in the NFC? Barber followed Troy's eyes, got his 40th interception today, the most in Tampa Bay history and effectively took the wind out of the stadium. The Bucs have 15 interceptions and still no serious pass rush.

The Effort
Gerald McCoy got his first sack…sort of. He's credited with a half-sack. Maurice Stovall looked a little rusty on the coverage units for one play, but could definitely contribute as a receiver. If they were to ever use the up-tempo 4-WR offense, defenses would be tired and Freeman would extend plays. In that event, their strength would be keeping Graham, Williams, or Winslow in the backfield with Williams, Stroughter, Benn and Stovall as the four receivers. Both Stovall and LeGarrette Blount went airborne. Adam Hayward showed great pursuit on a sack of Smith.

THE BAD

The conservative play-calling in the red zone before connecting on the Penn pass. Conservative,  conservative, a little bit risky.

Conner Barth had a tough miss from 41 yards that ended an otherwise nice drive.

While – for the most part today – 49ers corners had issues with the physical Benn and Mike Williams, Williams appeared to have gotten away with a push-off on a 33 yard gain. In a defensive battle without a lot of points, it's hard for the officials because one blown call can really alter the course. Something tells me that offensive pass interference will be a new "point of emphasis" this offseason for officials. I'm not certain there's anything they can do if they aren't spotting it now. Williams is still tied with Dez Bryant for the rookie lead with 6 TDs

LOOKING AHEAD: The Bucs D kept Troy Smith from involving his playmakers. Ginn, Davis and Crabtree altogether had 3 catches for 25 yards. The Niners had just 130 yards of offense with 11:20 left in the game. The last home shutout for the 49ers was October 9th 1977, the year Star Wars came out. Is there a young QB in the NFL you'd rather have in the 4th quarter than Freeman? If the Bucs secondary and run defense can come up with something like this against Baltimore or New Orleans, this team will have taken the next step.

It's crazy how at the end of last year, Mike Singletary was the young coach with the team headed in the right direction and Raheem Morris was the one people said was in too deep.

Now, Raheem has won 9 of his last 13 games and Mike Singletary might be out the door. It's not easy to win with young players like Singletary has, and that's what makes it all the more amazing that Raheem Morris has the Bucs at 7-3.

Yes, I thought San Francisco would continue their roll and win a close one, but it seem the Bucs win every time I pick against them and I'm picking against them next week. They are going to need to come out and play physical and daring to beat Baltimore on the road.

The Rams returned to the friendly confines of the Edward Jones Dome to host the Atlanta Falcons, one of the best teams in the NFC.  Atlanta sported a high-powered offense including Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and Roddy White.  The Falcons offense took advantage of the Rams defense and used all their weapons to wear down the Rams and win the game 34-17.  Even though the Rams were run over by the Falcons, they continued to keep the game close until the 4^th quarter.  Sam Bradford finally turned the ball over for the first time in 5 games on a desperation drive with less than 5 minutes left in the game.  That ended the game for the Rams and the Falcons were able to extend the lead and finish the Rams off.

The Rams jumped out to a 7-0 lead thanks to a Sam Bradford play-action throwback pass to Mike Hoomanawanui and the Rams defense held tight for a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.  The Rams were creative through the pass game and spreading out the defense in the run game.  However, the Atlanta offense got on track in the 2^nd quarter and started turning the game towards the Falcons sideline.  Matt Ryan had the answer to the Rams pressure up front and was able to get the ball to his playmakers with plenty of time in the pocket.  The Rams defense continued their inability to cover receivers down the field and the Falcons took advantage.

As the field continued to tilt more and more towards the Atlanta side of the field, the Rams offense couldn't break the momentum, including a failed 3^rd and 1 run.  The Falcons moved the ball at will against the Rams defense, but the Rams were able to stop the Falcons in the red zone twice in a row and Atlanta settled for a field goal on their last two drives of the first half.  The Falcons went into the half leading 16-10.  The Rams were happy with being down by 6 points after the Falcons high-powered offense dominated the whole 2^nd quarter.

The Rams came out in the 2^nd half flying on all cylinders on offense after the defense forced the Falcons to punt.  Sam Bradford moved the team down the field with an inch-perfect touchdown pass to Brandon Gibson.  Danny Amendola kick-started the offense with a long punt return.

After two consecutive stops by the Rams defense, Matt Ryan was able to find enough holes in the leaky Rams secondary to move the football down the field for a touchdown that looked way too easy. The Rams could not cover the Falcons receivers and could not keep up with the Falcons no-huddle offense.  At one point, OJ Atogwe, Ron Bartell and Justin King were off the field with cramps and Matt Ryan took advantage throwing to Roddy White whenever possible.

