What about Bob? Glauber's NFL Blog

Giants offensive player of the week: Amani Toomer, WR. His two touchdown catches, including a 52-yarder in the first quarter where he broke several tackles, were massive.

Giants defensive player of the week: R.W. McQuarters, CB. He put the game away with his fourth quarter interception, and filled in capably in the regular package when Aaron Ross went down with a shoulder injury.

Game of the week: Giants 21, Cowboys 17. Lead changes. Big plays. Defensive stands by the Giants late. Not decided until the final seconds. I’d say that’s drama.

Upset of the week: Chargers 28, Colts 24. Colts looked rusty from layoff, just as they did two years ago when they lost their playoff opener at home to eventual Super Bowl champion Steelers. That Billy Volek guided the eventual winning score and LaDainian Tomlinson spent the entire second half on the bench with a knee problem was indicative of the unlikely outcome.

Offensive player of the week, Part I: Tom Brady, QB, Patriots. He completed 26-of-28 passes, and one of the incompletions was a drop by receiver Wes Welker. This guy just keeps on getting better.

Offensive player of the week, Part II: Ryan Grant, RB, Packers. He recovered from two early fumbles to rush for 201 yards and three touchdowns in the Packers' romp over the Seahawks.

Defensive player of the week: Stephen Cooper, LB, Chargers. This unsung inside linebacker had a whopping 16 tackles against the Colts. That is an eye-popping total.

Key turnover: Peyton Manning interception midway through third quarter. The Colts were driving deep into Chargers’ territory, but Manning’s pass intended for Kenyon Keith was picked off at the Chargers’ 2 to end the drive. Indy was down 14-10 at the time, and a touchdown there changes the momentum.

Most pathetic display of emotion: Cowboys WR Terrell Owens crying when defending quarterback Tony Romo against criticism. At one point, a tearful Owens said, “Leave Tony alone … It’s not fair … It’s not fair … He’s my teammate. He’s my quarterback.” Oh, the humanity.

Team on a roll: Giants. They’ve won nine straight on the road – the first team in NFL history to do so in a single season.

Key injuries: Chargers QB Philip Rivers and RB LaDainian Tomlinson both suffered knee injuries. If either or both is out on Sunday, the Chargers have even less of a chance on the road against the Pats.

Best coaching job: Norv Turner, Chargers. For a team that looked lost the first month of the season, their win over the Colts was nothing short of astounding. If they follow through on BbiB!’s prediction of an upset win in New England, then we’ll be left in awe of our football-loving blog aficianado.

Worst coaching job: Wade Phillips, Cowboys. This team just did not have it. They were pushing the Giants around in the first half, but could only manage 14 points, and then three points in the second half. There’s a reason Phillips is 0-4 in the playoffs.

Giant of the week: Eli Manning, QB. The kid grew up in a hurry against the Bucs’ stingy Cover 2 defense. Taking advantage of the small creases the defense gives up, Manning recovered from a sluggish start and hit his receivers with regularity. He went 20-of-27 for 185 yards and two touchdowns to get the Giants into a matchup with the Cowboys in the divisional playoffs.

Best game: Jaguars 31, Steelers 29. Ben Roethlisberger put his team in a first-half hole with three interceptions, but he rallied gamely in the second half before succumbing to the resilient Jaguars. They now go on to face the unbeaten Patriots in the divisional round.

Worst game: Chargers 17, Titans 6. San Diego’s explosive offense never got untracked until late, as the Titans’ defense played a near perfect game until Philip Rivers got it going late in the third quarter.

Play of the week: David Garrard, QB, Jaguars. On fourth and 2 from the Steelers 43, trailing 29-28, Garrard ran a quarterback draw 32 yards to set up the eventual 25-yard winning field goal with 37 seconds left.

Play of the weak: Santana Moss, WR, Redskins. Trailing 21-14 in the fourth quarter, Todd Collins badly underthrew Moss deep in Seahawks territory. But rather than come back and try to at least break up the play, Moss gave up on the route and allowed Marcus Trufant to make the interception. Trufant returned it 78 yards for a touchdown.

Coaching second guess: Mike Tomlin, Steelers. Offering further proof that coaches go for the two-point conversion way too early in games, Tomlin went for two after a touchdown with 10:25 to play got the Steelers to within five, 28-23. They converted, but the play was called back on a holding penalty. But then Tomlin called for the two-point play again, and it failed. After the Steelers went ahead 29-28, Tomlin went for two again and the Steelers failed again. Had Tomlin decided to kick the point after after being penalized and gotten to within 28-24, and then scored the go-ahead touchdown after that, a PAT would have put them up by three, 31-28. Then the Jaguars' game-winning field goal would have been a game-tying field goal. But that's what happens when you miss two-pointers too soon. You end up chasing the points the rest of the way.

Comeback kid award: Corey Webster, CB, Giants. Once considered the biggest liability in the Giants’ secondary, Webster had his finest game as a pro against the Bucs. It included a fourth quarter interception in the endzone and generally brilliant coverage of speedster Joey Galloway.

