Of Brees’ 37 pass attempts, 11 were playaction, accounting for 30% of their passing plays. Brees completed 10 of those 11 for 171 yards and 2 TDs.

Here’s a look back at the top storylines from Week 7.

Of all the things that came out of the ugly loss on Sunday by the Ravens, it’s that they have some issues that need to be fixed. Ravens coach John Harbaugh was pretty blunt with how everything should be looked at after the Texans beat them down. And as DT Haloti Ngata told me about the defense, “Right now, we’re at the bottom.“ They’ve lost LB Ray Lewis, they’ve lost CB Lardarius Webb, Ed Reed has a torn labrum, and Ngata pointed out, “Today I was… I wasn’t 100 percent.” Duh. And so, Baltimore looked like the worst 5-2 team you can imagine. And yet… they are still in prime position. With the bye coming up, with some top-notch coaches, […]

The Texans exited Reliant Stadium yesterday with more than a resounding victory. Though, they got that, too. They bludgeoned the Ravens 43-13, giving the home team their biggest victory ever as a franchise. It was the most points they’ve ever scored. The impression they made on the NFL was immense. “We lost to a really good Houston Texans team,” Ravens LB Terrell Suggs told me. “We didn’t lose to a team who don’t know what their identity is. We lost to a really good team today on their home field.“ Yet it was more than a win. The Texans also go into their bye week with essentially a two-game lead in the AFC, and that puts them in prime position. […]

Mark Kriegel is Just Sayin’ you shouldn’t judge Cam Newton on early-season struggles.

Eric Davis analyzes the 77-yard touchdown score that gave the Giants the win.

Jonathan Dwyer talks about his success Sunday in the Steelers’ victory

It was another unpredictable week. Let’s take a look at the weird, wild and the unexpected (and expected) from Week 7.

» Credit Darren McFadden for finding new and inventive ways to be disappointing. In previous seasons, injuries have limited his production and frustrated fantasy owners. This season, Run DMC has been healthy but hasn’t produced on the field. Case in point: McFadden was limited to just 53 yards rushing in Oakland’s loss to the Jaguars. Next week, the Raiders meet the Chiefs. If McFadden can’t get something done against Kansas City, there might not be much hope for him this season. » With so many receiving options in New England, it’s imperative that guys take advantage of their targets. Brandon Lloyd had several drops during today’s game with just one catch for six yards. With Aaron Hernandez back in the lineup and […]

As we do every week, let’s take a swing around the NFL, looking at a bunch of random things… 1. I spent some time in Chicago earlier in the week at the NFL’s annual Fall Meeting, and many of the topics addressed here are from the meeting. There were a bunch of issues discussed, but nothing more important happened than the introduction of Browns owner Jimmy Haslam III. I know it won’t exactly affect the team’s performance on the field today — or, likely won’t — but it is noteworthy. After years of having an owner in Randy Lerner who was never around, Haslam will be the opposite. He’s moving to Cleveland. He’ll be present, his family will be present… […]

The New Orleans Saints will be without tight end Jimmy Graham on Sunday, but what does it mean for the rest of your Saints’ players?

The Ravens will be without star LB Ray Lewis today and almost certainly for the rest of the season. If you haven’t been in a cave this week, you already know that. And, as I just mentioned on Twitter, Lewis won’t be accompanying the team to Houston. This was a topic all week, and it’ll continue to be a big-time topic all year… even if the loss of CB Lardarius Webb is probably more important between the whistles. Losing Lewis may hurt most emotionally, leaving a leadership void. I talked with Ravens LB Dannell Ellerbe on the phone this week as he prepares for his first start of the season in place of Lewis. And what he described has been […]

Once upon a time, the word “genius” was reserved for those who truly deserved it. It was only applied to titans of thought like Albert Einstein, innovators like Bill Walsh or however it is you define Nicolas Cage. But things started to go south when the Tom Tom Club wrote the nonsensical (yet still catchy) ”Genius of Love”,  then Christopher Lloyd and Kathleen Turner starred in an awful movie that used the word in the title and it’s been pretty much downhill ever since. So let’s restore the good name of genius and use it for appropriate things like having the foresight to avoid the freeway during rush hour, ordering dessert before dinner … or most importantly, selecting a receiver in the […]

In today’s Three and Out: Felix Jones could split carries; Jonathan Dwyer might start for the Steelers and Devin Hester could see more targets this week.

In this day and age in the world, everyone has a voice. It used to be that all you needed was a keyboard, but now all you really need is a phone. We all have those. Have an opinion? Make it heard. And it’s changed things. Have a player you hate? Follow them on Twitter and let them know until they block you. Or, if you’ve got a favorite team, like them on Facebook. Mid-game, if you’re upset that someone didn’t make a catch, it’s so easy just to log on and let them know they suck. One can only imagine what a player’s mentions column is like after a bad loss. We are all so quick to judge – […]