Cowboys 27, Redskins 21
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Ron Jaworski's analysis |
| Cowboys QB Randall Cunningham hit TE Jackie Harris with a 16-yard scoring strike to give Dallas a 24-14 lead with 9:19 remaining. The 'Skins scored a TD to make it interesting, but Washington's final drive went nowhere. |
Cunningham. A starting QB on most teams, his poise and veteran savvy in the second half -- not to mention his big-yardage completions -- were crucial to the Cowboys avoiding an 0-3 start. |
I'm shocked at this Cowboys' win. But you've got to give credit where credit is due, and the praise goes to Dave Campo and his staff. This was a well-designed, well-executed game plan for Dallas. Randall Cunningham prove he can still make plays, and Dallas put him in the position to make plays. |
| UP NEXT: Cowboys (1-2) vs. 49ers (0-3) | Redskins (1-2) at Giants (3-0) |
Dolphins 19, Ravens 6
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Up next |
| Miami opened the second half with a 61-yard TD drive, taking a 13-0 lead. With the Dolphins defense dominating on a rainy night, that lead was more than enough. |
Dolphins RB Lamar Smith. His numbers weren't great -- 63 yards on 22 carries -- but it was raining hard, and his two touchdowns provided the scoring punch. |
Dolphins (2-1) vs. Patriots (0-3). Ravens (2-1) vs. Bengals (0-2). |
Broncos 33, Raiders 24
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Tom Donahoe's analysis |
| The Broncos' Joe Nedney kicked three second-half field goals, the last a 21-yarder, to help Denver pull away from a 24-24 halftime deadlock. |
Broncos RB Mike Anderson. With starter Terrell Davis resting his sprained left ankle, Anderson was brilliant for the second straight week, gaining 187 yards on 32 carries. |
Mike Anderson started the season as Denver's third-string tailback, and he's the backup now because Olandis Gary is on injured reserve. For a rookie to gain more than 300 yards in his first two NFL starts is pretty impressive. |
| UP NEXT: Broncos (2-1) vs. Chiefs (1-2) | Raiders (2-1) vs. Browns (2-1) |
Jets 27, Bills 14
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Tom Donahoe's analysis |
| Jets cornerback -- yes, cornerback -- Marcus Coleman pulled down a 45-yard touchdown pass from Vinny Testaverde to end the half, giving N.Y. a 21-14 lead it never surrendered. |
Jets return man Kevin Williams. One could make a case for Vinny Testaverde, but his numbers were not spectacular -- Williams' 97-yard kickoff return for a TD was. |
One of the keys in this game was the Jets' special-teams play, which hasn't been especially good up to this point. But that changed in this game, and it helped the Jets to a victory.
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| UP NEXT: Jets (3-0) at Bucs (3-0) | Bills (2-1) bye. |
Buccaneers 31, Lions 10
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Tom Donahoe's analysis |
| The Bucs went ahead 21-3 on a 2-yard TD pass from Shaun King to OG Randall McDaniel. Sure, a lot of time was left, but the Lions were not going to dig out of that hole against Tampa's defense. |
Bucs DT Warren Sapp. Although Tampa's offense is drawing praise, Sapp's three sacks were huge, and Detroit only gained 17 rushing yards. |
When you look at last year's NFC Championship Game teams, the Bucs have made more strides on offense than the Rams have on defense. |
| UP NEXT: Bucs (3-0) vs. Jets (3-0) | Lions (2-1) at Bears (0-3) |
Vikings 21, Patriots 13
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Tom Donahoe's analysis |
| Patriots' QB Drew Bledsoe was sacked on fourth down by the Vikings' Bryce Paup with 54 seconds left. New England had driven to Minnesota's 14 before the sack killed the Pats' final threat. |
Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper. Yes, Cris Carter had seven catches to move into second place on the all-time receptions list (942), but Culpepper controlled the game with his running and passing savvy. |
Daunte Culpepper was good, if not spectacular, this week, but this is his first road victory against a very good defensive football team. |
| UP NEXT: Vikings (3-0) bye | Patriots (0-3) at Dolphins (2-1) |
Giants 14, Bears 7
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Tom Donahoe's analysis |
| The Bears fumbled the ball away while trailing 14-7 with 2:48 remaining, and after blocking a field-goal attempt, the Bears went nowhere in the final 1:08. |
Giants RB Tiki Barber. His 86 yards rushing and one TD, coupled with six catches, was enough to give him the nod in a low-scoring game. |
This was a big road test for the Giants. The Bears played tough and physical, but couldn't come up with enough answers for the Giants offense.
