ESPN.com - NFL Nation Blog ESPN.com presents NFL Nation http://espn.go.comnull 60 en-us Sun, 29 Nov 2009 07:06:42 webmaster@espn.go.com http://assets.espn.go.com/i/espn/teamlogos/lrg/trans/espn_dotcom_black.gif 110 110 <![CDATA['09 Saints battling legend of '07 Patriots]]> Someday, probably in two or three decades, Randall Gay just might have the luckiest grandchildren ever.

They’ll get to hear stories about two of the best NFL offenses of this era -- or maybe ever. They’ll get to hear stories about two of the greatest quarterbacks of recent times and maybe in history.

Most of all, they’ll get to hear those stories from the man with the single-best vantage point of the 2007 New England Patriots' offense and this year’s New Orleans Saints offense. Gay had to face the New England offensive machine in practice every day during the 2007 season and he’s gone against the closest thing since every day this season as a cornerback for the Saints.

It’s safe to say no other human being has been on the defensive end of as many passes by Tom Brady and Drew Brees.

“In some ways, I guess you could say I’ve been cursed because I’ve had some of the toughest practices in history,’’ said Gay, who left the Patriots for the Saints after the 2007 season. “But I think I’ve also been blessed because game days are a lot easier. After you go against those two offenses, there’s not much out there that even compares.’’

No, there’s really not. Maybe the Indianapolis Colts of the Peyton Manning era deserve to be in the conversation, but that’s it. In just about every way, the 2007 New England offense and this year’s Saints are incomparable to every other offense.

But the Patriots and the Saints play each other Monday night in the Superdome, and that means it’s time to compare two of the greatest offenses of our time -- and, maybe, any time.

Let’s start with some very broad statistics. The 10-0 Saints are averaging 36.9 points a game. The 2007 Patriots, who are the only team to go through a 16-game regular season undefeated, averaged 36.8. For context, the 1999 St. Louis Rams, who became known as the “Greatest Show on Turf’’ for their offensive exploits, averaged a mere 32.9 points.

Through their first 10 games, the 2007 Patriots scored 411 points -- the most in NFL history. The Saints have scored 369 points -- No. 4 in NFL history.

“There are some numbers there that are unbelievable,’’ New Orleans coach Sean Payton said of the Patriots. “I’ve used this analogy before. If you come into a program a few years back like we did, you have to pay attention to the Microsofts of the world if you’re someday wanting to compete in that industry.’’

Heck, you could call the 2007 New England offense Microsoft -- or IBM, U.S. Steel or the New York Yankees of their prime. They set a standard somewhere beyond gold. They scored an NFL-record 589 points and sailed through their first 10 games averaging 41.1 points.

Brady set an NFL record with 50 touchdown passes and receiver Randy Moss did the same by catching 23 touchdown passes in the regular season.

Those individual records are probably safe, but the Saints are on pace to be better than the 2007 Patriots in some categories and close to them in others. The Patriots set an NFL record with 75 touchdowns that season. The Saints are on pace for 76.8. Those Patriots and these Saints each scored 40 or more points four times in their first 10 games.

“Each of those offenses and each of those quarterbacks have a lot of differences,’’ Gay said. “But they also have similarities, and the biggest one is that they both score a lot of points and do it in a lot of different ways.’’

No one has scored more points in more ways than the 2007 Patriots. They tied an NFL record by having 21 players score touchdowns. The Saints have had 18 players score touchdowns this season. That includes defensive touchdowns, but this story is about offense. Lots and lots of offense.

The Patriots had been one of the dominant teams of this decade, but just saying that doesn’t explain why the offense suddenly became so great in 2007. You first need go back to 2006, when New England receiver Deion Branch had a contract holdout that eventually forced his trade to Seattle. That left Brady with Reche Caldwell as the No. 1 receiver and guys like Jabar Gaffney and Doug Gabriel suddenly being asked to be big contributors.

The Patriots headed into 2007 knowing they had to get better at receiver. They signed Donte' Stallworth and traded for Wes Welker and, at first, thought that would be enough. Then Moss became available and a guy who had trouble in Minnesota and Oakland suddenly found paradise.

