NFL Early Games week 5

This week, we begin the bye season, with six teams getting first crack at rest. There are eight games on the slate for 10 A.M. Pacific kickoffs.

First, the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee struck first with a Rob Bironas field goal of 29 yards. Pittsburgh took the lead on an 8 yard touchdown connection between Ben Roethlisberger and Heath Miller, with Shaun Suisham icing it off on the extra point. The Steelers extended the lead with Roethlisberger finding Hines Ward for 7 yards and a score, and Suisham would add another PAT. Pittsburgh continued the onslaught with a 1 yard Roethlisberger pass to David Johnson, and Suisham would tack on the extra point, leaving them up 21-3 at halftime. Roethlisberger and Ward connected again in the third quarter, 5 yards for a touchdown, and Suisham made another extra point. The Titans finally answered back with a touchdown run of 1 yard by Chris Johnson, and Bironas supplied the extra point. Suisham made it 31-10 in the fourth quarter with a 19 yard field goal. Tennessee gained a little more ground with a Matt Hasselbeck touchdown pass to Damian Williams for 19 yards, and Bironas made the extra point. The Steelers added insult to injury as Roethlisberger found Mike Wallace on a 40 yard touchdown connection, and Suisham's extra point made it 38-17. This was a final, moving Pittsburgh to 3-2 and knocking the Titans to 3-2 as well.

Down south, the Jacksonville Jaguars welcome the Cincinnati Bengals. Jacksonville was the first to score on a 6 yard touchdown rush by Maurice Jones-Drew, capped off by a Josh Scobee extra point. Cincinnati evened the score with an Andy Dalton touchdown pass of 37 yards to A.J. Green, and a Mike Nugent extra point. The Jaguars retook a modest lead with a second quarter field goal by Scobee, from 19 yards. Scobee also kicked a 20 yard chip shot. The Bengals took a small lead with Dalton finding Jermaine Gresham for a 3 yard touchdown play, and Nugent missed the extra point, the second blown extra point of the day, leaving the game tied at 13 for the halftime break. Cincinnati took the lead on a Nugent field goal of 47 yards, somewhat redeeming the missed extra point. Jacksonville regained the lead with Blaine Gabbert throwing to Jason Hill for a 74 yard touchdown play, and Scobee made the extra point. The Bengals regained the lead on a 2 yard Bernard Scott rush, and Nugent was there with the extra point this time. Cincinnati wrapped it up with a Mike Thomas fumble, returned to the house by Geno Atkins for 10 yards. Nugent's extra point left the game at 30-20 Bengals. They go to 3-2 and drop the Jaguars to 1-4.

Back north a bit, the Carolina Panthers play host to the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans quickly opened the scoring on a 1 yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Jed Collins, and John Kasay made the extra point. Kasay added on to the Saints lead with a 23 yard field goal. Carolina got on the board with a 54 yard touchdown pass from Cam Newton to Steve Smith, but Olindo Mare missed the extra point. New Orleans got the points back on a 1 yard Mark Ingram touchdown rush, and former Panther Kasay showed Mare what an extra point should look like. The Panthers got it all back with a 69 yard touchdown run by DeAngelo Williams, and Mare showed understanding by not flubbing the extra point. Kasay made a last second field goal of 46 yards, putting the score at 20-13 Saints for the half. Kasay kept kicking in the third quarter with a 37 yard field goal. Carolina came back again with Newton running 1 yard for a score, and Mare making the extra point. The Panthers took the lead as Newton found Greg Olsen for 5 yards and a touchdown, and Mare's PAT made it 27-23. New Orleans retook the lead as Brees found Pierre Thomas for 6 yards and a touchdown, and Kasay added one more extra point. The Saints held on to win 30-27, improving to 4-1 and moving Carolina to 1-4.

Out west, the Houston Texans host the Oakland Raiders. Houston got on the board first with a Matt Schaub pass of 5 yards to Kevin Walter, good for a touchdown, with Neil Rackers on the extra point. Oakland got a few points back with a field goal by Sebastian Janikowksi, good from 54 yards. He later one-upped himself with a 55 yarder in the second quarter. The Texans re-padded their lead with a Schaub pass to Joel Dreessen for 56 yards and a touchdown, and Rackers made the extra point. The Raiders charged back with a touchdown from Jason Campbell 34 yards to Darrius Heyward-Bey, but a two-point attempt from Campbell to Denarius Moore was failed. Houston leads by a slim 14-12 margin before halftime. Janikowski helped Oakland take over in the third quarter, blasting a mere 50 yard field goal. Rackers replied by imitating the opponent, kicking a 54 yard FG for Houston. The Raiders regained the lead with Campbell passing to Chaz Schilens for 18 yards and a touchdown, and Janikowski again made an extra point, followed by a 42 yard field goal. Rackers made it 25-20 with a 40 yard field goal. Oakland held on through a furious last-ditch effort to win by that margin, improving to 3-2 and dropping Houston to the same mark.