Rookie of the week: Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, Giants. Led the team with 66 rushing yards in a limited role. This kid is something special, and the Giants will continue to find ways to get him on the field moving forward. He could play a pivotal role against the Cowboys.

Offensive player of the week: Vincent Jackson, WR, Chargers. Not a househould name, but a gifted receiver. He had five catches for 114 yards and a TD to help the Chargers overcome Tennessee.

Defensive player of the week: Rashean Mathis, CB, Jaguars. Had two interceptions in the first half against the Steelers, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

Happiest player in the NFL: Chris Chambers, WR, Dolphins. Think Chambers isn’t happy to be out of Miami? Traded to the Chargers to increase depth at receiver, he had six catches for 121 yards against the Titans.

Statistical anomaly of the week: The Bucs came into yesterday’s game with a plus 15 turnover ratio, and the Giants had a minus 9. So what happens in the game? The Bucs produce three turnovers, and the Giants none.

Costly injury: Antonio Gates, TE, Chargers. He landed awkwardly while attempting to make a catch and suffered a sprained toe. He didn’t return, and he’ll by iffy for next week’s game against the Colts.

Most dangerous wild card team: Jaguars. Terrific defense, reliable running game, efficient quarterback. They’ll give New England a game.

Least dangerous wild card team: Chargers. Just not a very impressive effort yesterday, and certainly not the way you want to go into Indy.

Giant of the week: Eli Manning, QB. He couldn’t have picked a better time to have one of the best games of his career. Four TDs and only one INT against the unbeaten Patriots.

Jet of the week: David Harris, LB. The rookie has been one of the few bright spots all season. He had 11 tackles and a sack in the Jets’ OT win against Chiefs, increasing his season tackles total to 127.

Offensive player of the week: Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Cardinals. He had a whopping 11 catches for 171 yards and two TDs in the Cardinals’ win over the Rams. If and when this Cardinals team ever puts it together, Fitzgerald will be a key contributor.

Defensive player of the week: Jyles Tucker, LB, Chargers. The rookie had three sacks of Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell, including one in the endzone that he recovered for a touchdown. The Chargers’ win moved them into the No. 3 seed.

Special teams player of the week: Andre Davis, KR, Texans. He scored not one, but two touchdowns off kickoff returns in the Texans' win over the Jaguars. Bears return man extraordinaire Devin Hester returned another punt for touchdown yesterday and set the single-season record with six return TDs. But he'll have to settle for our All Pro vote instead of the weekly award. Somehow, we think All Pro is just a tad more valuable than the Monday Memo mention.

Comeback of the week: Patriots 38, Giants 35. One of the best games of the season as Patriots complete unbeaten season. They rallied from 28-16 third-quarter deficit with 21 unanswered points.

Dominating performance award, Part 1: Redskins 27, Cowboys 6. With a playoff berth on the line, Redskins thump their divisional foes at home and cap remarkable late-season surge to get into the tournament. Joe Gibbs has the magic after all.

Off the scrap heap award: Todd Collins, QB, Redskins. Collins fills in for the injured Jason Campbell and leads the Redskins to the playoffs. Not a bad way to finish out a contract. Looks like he'll hit it big in the off-season.

Dominating performance award, Part 2: Cardinals 48, Rams 19. Kurt Warner beats up his old team with three touchdown passes. Not bad for a guy who was ready to hang it up a few years ago but decided to keep playing.

Fade to black award: Vikings. They held their playoff fate in their hands a little more than a week ago, but a huge home loss to Washington last Sunday took that away. They finished it off with a 22-19 loss to the Broncos yesterday.

Rookie fade award: Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings. Peterson is still our offensive rookie of the year. But he and his team have to be concerned by his fade down the stretch. In his last four games, he had a combined 144 yards.

Red hot award: The Chargers. They won their sixth straight and head into the playoffs on a roll. Their win over Oakland clinched the No. 3 seed. They’ll host the Titans in the wild card round.

Sympathy award: To all Browns fans, who had to watch helplessly as the Colts lost to the Titans and thus ended the Browns’ playoff hopes. Cleveland could have avoided this scenario by beating the Bengals last week, but such is life. It doesn’t help that the Colts pulled Peyton Manning in the first half. Don’t think Tony Dungy will be too well received in Cleveland these days.

Final word: Happy New Year to one and all.

Sorry for the delay, people. A bit of a rough go getting out of snow-socked Buffalo. Read below to see why being a sportswriter isn't always the glamorous life you might think:

Giant of the week: Ahmad Bradshaw, RB. I don’t know which I like more: his 88-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that sealed the Giants’ win, or his prediction in the huddle that he would take it to the house. Bradshaw finished with 17 carries for 151 yards and had the longest touchdown run of the season.

Jet of the week: Jerricho Cotchery, WR. With Laveranues Coles no lock to return next season, Cotchery could end up being the go-to guy. He led the Jets with eight catches for 152 yards in an otherwise nondescript loss to the Titans.

Offensive player of the week: Peyton Manning, QB, Colts. Just another day at the office for Manning, who went 28-of-35 for 311 yards and three TDs.

