Paul Bearer's Week 15 Wrap-Up

Paul Bearer's Week 15 Wrap-Up What's up first of all to all the posters and people of The Corner and what's up to my Arena fam. Another week gone by in the National Football League and a great week at that. A lot of great games went down during this week 15, so let's take a look back and recap the week that was week 15.

[i][b]Sunday's Best [/b][/i]

It was a shootout in Pittsburgh on Sunday, as Ben Rothlisberger and Aaron Rodgers dueled all afternoon and put on an offensive showcase for the people. The Steelers kept their playoff hopes alive with a thrilling 37-36 victory over Green Bay in a game that was decided on the final play at the final gun. Rothlisberger threw for 503 yards and three touchdowns including two to rookie Mike Wallace the last of which with 0:00 on the clock, on a beautiful grab by Wallace in the corner of the end zone to give Pittsburgh the win. The touchdown was the cap on a game winning 86-yard drive which was kept alive with a 32 yard strike to Santonio Holmes by Rothlisberger. Ben calmly lead his team down field on a dead tired Packer defense, as they could not make the big play to end the game. But before that the game was a good one already. The Steelers struck early when Rothlisberger hit Wallace for a 60 yard touchdown pass on their first play of the game to go up 7-0, the Packers answered right back when Rodgers found Greg Jennings for a 83 yard touchdown to tie the game up at 7. Rashard Mendenhall had a 2 yard plunge to make the score 14-7, but Rodgers ran 12 yards to tie the game up at 14. The Rothlisberger hit Mewelde Moore for a score to give Pittsburgh a 21-14 lead at the half, in the second half the Packers went to work. Down 24-14 the Packers came back to take a 28-27 lead after Ryan Grant broke loose for a 24 yard touchdown run, Jeff Reed hit a field goal to put Pittsburgh back in front but Rodgers then found a wide open James Jones for a touchdown to put Green Bay in the lead 36-30 after Mike Tomlin decided to run an onside kick after the field goal. However, the Steelers and Rothlisberger had time to work the field and steal this game. Aaron Rodgers threw for 383 yards and three touchdowns in defeat as the Packers fell to 9-5, but are still in control of their wild card destiny in the NFC. The Steelers improved to 7-7 and put a light on their previously fading playoff hopes, they have a huge matchup next week with the Ravens, will this game be a springboard to a run for the playoffs or will the Steelers have a letdown?

[b]Bearer's Week 15 Breakdown [/b]

The Saints were 13-0 heading into their Saturday night matchup with the Dallas Cowboys at the Superdome. N.O. was favored and undefeated talk was swirling all around, but Dallas had other ideas. The Saints had struggled and had tough games the past 3 weeks and avoided 2 upsets against Washington and Atlanta, but this time the fortune ran out. The Cowboys pulled off the 24-17 upset in a great game outplaying New Orleans to the end of the game. They forced three turnovers including two fumbles, Marion Barber ran for two scores and Miles Austin had 139 yards receiving and a touchdown. Despite the well play of the Cowboys they had to sweat it out as New Orleans went on a run to get the game close, down 24-3 going into the 4th, the Saints scored two touchdowns to bring the game to 24-17. Dallas got the ball back and drove downfield to run out clock and get a game clinching score, however in a mistake that ultimately cost the Redskins a win against N.O., kicker Nick Folk missed a chip shot field goal to put the game on ice and allowed Brees and company one last chance. Brees started to march the team downfield and hit Marques Colston on fourth down to keep the game moving and had the Saints at midfield, but then linebacker Demarcus Ware who was carted off the field, broke around the line and sacked and stripped Drew Brees, Jay Ratliff recovered the fumble and ended the game. Ware played great having two sacks and forcing two fumbles, the Cowboys got a big win and season saver for them improving them to 9-5 and better position in the wild card race. The Saints finally get their first loss of the year, they cant dwell on it but the Saints have now been shown to be vulnerable and have issues that they need to fix or else they may get exposed in the playoffs.

