Week 6 NFL “Did you know?”: Parity on parade

By Hugo Guzman  |   Monday, October 13, 2008  |  Comments( 3 )

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We all know that the NFL is defined by parity. We also know that the “any given Sunday” ideal becomes reality on a weekly basis, with games often coming down to the wire and underdogs often upending favorites. That said, Week 6 delivered a major dose of close games, upsets and photo finishes.

The outcomes of six matchups were determined in the fourth quarter and five of those were decided in the final seconds or on the last play of the game.

Miami, a slight road favorite, was felled by a Matt Schaub scramble for a touchdown in the final seconds of regulation in a 29-28 nail-biter in Houston. Schaub marched his team down the field after seeing the Dolphins go for what appeared to be a game-winning drive that was capped off by a Ronnie Brown touchdown with under two minutes left play. The Dolphins fell to 2-3 in the loss, while the Texans improved to 1-4.

Atlanta, which was a home underdog against the Chicago Bears, kicked a game-winning field goal in the final seconds after Matt Ryan connected with Michael Jenkins for a 26-yard gain with just one second to play. The Falcons were the victim of an apparent game-winning touchdown drive that culminated in a Kyle Orton touchdown pass with just 17 seconds remaining. The surprising Falcons improved to 4-2 on the season, while the Bears dropped to 3-3.

The biggest upset of the day was delivered by the lowly St. Louis Rams, who knocked off the heavily favored Redskins on the road with a 49-yard field goal on the final play of the game. St. Louis won its first game, improving to 1-4, and the Redskins sunk to 4-2.

Minnesota, which was highly favored at home against the Detroit Lions, needed a long drive capped off by a field goal in the waning moments to survive with a 12-10 victory. They improved to 3-3 on the season; the Lions, meanwhile, continued their tailspin en route to 0-5.

Philadelphia needed a furious fourth-quarter comeback in order to knock off the 49ers. The Eagles generated 23 points in the final quarter and put the game away with a late interception for a touchdown. The impressive road victory helped the Eagles improve to 3-3. San Francisco, led by soon-to-be ousted head coach Mike Nolan, is now 2-4.

Last but not least, the underdog Arizona Cardinals needed overtime to defeat the visiting Cowboys, 30-24. Dallas kicked a long field goal in the final seconds of regulation to send the game into a fifth quarter, but a blocked punt on the first possession of sudden death put the game on ice for the Cardinals.

Week 6 was a clear example of why the NFL is the most exciting and alluring league in the land. It’s hard to top a league that generates heart-stopping finishes in bunches. And, heck, there’s still one more game to be played tonight.
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About Hugo Guzman

Co-founder of RealFootball365.com. Born in Argentina, of Dominican descent, living in Hoboken, but from Miami through and ...
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