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Week 13: Rams O had hugh problems but still a win by one point

Matt Ryan is taken down by user controlled Adam Carriker in the first half of the Rams 17:16 win over the Falcons in St. Louis

It was over when...

O.J Atogwe intercepted Matt Ryan`s deep ball with 1:44 to go in the 4th quarter. The Rams took the lead with 1:55 to play in the 4th on a jump ball, brought in by rookie WR Keenan Burton.

Game ball

goes to... Marc Bulger who shows veteran poise in the last games of the season. He had his best game of the season, if you take a look at his QB rating (119,3) and completion percentage (71%).

Key stat

Both high priced RB`s went under the radar in this game. Jackass was 29 for 78 yards and a fumble and Michael Turner 22 for 60 yards with no TD. Josh Brown connected on a 53 yard FG attempt after having one FG taken of the board in the first half due to a holding penalty from guard Jacob Bell. Rams strong safety Tood Johnson had a monster of a game with 9 tackles, one for loss, one sack, an interception and one pass deflection.

Noteworthy

It was a wild wild NFC West vs. NFC South game with a load of minor injuries and turnovers. The Rams had 3 fumbles, losing two after getting the ball back on the third fumble due to a gutsy challenge from Coach Moose. The Falcons also had two hugh turnovers, one on a kickoff return but the Rams had the FG whiped out by a penalty (Key stat). On the second turnover, Matt Ryan was picked in the endzone by Todd Johnson who returned the interception 45 yards. The Rams are now tied with the Niners and the Cards in the NFC West, but the Rams have to play two human teams down the road to playoff country.

Quick Take: Packers prevail in the offensive battle of Texas Stadium, win 28-16

Although in double coverage, Donald Driver catches this perfect 26yrd throw for the second Packers TD of the game

It was over when...

GB back-up half back Brandon Jackson scored on a 16yrd pass from Aaron Rodgers, giving the visiting team a 2 score lead with 3:13 to go in the 4th quarter. On the following Dallas possession, the Cowboys went 3 and out so that the Pack could run down the clock to win the game.

Game ball

goes to... Aaron Rodgers. With a 97.4 QB rating, 2 TDs and 341 total yards he was the anchor of the Packers offense. While an exceptional 63% of his passes hit their targets in the first half, A-Rod ended the game with "only" 54% passing accuracy. The strong performance on offense was desperately needed since the Defense repeatedly had issues stopping a strong Dallas attack.

Key stat

The Packers held multiple drives alive by converting on 3rd downs, resulting in a season best 78.6 3rd down percentage for the green and gold. Especially Aaron Rodgers stepped up and compensated for a struggeling running game that over and over failed to get passed strong Dallas DEs.

Noteworthy

All four Packers TDs finished off drives of 72yrd+, indicating that the strong Dallas offense did not make it easy for the Pack. The only Dallas interception was thrown into the Packers Endzone. A Kickoff Return TD for the Cowboys was blown back for a holding penalty. Tony Romo also had a strong day, hitting one tough throw after the other and while T.O. was pretty much shut down, Roy Williams scorched the visiting team for 123yrds on 11 receptions. In this battle of offenses, flawless execution and zero turnovers helped the Packers to come out on top.

Quick take: Bengals ride Palmer's arm to beat Steelers, 41-38

Chris Henry celebarates his second TD that capped his coming-out party at Heintz field

It was over when...

Shayne Graham converted his second FG attempt from 39 yards out with only 6 seconds left on the clock. If you think this sounds boring, read on: Pittsburgh took a 31-21 lead early in the fourth quarter. After two long drives, Cincinnati tied the game with 1:51 left, and went on to take the lead only 40 seconds later after Leon Hall intercepted Roethlisberger at midfield and Palmer found Chris Henry in the endzone for a 46 yard TD. But the game was far from over: Roethlisberger only needed two plays to tie the game again at 38 points apiece. As if that wasn't enough excitement, the Bengals got the ball back with 44 seconds left, and Palmer didn't waste any time in hooking up with Chad Johnson, who outjumped Troy Polamalu and hauled in the long bomb for a 60 yard gain, setting up Graham for the game-winner.

Game ball

Chris Henry caught 7 passes for 235 yards, including 2 TDs (one from 72 yards and one from 46 yards out) and several crucial receptions on third down.

Key stat

Both teams combined for a grand total of 1,030 yards of offense. On the back of Carson Palmer's passing (24 for 39, 513 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs), Cincinnati accounted for 596 of those.

Noteworthy

As evidenced by the stats above, this game was all offense, no defense... Roethlisberger played cat and mouse with the hapless Bengals secondary all day, throwing for nearly 400 yards and 5 TDs. Hines Ward had 8 receptions for 201 yards and 2 TDs, and TE Heath Miller added 154 yards and a TD on only 4 receptions... Leon Hall looked especially lost; after coming back from an elbow injury that forced him to miss most of the first half, he was victimised by Roethlisberger and Ward time and time again. He got some measure of revenge when he picked off a pass intended for Ward with 1:21 to go that led to the Bengals taking the lead, but his joy was short-lived as Ward beat him again for a 55 yard TD only 3 plays later... The secondary's struggles were even more worrying considering that the Bengals' front seven played very well; they shut down the Steelers' running game, and sacked Roethlisberger 6 times... With the loss, the Steelers fall to 6-6 and are all but eliminated from playoff contention, while the Bengals will take over first place in the AFC North if Baltimore loses to New England on MNF.