The Indianapolis Colts survived a tough game from Jacksonville on Thursday to remain undefeated at 14-0, with a 35-31 victory on the road. Peyton Manning was Peyton Manning putting together another great game for his team and getting them a win, Manning threw for 308 yards and four touchdowns and led them to the victory. Both teams went back and forth in the first half, trading scores en route to Indy leading at the half 21-17, Manning hit Austin Collie and Dallas Clark for touchdowns and Chad Simpson returned a kickoff 93 yards for a score. Jacksonville got two rushing scores from Maurice Jones-Drew and a field goal from Josh Scobee to keep them in it. In the third quarter, David Garrard went to work throwing two touchdowns to give the Jaguars a 31-28 lead after Manning found Clark on a 27-yard touchdown strike in the quarter, surprisingly after Jones-Drew's successful first half, Jacksonville abandoned the running game. In the 4th with the game tight and time passing by, Manning proved why he's the best quarterback in the league when he hit a streaking Reggie Wayne down the sideline for a 65-yard touchdown pass and the 35-31 lead they would not relinquish. The Jags have now lost 3 of their last 4 games to fall to 7-7 and back in the muddle of the AFC playoff chase and probably have to win out to get into the playoffs, the Colts kept the ship upright and didn't fall over like the Saints on Sunday and are now the top dog in the NFL.

For the second time of the year, the Cleveland Browns played another dismal team and put on a show in a game that seemed to be a bad matchup on paper. The Browns got a win over the Kansas City Chiefs in a entertaining game by the score of 41-34, the story of the game were the two huge performances by the Browns' Josh Cribbs and running back Jerome Harrison. Cribbs ran back to kickoffs for 100 yards and 103 yards for touchdowns in the first half and Harrison broke Jim Brown's single-game team rushing record running for 286 yards, the third most in NFL history and three touchdowns, including the game winning 28-yard sprint late in the 4th. The Chiefs played well in defeat however, Matt Cassel threw for 331 yards and 2 touchdowns and Jamaal Charles ran for 154 yards and a score for the Chiefs who came up just short.

Vince Young continued to play his role as savior of the Titans as he led Tennessee to a 27-24 OT victory over the Miami Dolphins, to boost their playoff hopes. Despite suffering a leg injury last week, Young played well throwing for three touchdowns, two of which to receiver Justin Gage along with 236 yards passing for the Titans who only got 104 yards from Chris Johnson after Miami bottled him up in the second half. Miami played strong too, overcoming a 18-point second half deficit behind the running of Ricky Willilams and the leg of Dan Carpenter. Carpenter kicked three field goals to help Miami and Williams scored a touchdown and the game tying 2 point conversion after Chad Henne found Anthony Fasano in the end zone. In OT however Henne threw an interception to Michael Griffin which was compounded by a 15 yard penalty for a late hit on Miami, Titans kicker Rob Bironas then ended the game on a 48 yard field goal.

The Oakland Raiders stole a win over the Denver Broncos, 20-19 on a late TD pass by Jamarcus Russell to Chaz Schillens for the win. Russell came on in relief after quarterbacks Charlie Frye and J.P. Losman were knocked out of the game for Oakland, Russell than led a 58 yard drive for that final score to take the win. This loss is a big blow for the Broncos who blew a good chance to improve their playoff hopes.

Arizona defeated a tough Detroit Lions team, 31-24 on Sunday. Arizona came out and avoided a second straight upset by finally holding the pesky Lions after a sloppy loss to San Francisco last week. Detroit played well after being throttled by Baltimore, 48-3 last week, a 5-yard touchdown pass from Kurt Warner to Anquan Boldin was the winning score for the Cardinals with 1:54 left. A bonus for the Cardinals was that they also clinched the NFC West this week with a loss by the 49ers.

In another great game on Sunday, the San Diego Chargers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 27-24 in a tough emotional loss for the Bengals after the previous week. A 52-yard field goal by Nate Kaeding with 3 seconds left won it for the Chargers and defeated the grieving Bengals, the Chargers won their ninth straight and clinched the AFC West. The Bengals played a great, tough game under the circumstances they faced coming into this matchup for them to come out and play so hard and almost have a chance to win it is a testament to that team.