Defensive player of the week: Kawika Mitchell, LB, Giants. With the game still in doubt, Mitchell was all over the Bills’ backfield pressuring Trent Edwards and creating havoc. He finished with two sacks and a 20-yard interception return for touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Special teams player of the week: Nick Harris, P, Lions. We normally reserve our special teams player of the week for a dynamic returner or kicker. But with no dominant performances in either category (unless our unfortunate experience with the PT Cruiser caused us some short-term memory loss), we will honor the Lions' punter, who had four punts inside the 20 and have a net average of 42.6 yards against the Chiefs. Kansas City's best starting field position for the entire game was their own 30.

Dominating performance award, Part I: Bears 35, Packers 7. Chicago had nothing to play for, other than the fact the Bears despise the Packers, regardless of when they play. The Bears made Brett Favre look awful and ruined the Packers’ hopes of securing homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

Dominating performance award, Part II: Jaguars 49, Raiders 11. You knew it was going to be a long day for the Raiders when Fred Taylor socred a 62-yard rushing touchdown the first time he touched the ball.

Touching moment of the week: Kevin Everett returning to the Bills for the first time since suffering a temporarily paralyzing injury in the regular season opener. Players were openly weeping while he met with them before the Giants’ game. God bless this man.

Before we begin …

This is a very, very special day in the Glauber household, and it’s part of the reason we’re late on this entry. At 5:25 p.m. on Dec. 17, 1996, Emily Ann Glauber came into this world. So please join me in wishing her a happy 11th birthday. Emily asks months in advance if her daddy is going to be home on her birthday, and we do everything possible to accommodate that request during the teeth of the football season.

Thanks to all who participated in our poll question: Who is the smartest player in the NFL this week? See below for answer.

(One last thing: It’s killing me that I can’t come up with a “statistical anomaly of the week,” so anyone with any suggestions, please let me know and we’ll update, including a shoutout.)

Giant of the week: Brandon Jacobs, RB. I know, I know. He dropped some key passes in the Sunday night debacle against the Redskins. So did everyone else in those ridiculous winds. But Jacobs put up 130 yards and was the only offense they had. The Giants’ big mistake: not keeping it on the ground more.

Jet of the week: Chad Pennington, QB. Coming off the bench with barely any practice reps during the week, Pennington did enough to put his team in position to win – or at least tie. It wasn’t his fault Justin McCareins couldn’t hold onto the ball on what would have cut the Patriots lead to 20-17.

Smartest player of the week award: It’s a tie between Eagles running back Brian Westbrook and Eagles offensive tackle Jon Runyan. We are absolutely in love with what these guys did near the end of the Eagles-Cowboys game. At one point in the Eagles huddle late in the fourth quarter and Philly holding a 10-6 lead, Runyan told Westbrook that if he gets anywhere near the endzone, he should stop short and go down. Why so? Even though the Eagles would be taking points off the board, they’d be in position to run out the clock. Lo and behold, Westbrook gets the ball with 2:19 to play and runs from the Dallas 24 to the 1, where he goes down. Donovan McNabb then kneels down the next three plays to run out the clock and secure the victory. Well done, gentlemen.

Offensive player of the week: Drew Brees, QB, Saints. Still alive in the playoff hunt – albeit barely, Brees goes 26-of-30 for 315 yards and two TDs in the Saints’ 31-24 win over the Cardinals. After an 0-4 start, the Saints have won seven of their last 10 to stay in it. Brees is the reason why.

Defensive player of the week: Jason Taylor, DE, Dolphins. Remember Taylor, last year’s defensive MVP? He came up with two sacks yesterday, helping Miami break its ugly 13-game losing streak with a win over the Ravens.

Special teams player of the week: Michael Spurlock, KR, Buccaneers. Breaking an incredible string of futility, Spurlock returned a first-quarter kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. It was the first such return in the history of the franchise.

Dominating performance award: The Chargers. They pummeled the reeling Lions at home 51-14 to clinch the AFC West title. These guys are on a roll. Then again, we’ve seen this before in the regular season, only to see them go belly-up too soon in the playoffs.

Ground-breaking award, Part I: Fred Taylor, RB, Jaguars. Sorry, Steelers fans. I know this one hurts. But with a defense that prides itself on stopping the run, Taylor made a mockery of the men in black-and-gold, running for 147 yards on 25 carries and scoring a touchdown in Jacksonville’s road win. Humiliation will be complete for Steelers fans with tomorrow’s Power Rankings.

Ground-breaking award, Part II: Jamal Lewis, RB, Browns. He hung 163 yards on the Bills in snow-covered Cleveland to help the Browns keep pace with the Steelers in what has turned out to be a thrilling AFC North race.

Giant of the week: Plaxico Burress, WR. Playing on a bum ankle that’s bothered him since Week 1, Burress finished with seven catches for 136 yards and a touchdown. When Burress is right, Eli Manning looks so much better.

