Week 12 Heroes & Zeros

This was a great week to start…

QBs
Drew Brees, Saints – Tossed 4 TD passes with his 363 yards and ran in another TD from 8 yards out; all without a turnover.
Tom Brady, Patriots – Did his thing with 361 yards, 3 TDs, no turnovers and even added 28 rushing yards.
Matt Ryan, Falcons – Passed for 262 yards and a trio of TDs.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bills – Returned to form with 264 passing yards and 3 TDs, plus 34 rushing yards.
Mark Sanchez, Jets – Tossed 4 TD passes with his 180 yards, plus an INT.

RBs
Beanie Wells, Cardinals – Rumbled for 228 yards and a TD in a career day.
DeAngelo Williams, Panthers – Made a rare appearance on the highlight reel with 69 yards and 2 TD runs.
Roy Helu, Redskins – Ran for 108 yards and a TD and caught 7 passes for 54 yards.
Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks – Rushed for 111 yards and added a 20-yard TD catch.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Patriots – Only ran for 44 yards, but scored twice.

WRs
Victor Cruz, Giants – Packed on the stats while playing catchup, finishing with 9 receptions for 157 yards and 2 TDs.
Wes Welker, Patriots – Returned to the elites with 8 catches for 115 yards and 2 TDs.
Laurent Robinson, Cowboys – Scored twice while catching 7 passes for 79 yards.
Lance Moore, Saints – Had 5 catches for 54 yards and 2 TDs.
Roddy White, Falcons – Reeled in 10 balls for 120 yards and a TD.
Johnny Knox, Bears – Only 4 receptions, but posted 145 yards and a score.

TEs
Jimmy Graham, Saints – Posted 5 catches for 84 yards and a pair of scores.
Dustin Keller, Jets – Caught 4 passes for 61 yards and 2 TDs.

Ks
Sebastian Janikowski, Raiders – Nailed field goals of 19, 37, 40, 42, 44 and 47 yards.

This was a great week to play against…

QBs
Alex Smith, 49ers – Only 140 passing yards without a score, plus an INT.
Carson Palmer, Raiders – Passed for 301 yards and an INT, without a score.

RBs
Chris Ogbannaya, Browns – Ran for 16 yards and caught a 4-yard pass now that Peyton Hillis has returned.
James Starks, Packers – Just 19 rushing yards before leaving early again.
Daniel Thomas, Dolphins – Gained 25 yards on the ground while playing second fiddle to Reggie Bush.
Frank Gore, 49ers – Managed 39 rushing yards and a 9-yard catch.

WRs
Julio Jones, Falcons – Posted a goose egg.
Sidney Rice, Seahawks – So did he.
Braylon Edwards, 49ers – Caught a 5-yard pass.
Nate Washington, Titans – Just a 12-yard catch on the day.
Mike Wallace, Steelers – Held to just 17 yards on 2 passes.
Andre Johnson, Texans – Limited to 2 catches for 22 yards in his long-awaited return.
Torrey Smith, Ravens – His 2 receptions were good for 23 yards.
Vincent Jackson, Chargers – He posted 25 yards on his 2 catches.
Jordy Nelson, Packers – Only 26 yards on 4 catches.
Dez Bryant, Cowboys – Held to 3 receptions for 35 yards.

Week 12 Heroes & Zeros

This was a great week to start…

Tom Brady, QB, Patriots – Gave his owners 341 yards and 4 TDs to be thankful for.
Jay Cutler, QB, Bears – Threw for 247 yards and 4 TDs and ran for 17 yards.
Matt Cassel, QB, Chiefs – Passed for 233 yards and 4 TDs, while running for 28 yards.
Kyle Orton, QB, Broncos – Accumulated 3 TDs and 347 yards without a turnover.
Sam Bradford, QB, Rams – Passed for 308 yards and 3 TDs.

Peyton Hillis, RB, Browns – Ran for 131 yards and a trio of TDs, and added 63 receiving yards on 6 catches.
Jamaal Charles, RB, Chiefs – Rushed for 173 yards and 1 TD.
Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Steelers – Rumbled for 151 yards and a score, with a fumble.
Mike Goodson, RB, Panthers – Withstood J-Stew’s presence to run for 55 yards and 1 TD, while adding 8 receptions for 81 yards.
Arian Foster, RB, Texans – Ran for 143 yards and caught 9 passes for 75 yards.
Fred Jackson, RB, Bills – Caught 5 passes for 104 yards and 1 TD, plus 59 rushing yards.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, Patriots – The Law Firm ran for 59 yards and 2 scores on Thanksgiving.
Chris Ivory, RB, Saints – Only ran for 38 yards, but scored twice in the process.


