NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick, wife escape serious injury in plane crash

A Gulfstream jet carrying Rick Hendrick, one of NASCAR's most successful team owners, his wife Linda and two pilots ran off a runway in Key West, Fla., on Monday night but "there were no serious injuries," Hendrick Motorsports said.

The G150 airplane was "experiencing brake issues upon landing at Key West International Airport," the team said, adding that all four people "were taken to a local hospital for evaluation."

"Hendrick Motorsports is gathering additional information on the incident," the team said.

Four of the leading drivers in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series drive for Hendrick: Reigning champion Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin.

The incident occurred seven years after Hendrick's 24-year-old son, Ricky, Hendrick's brother John and two of Hendrick's nieces, along with six others, were killed when their small plane crashed on the way a race in Martinsville, Va.

--Jim Peltz

Photo: The Gulfstream aircraft carrying Rick Hendrick and his wife after it ran off the runway Monday night in Key West, Fla. Credit: Evan Calhoun/Monroe County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office/Associated Press

Monday Matchup: Chargers at Chiefs

Chargers (4-2) at Chiefs (3-3), 8:20 p.m. Eastern, ESPN
Line: Chargers by 3.5

The beanbag toss has the power to change the world. Start a game of beanbag toss on the floor of Congress, and the budget would immediately be balanced. Tossing beanbags might not solve the crises in the Middle East, but the combined powers of beanbag tosses and rally squirrels could change foreign policy forever.

The Chiefs started the season 0-3, but are 3-0 since Todd Haley staved off his pending dismissal by setting up a beanbag game in the team’s locker room. Morale and team unity received an epic jolt, though the Chiefs’ winning streak probably has more to do with the awful quarterbacks they have faced: the battered shell of Donovan McNabb, the rust-covered Carson Palmer, the demoralized and underqualified Curtis Painter and Kyle Boller at his absolute best.

Philip Rivers is normally much better than this bunch. There are multiple theories explaining Rivers’s slump, from a secret injury to lockout rust; “small sample size” was rejected for making too much sense. Perhaps he can get his accuracy back by tossing some beanbags around. It has been known to work wonders.

Pick: Chiefs (not based on spread)

Suh, Goodell to Discuss Rules in Meeting

If image is everything, then Detroit Lions defensive end Ndamukong Suh realizes he could have a problem.

Suh, who has been drawing attention, along with three fines, for rough hits over the past two seasons, will be meeting with N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday to plead his case that he’s really just playing hard, and not dirty.

“It’s more or less just to get an understanding of how they want to look at my play,” Suh told The Detroit News on Sunday, after the Lions’ 45-10 win over the Broncos in Denver. “It’s just an opportunity to have a great dialogue and see what I can take out of the meeting. If it’s nothing, then it’s nothing. If it’s something, then it’s something.”

The meeting will include Suh, Goodell, the league executives Ray Anderson, Carl Johnson, Merton Hanks and the operations consultant Jeff Fisher.

“Commissioner Goodell and his staff have had many meetings with players, both individually and in groups,” the N.F.L. spokesman Greg Aiello told The Detroit News. “This particular meeting has been in the works for several weeks and grew out of Commissioner Goodell’s respect for Ndamukong Suh and Ndamukong’s desire to gain a deeper understanding of NFL rules and policies.”

Lions Coach Jim Schwartz is also expected to be at the meeting, and he could have some words about NFL.com’s dubbing of Sunday’s Lions-Broncos game as “Good vs. Evil,” the inference being that Tim Tebow and the Broncos are good and Suh and the Lions are evil.

“I don’t think that’s appropriate at all for anybody associated with the game to bill it that way and it was especially disappointing coming from an arm of the N.F.L.,” Schwartz said. “It wasn’t a rallying cry or anything else but it was disappointing and I don’t think it was appropriate. We are trying to win games. We’re certainly not trying to market ourselves that way.”

Suh also took issue with the good vs. evil story line.

“Evil prevails and hopefully we are going to continue to keep it that way if that’s (how) they want to perceive us,” Suh said to MLive.com. “For me personally, it means nothing to me. I’m going to continue to be me. I know who I am. I’m not an evil person.”

Suh was most recently accused by Atlanta Falcons players of mocking and taunting quarterback Matt Ryan while he was down with a knee injury. Suh was angered by the accusation, denying that he had done anything to Ryan.