New England decided to basically copy what the Colts had done in using a three-receiver offense most of the time. The chemistry was instant between Brady and Moss, and Welker quickly became one of the league’s elite slot receivers.

It all clicked perfectly behind an offensive line that was so good the Patriots only had to use five or six players in protection. They didn’t have a great running game, but it wasn’t something they really needed or wanted because Kevin Faulk was a big part of the passing game out of the backfield.

The Patriots steamed through their first 10 games with a plus-254 point differential. Things got tougher down the stretch, but the Patriots won their final six regular-season games.

“They had the bull's-eye on their back every game,’’ New Orleans running back Reggie Bush said. “Everybody wanted to knock them off. Everybody wanted to be the team that beat them. I’m sure it was tough for them, but just watching it, it was kind of magical just to see everything they were doing.’’

The magic ran out in the Super Bowl when the Patriots were upset by the New York Giants. But even that stunning loss couldn’t diminish all of the amazing offensive accomplishments of that season, and the Patriots still have plenty of remnants of that team on the current roster.

“You have a coach [Bill Belichick] who is going to be a Hall of Fame coach,’’ Payton said. “You have a quarterback [Brady] who’s going to be a Hall of Fame player. You have a receiver who is going to be a Hall of Fame player in Moss and the way Welker plays, if he continues the same thing.’’

In any comparison between the 2007 Patriots and the current Saints, you have to look closely at Brady and Brees. They’ve put themselves with Manning in any conversation about the league’s elite quarterbacks. But unlike Manning, they didn’t start out with the pedigree.

“There are a lot of similarities above the neck,’’ ESPN commentator and former NFL head coach Jon Gruden said. “Both guys lead the civilized world in effort. They’re there before sunrise and they’re there after dark. They are tempo-setters and leaders. They are both crunch-time performers, but physically they are different.

“Tom is 6-[foot-]4, 6-5, while Brees is 6-feet tall and came up the hard way. The interesting thing about both of these guys is that they came into the league kind of obscure, and that has a lot to do with where they are today. Brady was a sixth-round draft choice -- really came out of nowhere and wasn’t the go-to-guy at Michigan. Brees was considered too short. People said his career was over when he left San Diego -- nobody wanted him. Both guys use that as fuel to prove to everybody they made a grave error.”

Although Belichick’s a defensive guy and has relied on assistants such as Charlie Weis and Josh McDaniels to run his offense, the head coach ultimately sets the tone for everything. Gruden said part of the reason the offenses for New England and New Orleans are so good is because Brees and Brady allow Belichick and Payton to do things other coaches wouldn’t dare.

“Anytime you coach a guy like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Drew Brees, you tend to be aggressive as a playcaller,’’ Gruden said. “They just have tremendous confidence in their quarterback, and they should. These guys complete 70 percent of their passes; they're NFL MVP candidates. Brees threw for 5,000 yards last season, and the other guy’s won three Super Bowls. They are aggressive playcallers, but I don’t know if they would be that aggressive with just any other quarterback, but their history and their trust levels with these quarterbacks is special, and in key situations they rely on them.”

It’s hard to find a team that relies on its quarterback more than Brees. Like Brady in 2007, Brees has plenty of talent around him. Where he excels most might be in spreading the ball around. There’s little difference from top to bottom in a New Orleans group of wide receivers that includes Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Lance Moore and Robert Meachem. Jeremy Shockey fits the prototype for a pass-catching tight end. Bush, Mike Bell and Pierre Thomas all can catch the ball out of the backfield.

Somehow, Brees manages to keep them all happy and productive. Like Brady in 2007, Brees gets outstanding protection from his offensive line. The Saints have top-notch guards in Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks, but what has been most surprising about the offensive line this year is that it’s been able to function so well with Pro Bowl left tackle Jammal Brown out the entire season because of an injury. The Saints have been able to flourish using Jermon Bushrod and Zach Strief at left tackle.