Minnesota got smacked in the mouth and beaten on Sunday night for the second time in three weeks after a fourth quarter run by the Panthers led to a 26-7 loss for the Vikings. Julius Peppers was a monster on Sunday and Brett Favre is probably going to see Peppers in his sleep, he dominated Bryant McKinnie so bad that McKinnie was taken out of the game and Favre was almost pulled out leading to a testy exchange with coach Brad Childress. The Vikings have looked lackluster in the last three weeks, maybe Favre is fading, maybe the team peaked too soon, maybe they are in a slump, maybe they aren't as good as we thought. Whatever it is it needs to be fixed in Minnesota and fixed soon.

With their offense stuck in neutral the New England Patriots used a good old-fashioned game of running the football and defense to defeat the pesky Buffalo Bills, 17-10. The Pats and Randy Moss in particular were dogged by questions of Moss not showing effort and giving up on his team last week, Moss responded with 5 catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. However the game was dominated by the Pats defense, with Tully Banta-Cain anchoring the defense with three sacks and the Pats only allowed 172 yards by the Bills after Buffalo's opening drive. The Pats improved to a record of 9-5 and holds on to the lead in the AFC East, and the Bills fell to 5-9 and will miss the playoffs for the 10th straight season.

Philadelphia got a win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday 27-13 to earn another playoff berth. Donovan McNabb threw a touchdown to Desean Jackson and ran for another in helping the Eagles get a win over the sloppy 49ers, Jackson also had 140 yards receiving. The Eagles intercepted Alex Smith three times en route to the Eagles fifth straight win, to improve to 10-4. Frank Gore ran for 107 yards but the 'Niners couldn't overcome the mistakes by Smith.

In a week full of teams facing upsets and close calls, the Baltimore Ravens looked better than any team this week after beating the uninspired Chicago Bears 31-7. Joe Flacco threw four touchdown passes in Baltimore's easy victory, the defense forced 4 turnovers including three interceptions by Jay Cutler, and the Ravens scored 24 of their points off turnovers. The Ravens have now taken control of their playoff destiny and improve to 8-6 with a showdown with rival Pittsburgh coming in week 16.

Houston rode their two best players Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub to a victory over the St. Louis Rams 16-13 on Sunday. Schaub threw for over 300 yards and Johnson had 196 yards receiving for the Texans who used field goals to beat the now 1-13 Rams. The Texans improved to 7-7 and stay on the outside of the playoff race and keep hope in getting their first winning season in franchise history.

Tampa Bay posted an impressive 24-7 win over the lackluster Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The Buccaneer defense forced Matt Hasselbeck to turning the ball over five times, and Josh Freeman threw two second half touchdowns for the Bucs to gain their second win of the season. The Seahawks put on a dismal performance in front of their home fans who have fallen to rock bottom after their second straight poor performance. This on the other had was a good win for a young, struggling Buccaneers team, and a mark to show how far the Seahawks have fell.

The New York Jets had every opportunity to put away the Atlanta Falcons and win a game to help their playoff status and failed to do it. The Jets allowed the Falcons to hang around and got burned after Matt Ryan found Tony Gonzales in the end zone with seconds left to give the Falcons a 10-7 win. Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez playing on knee braces was intercepted three times and their offense couldn't do it's job and spoiled a great game by the Jets defense. The Falcons were eliminated by the Cowboys from the playoff race but went out and dealt a huge blow to the Jets playoff hopes.

Finally on Monday night, the New York Giants went out and destroyed the Washington Redskins, 45-12. Eli Manning threw for three touchdowns and 268 yards and sat the fourth as the Giants dominated every part and facet of the game on Monday, Ahmad Bradshaw ran for two touchdowns in the first half for the Giants. The Giants improved to 8-6 and one game behind Green Bay and rival Dallas for wild card positions in the NFC, the Redskins didn't show much resistance and were down 24-0 at halftime and it only got worse in the second half. A minor brawl broke out between the teams pretty much brought on by the Redskins frustration.

[b]Paul's Players Of The Week[/b] Offense: Jerome Harrison: 34 carries, 286 rushing yards, three touchdowns Defense: Demarcus Ware: 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles

[i]How Did I Do?[/i] 9-7 this week, 62-31 total

Ok, people there you have it. That was a great week on NFL football we got in week 15, hopefully week 16 will be just as good or better. My week 16 preview will come on Wednesday so be on the lookout for that. Keep following my writeups and commenting and posting on what you read, remember y'all the ones I do it for.