“Go back and watch the film and then come to me and point to where I made mistakes,” he said. “Point to where I cut somebody, where I hit somebody late in the back. Let me know. I want to see it.”

But the Lions did not help their increasingly dark reputation against the Broncos. Several Lions mocked Tebow on Sunday for his public professions of faith, first when linebacker Stephen Tulloch kneeled in “prayer” (a take-off from Tebow’s genuflecting pose coined as “Tebowing“), and then Tony Scheffler punctuated his touchdown with a half-kneel nod to Tebow and a mock Mile-High salute.

“It was just something that I thought about throughout the week knowing that I’d be spying him and have a couple blitzes to get after him,” Tulloch to MLive.com. “It’s something I was having fun with. I told one of my friends I was going to do it, so I was able to do it.”

Lane Kiffin fined $10,000 and T.J. McDonald is suspended by Pac-12

USC Coach Lane Kiffin has been reprimanded and fined $10,000 for critical comments about officiating and Trojans safety T.J. McDonald has been suspended for a half for making a late hit in last week’s triple-overtime loss to Stanford, the Pacific 12 Conference announced Monday night.

Kiffin criticized game officials after the game and again Sunday for failing to give the Trojans an opportunity to kick a potential game-winning field goal at the end of regulation. The Trojans lost, 56-48.

“The Pac-12 has specific rules that prohibit our coaches from making public comments about officiating, and this prohibition specifically includes comments that create doubts about the credibility of the Conference’s officiating program,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement. “The Conference expects each Pac-12 coach to adhere to our standards of conduct and to conduct himself or herself in a manner which will reflect credit on the institution and the Conference.”

Kiffin had said that he spoke with an unnamed Pac-12 official by phone from the locker room and told the person, "I was basically lied to."

The final play of regulation began with nine seconds left, when receiver Robert Woods caught a screen pass from Matt Barkley. Instead of dropping to the ground after the catch and calling timeout, Woods ran across the field toward the Stanford sideline.

Kiffin said he had been calling for a timeout, and that during the replay review, he told the side judge to tell the referee so the Trojans would get a final play from the Stanford 33-yard line if one second remained.

"He went over there and then came back to me and said he communicated with him, and that if his knee was down with a second left we'd get another play," Kiffin said. "And unfortunately now [I find out] that never happened."

Referee Mike Batlan has said that time had expired.

Kiffin also took issue with the spot of the ball after a holding penalty against Stanford in the second overtime, joking that his 2-year-old son had figured out the correct the yardage.

Kiffin said he respectully disagrees with the suspension of McDonald.

"He made a bang-bang play and his intent was not to hurt the receiver or launch his body at the receiver or lead with his helmet," Kiffin said. "If you watch the hit in real time, we feel it is impossible to competitively play that play any differently.

"T.J. is a tremendous player and leader for our team, and he has our full support.  I know he felt badly about being penalized and the impact it had in the game.

"As for my reprimand and fine, after numerous conversations with the conference office, we have agreed to disagree.  As I have been saying the past two days, we have moved on from last week's game and we are preparing for a very challenging conference game this Friday at Colorado."

McDonald was suspended "for his hit on a defenseless opponent," late in the fourth quarter against Stanford.

McDonald will sit out the first half of Friday night's game at Colorado.

“While Mr. McDonald was appropriately penalized on the field, I have deemed it necessary to add a a half-game suspension,” said Scott. “This process was part of our weekly review of all targeting and unnecessary roughness hits.”

Scott added: “Mr. McDonald had been previously warned about illegal hits above the shoulders on defenseless opponents. In order to protect our student-athletes, it is imperative that we enforce these penalties for the safety of the game."

T.J. McDonald said his hit was not intended to harm his opponent.

"I accept my penalty and I apologize to my teammates, to our Trojan fans and to the Stanford team," McDonald said. "I'm disappointed that I can't be on the field with my teammates during the first half of this Friday's game, but I know they will do a great job without me.

"I was not purposefully trying to hurt the receiver.  As I said after the game, I will figure out a way to play physically and still stay within the rules."