Jet of the week: Thomas Jones, RB. Complain all you want about the passing game, the defense and the coaching. But Jones did his part with 106 yards on 24 carries.

Offensive player of the week: Tom Brady, QB, Patriots. Playing against the NFL’s premier defense, Brady shredded the Steelers for 399 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

Defensive player of the week: Bob Sanders, S, Colts. Led the Colts with 10 tackles and throttled Willis McGahee (17 carries, 45 yards) in the Colts’ 44-20 win over a Ravens team that nearly upset the Patriots last Monday.

Special teams player of the week: Texans kickoff returner Andre Davis scored a 97-yard touchdown on the first play of the second half to give the Texans a 21-7 lead. Houston held off Tampa Bay 28-14.

Comeback of the Week, Part I: Cowboys 28, Lions 27. Dallas rallied from deficits of 20-7 in the second quarter and 27-14 in the third quarter to beat Detroit, clinch the NFC East and give Lions fans one more reason to wonder why they put themselves through this misery every year.

Comeback of the Week, Part II: Chargers 23, Titans 17. The Bolts were down 17-3 in the fourth quarter and came up with two touchdowns to send it into overtime. LaDainian Tomlinson wins it in OT with a 16-yard touchdown run.

Coaching second-guess: Eric Mangini, Jets. After scoring a touchdown to make it 17-12 and then recovering an onside kick, the Jets got to the Browns 20 and were faced with a fourth-and-10 with 1:45 left and all three timeouts intact. But rather than go for the first down, Manigni goes for the field goal and another onside kick, which the Browns recover. Sorry, coach. Gotta go for the first down and then try and stop ‘em on defense if you don’t make it.

“Who knew?” award, Part I: Ryan Grant, RB, Packers. The undrafted free agent who went from the Giants to Green Bay for a sixth-round pick in the preseason continued his spectacular play with 156 yards and a touchdown in Green Bay’s blowout win over the Raiders.

“Who knew?” award, Part II: Broncos rookie free agent Selvin Young ran for 156 yards on 17 carries in the Broncos’ 41-7 win over the Chiefs. Of course, this result will only inflict further pain on our Lance, because it means the 6-7 Broncos will continue dying a slow death until they’re officially out of the playoff race.

Statistical anomaly of the week: (Oh, do we love using the word “anomaly. And now that resident genius and Neil Best fave John Philips is reading our stuff, even he might be impressed.) Usually when a team loses the time of possession by a 34:43-25:17 margin, it means they’ve lost. Not the Patriots. They smacked the Steelers 34-17 by having Tom Brady throw 46 times and running the ball only nine times. And with all those drop-backs, you’d think he’d have been sacked a bunch of times. Not once.

Stat that makes you go, “Huh?”: Vikings rookie running back Adrian Peterson, who led the NFL in rushing after last week, was held to just three yards on 14 carries against the 49ers. Fortunately for the Vikings, Chester Taylor came through with 101 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Spread of the week: After thrashing the Steelers at home yesterday, the Patriots have been installed as 24 ½-point favorites over the Jets on Sunday at Foxboro. To which we ask: Only 24 ½?

(Don’t forget, Part I: If you have questions you want answered in our exclusive Newsday.com web event, to be aired on Thursday, fire away either here or in previous post.)

(Don't forget, Part II: There's still time to vote in the Hank Steinbrenner 15-way look-a-like contest. Click here for details.)

Sorry for the late arrival. The system is acting up again, and we're having it checked out. They're not sure whether it's the tin cans at either end, or the sting connecting them that's the problem. (Oops, don't want to insult the techies out there. We're sure it's a very complicated problem that only a select few humans can understand. We'll just stick to the football. Cheers.)

Giant of the Week: Plaxico Burress. Playing on a bum ankle that’s bothered him all season, Burress finished with seven catches for 93 yards and a touchdown. Ok, so the TD came in garbage time, but the guy played tough all game.

Jet of the week: Oh, boy. When you’ve got punter Ben Graham as the player of the week, you’ve hit the bottom of the barrel. Not that there’s anything wrong with Graham; more like there’s everything wrong with the offense. He had eight punts for a 46.1-yard average, including a 61-yarder.

Offensive player of the week: Here’s a name we haven’t heard much all season: Chad Johnson, the Bengals wide receiver. He finally had a breakout game against a very good Titans defense, finishing with 12 catches for 103 yards and three TDs. After one of them, he took over a television camera, panned the crowd, and trotted back to the bench. The NFL will be taking some coin in fine money for that one, but Johnson doesn’t care.

Defensive player of the week: Patriots CB Asante Samuel. He had a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the first quarter against Philly, and then made a game-clinching pick in late in the fourth quarter to keep the Pats unbeaten.

Special teams player of the week: Matt Bryant, K, Bucc …. Oh, no, we’re not gonna make that mistake again. Sure, Bryant kicked four field goals for the Bucs in their 19-13 win over the Redskins, but it was Bears return man Devin Hester who was the star of the day with a 75-yard punt return for touchdown and an 88-yard kickoff return for touchdown in the third quarter of the Bears’ 37-34 thriller in OT against the Broncos. (Big Ben is Back! I guarantee you started yelling at your computer when you read Bryant's name. "He did it again!!")