“They have a great combination of coaching, players, diversity,’’ Belichick said of the Saints. “They put a lot of pressure on you in all fronts. They use so many different people. They line them up in all different spots. It’s really hard defensively to match up to the scheme, and then on top of that you have a lot of great players that can make plays, running backs, tight ends, receivers, everybody, quarterback. They are a very experienced team. There are no rookies on the offense. They’ve all been there before and have some experience in the NFL. They don’t make many mistakes. They make you go out there and beat them and execute against them. It’s very difficult to match up against the players and the scheme.’’

The Saints weren’t easy to defend in 2008 when Brees threw for more than 5,000 yards. But they didn’t have Colston, Shockey and Bush at full health for most of the season. They also had a bad defense that since has become good. Those were all reasons the Saints finished out of the playoffs last year.

But the biggest difference between last year’s offense and this year’s just might be the sudden discovery of a running game. After spending a fruitless season throwing Bush, Thomas and Deuce McAllister out there, but having no serious commitment to the running game, the Saints have made one.

They let McAllister walk, made Bush into more of a hybrid receiver/running back and let Thomas and Bell share most of the running duties. That has worked, and these days the Saints have something that even the 2007 Patriots didn’t: A consistent running game that takes pressure off the passing game, eases the time the defense has to spend on the field and has been able to run out the clock late in games.

That’s led to some weighty praise from Belichick, who has said several times that the Saints are more balanced than the Colts, who are also undefeated, on offense.

“[The Saints] have an outstanding running game,’’ Belichick said. “The Colts were a more pass-oriented team. They were real good too. I just think the Saints are more balanced in terms of their run-pass ratio with the different running schemes they present, the time you have to work on the running game defensively and the production they’ve had with it, they’re more balanced than the Colts are.’’

More balanced than the Colts. But are the Saints better offensively than the 2007 Patriots?

We’re about to find out, and it's only fitting that the 2009 Patriots will have a say in that.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/12910/09-saints-battling-legend-of-07-patriots Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:28:50 EDT 12910 <![CDATA[Jackson makes Hall of Fame cut -- for now]]>
The list will be reduced to 15 in January and the final vote will be in February.

There is one player with ties to the other three NFC South teams on the list. But I don’t think Kevin Greene, Tim Brown and Chris Doleman, who spent brief stints with Carolina, Tampa Bay and Atlanta, respectively, truly qualify as NFC South guys.

Just a reminder, you can vote on who should be in the Hall of Fame here. I should note, your vote doesn’t really count toward anything, but at least you get a chance to get your opinion out there.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/12907/jackson-makes-hall-of-fame-cut-for-now Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:05:58 EDT 12907 <![CDATA[Hall of Fame finalists from NFC West]]>
All played primarily or significantly for current NFC West teams.

Chris Doleman, John Randle and Don Coryell are also among the finalists. Each spent smaller portions of their careers with current NFC West franchises.

Cardinals offensive line coach and running game coordinator Russ Grimm, former guard for the Redskins, is also among the finalists.

I'll be following the process more closely from this point forward, and for good reason: I recently joined the Board of Selectors. It's an honor and something I'll take seriously.

So many people have given so much to the game. Narrowing down the finalists will require excluding some excellent candidates.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/12905/hall-of-fame-finalists-from-nfc-west Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:01:11 EDT 12905 <![CDATA[Ravens finally catch a break]]> Baltimore Ravens haven’t caught many breaks during the 2009 season. But the Ravens received a huge boon Saturday when the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to sit starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for Sunday's game with the Ravens.
Roethlisberger
Roethlisberger

Dennis Dixon, who has been a third-stringer this year, will start for Pittsburgh. Backup quarterback Charlie Batch had wrist surgery this week, forcing Dixon into action.

Credit the Steelers for being cautious with their franchise quarterback, but this decision likely will cost the team a huge game in the standings. Both Pittsburgh (6-4) and Baltimore (5-5) are fighting for the two wild-card spots in the AFC.

Expect the Ravens to break their three-game losing streak against the Steelers. Roethlisberger has given Baltimore plenty of trouble with his improvisation and ability to keep plays alive. Dixon doesn’t have nearly that level of ability or experience, so the Steelers should be very one-dimensional on offense and easier to defend.