More later at latimes.com/sports

--Gary Klein

Photo: USC Coach Lane Kiffin complains at the end of regulation that one second should be left on the clock. Credit: Gary A. Vasquez / US Presswire

London 2012 Olympics: pessimism grows around journey times during Games

Only way: Mark Cavendish has the right idea about the best way to get around London

A quick 20-minute dash from Soho to Stratford? Or how about zipping from Wembley to the Olympic Park in under 35 minutes? These were some of the fanciful transport times being suggested to the International Olympic Committee by London 2012 organisers in the early stages of their transport planning, using of course, the controversial Olympic Route Network.

But the latest figures released to the media at the World Press Briefing show that even the most pessimistic travel times were way too conservative, even though 100 miles of roads will be dedicated solely for official Olympic Games traffic.

VIP might end up standing for 'Very Impatient People' as the journey times using the Olympic Lanes have been increased by 50 to 100 per cent.

In most cases, athletes might be advised to jump on a bike as it will get them to their destination infinitely quicker.

For badminton players and officials, who were promised a 30-minute commute from the Olympic Village to the re-located venue at Wembley, the journey could be more than twice as long with the estimated journey time for that route set at 70-80 minutes.

London 2012 Olympic officials say the new estimated journey times are realistic, but admit they are on the conservative side. They say athletes, officials and the media need to be able to plan their journeys and the times are a worst case scenario at peak times, rather than the times the journeys may take.

Here are the latest estimated journey times from the Olympic Park:

Hyde Park for triathlon  (55 minutes)

Horse Guards Parade for beach volleyball  (45 minutes)

Earls Court for volleyball  (70 minutes)

Eton Dorney for rowing (100 minutes)

Greenwich Park for equestrian (35 minutes)

Hampton Court for road cycling time trial (110 minutes)

Lord's cricket ground for archery (55 minutes)

Wimbledon for the tennis (80 minutes)

The Mall for road cycling (60 minutes)

Lee Valley White Water Centre for canoeing (40 minutes)

Hadleigh Farm for mountain biking (80 minutes)

ExCeL for  table tennis, taekwondo, weightlifting, wrestling and boxing (30 minutes)

North Greenwich Arena for basketball finals and gymnastics (25 minutes).

Spectators, of course, will have to use public transport and the guidelines on transport times between venues is suitably vague.

According to the official Locog journey time finder, travelling between Olympic Park at Stratford to Wembley Stadium will take between one to two hours from station to station.

Officials advise adding on an extra 30 minutes for security checks and walking to the venue.

Philadelphia Eagles are playing their way back into contention

The dream still may be alive for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Dubbed a "Dream Team" by backup quarterback Vince Young before the season, the Eagles got off to a disastrous 1-4 start. But back-to-back wins, including a particularly impressive 34-7 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, appear to have the Eagles right back in the NFC playoff hunt as midseason  approaches.

It might be tough to catch the NFC East-leading New York Giants, who have a two-game lead and who already won in Philadelphia earlier this season (the rematch in New York is Nov. 20). And one of the NFC wild-card spots appears to be the Detroit Lions' to lose.

But after that there's a huge mess of teams at 4-3 and 3-4 with an eye on that last bid, and the Eagles are right there in the mix. Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy and company showed a national television audience how good the Eagles can be Sunday night against the Cowboys.

Vick completed 21 of 28 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Eagles to points on their first six possessions. McCoy had a career-best 185 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

Plus, the Eagles' early season losses don't seem as bad as they did at the time. The San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills are surprise contenders this season and the Atlanta Falcons seem to have righted the ship after a slow start of their own.

There's a lot of work left to be done -- especially with tough matchups with the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots and New York Jets looming -- but at least the Eagles are giving their fans a little something to dream about again.

ALSO:

NFL Week 8 two-minute drill

Kansas City to give strong test to San Diego's weak side

Tim Tebow gets 'Tebowed' after sack by Lions' Stephen Tulloch

-- Chuck Schilken

Photo: Michael Vick eludes a tackle by Demarcus Ware. Credit: Michael Bryant / Philadelphia Inquirer / MCT

Chris Dufresne: The biggest NCAA football game since ... [Video]

The Times' Chris Dufresne discusses the significance of Alabama vs. LSU and how Stanford's triple-overtime win over USC will affect Andrew Luck's Heisman Trophy hopes.

