Week 8 (2009) Sunday Happenings

First Matchups of Sunday:
Denver vs. Baltimore
Houston vs. Buffalo
Cleveland vs. Chicago
Seattle vs. Dallas
Miami vs. New York Jets
San Francisco vs. Indianapolis
New York Giants vs. Philadelphia
St. Louis vs. Detroit

Second Matchups of Sunday:
Oakland vs. San Diego
Jacksonville vs. Tennessee
Minnesota vs. Green Bay
Carolina vs. Arizona

Pre-game:

• As always, check out http://www.nfl.com/injuries for the official injury reports.

First Matchups:

• First blood of the day drawn by Leonard Weaver, Philadelphia's fullback, on a 41-yard run to the end zone.
• Eli Manning has his first interception of the day against Philly, putting the Eagles on the New York 10-yard line.  Three plays later, Donovan McNabb tosses a touchdown to Brent Celek.
• Frank Gore breaks a 64-yard touchdown run against the Colts.  He is showing some signs of being himself.
• Terrell Owens just ran an end-around for 29 yards...and a touchdown.  Is T.O. relevant again?
• Derek Anderson has been picked off by the Bears.  Not exactly a surprise in that game.
• Marion Barber nabs himself a 2-yard touchdown.  The score could get out of hand in favor of Dallas.
• Detroit gets a safety.  That game really has to be the joke of the season.  The best part?  It happened on an interception by St. Louis, and the end zone tackle was made by Kevin Smith. 
• Welcome back Deion Branch.  He grabs a 23-yard touchdown reception.
• Baltimore has committed two unnecessary penalties.  It probably won't cost them the game, but it's making a major difference.
• Matt Schaub has two interceptions today.  Buffalo's pass defense seems to be for real.
• There don't seem to be any shootouts today.  Lots of field goals and short-yardage plays.
• Kevin Boss gets a touchdown for the Giants, putting the score at 16-7 in favor of Philly.
• FAKE FIELD GOAL!  The Rams pull a trick play and Josh Brown tosses the pigskin to fullback Daniel Fells, who runs the last 30 yards for the touchdown.  That game is pure hilarity.
• DeSean Jackson hauls in a deep pass and sprints into the end zone, making it a 54-yard completion and a 23-7 ball game in Philadelphia.
• McNabb is spreading the ball and has three touchdowns, the third to Jeremy Maclin.  McNabb may be one of the most hot/cold passers in the NFL.
• Matt Forte has a goal line touchdown, making him a worthwhile play this week for anyone who trusted him.
• Roy Williams has a touchdown pass from Tony Romo.  Miles Austin surely must be seething with jealousy.
• Vernon Davis obviously has strong chemistry with Alex Smith and has a touchdown today.  San Francisco is up 14-9 at the half, a rather unexpected turn of events.

Halftime

•  Baltimore returns the kickoff for a touchdown, putting them up 13-0.
• Ted Ginn, Jr., returns a kickoff for Miami for a touchdown.  He may not be the receiver needed for the 'Fins, but his speed is unrivaled.
• Knowshon Moreno notches up a touchdown on a 1-yard run.  Baltimore is racking up penalties and it's definitely costing them.
• Reggie Wayne has 100 yards receiving on the day, but the Colts are still down.
• IDP Update: Shonn Greene fumbles the ball, which is picked up and run 48 yards for a touchdown by Miami's Jason Taylor.  His value just dropped significantly.
• Never has a quarterback been so untouched on a touchdown run from the 1-yard line as Mark Sanchez.  That will be a fun replay this week.
• Ginn has, count'em, TWO TOUCHDOWN KICKOFF RETURNS.  Speedy Gonzalez.  The disadvantage is that the Miami offense hasn't seen much play in the second half.
• Miles Austin notches his fifth touchdown in three weeks of play.  He's definitely proving himself to be Romo's best weapon and a must-play every week.
• Matthew Stafford, not to be outdone by Sanchez, runs in a 4-yarder touchdown.
• After a quick march down the field, Sanchez finds Braylon Edwards for a 19-yard touchdown.
• It's a touchdown for Derrick Mason in Baltimore.
• Forte now has two touchdowns on the day, with a 10-yarder for his second.
• Patrick Crayton has a punt-return touchdown for the second week in a row.  Dallas looks like the team it was supposed to be.
• LeSean McCoy proves he can be the starter after scoring on a lengthy touchdown run.
• Weirdest stat of the day.  Joseph Addai passes 22 yards to the end zone for a touchdown.  Reggie Wayne was the receiver.  Peyton Manning owners are not a happy bunch.