This is a must-win game for Baltimore, and Pittsburgh had a chance to virtually end its biggest rival's season with a win Sunday in prime time. But without "Big Ben," look for the Ravens to improve their wild-card hopes this weekend, while things will get very dicey after Pittsburgh likely suffers its first three-game losing streak of the season.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/12901/ravens-finally-catch-a-break Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:22:18 EDT 12901 <![CDATA[Final Word: AFC East]]> NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 12:

After losing to the Indianapolis Colts, the New England Patriots need to beat the New Orleans Saints for peace of mind. As Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com pointed out, the Patriots don't have a signature victory this year. They need one to demonstrate they are an elite team. Monday night in the Superdome will be their last chance before the playoffs. They also haven't won a true road game. As I mentioned in this week's AFC East power rankings breakdown, the best team the Patriots have beaten is the No. 15 Baltimore Ravens in Week 4. That's not a convincing resume for the postseason.

Ricky Williams should record his third straight 100-yard rushing game. The Buffalo Bills put forth an admirable effort in holding Maurice Jones-Drew to 2.6 yards a run in Perry Fewell's debut as interim coach. But the Bills rank 31st in run defense and are tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the worst per-carry average at 4.9 yards against. The Dolphins are a running team, and the 32-year-old Williams showed he can be a workhorse in Ronnie Brown's absence -- at least for the time being -- by rushing for 221 yards in a five-day span. Williams is averaging 5.3 yards a carry, fifth among backs with at least 100 attempts.

The New York Jets are one or two early bad plays away from imploding. The Jets are in all sorts of chaos. They've lost six of their past seven games. Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez doesn't know what end is up. Rookie head coach Rex Ryan is getting more involved with the offense. Safety Kerry Rhodes, one of the key players expected to make Ryan's defense click, has been demoted. If the 4-6 Carolina Panthers come into the Meadowlands and jump on the Jets early, the whole team may fall apart before our eyes.

Bills receiver Terrell Owens might have fun against the Miami Dolphins' rookie cornerbacks. Buffalo's offense opened up last week in Fewell's first game. They managed to score only 15 points in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but they took shots downfield. Owens finished with nine receptions for 197 yards, including a franchise-record 98-yard touchdown. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick's willingness to throw deep will put pressure on rookies Vontae Davis and Sean Smith. Owens can make young corners look silly. But if he beats them, then he has to catch the ball.

New England's secondary has gone from preseason question mark to one of the team's stronger units. The Patriots rank sixth in pass defense, and their secondary has been coming up with big plays lately. They're going to have plenty of opportunities in the Superdome because Saints quarterback Drew Brees will test them. The Patriots have recorded six interceptions in the past two weeks, pilfering Peyton Manning twice and Sanchez four times.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/12897/final-word-afc-east-9 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:15:58 EDT 12897 <![CDATA[The Lions' latest loss: Pettigrew]]> announced Friday it has lost rookie tight end Brandon Pettigrew for the year because of a knee injury.
Pettigrew
Pettigrew

Pettigrew will become the 14th Lions player to go on injured reserve this season, the highest mark in the NFL. This loss might be the most crushing considering the progress Pettigrew had made in the past four weeks as the second of the Lions’ two first-round picks.

Pettigrew caught 15 of his 30 passes in the three games preceding Thursday’s matchup with Green Bay and had proved to be a play-making threat at the tight end position. His blocking is more difficult to judge from the outside, but by most accounts he was holding his own in that area.

I’m guessing the Lions will take a close look at why they’ve had so many injuries this season, but I don’t know if Pettigrew’s will help them draw any conclusions. It looked like his knee buckled without contact during the Lions’ first drive Thursday.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/12888/the-lions-latest-loss-pettigrew Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:50:06 EDT 12888 <![CDATA[Final Word: AFC North]]> NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 12:

Replacing Big Ben: Pittsburgh Steelers second-year quarterback Dennis Dixon will make his first career start Sunday night against the Baltimore Ravens. Dixon has thrown just one career pass in two years, but was thrown into action after Ben Roethlisberger (concussion) was pulled from the starting lineup Saturday morning. This puts a lot of emphasis on the running game and tailback Rashard Mendenhall. The Ravens have only allowed four touchdowns in the past three games and are playing some of their best defense of the season.