Greatest sports figures in L.A. history, No. 7: Chick Hearn

Continuing our countdown of the 20 greatest figures in L.A. sports history, as chosen in voting by our online readers, with No. 7, Chick Hearn.

No. 7 Chick Hearn (57 first-place votes, 3,469 points)

There are three statues representing Lakers icons outside Staples Center. Only two of them are basketball players.

But it speaks to the importance of Chick Hearn that his likeness joins Magic Johnson and Jerry West in bronze perpetuity.

It was the spoken word that made Hearn such a part of Lakers history. He was the team’s only broadcaster in Los Angeles until his death at age 85 in 2002. When the team moved from Minneapolis in 1960, he was instrumental in introducing professional basketball to Southern California sports fans.

He called 3,338 consecutive games, a streak that started in 1965 and ended in December of 2001 after he had heart surgery. His distinctive high-speed delivery and inventive vocabulary made him one of the greatest play-by-play announcers in history.

UFC: Telegraph video Cesar Gracie on Nick Diaz; Rampage Jackson on Cheick Kongo

CESAR GRACIE ON NICK DIAZ POST-FIGHT

RAMPAGE JACKSON ON HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT

Tony La Russa retires as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals

Tony La Russa is retiring as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals three days after winning his second World Series with the team and third overall.

La Russa, 67, made the announcement at a news conference Monday at Busch Stadium, a day after he and the Cardinals celebrated their championship at the St. Louis Rams game.

After a 33-year career, La Russa is third on the all-time wins list with 2,728. In addition to World Series titles with the Cardinals this year and in 2006, he also won a championship as skipper of the Oakland Athletics in 1989.

More later at www.latimes.com/sports.

RELATED:

Now the Cardinals will look to the future

Photos: Cardinals vs. Rangers in World Series

An 'unbelievable, amazing, incredible' victory for Cardinals

-- Chuck Schilken

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Tony La Russa speaks during a celebration for the Cardinals' 11th World Series victory Sunday. Credit: Jeff Roberson / Associated Press

WTA Championships Diary: Another milestone in the extraordinary rise of Petra Kvitova

Petra Kvitova, WTA champion

Some year for Petra

Petra Kvitova began the 2011 season as a rather unknown lanky Czech ranked No 34 in the world. She has finished it as the world No 2, Wimbledon champion, and WTA champion, and with over $5 million in prize money. Not bad for a 21 year-old.

The Czech was at her gut-screeching best for the first five games of the final against Victoria Azarenka, throwing in aces and drop shots alongside her fearsome forehand to lead 5-0. But then she went walkabout, dropping four games in a row to Azarenka, who to her credit, didn’t waste the opportunity. Although Kvitova sneaked the first set 7-5, Azarenka, with the crowd firmly behind her, battled back to take the second. But then Kvitova decided to find one of her purple patches, and despite squandering a championship point at 5-2, served out for a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory.

She is now odds-on favourite to be crowned the WTA player of the year.

Young and old

The WTA’s top three singles players may all be aged 22 and younger when the new rankings come out on Monday, but that doesn’t mean the age of the golden oldie is over.

38 year-old Lisa Raymond and 35 year-old Liezel Huber used their combined aged of 73 to excellent effect to become the WTA doubles champions. They beat Kveta Peschke and  Katerina Srebotnik 6-4, 6-4, Huber became world No 1, and they now have their sights set on the Olympics. And why on earth not.

As for the young guns, it's safe to say that we can expect to see plenty more of Kvitova and Azarenka in 2012 – both of them are not at all far off Wozniacki in terms of points, just 115 for Kvitova, so we could well have a new world No 1 during the Australian Open.

Turkey done good

The week in Istanbul has been such a success from the WTA’s point of view that Stacey Allaster, WTA CEO and Chairman, compared it to the glory days of Madison Square Garden. Slight exaggeration, perhaps.

But the fact remains this tournament has been very illuminating from a fan-base point of view. 11,000 people a day, peaking at 13,676, and with 70,824 in total? Quite something.

That’s what happens when you price tickets at 10 and 20 lira (£3 and £7).

The great grunting debate

"I thought we'd get away without that," joked Stacey Allaster as grunting came up in conversation again, confirming that the WTA plans to speak to players and coaches about noise on the court after receiving increasing amounts of negative feedback  from fans.