Shoutout to my Arena fam and people of this great site we call The Corner. The Arena Stay Winning and The Corner Stay Winning. Until next time, it's me Paul Bearer signing off until next time. Peace!

Thursday Night Preview-Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars

Tonight on NFL Network we have a great Thursday night matchup as two AFC South rivals battle when the 7-6 Jacksonville Jaguars play host to the 13-0 Indianapolis Colts who look to remain unbeaten. Indy has clinched but they are playing for history, and the Jaguars are playing for a playoff spot so this game should be a good one tonight.

Let's start by taking a look at the unbeaten Indianapolis Colts. They got a 28-16 win last week over the Denver Broncos despite 3 interceptions by Peyton Manning who also threw four touchdowns in that game. Dallas Clark was a red zone monster for Indy, catching 3 of Manning's 4 touchdowns. The big question is who will play for the Colts and how long will they play tonight, Indy has clinched home field advantage and the number 1 seed in the AFC so in effect they generally have nothing left to play for. However, coach Jim Caldwell said all healthy players will participate in the game tonight. Manning and company will be going up against the Jags' 26th ranked pass defense so expect Manning to attack the secondary depending on how long he plays in the game. I think that the starters will play this game all the way through, and they will rest the final two games. Rest is important going into the playoffs, but they do not want to be rusty when it's time to play when it counts.

Jacksonville on the other hand has everything to play for, they are locked in a closely contested battle for wild card position in the AFC. They lost a tough game to Miami last week by four points a win there would've made their playoff chances even better, however they couldn't get the win and they have a huge game tonight. A bonus for the Jaguars is that they will finally play in front of a capacity crowd tonight, Jacksonville's lack of fan support has been well documented at their home games, but despite that they are still 5-2 at home. The Jaguars should get a big boost from their home crowd on primetime tonight, Maurice Jones-Drew has to have a good/great game tonight for the Jags to beat the Colts. Jones-Drew seems to be wearing down late in the season, but it's a must win game and I expect Jones-Drew to have a solid outing tonight.

Game forecast
Jacksonville's defense has to keep the Indy offense in check tonight and slow down the passing attack of the Colts. David Garrard has to control the ball and not turn the ball over and make plays to complement Maurice Jones-Drew. THe Colts are undefeated, but I expect the Jaguars to come out in front of their home fans and pull out the much needed win to improve their playoff hopes.

Also, I want to say rest in peace to Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry who passed away this morning at the age of 26 after injuries sustained in an accident yesterday. Tough loss for the NFL and the Bengals and it's always sad to see a person who was turning in his life around and in the prime of his life lose it so suddenly.

Until tomorrow's preview, i'm out. Peace

Paul Bearer's Week 14 Wrap-Up

What's up to my people on The Corner and my fellow fam in The Arena, it's me Paul Bearer again here with you back with my Week 14 Wrap-Up. The regular season is winding down and teams locking up and doing battle for playoff position and bragging rights. So let's take a look back at the week that was week 14.

Sunday's Best

The best game on this week had to be with no question, the shootout at Giants Stadium between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants. Both teams combined for for 83 points and 886 total yards, big plays were abound in this game. The Eagles jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter after a Donovan McNabb 8-yard TD pass to Brent Celek and a 60-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Sheldon Brown. The Giants battled back in the game, helped by a 68-yard catch and run by rookie Hakeem Nicks who atoned for a earlier drop of a wide open pass, the Giants cut it to 14-10, but that's when DeSean Jackson struck. His team up 17-10, Jackson fielded a punt danced his way in between tacklers before shooting up field en route to a 72-yard score and a 24-10 lead for Philly.