Dominating performance award: The Chargers. They beat the Ravens 32-14 behind a strong performance from Philip Rivers, who threw for three TDs and kept the Ravens’ defense from chirping about how good they are.

Understudy award: Eagles QB A.J. Feeley. Subbing for the injured Donovan McNabb, Feeley threw for three TDs and nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year. The Eagles just fell short in a 31-28 loss, but Andy Reid will have an interesting decision on his hands once McNabb is healthy.

Surprise of the week: The 49ers’ 37-31 overtime win in Arizona. The 49ers had lost eight straight and looked awful in doing so, but they came alive against the Cards, sealing the win with a sack and forced fumble of Kurt Warner in the endzone in OT. Linebacker Tully Banta-Cain, a charter member of the All-Name Team, recovered for the winning touchdown.

Career is all but over award: David Carr, a former No. 1 overall pick, is just about done in Carolina. He was only playing against New Orleans because another former No. 1 pick, 44-year-old Vinny Testaverde, couldn’t play because of a sore back. Carr was benched and replaced with a rookie free agent.

Goat of the Week, Part 1: Eli Manning, QB, Giants. Tied his career high with four interceptions, three of which were returned for TDs.

Goat of the Week, Part 2: Gus Frerotte, QB, Rams. On fourth and goal from the 1 with 27 seconds to play and the Rams trailing Seattle 24-19, Frerotte fumbled the snap and was tackled for a four-yard loss to end the game.

Coach on the hot seat: John Fox, Carolina. We personally think Fox deserves a pass because of his quarterback situation, but team owner Jerry Richardson is not a patient man. What might save Fox: The Panthers are on the hook for about $15 million in salary after this year.

Statistical anomaly of the week: Honestly, we bring back this award because we just wanted to use the word “anomaly.” The winner: The Vikings’ secondary, which came into yesterday’s game against the Giants as the 32nd ranked pass defense with only 13 interceptions in the first 10 games. Against the Giants, they picked off Manning four times and ran back three for scores. Go figure.

Coaching second-guess: Herman Edwards of the Chiefs in the final minutes of yesterday's 20-17 loss to the Raiders. On third-and-5 from the Raiders' 27, Brodie Croyle hit Eddie Kennison for a 4-yard gain, but Edwards challenged the ruling, which was upheld. He lost a timeout as a result, then used another timeout, and then went for it instead of kicking the tying field goal. Edwards has been criticized for being too conservative, but this time, he should have taken the safe route by going for the tying score.

Jet of the week: Laveranues Coles, WR. Eight catches, 133 yards and a touchdown. He was the only consistent player on the field for the Jets in what could be Chad Pennington’s final start.

Giant of the week: Brandon Jacobs, RB. Yes, Osi Umenyiora had that 75-yard touchdown return off a forced fumble, but Jacobs anchored the running game with 107 yards and a touchdown. Life after Tiki Barber: so far, so good.

Player of the week: Tom Brady, QB, Patriots. He won the award last week, and we just can’t not give it to him again. Six more touchdown passes, on pace for a record-setting 61 as the Patriots’ roll to 7-0 and make us wonder whether an unbeaten season is in the cards.

Team in trouble. Raiders. At 2-2, it looked like they might think about an outside shot at a playoff berth. But after two straight divisional losses, including a home defeat yesterday to Kansas City, it looks like same old Raiders for now.

Dominating performance award: Seahawks 33, Rams 6. After embarrassing themselves at home last week against the Saints, the Seahawks bounce back and retake command of the NFC West.

Special teams play of the week: Dallas defensive end Chris Canty swatted away a potential go-ahead field goal in the third quarter by the Vikings, and Pat Watkins returned it 68 yards for a touchdown as Dallas outlasted Minnesota at home. Dallas is 6-1 for the first time since 1995, the last year they won the Super Bowl.

Special teams player of the week: Rob Bironas, K, Titans. He made an NFL record eight – eight! – field goals, including a 29-yarder as time expired in Tennessee’s 38-36 win over the Texans.

Comeback player of the week: Brian Griese, QB, Bears. Griese connected with Muhsin Muhammad for a 15-yard TD pass with nine seconds left to lift desperate Chicago over Philly 19-16. Word is the Giants are sending Griese a dozen roses for beating divisional rival.

Kick save and a beauty award: Broncos K Jason Elam kicks his third game-winning field goal, this one against the Steelers in a barn-burner Sunday night in Denver.

Bad to worse award: As if things couldn’t get any worse for the Dolphins, their lone bright spot this season, running back Ronnie Brown, suffered a knee injury and might be done for the year.

Rookie of the week: Trent Edwards, QB, Bills. Looks like Buffalo has settled on Edwards as their quarterback of the future. He led the Bills to a 19-14 win over the Ravens and deemed J.P. Losman an afterthought. Look for Losman to be dealt or released during the off-season.