But, she did say that it is up to the players to complain if it's bothering them, implying that if that was the case, the tour would react accordingly.

"I haven't had one player come to me and complain, not one," Allaster said.

Her view was backed up by Huber, who said "As long as the players don’t stand up and say, Hey, this bugs me, then it’s the player’s fault."

Azarenka, who greeted the question about her noise level with a wry smile, also said that players are just not bothering about what their opponent is doing on the court.

"Whatever helps players to be better, that's their own way. I have to respect that. Somebody has to jump around, somebody have to say bad words or whatever. It's their own way. I just try to focus on myself and that's it."

Changes afoot

The WTA is set to introduce a new level of tournaments, WTA Challengers, to sit in between the ITF $100K and the $220 WTA International events. There will be two in 2012, as pilot events, with plans for 8-10 by 2013. Prize money will be $125K, and they are likely to be in the Asia-Pacific region.

The women’s tour is also bumping up its prize money by eight per cent to $52.4 million for the 2012 season.

What’s next?

The last WTA tournament of the year is the Tournament of Champions in Bali (lucky them), while the men compete in Basle and Valencia this week, before Paris, and then London. It’s the final stretch…

For the ladies who've been in Istanbul this week, it's very much holiday time. Azarenka is off to Minsk, and a Rihanna concert in Zurich, Kvitova is heading home, maybe to a spa, and then to off-season training in the mountains. Happy holidays to them.

Soundbites

“I have had too good of a career to kind of just be mediocre”

Lisa Raymond on Lisa Raymond

“Can I have a real one?”

Victoria Azarenka on being handed a model of a Turkish Airlines plane

Something a little different…

According to Vegas Confidential, there is set to be a bidding war for the film rights to Andre Agassi’s explosive autobiography “Open.” Steven Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer are both said to be interested.

Lessons learned in Istanbul

If someone offers you ‘brains’ in a restaurant, they’re not speaking figuratively.

Mocking Tim Tebow

First, some background on why two Detroit players might have poked fun at Tim Tebow during the Lions’ rout of the Broncos on Sunday:

Pat Graham, The Associated Press:

DENVER — Tim Tebow inspired a phenomenon when he dropped to a knee and began praying as his teammates wildly celebrated around him after an improbable overtime victory in Miami last weekend.

That was simply Tebow “Tebowing,” a phrase coined by a fan sitting in a bar in New York watching the popular yet polarizing quarterback rally the Denver Broncos.

Jared Kleinstein was mesmerized by Tebow’s peaceful demeanor kneeling on the turf amid all the chaos that ensued. He launched a website in which fans could submit photos of themselves “Tebowing,” which means getting down on a knee and praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different.

And later in the article:

On Friday after practice, Tebow said he appreciated the spirit of the website.

“Yeah, some people don’t necessarily take it seriously but they’re on their knee praying, so who knows what you’re going to think about after that and how that can affect you?” Tebow said. “Hopefully, it’s a good example for people.”

The Lions’ Stephen Tulloch (after a sack) and Tony Scheffler (after a touchdown catch) imitated the one-knee prayer Sunday. They might have also been inspired by a portrayal of the Lions-Broncos matchup on the N.F.L.’s Web site as good versus evil.

In his own way, the Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla mocked Tebow: (He also called him the worst quarterback in the N.F.L.)

So maybe we need a new definition for Tebowing.

It’s a prayer for mercy.

Please, in the name of heaven, bring us somebody who can actually play quarterback.

Extra point  Is it all in good fun?  Tebow invites scrutiny with the very public nature of his religious beliefs, his evangelistic side. But let’s imagine that a player displayed a Muslim religious ritual or one based on Hinduism? Would it be fair to mock those displays as well? If not, why is it fair game for Tebow?

Week 8 Quick Hits: Patriots Missing a Pass Rush Again

A quick tour of Week 8 in the N.F.L.:

Steelers 25, Patriots 17

For the second straight week, the Patriots’ high-powered offense sputtered a bit against a complex and  blitz-heavy 3-4 defense. But this game was decided on the other side of the ball. The Steelers ran 28 more plays than the Patriots and easily controlled the tempo for the first three quarters. And they did it by playing Steeler Ball – which hopefully people now realize involves spreading and passing. Ben Roethlisberger completed 36 of 50 for 365 yards. Heath Miller devoured the zones behind New England’s blitzes, finishing with 85 yards on seven receptions. Wideouts Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders each had between 5 to 9 catches and 65-75 yards.

