NFL Roundup: Week 7; Merriman Suspended

Some observations, comments and opinions about Sunday's NFL games.

Minnesota 31, Seattle 13
Chester Taylor ran for 169 yards and a touchdown, including a team-record 95 yard score, as the Vikings ended the Seahawks 12-game home winning streak. In addition, Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck was injured early in the third quarter and did not return. The early diagnosis is a knee sprain.

Denver 17, Cleveland 7
The stingy Broncos defense was at it again holding a team to single digits for the fifth straight game. Tatum Bell led the way for Denver (5-1) with 115 yards and a touchdown. The Browns fell to 1-5.

Indianapolis 36, Washington 22
The Colts remained perfect on the season at 6-0, thanks to the solid performance by Peyton Manning. The Redskins lost their third straight and fell to 2-5 on the season. Manning finished 25-of-35 with four touchdowns and continued climbing the NFL's career charts. His last TD pass, No. 256, sent him past Dan Fouts (254) and Sonny Jurgensen (255) into 10th in NFL history. He also passed Jim Hart for 14th on the career-yardage list with a 342-yard day, giving him 34,809 career yards. Hart has 34,665.

Oakland 22, Arizona 9
The Raiders ended an 11-game losing streak and won their first game of the season with a victory over the Cardinals (1-6). Randy Moss caught seven passes for 129 yards and a touchdown for his best game of the season for Oakland (1-5).

Atlanta 41, Pittsburgh 38 (OT)
Morten Andersen kicked a 32-yard field goal in overtime to give the Falcons (4-2) the victory over the Super Bowl champion Steelers (2-4) in the best game of the day. Michael Vick threw for four touchdowns, the best passing performance of his career, with three of those going to TE Alge Crumpler. Hines Ward caught eight passes for 171 yards and a career-high three TDs to lead Pittsburgh. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger was knocked out of the game in the second half.

Kansas City 30, San Diego 27
Lawrence Tynes kicked the game-winner from 56 yards out with six seconds left to give Kansas City (3-3) the victory over the Chargers (4-2). Larry Johnson ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns, while Tony Gonzalez collected six catches for 138 yards and a score.

Tampa Bay 23, Philadelphia 21
Matt Bryant kicked a 62-yard field goal as time expired to give the Bucs the upset victory over the Eagles (4-3). Bryant's kick, the third longest in NFL history, ruined a Philadelphia comeback that saw the Eagles score three touchdowns late in the game. Tom Dempsey and Jason Elam share the league record for the longest field goal -- 63 yards. The only other kickers who have been successful from beyond 59 yards are Steve Cox and Morten Andersen, who both booted 60-yarders.

Houston 27, Jacksonville 7
Rookie Wali Lundy ran for 93 yards and a touchdown to lead the Texans (2-4) to the upset victory. Houston's defense, which entered the day allowing a league-worst 418 yards a game, forced two turnovers -- both of which led to touchdowns -- and held the Jaguars (3-3) to 220 yards. Houston put up their biggest point total of the season, and they did it against the NFL's only defense with two shutouts.

Green Bay 34, Miami 24
Ranked last in the NFL in pass defense, Green Bay intercepted Joey Harrington three times to beat Miami. Brett Favre threw two touchdown passes, including the clincher to David Martin with six minutes left, and Ahman Green scored on a 70-yard run. The Packer improved to 2-4 on the season, while the Dolphins fell to 1-6 and have lost four straight.

Cincinnati 17, Carolina 14
The Bengals (4-2) scored on a late fourth-quarter drive to end the Panthers (4-3) four-game winning streak. Carolina QB Jake Delhomme, who threw for a career-high 365 yards, drove the Panthers to the Cincinnati 10 before throwing an interception that gave the Bengals a much needed victory.

New York Jets 31, Detroit 24
Leon Washington rushed for 129 yards on 20 carries and scored the first two touchdowns of his career, as the Jets (4-3) held on to defeat the Lions (1-6). The win marked the first time since 2004 that New York had back-to-back home victories. The Jets, who have struggled all season with their running game, finished with 221 yards against the Lions, who were without their starting defensive tackles.

New England 28, Buffalo 6
Corey Dillon ran for two touchdowns and the Patriot defense did the rest in a easy victory over the Bills (2-5). Tom Brady finished 18-of-27 for 195 yards passing and two touchdowns, improving to 29-6 against divisional rivals. Besides improving to 5-1, marking their second-best start since 1997, the three-time defending division champions won their seventh straight and 12th in their last 13 meetings with AFC East rival Buffalo.

It was kickers day on Sunday as three games were decided in the final seconds on field goals. It was an especially tough day for the Eagles, who have now lost two straight games thanks to last-second three pointers.

Upsets continue to abound around the league with Minnesota, Atlanta, Oakland, Tampa Bay, Houston and Kansas City knocking off pre-game favorites. The league has the parity it always wanted - more so know than ever before. Only Indianapolis and Chicago are undefeated and both have struggled at times during the season. It's a wide-open race for the Lombardi Trophy.

The New York Giants (3-2) travel to Dallas to take on the 3-2 Cowboys for first-place in the NFC East on Monday Night Football. With the recent Eagles meltdown the division is wide open and the Giants, who already own a victory over Philadelphia, could take command with a win over the Cowboys.

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Reports out of San Diego are saying that Shawne Merriman, All-Pro linebacker and the 2005 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, will be suspended four games for violating the leagues substance abuse policy. The report did not specify when the suspension would begin, but Merriman would be eligible to return Nov. 26 against the Oakland Raiders if he sat out immediately.

Besides Merriman's suspension, the Chargers have had five separate off-field issues dating back to April.

Outside linebacker Steve Foley was shot three times outside his suburban home on Sept. 3 by an off-duty police officer who suspected him of drunk driving. Foley will miss the entire season and was charged with two counts of DUI.

Safety Terrence Kiel was arrested on five felony drug counts in September and has pleaded not guilty.

Cornerback Markus Curry, who had been demoted to the practice squad, was released on Oct. 9, just hours after he was arrested on suspicion of committing domestic violence.

Foley and linebacker Shaun Phillips were each arrested for scuffling with San Diego police officers a week apart in April. Neither was charged.

Merriman, who started in the Pro Bowl as a rookie, is second on San Diego with 5 1/2 sacks.

NFL pro football roundup Shawne Merriman


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