Dwayne Bowe, WR, Chiefs – Caught 13 passes for 170 yards and a TD hat trick.
Jacoby Ford, WR, Raiders – Caught 4 passes for 108 yards and 1 TD, ran for 13 yards and returned a kickoff 101 yards for another score.
Deion Branch, WR, Patriots – Torched the Lions for 113 yards and 2 TDs on just 3 catches.
Wes Welker, WR, Patriots – Scored twice on 8 catches for 90 yards.
Brandon Lloyd, WR, Broncos – Hauled in 4 passes for 76 yards and 2 TDs.

Chargers defense/special teams – Scored twice on INT returns, racked up five turnovers and added a sack, while holding Peyton Manning & Co. to 14 points.
Jets defense/special teams – Accumulated 3 sacks, 2 INTs, a safety and an 89-yard kickoff return score by Brad Smith, while holding Cincinnati to 10 points.

This was a great week to play against…

Carson Palmer, QB, Bengals – Threw for just 135 yards and 1 TD, with 2 INTs.
Mark Sanchez, QB, Jets – Managed only 166 yards, 1 TD and an INT.
Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Steelers – Just 246 yards passing and an 18-yard run against the lowly Bills defense.
Brett Favre, QB, Vikings – Passed for 172 yards without a score (or a turnover).
Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers – Threw for 185 yards, but no TDs.

Chris Johnson, RB, Titans – Somehow managed to amass a measly 5 rushing yards plus 2 more yards on 2 catches.
Jahvid Best, RB, Lions – Was active, but didn’t get a single carry.
Tim Hightower, RB, Cardinals – Couldn’t get a stinking yard on 5 carries.
Reggie Bush, RB, Saints – In his first action in several games, got just one 1-yard carry and a 12-yard reception.
Keiland Williams, RB, Redskins – Had 21 yards on 4 receptions, but just 5 rushing yards.
Cedric Benson, RB, Bengals – Held to 41 rushing yards.
Brandon Jackson, RB, Packers – Limited to 26 rushing yards and 3 receptions for 10 more.
Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seahawks – Ran for 20 yards and added 2 catches for 13 yards.
Frank Gore, RB, 49ers – Managed 52 rushing yards before leaving with a hip injury.

Dez Bryant, WR, Cowboys – Held without a catch on Thanksgiving.
Vincent Jackson, WR, Chargers – Posted a goose egg in his first game back, thanks to groin and calf injuries.
Malcom Floyd, WR, Chargers – Also held catchless.
Lee Evans, WR, Bills – One 9-yard reception on the day, with a fumble to boot.
Nate Washington, WR, Titans – Caught a 10-yard pass against the league’s worst secondary.
Terrell Owens, WR, Bengals – Marooned on Revis Island again, with just 3 catches for 17 yards.
Braylon Edwards, WR, Jets – Only 20 yards on 2 catches.
Mike Williams, WR, Buccaneers – Ditto.
Sidney Rice, WR, Vikings – Got his 20 yards on a single reception.
Randy Moss, WR, Titans – Tripled his catch total as a Titan with 3 for 23 yards.
Donald Driver, WR, Packers – His 2 catches were good for 26 yards.
DeSean Jackson, WR, Eagles – Ditto.
Anquan Boldin, WR, Ravens – Notched 3 passes for 27 yards.
Steve Smith, WR, Panthers – Another disappointing day, with 33 yards on 2 catches.
Mike Wallace, WR, Steelers – Got his 33 yards on 3 catches.

I didn’t see that coming…

Maurice Morris, RB, Lions – Ran for 55 yards and 2 TDs and caught 5 passes for 20 yards.
Brian Westbrook, RB, 49ers – Subbing for an injured Frank Gore, Westy rushed for 136 yards and 1 TD, and looked good doing it.

Ben Obomanu, WR, Seahawks – Caught 5 passes for 159 yards and 1 TD.
Earl Bennett, WR, Bears – Reeled in 4 passes for 56 yards and 2 scores.