An Ahmad Bradshaw 3 yard plunge made it 24-17, followed by a Michael Vick score from the goal line pushed the lead to 30-17 in favor of the Eagles after that point after was blocked. After Vick's score, Eli Manning went to work to keep the Giants in it, he put together a 11 play, 74 yard drive capped off by Brandon Jacobs 1-yard dive for the touchdown, making the score 30-24. Then after an Eagle punt, Eli and Domenik Hixon hookup for a 60 yard touchdown on the second play of the drive, Manning hit Hixon with a short pass after which Hixon made some tacklers miss and sprinted to the end zone giving the Giants the 31-30 lead. But the lead was short-lived however, after the dynamic Jackson struck again, McNabb dropped back in the pocket and seemingly had all day to throw launched a bomb downfield to a wide-open Jackson who caught the pass and walked backwards into the end zone for the 37-31 Philadelphia lead.

Jackson's play proved to be the catalyst for the Eagles win, after a Giant punt the Eagles marched 91 yards in a little over 7 minutes to give themselves a 45-31 lead after a Leonard Weaver touchdown run. The Giants tried to make it interesting after a Manning to Kevin Boss touchdown pass cut it to the 45-38 with under 2 minutes left, but their onside kick attempt came up short and they ran out of time and fell by the final score of 45-38.

Simply put this was a great game played by two division rivals who really wanted it, the Eagles have moved into sole possession of first place in the NFC East and the Giants fell to 7-6 and third place in the division. Three games left for both of these teams and this game was a big win for the Eagles and a tough loss for the Giants.

Bearer's Week 13 Breakdown
The New Orleans Saints survived another tough matchup and stayed undefeated outlasting the Atlanta Falcons, 26-23 on the road. Drew Brees threw for 296 yards and 3 TD's in helping his team improve to 13-0. Atlanta had a chance at the end but questionable playcalling doomed them. The Saints left the Georgia Dome battered but unbeaten and have a showdown on Saturday with the Dallas Cowboys.

The Dallas Cowboys let yet another December game slip away on Sunday when the fell to the still streaking San Diego Chargers 20-17. The Chargers won their 8th straight and improved to 16-0 in the month of December and o to 10-3 while the Cowboys lost their second straight to fall to 8-5. Tony Romo played well again for the second straight week but his team lost as he threw for 2 scores, but two things will haunt Dallas about this game. Them not being able to score from the goal line in the second quarter and their defense not being able to stop San Diego on it's game clinching 15-play drive that took up 7:24 minutes. The Cowboys have to get a win and get a win soon, they have New Orleans coming up on the road a 3 game losing streak this late in the season will not help their playoff hopes. They must get it together

The NFL's other unbeaten team survived a record day by Brandon Marshall and a tough game from the Denver Broncos to prevail 28-16. Marshall played great in a losing cause catching a NFL-record 21 passes for 200 yards and 2 scores, and keeping his team in the game by himself. Peyton Manning had an up and down game with 4 touchdowns but 3 interceptions, 3 of his TD passes went to Dallas Clark the third of which iced the game giving them a 12 point lead with 2:25 remaining. The Colts are now 13-0, and have clinched home field, the question now arises of does Jim Caldwell let his players play or sits them the rest of the way?

The Minnesota Vikings bounced back in a big way after their tough loss to Arizona by beating the Cincinnati Bengals, 30-10 at home. Adrian Peterson had a nice game after being shut down by the Cardinals running for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns. Antoine Winfield made his return for the Viking secondary and went back to his usual self, anchoring that secondary that has struggled without him. Cincy got down early and their slow offense couldn't do enough to help them get back in the game. The Vikings are now 11-2 and the Bengals are now 9-4, Vikings have clinched a playoff berth and look to clinch the NFC North soon also.

The New England Patriots beat the Carolina Panthers 20-10 at home on Sunday. Wes Welker had a big day catching 10 passes for 105 yards, Tom Brady had a pedestrian day with just 192 yards passing and 1 touchdown. But the Pats got a win and avoided a 3-game losing streak. However the biggest news from this game was the questions about Randy Moss's effort provided by the Carolina Panthers secondary. If this a big thing or not, will remain to be seen and if Belicheck still has this team will also remain to be seen.

The Baltimore Ravens steamrolled the Detroit Lions, 48-3. Ray Rice ran for 166 yards and a score on 13 carries, and Willis McGahee also ran for 2 scores in a game that was never in doubt. The Ravens won this game and jumped back into the wild-card party in the AFC.