These types of performances happen when a wide-ranging aerial attack goes up against a poor pass rush. Yes, the Patriots sacked Ben Roethlisberger five times. But that was because Roethlisberger was even more devoted to “extending the play” than usual. He realized early on that the aging Patriots ends could not turn the corner against the ho-hum-but-enormous Steeler tackles. And, surprisingly, Pittsburgh’s interior double teams on Vince Wilfork & Co. worked marvelously. This is all but officially the third year in a row that an impotent pass rush has hindered Bill Belichick’s club.

 

49ers 20, Browns 10

No two teams are as committed to hiding their quarterbacks as these two. The difference is that the 49ers hide Alex Smith behind a power run game, while the Browns hide Colt McCoy behind play-action and bootlegs (which slice the field in half for him). This box score shows which approach is best (i.e. safest/most sustainable). Frank Gore, spearheading San Francisco’s sixth-ranked rushing attack, finished with 134 yards on 31 carries. McCoy finished with four fumbles, while Browns wide receivers caught a total of 11 balls for only 116 yards.

A week after Montario Hardesty stumbled for just 95 yards on 33 carries against Seattle, the Peyton Hillis-less Browns turned their ground game over to Chris Ogbonnaya. Unfortunately, an early deficit limited the ex-Texan to just 11 attempts (he finished with 37 yards). Who at the beginning of the year would have guessed that on Halloween weekend Cleveland would be searching for its identity on the ground?

 

Bills 23, Redskins 0

This was just a preseason game that happened to be played in October. Think about it: the game took place in Toronto; the Redskins started a backup at running back, wide receiver, No. 2 tight end, center and left tackle; the Bills came in having just signed their quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, to a long-term contract; Fox had its top color commentator, Troy Aikman, calling the game, but its top play-by-play man Joe Buck did not make the trip.

 

Lions 45, Broncos 10

At the end of the third quarter, Tim Tebow was 7 for 21 for 80 yards, and the Broncos trailed, 38-3. Despite playing with GUTS and HEART and LEADERSHIP and a SPARK (or whatever it’s called when the quarterback throws wild incompletions that are at least exciting to watch), Tebow mounted no comeback. Eric Decker’s garbage-time touchdown prevented Denver’s offense from finishing with more sacks allowed (seven) than points scored (10). Then again, considering one of those seven sacks resulted in a fumble returned for a touchdown, and considering that Tebow’s lone interception was run back for a score, Denver’s offense actually posted minus-4 points.

How about some Brady Quinn billboards this week?

 

Bengals 34, Seahawks 12

The Seahawks named Tarvaris Jackson their starter before kickoff but sent the incompetent Charlie Whitehurst out there instead. Whitehurst picked up where he left off at Cleveland last week, leaving play after play on the field and seemingly drawing the ire of his wide receivers.

Mercifully, with 10:41 remaining in the second quarter, Jackson entered the game. Which leaves you to wonder, Did Jackson, who had been sidelined since injuring his pec in Week 5, just need one more hour to get fully healthy? Or did Pete Carroll inexplicably botch the most important decision he had to make this week? If Jackson is healthy, he’s the starter – no questions asked. So what happened here? Why didn’t Jackson start originally?

 

Titans 27, Colts 10

See this separate post on the Fifth Down.

Rams 31, Saints 20

The Saints played as if they assumed that some of their excess points against Indy would carry over. In the last 40 seasons, teams are now just 1-3 in their first outing after scoring 62 or more. Steven Jackson led the way for St. Louis. The eighth-year veteran rushed for 159 yards on 25 attempts, moving past Marshall Faulk for third on the team’s career yardage list.

The tenacious and talented Jackson plays with a fiery personality that would make him a household name – and likely future Hall of Famer – if not for the fact that his team has reached the postseason just once in his career (2004). There’s still time, Steven. Leverage a trade to a contender and you might become football’s version of Kevin Garnett or Ray Bourque.

 

Giants 20, Dolphins 17

The Dolphins netted a measly 101 yards through the air. That’s two yards less than Reggie Bush had rushing. And remember, Bush stinks (he even said so).