The Rams vaunted pass-rush defense came into the game leading the NFL in sacks, but were completely manhandled by the Falcons offense.  The Atlanta offensive line was completely solid and Matt Ryan had the Rams blitz on the back foot as he switched the play when the Rams sold the blitz at the line of scrimmage.  Rams MLB James Laurinaitis was overmatched by Ryan and was not able to correctly switch the defense in time.  And when the Rams blitz does not come with in 3 yards of the quarterback, bad things happen.  And in this case, the bad things were long drives and long completions from Matt Ryan to his various talented receivers.  Even when the Rams committed their blitzes to the cause, they were unable to get any pressure.  With the blitzes, the Rams left even more open field for Ryan to exploit.  And Ryan took that as an engraved invitation.

The Rams offense showed signs of being the offense everyone hopes they can be with point perfect drives ending in touchdowns.  But too often they lack execution, especially on the offensive line and the Rams have to abandon the run.  The Rams defense has been heralded thoughout the early part of the season and rightfully so, but they were exposed today.  The blitz did not work, the Rams couldn't get pressure on the quarterback when they needed it and wore down as Atlanta continued to hold the ball.  The Falcons are a great offense and the Rams are not the first team to fall to them this season, but it was not pretty from a defensive perspective.  The Falcons are a better team than the Rams and they showed it on Sunday with a 34-17 victory at the Edward Jones Dome.

More than ever, it appears the Tennessee Titans are at a crossroads.

Sunday at LP Field the team had a great shot to move to 6-4 on the season, but instead they allowed the Washington Redskins to hang around, and in the end they fell to 5-5 after a 19-16 overtime loss.

But that’s not the whole story.

The real story is about the back and forth between Titans coach Jeff Fisher and quarterback Vince Young. It finally seems that after all the drama the two have been through, Young has finally worn out his welcome with the coach and in Tennessee.

Young left the stadium after being knocked out of the game with an injured right thumb in the third quarter, and it didn’t sit well with the coach, who has stood by Young in the past even after he has been forced to bench him.

Young hurt his thumb when his hand slammed into a helmet completing a 37-yard pass to Nate Washington. He stayed in the game for a handoff to Chris Johnson, then went to the sideline where he had his thumb taped. Trainers kept retaping the thumb as he tossed the ball with Moss, trying to see if he could return.

Rookie QB Rusty Smith took over for Young and was unable to help generate any points, then led the Titans on a seven-play, 72-yard drive that was finished off with a 40-yard Rob Bironas field goal to put the hosts in front 16-13 with 8:40 to play in the fourth quarter.

It wasn’t enough though, as the Redskins were able to tie the game, and then after some poor mistakes in overtime, Graham Gano kicked a 48-yard field goal with 8:17 remaining in the extra frame to get the win for the visiting Skins.

After the game Young tossed his shoulder pads into the stands as he left the field, setting off a chain of events in the locker room. As Fisher gathered the team, Young uttered expletives under his breath as he was getting dressed, according to the source.

Young then headed for the locker room door. Fisher told him not to walk out on his teammates. Young responded that he was not walking out on his teammates, but was walking out on Fisher, according to the source. Young and Fisher exchanged more words as the quarterback went out the door, a source said.

The final game winning drive for the Skins started at their own 13-yard line, as Donovan McNabb connected with Chris Cooley for a 26-yard pass and two plays later, an unnecessary roughness call on the Titans plus a replay reversal of an interception gave the ‘Skins possession on their own 42.

Tennessee was then flagged for a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty that moved the ball to the Titans’ 43. After a short run and 10-yard completion to Santana Moss, the Redskins had it on the 31. Washington (5-5) could only pick up another yard before Gano came on and split the uprights for the game- winning kick.

“Before I even looked up, I knew it was going in,” Gano said.

McNabb completed 30-of-50 passes for 376 yards with one touchdown and an interception for Washington, which recovered from a 59-28 rout to Philadelphia on Monday and snapped a two-game losing streak.

Clinton Portis returned from missing the last five games with a groin injury and had five carries for 32 yards before leaving after suffering a setback. Keiland Williams took over for Portis and rushed for 68 yards. Moss finished with six catches for 106 yards with a TD, while Cooley had seven receptions for 91 yards in the victory.

Young threw for 165 yards on 12-of-16. The Titans have now dropped three straight overall. Smith was 3-of-9 for 62 yards and one interception. Johnson rushed for 130 yards on 21 carries, while Washington pulled in five catches for 117 yards.

“This team battled, but I don’t think this team played smart,” Fisher said. “You don’t win a game in overtime with three penalties. I’m very disappointed.”

And now, it appears more then ever that he may be in the market for a QB.

In the final minute and 54 seconds of the first half, Matt Hasselbeck led the Seattle Seahawks' offense to 10 points and cut his team's deficit in New Orleans to 11; however that same unit was the main culprit in a second-half collapse as the Saints beat the Seahawks 34-19.