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| UP NEXT: Giants (3-0) vs. Redskins (1-1) | Bears (0-3) vs. Lions (2-1) |
Seahawks 20, Saints 10
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Tom Donahoe's analysis |
| Seahawks K Kris Heppner hit a 45-yard field goal with about five minutes remaining to give Seattle a 10-point cushion. |
Seahawks RB Ricky Watters. The 31-year-old made his 100th consecutive start a memorable one, rushing for 105 yards and a TD on 22 carries. |
For the Seahawks, the outstanding defensive performers were LB Anthony Simmons and CB Shawn Springs. Springs did not play at all in the preseason, but he's starting to assert himself for Seattle. |
| UP NEXT: Seahawks (1-2) at Chargers (0-3) | Saints (1-2) vs. Eagles (1-2) |
Browns 23, Steelers 20
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Tom Donahoe's analysis |
| Browns rookie DE Courtney Brown sacked Steelers QB Kent Graham with eight seconds left, and Pittsburgh did not have enough time for a game-tying FG attempt. |
Browns DE Brown. Although Tim Couch had a 316-yard passing effort, the No. 1 overall pick gets the nod here for his three sacks -- including the game-clincher. |
Quarterback Tim Couch had a strong game for the Browns as he continues to progress. For the third consecutive week, he was impressive in his ability to get the ball to different receivers.
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| UP NEXT: Browns (2-1) at Raiders (2-1) | Steelers (0-2) vs. Titans (1-1) |
Packers 6, Eagles 3
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Tom Donahoe's analysis |
| Packers kicker Ryan Longwell hit a 38-yard FG with three seconds left for his first-ever game-winning kick. |
Longwell. He has missed potential game-winners before, but this time delivered. He also hit a 37-yarder to score all of Green Bay's points. |
Green Bay is still suffering from not having enough of a running attack. Until they get Dorsey Levens completely healthy, they will probably continue to suffer. |
| UP NEXT: Packers (1-2) at Cardinals (1-1) | Eagles (1-2) at Saints (1-2) |
Jaguars 13, Bengals 0
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Tom Donahoe's analysis |
| The Jaguars scored. No joking -- the Bengals, who only have one TD so far this season, only crossed midfield four times and never threatened to score. |
Jaguars DT Gary Walker. The 300-pounder plugged the middle of the line all day and tallied five tackles and two sacks. |
Jacksonville misses running back Fred Taylor. He could be back next week, and the Jags need him to have a chance to beat the Colts in Indianapolis on Monday night.
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| UP NEXT: Jaguars (2-1) at Colts (1-1) | Bengals (0-2) at Ravens (2-1) |
Rams 41, 49ers 24
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Tom Donahoe's analysis |
| Rams RB Marshall Faulk scored on a 4-yard TD run to make it 34-24 with about eight minutes remaining. |
Rams RB Faulk. On a day when Kurt Warner was hit or miss, Faulk carried the load with three TDs and 134 rushing yards. |
The Rams still have some issues on defense. In this league, you cannot keep winning shootout-type games like the Rams have won the first three weeks this season.
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| UP NEXT: Rams (3-0) at Falcons (2-1) | 49ers (0-3) at Cowboys (0-2) |
Falcons 15, Panthers 10
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Tom Donahoe's analysis |
| Panthers CB Doug Evans stripped Falcons RB Jamal Anderson, but Evans went into the end zone and it was ruled a safety, giving Atlanta a 15-10 lead and the ball back in the closing moments. |
Falcons RB Anderson. In his best performance since returning from his knee injury, Anderson had 97 yards rushing to account for a large portion of his team's 262 yards total offense.
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This might have been a statement game by Atlanta. The Falcons defense was maligned last week in a lopsided loss to Denver, but the D stepped up this week.
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| UP NEXT: Falcons (2-1) vs. Rams (3-) | Lions (2-1) at Bears (0-3) |
Chiefs 42, Chargers 10
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Tom Donahoe's analysis |
| The Chiefs pulled away with two third-quarter TDs for a 28-10 lead, then intercepted Ryan Leaf and scored on the next play for a 35-10 cushion. |
Chiefs QB Elvis Grbac. Who else could it be? Grbac spotted the Chargers a 10-point lead before riddling them with five TD passes, three to rookie wideout Sylvester Morris. |
Last year, the Chiefs had one of the most dangerous running games in the league, averaging more than 130 yards per game. Their production was way off this year. To a degree, they got back on track Sunday with 117 yards. |
| UP NEXT: Chiefs (1-2) at Broncos (2-1) | Chargers (0-3) vs. Seahawks (1-2) |
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ALSO SEE
Week 3 infirmary report
TJ's Take on Week 3
Week 3 stats leaders
Prime Time Players
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