Back to the northeast, with the Buffalo Bills bringing in the Philadelphia Eagles.  Buffalo was first to score as Fred Jackson ran 5 yards for a touchdown, and Rian Lindell tacked on an extra point. Philadelphia answered with a 2 yard Michael Vick touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin, and Alex Henery made the extra point. The Bills regained the lead as Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a 6 yard touchdown pass to David Nelson, and Lindell added another extra point. Nick Barnett decided to help Buffalo, picking off Vick for a 31 yard touchdown on an interception. Lindell made the extra point. The Bills go into the locker rooms with a 21-7 lead. Buffalo got back to business in the third quarter with a 5 yard rush by Brad Smith. Lindell tacked on another PAT. The Eagles got the touchdown back as LeSean McCoy ran 10 yards to score, and Henery added an extra point. Lindell made it a three-possession difference with his field goal of 25 yards for Buffalo. Philadelphia surged a little more as Vick found DeSean Jackson for a 31 yard touchdown play, and Henery tacked on another extra point, before adding a 35 yard field goal. The final would favor the Bills 31-24, moving them to 4-1 and the Eagles to 1-4.

Westward again, with the Minnesota Vikings hosting the Arizona Cardinals. Minnesota entered the scoring with an Adrian Peterson touchdown run of 4 yards, and a Ryan Longwell extra point. Peterson later ran 24 yards fora touchdown, and Longwell would tack on another extra point. The Vikings kept the hits rolling with Donovan McNabb rushing 4 yards himself to score, and Longwell adding another PAT. Peterson got the football hat trick with his third rushing touchdown in the first quarter, a 14 yard dash to find the end zone, and Longwell did his extra point routine again. Arizona meekly spoke up with a Jay Feely field goal of 51 yards. Minnesota took a 28-3 halftime lead into the locker rooms. The Cardinals got a few more in the third quarter with Beanie Wells rushing 2 yards for a touchdown, and Feely making the extra point made it 28-10. Minnesota settled later in the quarter for a field goal of 26 yards by Longwell. Longwell also made a fourth quarter field goal from 53 yards. They would win 34-10, going to 1-4 and dropping Arizona to 1-4 as well.

Back to the Rust Belt, with the Indianapolis Colts welcoming the Kansas City Chiefs. Indianapolis got the first points of the game with Curtis Painter finding Pierre Garcon for a 6 yard touchdown pass, and Adam Vinatieri made the extra point. Vinatieri later added a 53 yard field goal in the second quarter. Painter and Garcon hooked up again for a 67 yard touchdown connection, and Vinatieri supplied another extra point. Kansas City found the scoreboard with a 41 yard touchdown pass from Matt Cassel to Dwayne Bowe, and Ryan Succop was there for the PAT. The Colts extended the lead with a Delone Carter touchdown run of 3 yards, and a Vinatieri extra point. The Chiefs pulled back with a Cassel touchdown pass of 16 yards to Steve Breaston, with Succop adding the extra point. This made it 24-14 Indianapolis at halftime. Kansas City pulled within a field goal as Cassel and Bowe met again, a 5 yard touchdown play, and Succop was there with the extra point. The Chiefs took the lead on a Cassel and Breaston connection, 11 yards for the touchdown, and Succop made the extra point. The 28-24 Kansas City lead held up, and they moved to 2-3 while keeping the Colts a winless 0-5.

Lastly, the New York Giants will host the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle took an early lead with a Tavaris Jackson pass to Ben Obomanu, good for 11 yards and a touchdown. Steven Hauschka had the extra point. New York replied with Eli Manning passing 12 yards to Jake Ballard for a touchdown, and Lawrence Tynes making the extra point. The Seahawks regained the lead with 1 yard Marshawn Lynch touchdown run, and another Hauschka extra point. The Giants tied it late in the second quarter on a Manning pass to Hakeem Nicks, good for 19 yards and the TD, with Tynes icing off the score on the extra point. This left the score tied at 14 for halftime. Seattle broke the tie with a 5 yard tackle for loss on D.J. Ware, good for a safety. Hauschka added some breathing room for Seattle by nailing a 51 yard field goal. The Giants replied quickly with a 68 yard touchdown pass from Manning to Victor Cruz, and they converted a two-point attempt to make it 22-19, as Ahmad Bradshaw took it in on the ground. The Seahawks retied it with a Hauschka field goal from 43 yards. New York broke the tie with a Tynes field goal of 26 yards. Seattle got a touchdown to take the lead as Charlie Whitehurst found Doug Baldwin for 27 yards, and Hauschka added the extra point. The Seahawks got a timely defensive touchdown from Brandon Browner, picking Manning off and taking it 90 yards for a touchdown. Hauschka's extra point made it 36-25. They would win by this score, going to 2-3, and moving the Giants to 3-2.