Green Bay keeps on rolling towards the playoffs with a 21-14 win over the rival Chicago Bears. The Packers have won 5 straight and now 9-4, this team is a team that is playing well and will scare some of the top seeds in the NFC playoffs. Ryan Grant had one of his best games in a long time with 137 yards and 2 touchdowns, Charles Woodson once again had another great day for Green Bay.

Miami beat Jacksonville in their matchup of two battling AFC playoff hopefuls, 14-10. Ricky Williams grinded and pushed his way to 108 tough yards and a score for the now 7-6 Dolphins who remain one game behind the Patriots in the NFC East. Jacksonville fell to 7-6 and have to win tough games against Indy and New England most likely in order to make the playoffs.

Andre Johnson put on a show for the fans in Houston catching 11 passes for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns and led his team to a 34-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks. The Texans are now 6-7 and still on the outside looking in of the AFC playoff race.

Arizona just had a up and down 2 weeks to say the least. The week before they dominated Minnesota in a great Sunday night win, that seemed to establish their place back among the NFC elite, however they came out on Monday and got beaten up by the San Fransisco 49ers 24-9. 7 turnovers and and healthy dosage of Frank Gore proved to be their downfall on Monday night. Gore ran for 167 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries for the 49ers and lead them to a victory and keep the Niners in the playoff hunt

Chris Johnson kept on running and the Tennessee Titans ran over the St. Louis Rams, 47-7. Johnson ran for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns and caught a 66 yard touchdown pass from Vince Young. Young left the game with a hamstring injury so his status will be monitored through the week for the now 6-7 Titans.

Washington and their embattled quarterback Jason Campbell routed the Oakland Raiders, 34-13. Bruce Gradkowski was knocked out of the game by Washington and the Redskins took the game over from there. Campbell threw for 222 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Redskins.

The New York Jets dominated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-3 on Sunday. Thomas Jones ran for 99 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Jets cruised past Josh Freeman and the Bucs. The Jets have won 3 straight to improve to 7-6 and push their way into the playoff contention in the AFC.

The Buffalo Bills beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 16-10 in an absolutely ugly game to watch on Sunday. The Bills defense forced 4 interceptions by Matt Cassell, and their running back duo of Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch combined for 216 total yards on Sunday.

Paul's Players Of The Week
Offense: Brandon Marshall, 21 catches, 200 yards, 2 TD's
Defense: Brian Orakpo, 4 sacks


How Did I Do? 12-3 last week, 53-24 total

Well people another week down another write-up in the books. Good week of football in week 14, hopefully week 15 will be just as good. Be on the lookout for my week 15 preview on Friday. Also, be sure to follow my blog there will be NFL writeups, NBA writeups, college football writeups, etc.

That's it until next time, shoutout to all my fam in The Arena: HHS, Touche, HK, Dark, Lakersandravens. Along with props to anybody with an Arena sig in their name, don't forget to come in and drop feedback, comments, posts about what you read, etc. Remember y'all the ones I do it for.

Later folks, peace........The Arena Stay Winning!

Paul Bearer's Week 13 Wrap-Up

What's good people of the Corner and my fellow fam in the Arena? Another week in the National Football League is now in the books, and it wasn't a half bad week of football either. There were some good games in week 13, so let's take a look back.

[b]Sunday's Best[/b]

Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, it never hurts to have a few balls bounce your way or a few strokes of divine intervention. The New Orleans Saints found this out on Sunday with their 33-30 win over the game Washington Redskins in overtime. The Saints were outplayed by the 'Skins for a big part of this game and the Redskins had a stranglehold on the game late in the 4th, up 30-23 and possession of the ball and looking to put the game out of reach. However, Redskins kicker Shaun Suisham missed a chip-shot field goal with 1:56 left in the game and kept the Saints in the game. That was the second of lucky breaks for the Saints, first off which came when receiver Robert Meachem chased down and stripped Kareem Moore who picked off a Drew Brees pass and ran the ball in for a touchdown which tied the game going into halftime. That play by Meachem was the biggest play of the game, as it gave the Saints momentum and a tie ballgame going into the half after being outplayed in the first half. After Suisham's miss, Brees marched his team down the field and tied the game on a 53-yard touchdown strike to Meachem who was wide open in the middle of the field.