After New Orleans scored on its opening drive of the second half with a 32-yard pass-and-catch from Drew Brees to Robert Meachem to extend the Saints' lead to 34-16, Seattle's Marshawn Lynch ended Seattle's opportunity to respond. On the Seahawks' second play of its drive, the running back scooted 17 yards up field to the Saints' 48-yard line where safety Roman Harper stripped Lynch of the ball and recovered it.

New Orleans marched down the field and was looking to strengthen its command of the game following the turnover, but a David Hawthorne interception near the goal line gave the Seahawks second life.

Ten plays later, though, that life came to an end. Lynch, on the receiving end of a two-yard pass from Hasselbeck, fumbled the ball away again – this time to the Saints' Scott Shanle.

Following the turnover, the Saints maneuvered the football 48 yards to the Seattle nine where, on fourth-and-five with 12:35 remaining in the game, Garrett Hartley bounced a 27-yard field goal attempt off the left upright.

While New Orleans failed to capitalize off the miscues, the Saints' offense ate up much-needed time off the game clock. Eight minutes and 18 seconds – over a quarter of the second half – was taken away.

Seattle's only second-half points came on the next possession, a 20-yard field goal by Olindo Mare.

The win improves New Orleans to 7-3, while Seattle falls to 5-5.

Just under eight minutes into the game, the Seahawks got onto the scoreboard first thanks to Mare and a 20-yard conversion. It was the first of three field goals the 15-year veteran would make in the first half and of four overall.

The Seahawks' only touchdown of the game came one play after the two-minute warning in the first half when quarterback Matt Hasselbeck found wide receiver Ben Obomanu for a two-yard touchdown to cut New Orleans' lead to 21-13.

It would take the Drew Brees-led Saints offense just 54 seconds after that to score its fourth touchdown of the opening half. Facing second-and-five from the Seattle 22, the reigning Super Bowl MVP quarterback connected with wideout Marques Colston with relative ease for the receiver's second 20-plus-yard score of the day.

Brees would go on to finish the game completing 29 of 43 pass attempts for 382 yards and four touchdowns. He was also intercepted twice.

Can't get enough NFLGridironGab? Follow SeahawksGab Editor Devon Heinen on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DevonHeinen.

After a relatively one-sided first half through the initial 28 minutes of play in New Orleans, 17 points were scored during the final two with 10 belonging to the Seahawks.

Wide receiver Ben Obomanu was on the receiving end of a two-yard Matt Hasselbeck touchdown pass just after the two-minute warning to cut the Saints’ lead to 21-13; however, Marques Colston hauled in his second touchdown reception of over 20 yards 54 seconds later. A botched placement of the snap on New Orleans’ extra point forced holder Chase Daniel scrambling toward the goal line, but the first-year pro failed to break the plane.

With a minute remaining, Hasselbeck led the Seahawks back onto the field, but two offensive penalties stalled the drive and forced Olindo Mare out onto the field, where he converted a 43-yard field goal try to bring the Seahawks to within 11 at the half.

At the half, the Saints lead the Seahawks 27-16.

Can't get enough NFLGridironGab? Follow SeahawksGab Editor Devon Heinen on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DevonHeinen.

Bowe signifying the Chiefs are #1 in the AFC West

“It was a bad day for us. You have to bounce back and you have to have a short memory in the NFL. That’s how you survive in this league. You have to be a professional and move on.”

-Derrick Johnson, following the team’s embarrassing effort last Sunday in Denver

Forget about the heartbreaking OT loss in Oakland.  Dismiss the pathetic performance in the Mile High City.  A couple of bad days meant the Chiefs had to bounce back in Arrowhead against a sputtering Arizona club; they did just that.  A short memory made for a dominant display of football for the Chiefs on Sunday against the Cardinals, as they annihilated the Cardinals by a final of 31-13.  They protected their home turf, and they moved on from last week’s humiliation with a strong turnaround game.

Balance was the key, as Matt Cassel led the troops through the air with two scores to Dwayne Bowe (11 and counting), while the 1-2 punch of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones (two TD’s) combined for 29 carries and 159 yards on the ground.  The #1 rushing unit showed once again why they are the best in the NFL, averaging 5 1/2 yards per attempt, while moving the chains with eight first downs.  It sure helped that Todd Haley’s former team came into the game ranked 28th against the run.

With the game 14-3, the Chiefs started the 2nd half by taking the opening drive 80 yards on nine plays for a touchdown to make it 21-3.  On the drive, Cassel converted two third downs, one to Charles and the other to Bowe.  Charles’ 39-yard yard scamper on 2nd & 9 from the Arizona 42 set-up a three-yard touchdown by Thomas Jones, his second of the afternoon.  The score put the Chiefs ahead for good, as they never looked back, in winning their fifth game in as many tries in Arrowhead this season.

The 6-4 Chiefs are now all alone atop the AFC West with a Raiders loss, and they will travel to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seahawks next Sunday.  As for the stumbling Cardinals, they fall to 3-7, and 1-5 away from Glendale.  Ken Whishenhunt’s club will host the division rival 49ers on Monday Night.