The regular referees returned to action this week, but they could not save the Giants and Jets from suffering crushing losses.
Eagles 19, Giants 17
Lawrence Tynes’ last minute 54-yard field goal attempt fell just short, and the Eagles held on to edge out the Giants on Sunday night. Michael Vick played his best game of the season by throwing for 241 yards and a touchdown, but more importantly did not turn the ball over. LeSean McCoy rushed for 123 yards and kept Eli Manning and the Giants’ offense off the field most of the game. Manning had 309 passing yards, two touchdowns and a costly interception in the fourth quarter. DeSean Jackson caught his first touchdown pass of the season in the second quarter.
49ers 34, Jets 0
The 49ers ran all over a lifeless Jets team on Sunday at the Meadowlands. Behind the rushing trio of Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and second-string quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the 49ers rushed for a total of 245 yards and three touchdowns. The Jets could not establish a flow on offense, and Mark Sanchez looked shaken by the excellent 49ers’ defense. The Jets’ lone real threat on offense, Santonio Holmes, injured his foot while catching a pass in the fourth quarter. While falling down, he inexplicably tossed the ball right to San Francisco defender Carlos Rogers, who returned it for a 51-yard touchdown.
Bears 32, Cowboys 18
Tony Romo tied his career high with five interceptions in a 32-18 loss to Chicago on Monday night. The Bears welcomed the return of star running back Matt Forte, but the real star of the night was Brandon Marshall. The 6-foot-4 receiver totaled 138 receiving yards and scored a late touchdown to ice the game for the Bears. Romo became frustrated with the lack of effort given by Dez Bryant during the game. Bryant dropped three passes and looked disinterested while Romo tried to talk to him on the sideline. Bears safety Major Wright recorded two interceptions.
Falcons 30, Panthers 28
In one of the most exciting games this season, the Falcons pulled off a miracle win on Sunday at home to improve their record to 4-0. Roddy White put on a show with 169 yards and two touchdowns. With the Falcons trailing by one point and stuck at their own 1-yard line, White hauled in a deep bomb to put the Falcons at the edge of field-goal range with 50 seconds remaining. Matt Bryant nailed a game-winning 40-yard field goal a little while later. The Panthers seemed to have secured the win until Cam Newton fumbled before falling across the first down line late in the game, allowing Matt Ryan one last shot.
Packers 28, Saints 27
In what was a great quarterback matchup, Aaron Rodgers’ Packers narrowly beat Drew Brees’ Saints. Brees threw for 446 yards and Marques Colston finally had a breakout game with 153 yards and a touchdown. Rodgers threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns, two of them to James Jones. The Saints had a chance to pull off the upset, but Garrett Hartley missed a 48-yard field goal attempt with three minutes left that would have gave the Saints a two-point lead.
Cardinals 24, Dolphins 21 (OT)
The Cardinals improved to 4-0 for the first time since 1974 when they edged the Dolphins on Sunday in overtime. Kevin Kolb found Andre Roberts in the end zone with just 12 seconds left in regulation to send the game into OT. Brian Hartline set a Dolphins record with 253 receiving yards in a losing effort.
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ddepreke@ramapo.edu