Billy Bajema, TE, Rams – Scored twice on 3 receptions for 32 yards.

Week 12 Heroes & Zeros

This was a great week to start…

Drew Brees, QB, Saints – Humbled the Pats with a near-perfect 371-yard, 5-TD performance for the ages.
Brett Favre, QB, Vikings -- Kept up his magical season with 392 yards and a trio of TDs.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers – His owners gave thanks for his 348-yard, 3-TD, 0-INT performance on Thursday.

Justin Forsett, RB, Seahawks -- Ran for 130 yards and 2 TDs in his second career start.
Chris Johnson, RB, Titans -- Raced for 154 rushing yards and 1 TD, and added 3 catches for 32 yards.
Fred Jackson, RB, Bills -- Scored twice, amassed 116 total yards, and rendered Marshawn Lynch worthless.
Laurence Maroney, RB, Patriots – Only rushed for 64 yards, but added 2 TDs and 23 yards receiving.
Jamaal Charles, RB, Chiefs -- Ran for 93 yards and 1 TD, and added 3 receptions for 54 yards.

Miles Austin, WR, Cowboys – Amassed 7 receptions for 145 yards and a TD.
Donald Driver, WR, Packers – Torched the Lions with 7 catches for 142 yards and a score.
Kenny Britt, WR, Titans -- Rookie reeled in 7 receptions for 128 yards and a score.
Marques Colston, WR, Saints – Broke out of his mini-slump with 4 catches for 121 yards and 1 TD.

Antonio Gates, TE, Chargers -- Generated 118 yards and 2 TDs on 7 catches.

This was a great week to play against…

Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons -- Threw for just 15 yards before leaving with a toe injury.
Jake Delhomme, QB, Panthers -- Not that anyone would start him, but if they had, they would have gotten 130 yards, no scores and 4 INTs.
Carson Palmer, QB, Bengals -- Passed for a modest 110 yards with only a single TD against the pathetic Browns.
Matt Stafford, QB, Lions – A week after throwing 5 TDs, threw 4 INTs with just 213 yards and 1 TD.
Tom Brady, QB, Patriots – Looked lost against the Saints, throwing for 237 yards, 2 picks and no scores.
Eli Manning, QB, Giants – Just 230 yards and no TDs, plus an interception.
Jay Cutler, QB, Bears -- Suffered through another lousy afternoon, throwing for just 147 yards and 1 TD, with 2 INTs.
David Garrard, QB, Jaguars -- Threw for 307 yards, but no scores.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, Bills -- Totaled 15 yards as Jackson stole the show.
Beanie Wells, RB, Cardinals -- Ran for just 20 yards and caught one 21-yard pass.
Jamal Lewis, RB, Browns -- Another mediocre, 40-yard outing.
DeAngelo Williams, RB, Panthers -- Ran for just 40 yards and caught 4 passes for 10 yards.
Matt Forte, RB, Bears -- Ran for 27 yards and caught 4 passes for 34 more.
Michael Turner, RB, Falcons -- Returned from his ankle sprain too soon, rushing for just 33 yards before aggravating the injury and leaving.
Michael Bush, RB, Raiders – Just 8 rushing yards on Thanksgiving Day.
Brandon Jacobs, RB, Giants – With Ahmad Bradshaw sitting out, still managed just 27 rushing yards and 30 receiving yards.

Steve Smith, WR, Panthers -- Had one 5-yard catch.
Jerricho Cotchery, WR, Jets -- His solitary catch went for 12 yards.
Devin Hester, WR, Bears -- Caught one 20-yard pass.
Vincent Jackson, WR, Chargers -- Caught 2 passes for 27 yards, and added a 12-yard run.
TJ Houshmandzadeh, WR, Seahawks -- 2 receptions for 14 yards.
Chad Ochocinco, WR, Bengals -- Limited to 3 catches for 38 yards.
Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Cardinals -- Held to a season-low 4 catches for 34 yards without a TD.

Jeremy Shockey, TE, Saints -- Continued to fade away with one 15-yard catch.

I didn’t see that coming…

Vince Young, QB, Titans -- Passed for a career-best 387 yards and 1 spectacular game-winning TD.
Larry Johnson, RB, Bengals -- Had his first 100-yard game of the season, gaining 107 on 22 carries.