Emerging player of the week: LenDale White, RB, Titans. The Titans have been waiting for White to get over weight and motivational issues, and they hope that patience is paying off. He led the Titans with 107 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Stat of the week: Further proof that turnovers kill. Bucs QB Jeff Garcia didn’t have a turnover all season until Sunday against the Lions. He fumbled twice, and the Lions scored touchdowns after both in a 23-16 Detroit win.

Coach on the hot seat: Scott Linehan, Rams. A rare back-to-back choice in a league that rarely sees teams fail to win a game after seven weeks. Linehan is flirting with a mid-season firing in just his second year on the job.

Streak of the week: The Chiefs beat the Raiders for the ninth straight time. It’s the longest winning streak a team has ever had against the Raiders.

Next week’s games:

Giants vs. Dolphins, London, England
Bills at Jets
Lions at Bears
Raiders at Titans
Browns at Rams
Eagles at Vikings
Steelers at Bengals
Colts at Panthers
Texans at Chargers
Jaguars at Buccaneers
Saints at 49ers
Redskins at Patriots

Bye: Chiefs, Seahawks, Cardinals, Cowboys, Falcons, Ravens

Whoever thought we'd be sitting here after Week 6 of the 2007 season sitting in awe of what Vinny Testaverde has just done and realizing once and for all that Chad Pennington's days as the Jets starter are effectively over.

It was five years ago at this time that the Joe Montana comparisons were starting when Pennington had replaced Testaverde in the Jets' lineup and embarked on what would turn out to be his career year in leading the Jets back from a 1-4 start.

But now, with Testaverde at age 43 and winning a game just five days after donning a Panthers' uniform, it's Vinny who's the toast of the town and Pennington waiting for the inevitable call that Kellen Clemens will soon be taking over.

Jet of the week: Sorry, there is none. Not for a 1-5 team that hasn’t scored an offensive touchdown in six quarters and still has no pass rush.

Giant of the week: We’ll find out tonight. Early prediction: Plaxico Burress.

Player of the week: Tom Brady, QB, Patriots. This is getting scary. Five TDs, zero INTs and the Patriots roll over Dallas to move to 6-0. How good are the Patriots right now? Better than any of their three Super Bowl teams of the decade.

Ageless wonder award: Vinny Testaverde, QB, Panthers. He got a call on Tuesday while playing with his kids. He signed on Wednesday and then suited up on Sunday, throwing for 206 yards and a touchdown in Carolina’s 25-10 win over Arizona. Incredible.

Team in trouble. Jets. At 1-5, this has suddenly become all about a high draft pick in 2008. That and the Kellen Clemens watch.

Dominating performance award: Jaguars 37, Texans 17. Think Jack Del Rio didn’t make the right call anointing David Garrard over Byron Leftwich just days before the regular season opener? Garrard has four straight games with at least a 100.0 rating.

Comeback player of the week: Kyle Boller, QB, Ravens. Good thing the Ravens locked him up for another year, because he might have to be the guy. Filling in for the injured Steve McNair, Boller led the Ravens to a 22-3 win over the hapless Rams.

Emerging player of the week: Derek Anderson, QB, Browns. Haven’t heard much talk about Brady Quinn, have we? Credit Anderson, who threw three more TD passes against the Dolphins yesterday and helped the Browns improve to 3-3.

Stat of the week: Eagles coach Andy Reid is 9-0 in games immediately following the bye week. His latest victim: the Jets.

Explanatory stat of the week: Ok, so Brett Favre set the NFL record for most career interceptions, breaking George Blanda’s mark of 277. But Favre, who now has 279 picks, has attempted more than double the passes Blanda threw. Favre now has 8,470 attempts, to Blanda’s 4,007. (We have a Packers’ homer in our office named Dave, and he’ll be happy we included this stat.)

Coach on the hot seat: Scott Linehan, Rams. Is it possible he gets the boot after just two seasons? If he doesn’t win soon, it might happen.

Rookie of the week: No, make that rookie of the decade. Adrian Peterson not only rushed for 224 yards and three touchdowns against the Bears’ vaunted defense, but he ran a kickoff back 53 yards to set up the game-winning field goal in a 34-31 thriller.

Best play: Packers cornerback Charles Woodson’s 57-yard fumble return for touchdown with 2:05 to play in the third quarter. It proved to be the winning score to move Green Bay to 5-1.

Worst play: On fourth-and-1 from the Eagles’ 4 in the final minutes, and with Thomas Jones enjoying his best game of the season, the Jets have Chad Pennington attempt a pass to Laveranues Coles in the endzone. It falls incomplete. Game over.

Fantasy football dream award: LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, Chargers. He’s doing what we’ve expected all along, running for 198 yards and four touchdowns in San Diego’s 28-14 win over the Raid-uhs.

Surprising performance: The Saints’ backs-to-the-wall 28-17 win over the Seahawks on the road. What the hell is wrong with the Seahawks?

They’re almost done award: The Bengals are 1-4 and going nowhere. Marvin Lewis had the captain of a Navy ship come in to address his troops, but even that didn’t work. The Bengals were thrown overboard by the Chiefs. The worst might be yet to come. If they lose next week at home to the Jets, it’s officially over.