Embattled Redskins QB Jason Campbell played a great game going 30 for 42 with 367 yards and 3 touchdowns although he threw a costly INT late in the 4th. But in his defense he shouldn't have been in that situation had Suisham made that field goal. Brees went 35-49 for 419 yards and 2 touchdowns, Meachem had a great game with 8 catches for 142 yards and a receiving TD and his fumble return. Devin Thomas had 7 catches for 100 yards and 2 TD's for the 'Skins. Washington played well enough to win, but they had the breaks of a 3-9 team while the Saints got the breaks of a 12-0 team.

All in all the Saints were tested, and taken to the 15th by the 'Skins, but they showed their resolve and pulled out a tough win on the road to remain unbeaten. However, the Saints have some chinks in the armor and while the schedule is soft down the stretch, they can be beaten if they don't improve. Dallas is upcoming for the Saints, so we will see what the final weeks have to offer.

[i][b]Bearer's Week 13 Breakdown[/b][/i]
The Indianapolis Colts remained undefeated with a 27-17 win over the Tennesse Titans and snapping the Titans 5-game winning streak. Ball-control was the name of the game for the Colts as they controlled the game and kept the ball from Vince Young and the Titans. 3 turnovers proved costly along with a dropped 65 yard touchdown pass by Nate Washington from Young all contributed to the Titans loss. Peyton Manning finished the game 24 of 37 for 270 yards and 1 TD, for the now 12-0 Colts.

The Arizona Cardinals delivered a beatdown to the Minnesota Vikings 30-17 at home on Sunday night. Kurt Warner coming back from a concussion looked going 22-32 for 285 yards and 3 TD's and outdueled Brett Favre, who went 30-45 for 275 yards and 2 TD's but also threw 2 costly interceptions. The Cardinals shut down Adrian Peterson limiting him to just 19 yards on 13 carries. This game will start to bring up the mentions of Favre going into late-season struggles and how the Vikings bounce back after this throttling will show what kind of team this Minnesota squad really is.

The New York Giants saved their season and brought themselves from the dead with a huge 31-24 win over the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys at home on Sunday. 2 big plays did the trick for the Giants, a 74 yard touchdown on a screen pass to Brandon Jacobs and a 79-yard punt return by Domenik Hixon for a score were the spark the Giants needed to get a huge win. This could be just the thing for the Giants to start a late season surge for the playoffs. The Cowboys will now have to hear more critcs who will question the team's fortitude in December, Tony Romo had a career game with 41 of 55 for 392 yards and 3 TDs, and 2 of which to Roy Williams. The Dallas played well enough to win and could easily have a W, but they will still hear the critics, they schedule isn't any easier so they must have a short memory.

The Miami Dolphins kept their playoff and division hopes alive with a 22-21 win over the New England Patriots. Davone Bess had a big day with 10 catches for 117 yards and a score for the Dolphins. Dan Carpenter kicked a 41-yard field goal with 1:02 left and a Tom Brady interception with 35 seconds left gave the Pats their second straight loss. The Patriots seem to be reeling and that Patriot mystique seems to be gone, and the Dolphins now have new life in the AFC East.

Bruce Gradkowski and the Oakland Raiders pulled off a win against the reeling Pittsbugh Steelers 27-24 at Heinz Field. Gradkowski found Louis Murphy in the corner of the end zone with 9 seconds left in the game to give the Raiders the win. Gradkowski has won 2 of his last 3 starts since replacing the ineffective Jamarcus Russell. The Steelers have lost to a lowly AFC West team again this season and have fallen to 6-6 and deeper in the Wild-Card race. Mike Tomlin and his bunch have to start raising hell soon to turn the tide or else the meltdown will continue.

Michael Vick had a successful homecoming in Atlanta as the Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Atlanta Falcons, 34-7 in the Georgia Dome. Vick had a touchdown pass and a touchdown run in front of his old fans as the Eagles cruised to 8-4 and more importantly a tie with Dallas in the NFC East with a showdown with Cowboys upcoming.

The Chargers grabbed their 7th win in a row with a 30-23 win over the Cleveland Browns. The Chargers went up by 20 in the 3rd and cruised the rest of the way after the Browns scored a few times to make the game respectable. LaDainian Tomlinson continued his ascent up the record books moving into 8th on the all-time rushing list and scoring his 150th touchdown of his career.