Covering kickoffs: The Steelers finally made moves to boost their fledgling kickoff coverage by signing cornerback Corey Ivy and linebacker Rocky Boiman. Both players could make an impact Sunday on a unit that’s allowed four returns for a touchdown this season and two in the past two weeks. Both players are veterans and have a wealth of special teams' experience. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin also added he will not be afraid to use more starters on his kickoff team as well.

Where is the Suggs package? In the midst of Baltimore's recent struggles in the red zone, perhaps the biggest offensive mystery is the disappearance of the "Suggs package." Baltimore's variation of the Wildcat offense, led by backup Troy Smith, worked very well last year as a changeup to its power running game. It was also used as a form of protection for then-rookie quarterback Joe Flacco. But since Flacco's development in Year 2, the Ravens have virtually moved away from the innovative package and stuck to their conventional offense. Now that Baltimore is struggling to score touchdowns, it may be time for the team to dig back into its bag of tricks.

Quinn tries to do it again: Was last week's performance for Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn the start of something special or merely a farce? We will find out this week when Quinn and the Browns take on the first-place Cincinnati Bengals. Quinn had a career-best performance in a loss to the Detroit Lions, throwing for 304 yards and four touchdowns. He did a lot of nice things, but it came against a Lions defense that has allowed more than 29 points per game. Cincinnati's defense is a much stiffer test.

Bengals need to make statement: With their long history of losing, it was evident after last week's 20-17 loss to the lowly Oakland Raiders that the Bengals (7-3) are still learning how to be winners. This is the best team Cincinnati has had in a while. Yet, the Bengals are not good enough to completely sleepwalk against an inferior opponent and still pull out a win on the road. Cincinnati needs to make a statement against Cleveland, another inferior opponent, that it will no longer play down to its competition in order to be taken seriously as a title contender. The Browns, who lost in overtime, almost upset the Bengals earlier this season in Cleveland.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/12838/afc-north-final-word-8 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:03:11 EDT 12838 <![CDATA[Final Word: AFC South]]> NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 12:

Peyton Manning was limited in practice this week with a sore backside. It doesn’t look to be a big deal. But if Mario Williams plows through and buries Manning on his butt, maybe it turns into more of a problem. Williams didn’t wreak much havoc in the first meeting between these teams but seemed to come out of the bye week feeling better after dealing with a shoulder injury for most of the season. If the Texans finally break through, they are going to need a contribution from Williams. Indy is 14-1 against Houston.

Chris Johnson has five consecutive games in which he gained at least 125 yards rushing while averaging at least five yards per carry. In NFL history, the only other player to do that in five straight games was Jim Brown for Cleveland in 1958. Can Johnson keep it up? Arizona’s rush defense is eighth in the league, giving up 103.2 rushing yards a game and 4.3 yards a carry.

The Jaguars will be shooting for their first four-game win streak since Week 2-6 of the 2007 season. Look for a big day for the David Garrard - Mike Sims-Walker connection. The 49ers have yielded an average of 286 passing yards in their last six games, including four 300-yard games. Walker is dealing with a knee injury, but practiced with it. Jacksonville’s last trip west was a disaster. Here’s their chance to maintain control of their playoff fate and show they’ve grown into a team that can handle such a trip

It would be great if the Texans could get Kris Brown a mid- or short-range field goal chance. It’s impossible to dictate such things. But after long misses against the Colts and Titans that could have forced overtime, odds are he’s in one of those places where kickers go when things are tough. To mentally get him back, it’d be nice to send him out for a relatively easy three points. His last five tries: 56 good, 42 wide left, 49 wide right, 26 good, 49 wide left.