Giant fans can fret about how hard-fought this presumed cakewalk turned out to be, but they might as well just say “whatever” and take the 5-2 record. Eli Manning picked up the slack for a running game that has been off-track for all of Subway’s $5 Foot-long Month. Manning evenly distributed 344 passing yards to a solid but unspectacular group of  wide receivers. He also found tight end Jake Ballard four times for 55 yards. Ballard is practically a clone of predecessor Kevin Boss: upright, lumbering and surprisingly effective. He entered Sunday having caught eight balls for 153 yards over his previous two games. Though not fast, he’s averaging 17.3 yards per catch, second most among tight ends with at least 10 receptions.

Vikings 24, Panthers 21

If not for a rare slip by Olindo Mare, one of the best kickers of this era, we might be discussing Cam Newton’s first overtime win, first winning streak and, perhaps, his most impressive game as a young pro. Instead, we’ll mention the solid performance of Christian Ponder and even more solid performance of Adrian Peterson, who was stymied by an uncharacteristically instinctive Panthers run defense early in the game but who compensated with a career-high 76 yards receiving (including a touchdown).

Then again, maybe we need to look at the other side of the ball. Two of Minnesota’s touchdowns were set up by sack-fumbles of Newton that were spearheaded by Jared Allen. The newly minted father is on pace for 23 sacks this season. The current single-season sack record is “21.5 plus a gift from Brett Favre,” set by Michael Strahan in 2001.

 

Ravens 30, Cardinals 27

Know why the Cardinals weren’t good enough to protect a lead? Because they weren’t good enough to really build a lead. Their 21-point second quarter surge was mostly good fortune. The first score was set up by a Ravens fumble that Darnell Dockett recovered at the Baltimore 2. The second was a Patrick Peterson punt return (spectacular play, but not something you can bank on each week). A tipped interception – courtesy of Torrey Smith – at the Raven 19 led to the third score.

But from the start, it was clear: Arizona’s offensive line could not protect Kevin Kolb. This is what lost the game for the Cardinals last week, too. Their offensive tackles are unathletic, and the collective group has had trouble executing basic protection adjustments against the blitz. That will always prove costly when you face stars like Terrell Suggs (one sack and a career-high 13 tackles, including four for a loss on Sunday).

 

Texans 24, Jaguars 14

Given Tim Tebow’s debacle and Matt Moore’s awful outing, maybe Blaine Gabbert’s 10-for-30, 97-yard passing performance has something to do with the fact that he’s a quarterback associated with the state of Florida….?

Or it could just be that the Texans’ defense has secretly blossomed under Wade Phillips. The front seven plays with vigor and creativity each week, and the back four has been buttressed by the free agent Johnathan Joseph, who has played like a true No. 1 corner.

 

Eagles 34, Cowboys 7

It was just one of those days for the Cowboys. Andy Reid’s opponents always seem to have “just one of those days” whenever Reid is coming off a bye (he’s 13-0). It was great that Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth opened a nationally televised discussion about where LeSean McCoy ranks among running backs. McCoy is on pace for over 1,600 yards rushing (he’s  second to Adrian Peterson in total rushing this season) and, at times, he’s an integral part of the passing attack.  He has  the breakaway speed that is a prerequisite for playing in Philadelphia’s offense, and he has arguably the best lateral agility in the league.

Andy Benoit is an N.F.L. analyst for CBSSports.com and founder of NFLTouchdown.com. He can be reached at andy.benoit@NFLTouchdown.com or @Andy_Benoit.

Marshall Eats His Words, and Giants Thank Their Lucky Stars

A capsule look at the Giants’ 20-17 win over the Dolphins on Sunday:

Key Performance

Steve Weatherford averaged 46.8 yards on four punts for the Giants and pinned the Dolphins inside their 20-yard line three times. With the Giants leading and just less than four minutes remaining, Weatherford boomed his final punt 55 yards, and the Giants tackled returner Reggie Bush for a 4-yard loss. “That was one of those moments when you may have a lump in your throat, but guys came through,” Coach Tom Coughlin said.

Notable Number: 55

Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall had 55 yards receiving, after guaranteeing a Dolphins victory last week on Twitter.