The Green Bay Packers continued their playoff push with a 27-14 win over the Baltimore Ravens in a sloppy Monday night contest. Joe Flacco had a rough night with 3 interceptions, as Baltimore's mistakes doomed them. 4 total turnovers and 12 penalties summed up the night for the Ravens. Aaron Rodgers threw for 263 yards and 3 scores, two of which to tight end Jermichael Finley. The Packers are now 8-4 and in good shape in the NFC playoff race.

The Denver Broncos grabbed their second win in a row as they stomped a mudhole in Kansas City 44-13. All of the talk of the Broncos struggles at Arrowhead went out of the window, as Denver controlled this game from start to finish. They rushed for 245 yards as a team and got two touchdowns from rookie Knowshown Moreno and Kyle Orton threw for 2 touchdown to help the Broncos improve to 8-4 and remain one game behind the Chargers in the AFC West.

The Cincinnati Bengals dominated the Lions on the ground and time of possession en route to a 23-13 win over the Detroit Lions. Cincy ran the ball 44 times and had the ball for 38 minutes, Cedric Benson returned to run the ball 36 times for 110 yards. Carson Palmer threw for 220 yards and one touchdown to Chad Ochocinco, who hilariously donned a poncho and sombrero after his score, of which he will probably be fined for. The Bengals improved to 9-3, and look good late in the season.

The Seattle Seahawks beat division rival San Fransisco at the gun 20-17, on Olindo Mare's 30 yard field goal. Matt Hasselbeck threw for 2 scores and 198 yards and Alex Smith for 310 yards and 2 scores in a losing cause. San Fran is now 1-5 on the road, those struggles have hurt the 'Niners all season.

The Jaguars kept their footing in the AFC playoff race and pretty much ended the Texans' playoff hopes with a 23-18 victory at home on Sunday. David Garrard had a solid game going 15 for 28 for 238 yards and two touchdowns. The Jaguars used Maurice Jones-Drew to siphon out the clock late in the game on the Texans who had no timeouts and earned the victory. The Jags are now 7-5 and the Texans fall to 5-7.

The Bears snapped a four game losing streak with a 17-9 victory over the St. Louis Rams at home. Jay Cutler only threw 17 times but threw for 143 yards and one touchdown and most importantly didn't throw any interceptions. Steven Jackson continued his steller play rushing for 112 yards on 28 carries for the Rams, it is a shame for a player of Jackson's caliber to be stuck on such a bad Rams team.

In the Tampa Bay-Carolina game a quarterback threw 5 interceptions, want to guess who it was? No, it wasn't Jake Delhomme who didn't play due to injury but rookie Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman who threw 5 picks to doom his team's cause for a win. Johnathan Stewart ran for 120 yard and a touchdown for the Panthers. The Bucs continue their struggles with a young team, young coach, and young quarterback this season.

The New York Jets stayed on the outside of the playoff race with a 19-13 win over the Buffalo Bills in Toronto on Thursday night. Cornerback Darrelle Revis continued his steller season with an interception and holding Terrell Owens to just 3 catches for 31 yards. The Jets however lost Mark Sanchez to a knee injury in the 3rd quarter on a quarterback scramble.

[b]Paul's Players Of The Week[/b]
Offense: Bruce Gradkowski, 20-33, 308 yards and 3 touchdowns
Defense: Jon Beason, 6 tackles, 2 interceptions

[i]How Did I Do[/i]? 8-7 last week, 41-21 total

Well people another week down another write-up in the books. Good week of football in week 13, hopefully week 14 will be just as good. Be on the lookout for my week 14 preview on Friday. Also, be sure to follow my blog there will be NFL writeups, NBA writeups, college football writeups, etc.

That's it until next time, shoutout to all my fam in The Arena: HHS, Touche, Stairway, Dark, Lakersandravens, Clayton. Along with props to anybody with an Arena sig in their name, don't forget to come in and drop feedback, comments, posts about what you read, etc. Remember y'all the ones I do it for.

Later folks, peace........The Arena Stay Winning!