If home field advantage still exists for the Titans, it should show itself Sunday against Arizona. Tennessee is 2-2 at LP Field this year, but the Cardinals are the last team making its first trip to the venue. The Titans are 23-7 in such situations. Also in the Titans’ favor: They are 11-2 against the NFC since 2006, second only to the undefeated New England Patriots.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/12879/final-word-afc-south-8 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:01:39 EDT 12879 <![CDATA[Final Word: NFC North]]> NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 12:

In case you forgot, Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen welcomed Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler to the division with these words: “Twice a year, I'm going to peel the back of his head off the turf. I love the guy, but business is business." In all seriousness, Allen does tend to save his best games for division opponents. Of his 10.5 sacks this season, 8.5 have come in four NFC North contests. You would think he has another favorable matchup Sunday afternoon against the Bears’ declining left tackle, Orlando Pace. Plus, Allen came up big in both games against Chicago last season, with two sacks in the teams’ first matchup and 2.5 in the second. This is the type of game where Allen usually makes his presence known.

Of all the ways Chicago’s defense has been maligned this season, it still has managed to minimize big passing plays. Opponents have 23 completions of 20 or more yards this season, the sixth-lowest figure in the NFL. We should find out Sunday if that’s a legitimate statistic or not. Minnesota has 35 completions of at least 20 yards this year and 10 of more than 40 yards. Both marks rank among the NFL’s top 10. Vikings quarterback Brett Favre has the NFL’s highest passer rating on passes of 21 or more yards (130.2), according to ESPN Stats & Information. The Bears won’t have a chance Sunday if they can’t stop the Vikings’ big passing plays.

With all that said, we’re only doing our duty by acknowledging this statistic: Favre has thrown two touchdown passes and 13 interceptions in his past six games against the Bears. Three of those interceptions have been returned for touchdowns. The Bears were 5-1 in those games, all of which came against Green Bay. Every year stands on its own merits, but history is history.

Given the anger and optimism in Chicago and Minnesota, respectively, few people probably think this game could come down to field goal kicking. But if it does, we’ll have two of the NFL’s best this season. The Vikings’ Ryan Longwell ranks fourth in the NFL with a 94-percent conversion rate this season (16 of 17). Chicago’s Robbie Gould isn’t much behind, having converted 84 percent (16 of 19). Longwell’s only miss was a block. Gould? Of his three failures, two were blocked and the other was from 53 yards. If you’re a fan of rock-solid kicking, be sure to tune in.

Green Bay has a mini-bye week after getting through Thursday’s game at Detroit. The Packers have a full 10 days between games and won’t take the field again until Dec. 7 for a Monday night matchup against Baltimore. Who knows what the playoff scenarios will be at that point, but as of now the Packers are sitting in pretty good position. The New York Giants’ Thanksgiving loss at Denver leaves the Packers as the only 7-victory team among the NFC’s top wild-card contenders. Philadelphia could join that group Sunday with a victory over Washington. Regardless, the Packers have a nice stretch here to rest up for the final playoff run.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/12873/final-word-nfc-north-5 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:01:05 EDT 12873 <![CDATA[Final Word: AFC West]]> NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about the Kansas City-San Diego game Sunday:

Here come the Chargers’ DBs: The 7-3 Chargers have won five games in a row and are in sole possession of first place in the AFC West. Interestingly, they haven’t lost since they started blitzing their defensive backs. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Chargers have blitzed their defensive backs at least 28.6 percent of the time four of the past five games. In the first five games when San Diego was 2-3, the Chargers blitzed their defensive backs 7.2 percent of the time.

Will Cassel lose his cool? In San Diego’s first game using the secondary blitzes extensively, Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel was forced into throwing three interceptions in a span of eight passes. Prior to his meltdown, Cassel went 153 pass attempts without an interception and only threw two interceptions in the Chiefs’ first six games. He has thrown one interception in the three games since meeting San Diego.

Naanee is making it count: San Diego receiver Legedu Naanee is becoming a big weapon for the Chargers. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Naanee has caught 20 of the 22 passes he has been targeted by San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers. His 90.9 receiving percentage leads the NFL.

Tomlinson is a goal-line workhorse: If the Chargers are at the goal line on Sunday, the Chiefs will have an idea who will be getting the call. Running back LaDainian Tomlinson leads the NFL with goal-line touches, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He has 23 touches at the goal line and he has scored five times.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/12789/afc-west-final-word-10 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:00:37 EDT 12789