Coming tomorrow: Week 6 power rankings

Jet of the week: Laveranues Coles. Coles not only comes up with a team-high eight catches for 89 yards, but he takes the bullet for Chad Pennington afterward.

Giant of the week: Plaxico Burress. Eli-to-Plaxico is becoming one of the most effective qb-receiver combos in the league. And to think: Former Ravens TE Shannon Sharpe used to call him Plexiglass.

Team in trouble. Saints. At 0-4, looks like they’re done. Since the NFL went to its current playoff format in 1990, only the 1992 Chargers have rallied from an 0-4 start to make the playoffs.

Dominating performance award: Steelers over Seahawks. In a rematch of Super Bowl XL, the Steelers stomp over the Seahawks and win 21-0 at home, as the defense limits Shaun Alexander to just 25 rushing yards and Matt Hasselbeck to 116 passing yards. (We know, Black N Gold. We just made your day.)

Offensive juggernaut award: The Patriots’ incredible season rolls on. They put up another 34 points, making it five straight with 34 or more. Tom Brady added three more touchdown passes, tying the NFL record with three or more TD passes in the first five games of a season. Pats are the fourth team to start a season with five wins by at least 17 points. And for those of you degenerate gamblers keeping track of such things – are you listening, Ed McNamara? – that was a push on most betting sheets.

Player of the week: Kris Brown, K, Texans. We’re not normally inclined to give a kicker our player of the week award, but Brown gives us no choice. He kicked five field goals, including a 57-yarder with one second to play that gave Texans a win over the Dolphins. It was one of three field goals of over 50 yards.

Comeback player of the week: Kurt Warner, QB, Cardinals. Warner goes back to St. Louis and beats his old Rams team. He’ll now be the full-time starter with Matt Leinart knocked out with a broken collarbone.

Emerging player of the week: Jason Campbell, QB, Redskins. You see flashes in this kid. Against the Lions on Sunday, Campbell was 23-of-29 for 248 yards, two TDs and no picks in a 34-3 laugher over Detroit.

Losing streak of the century: Lions haven’t won in Washington … ever. No, really. Ever. They’ve played the Redskins 21 times in Washington since 1934, and are 0-21.

Coach on the hot seat: Cam Cameron, Dolphins. At 0-4 in his first gig as a head coach, Cameron is finding out the hard way that this head coaching thing isn’t as easy as it looks.

Best play: Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew’s 52-yard touchdown run in the second quarter against the Chiefs. It turned out to be the game-winning score, as the Jags improved to 3-1.

Worst play: Pennington’s interception that was returned 43 yards by rookie Aaron Ross for the game-clinching score with 3:15 to play.

Surprising performance: Chargers 41, Broncos 3. In Denver! It was the Broncos’ worst home loss since 1966. And it might be a sign that the Chargers are ready to bury their woeful 1-3 start.

Season-saving win: Bears over the Packers. They trailed 20-10 in the second half, and their season looked dead. But the Bears rally to beat Green Bay at the Tundra and keep their hopes alive. Barely.

Can’t wait for next week award: Patriots at Cowboys. ‘Boys need win over Buffalo tonight to make this a battle of the unbeatens. Should be an awesome game.

Stupid, stupid, stupid play of week: Travis Johnson of the Texans taunting an unconscious Trent Green after Green went down to block Johnson and got kneed in the head. Green suffered a potentially career-ending concussion, but Johnson’s histrionics were totally out of line. After the game, Johnson laid it on even thicker, suggesting Green wasn’t man enough for blocking him higher. Travis, you owe this man an apology.

Best supporting role: Kenton Keith, RB, Colts. If you heard of Keith before Sunday’s win over the Bucs, you’ve been spending far too much time indoors. Keith is a 27-year-old rookie who once tried out for the Jets but then spend three seasons in the CFL before getting a look-see with Indy. He ran for 121 yards in place of the injured Joseph Addai in Indy’s 33-14 win over the Bucs.

Rookie of the week: Aaron Ross, CB, Giants. After being benched in the first half for violating a team rule, Ross came up with a pair of interceptions in the second half. The first saved what would have been a Jets’ touchdown. The second put the game away, as Ross returned it 43 yards for the score.

Statistical anomaly of the week: Ok, it was a way of getting the word “anomaly” in our memo. Look it up. This one has to do with turnovers. The Packers committed five and lost. The Titans committed five and won.

Game that set the NFL back 20 years award: Ravens 9, 49ers 7. Painful.

Coming tomorrow: Week 5 power rankings

Brett Favre looks like a kid again. So does Chad Pennington. Donovan McNabb answers his critics in dramatic fashion. And what in the world is wrong with the Chargers?

A look back at the best and worst Week 3:

Jet of the week: QB Chad Pennington. The last time he played at home, Pennington was cheered after suffering an ankle injury. Rather than stick his middle finger out to the fans for that rude behavior, Pennington instead responded with a nice effort against the Dolphins, throwing for two touchdowns in a 31-28 win to stop an 0-2 skid.