To: Media
When we win Sunday please don’t say the Giants didn’t take us serious.Thu Oct 27 23:07:09 via Twitter for iPhoneBrandon Marshall
BMarshall19

Marshall was thrown to six times and caught four passes but had a 25-yard reception in the fourth quarter called back for offensive pass interference.

Talking Point

The Giants came out of Sunday’s game with several injury questions. Hakeem Nicks had an aching hamstring, David Baas hurt his knee and Ahmad Bradshaw was limping with a sore foot. All said they would be evaluated Monday, but with the toughest part of the schedule looming, can the Giants withstand another rash of injuries?

On Any Given Sunday, a 20-Point Lead Might Not Be Enough

Remember how the Saints poured it on against the Colts last Sunday? It turns out they had good reason to run up the score.

Via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday night:

 

 

When Ravens erased a 24-3 deficit and won 30-27, it marked a record 5th time this season a team trailed by at least 20 and came back to win.Mon Oct 31 01:42:20 via WhoSayAdam Schefter
AdamSchefter

 

 

Yes, it’s the year of the comeback. (No, relax; he’s still retired.) But the days of taking a 10-point lead and sitting on the ball may be receding into the past, especially with quick-strike spread offenses running up point totals and a lack of training camp work showing up in porous defenses.

Here’s a look at the five games Schefter was referring to:

Week 3: Lions 26, Vikings 23 With an assist from the Vikings, who blew double-digit halftime leads in their first three games, the Lions continued their unbeaten start by wiping out a 20-0 halftime deficit. Calvin Johnson caught two touchdown passes and recorded his first 100-yard game. He hasn’t slowed down since. “This is my best win ever,” said Lions center Dominic Raiola, who was 0 for 10 in the Metrodome before the game.

Week 3: Buffalo 34, New England 31 A week after rallying from a 21-3 deficit to beat the Raiders, the Bills spotted the Patriots a 21-0 lead and then roared back again. The victory ended a 15-game losing streak against the Patriots and announced the Bills’ revival. “It’s the biggest win of my career,” linebacker Chris Kelsay said.

Week 4: 49ers 24, Eagles 23 A 23-3 lead on San Francisco has been plenty for at least a decade, it seems, but this year’s 49ers are a different team. The Eagles found that out as Alex Smith went 13 of 17 for 201 yards and 2 touchdowns in the second half, and Frank Gore bulled in for the winning score with three minutes left. “It’s unacceptable to give up a lead that size in the second half,” Eagles defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins said. Take it easy, Cullen; this year it’s not.

Week 4: Lions 34, Cowboys 30 Trailing by 24 points after a Jason Witten touchdown in the third quarter, the Lions stormed back for their second straight massive comeback by returning Tony Romo interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive drives in the third quarter. Matthew Stafford took care of the rest, throwing two touchdown passes to — who else? — Calvin Johnson. “It’s crazy how it happens,” Stafford said. “When it was 27-3, we knew we had to start making plays. Once we did, we started catching fire.”

Week 8: Ravens 30, Cardinals 27 Baltimore broke the league record for 20-point comebacks in a season by rallying from a 24-3 deficit against Arizona, but not before hearing it from the home fans. “I don’t go to a lot of football games, but I probably would have wanted to boo if I was in the stands, too,” Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco said. “We weren’t looking too good.” He and his teammates responded with the biggest comeback in Ravens history: a Billy Cundiff field goal before halftime, three short touchdown runs by Ray Rice and — after Arizona  tied it with a field goal — a 25-yard winner by Cundiff as time expired.

ESPN.com’s Greg Garber wrote about the surge of comebacks after Week 5, but at that point could only make an educated guess at what was behind it:

The leading candidates are evolving offenses — aided and abetted by league legislation over the years — and the lockout. We would be remiss not to mention the Vikings, who blew leads of 10, 17 and 20 points, and Dallas quarterback Tony Romo, who helped engineer the squandering of 14- and 24-point leads. History, it should be noted, could not have been achieved without them.

Maybe that was why the Giants let the Dolphins ride in the driver’s seat for so long on Sunday. Maybe Eli Manning and Co. knew they had it all the way.

Extra point: What do you think is behind all the comebacks? Given the consequences of failure, N.F.L. coaches are famously conservative, especially late in games. So what are so many doing so wrong this season?