Armchair Weekend in Review (October 19-21, 2007)

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by JB82

NFL Week 7

The New England Patriots picked up right where they left off after last week's win over the undefeated Dallas Cowboys by dismantling the winless Miami Dolphins, 49-28. Pats quarterback Tom Brady threw a career-high six touchdowns, two each of which went to Randy Moss and Wes Welker, to go along with 354 yards passing. The Pats, at 7-0, are off to their best start in franchise history.

Dramatic upset of the week: Denver Broncos kicker Jason Elam nailed a 49-yard field goal as time expired for a 31-28 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The fighting Mike Tomlins battled back from a 28-14 defeicit at halftime, but came up short despite Ben Roethlisberger's 248 yards and three scores.

Another kicker in the NFL made history of his own on Sunday: Tennessee Titans kicker Rob Bironas made a league-record eight field goals, including the game-winner in a wild 38-36 win over the Houston Texans. The other story was that of a Titans thrashing giving way to a Texans comeback, with Sage Rosenfels (subbing for the injured Matt Schaub) throwing to Andre Davis late in the fourth quarter to rally from 32-7 down

Neil Rackers almost joined the Week 7 Comeback Club, but what would have been a record-tying 65 yard field goal fell a dime short as the Arizona Cardinals fell to the Washington Redskins, 21-19. The Skins scored 14 of those points off Cardinals turnovers.

Maybe I misspoke about Adrian Peterson last week? The Minnesota Vikings rookie was held to only 63 yards in a 24-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. America's Team got off the deck from last week's loss to the Pats thanks to Tony Romo's going 31-39 with 277 yards and a TD.

On campus

Our game of the week takes us to Lexington, Kentucky, where the Kentucky Wildcats staged a shootout with the defending national champion Florida Gators. Andre' Woodson may have led everyone in Lexington with 415 yards passing, but Tim Tebow wound up getting the upper hand in a 45-37 end to the Cats' undefeated season bid.

Michigan celebrated its reentry into the Top 25 polls with a 27-17 win over Illinois. Wolverines wideout Mario Manningham got two touchdown on nine receptions worth 109. What a long, strange trip it's been...

Cal QB Nate Longshore may have gotten three touchdowns on 232 yards passing, but it was as many interceptions that helped UCLA do in the Bearcats, 30-21.

How's this for lack of effort? South Carolina's offense were held to 310 yards of total offense in a 17-6 upset loss to Vanderbilt.

Ohio State's Buckeyes proved their #1 ranking in the BCS (however wack it may have been) with a 24-17 win over Michigan State. Todd Boeckman shook off two sacks to get a couple of touchdowns on almost 200 yards passing.

Sox to rock the Rox

The Boston Red Sox did it again over the weekend, coming back from a 3 games to one deficit to win the American League Championship Series. The Olde Towne Team took Game 6 behind J.D. Drew's grand slam and lockdown pitching from Josh Beckett, 12-2. The final blow fell on Sunday as the Sox exploded for eight runs in the eighth inning, led by Dustin Pedroia's heroics, 11-2.

Over the border

Milt Stegall continued chipping away at Allen Pitts' record with 170 yards on six catches, while Charles Roberts also flirts with a number one spot himself. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back eclipsed the BC Lions's Joe Smith for the CFL rushing lead after a 154 yard performance in a 27-13 win over the Calgary Stampeders, who got into the playoffs despite the loss.

The Toronto Argonauts also got their pass to the playoff party with a 16-9 win in their return game against the Montreal Alouettes. The hero in this game was Argos kicker Noel Prefontaine who got 10 points on three field goals and a miss.

Back to the Lions: Ian Smart amassed 186 yards on special teams, while the aforementioned Mr. Smith got 104 yards on seven carries in a 37-26 win over the Edmonton Eskimos.

Kerry Joseph led the way with 261 yards and a touchdown as the Saskatchewan Roughriders sent the Hamilton Tiger Cats to a 38-11 defeat.

Across the Pond (where part of the NFL's headed next week)

The first round of the Merseyside Derby between Everton and Liverpool went to the Reds, 2-1, thanks to two Dirk Kuyt penalties, the last of which came during injury time.

Manchester United blew out Aston Villa, 4-1, thanks to two Wayne Rooney goals. The Devils stay pace in the battle for the top of the Premiership standings, two points behind Arsenal.

Fast Track

Jimmie Johnson told Jeff Gordon not to bogart wins in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup by scoring his third consecutive win at the bull ring in Martinsville, Virginia. Johnson came to within 53 points of the ex-Rainbow Warrior in the Chase, BTW.

It was a closely fought battle between Kimi Raikkonen and rookie driver Lewis Hamilton, but Raikkonen came out on top in both the Brazilian Grand Prix and the World Driving Championship. Hamilton finished seventh, but car controversy involving the drivers who finished fourth, fifth and sixth could give Hamilton the trophy. So, don't pop the cork on the champagne just yet...

ChampCar World Series driver Sébastien Bourdais also clinched his series' championship, his fourth at Surfer's Paradise, Australia. Meanwhile, they should be giving the MotoGP trophy to Casey Stoner as he wins at Malaysia.

Odds and Sods

Rich Franklin came home to Cincinnati, and it was a homecoming he'd rather soon forget. Franklin battled Anderson Silva for his middleweight championship at UFC 77, but lost in the second round via TKO due to punches.
- It was also announced that Brock Lesnar, former WWE wrestler and University of Minnesota star, had signed on with the UFC, while Randy Couture decided to hang up the gloves after a dispute with the higher-ups. However, he won't go without saying goodbye, as UFC president Dana White said that he will not release Couture from his final two contracted fights.

The NBA announced a week or so before its regular season begins that six referees were disciplined for minor gambling infractions, even though the league (and its refs union) denied any word of it. At the time, it was unclear who was involved, though.

England was unsuccessful in its Rugby World Cup title defense from four years ago, losing 15-6 to South Africa in the final held at Paris. It is the Springboks' first title in 12 years.

Condolences to family, friends, and teammates of Max McGee, who died Sunday at age 75 after losing his balance while clearing leaves from the roof of his home in Minnesota. The Green Bay Packers wideout is noteable for his performance in the first ever Super Bowl, subbing for an injured Boyd Dowler and scoring two touchdowns in the 35-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Let's have some smiles, now

Dude of the Weekend

Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton: He may or may not be the king of F1 in 2007, but let's give him some love, anyway.

Dope of the Weekend

The St. Louis Rams: A 33-6 pantsing at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks sends the Rams to 0-7 and head coach Scott Linehan one step closer to the unemployment line.