Giant of the week: WR Plaxico Burress. He didn’t practice at all during the week, and was dreadful in a first half dominated by the Redskins. But Burress turned it on in the second half and finished with five catches for 86 yards and the game-winning touchdown.

Best performance by a 37-year-old quarterback: Brett Favre, Packers. Looks like the Favre of old in beating the Chargers at Lambeau, throwing three TD passes and no picks. One more TD pass, and he breaks the tie he now holds with Dan Marino for most TD passes in a career (420). We now have just one request of Favre: Please play forever.

Best performance by a 36-year-old quarterback: Kurt Warner, Cardinals. Replacing an injured Matt Leinart against the blitz happy Ravens, Warner brought the Cards back into a 23-23 tie with two TD passes. The rally just fell short, but Warner showed there’s still some magic left.

Best performance by an undrafted quarterback: Tony Romo, Cowboys. How do you not love what this kid is doing? He carved up the mighty Bears' defense on the road and helps the Cowboys make a statement that they're tops in the NFC. (Ok, we understand if Giants fans don't love what this kid is doing.)

One team in trouble .... Chargers. They lost only two games all last season, but have already lost that many after going down in Green Bay. LaDainian Tomlinson is left to wondering what the hell is going on. So are we.

... The other team in trouble: Bears. Rex Grossman has one TD and six INTs. Time for a seat.

Dominating performance award: Steelers. In a battle of two 2-0 teams, the Steelers made the 49ers look like the junior varsity in a 37-16 win at Heinz Field. Willie Parker’s 133 rushing yards led the way on offense, and a stifling defense plundered QB Alex Smith and RB Frank Gore.

Player of the week: Donovan McNabb, QB, Eagles. What a week for the Eagles’ veteran passer. His remarks on HBO about the increased scrutiny of African American quarterbacks created a firestorm of controversy. But rather than wilt under the pressure, he had one of his best games ever, throwing for 381 yards and four touchdowns as Philly smacked previously unbeaten Detroit for its first win of the year.

Comeback player of the week: Kyle Boller, QB, Ravens. He beat the Jets last week filling in for the injured Steve McNair (groin). Yesterday, he came off the bench in relief of an ailing McNair and staved off the Cardinals by driving for the game-winning field goal with no time left on the clock. Not bad for a guy who was nearly run out of town.

Coach on the hot seat: Norv Turner, Chargers. He’s got one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, but a 1-2 start leaves you wondering whether he’ll meet with the same fate he did in Washington and Oakland. One problem for Turner: defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell is a huge step down from Wade Phillips.

Best play: Allen Rossum’s 98-yard kickoff return for touchdown. The play gave the Steelers a 7-6 advantage over the previously unbeaten 49ers, and they never looked back.

Worst play: Ok, four worst plays. The Redskins’ play sequence in the final minute against the Giants. First-and-goal from the 1, spike. Second-and goal, incomplete pass to fullback Mike Sellers. Third-and-goal. Ladell Betts for no gain. Fourth-and-goal: Betts for a two-yard loss.

Surprising performance: Jaguars beating the Broncos on the road. Gritty effort by David Garrard, who has the Jags believing in themselves after upsetting the Broncos 23-14 at Mile High. Garard passed for 154 yards and ran for 52 to help Jacksonville improve to 2-1.

Disappointing performance: Rams losing 24-3 to the Bucs. Man, is this team bad. We knew the defense was iffy, but now the offense can’t do a lick. At 0-3, it might be over.

Best coaching move: Last week, we gave it to Mike Shanahan for icing Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski by calling timeout just before Jano made what would have been the game-winning field goal. He missed on the next attempt. Raiders coach Lane Kiffin learned well. He did the same thing to Cleveland’s Phil Dawson yesterday. After initially making the would-be game-winner, Dawson’s next attempt was blocked, and the Raiders hung on for their first win.

Worst coaching move: Gibbs’ play-calling at the end of yesterday’s game against the Giants. We once referred to Gibbs as the greatest living coach during his first go-round with the Redskins. Can’t do it now.

Deal of the week: The Eagles’ signing of free agent wide receiver Kevin Curtis. The Lions were in the market for Curtis, but he chose Philly. In yesterday’s 56-21 win over the Lions, Curtis had a career-high 221 yards and three TDs.

Rookie of the week: Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings. Man is this kid great. I know, first-round picks are supposed to be great, but that isn’t always the case. Ron Dayne. Blair Thomas. Curtis Enis. D.J. Dozier. This list goes on and on. Another 100-yard performance by Peterson, this time in Larry Johnson’s house.

Rookie writer of the week: Adam Abramson of Newsday, who made his first appearance in an NFL press box at Giants-Skins and whipped out two sidebars. Not only that, but he saved the day with his tech-savvy ways by getting his and our stories in by deadline after the high-speed Internet suddenly disappearaed at FedEx Field, an obvious attempt by the Redskins to rattle the New York press.

Coming tomorrow: Week 3 power rankings