Posted by Andy Benoit

After Tony Romo said the Cowboys needed to get the running game going, Marion Barber had 17 carries for a hard-fought 55 yards against the Texans. Felix Jones showed most of the usual speed and quickness that he, for whatever reason, hadn’t displayed the first two weeks. Jnes gained 43 yards on seven carries.

The 49ers managed just 43 yards on the ground against a Chiefs defense that ranked 31st against the run last season. (Granted, it is a much-improved Chiefs defense. But still…)

Frank Gore didn’t get going on the ground, but he amassed yards on nine catches. Michael Crabtree, however, has just six catches for 81 yards…on the season.

3 sacks for Chiefs underrated, over-energized OLB Tamba Hali. The fifth-year pro also recorded two tackles for a loss.

The Lions were 3/12 on third down against the Vikings. But the Vikings were 3/11 on third down against the Lions. Fun game.

The Patriots ripped off 200 yards rushing against the Bills. Forty two of those yards game from ex-Jet Danny Woodhead. Ninety eight came from BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who is fast become a favorite of the coaching staff.

Rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez had another strong outing, leading the Patriots with six catches for 65 yards. He also set a tight end team record for longest run: 13 yards. (Eat your heart out Ben Coates…or whoever had the record to begin with.)

Great day for tight ends in New Orleans. Jeremy Shockey had eight catches for 78 yards and a score (most of the catches were of the usual manhood-validating variety that Shockey has mastered). Tony Gonzalez, not to be outdone, had eight catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.

Counting assists, every Saints linebacker posted double digit tackles against the Falcons.

Chris Johnson had 125 yards against the Giants, but it took him 32 carries to get it. He looked exhausted by the second quarter.

23:28 = Panthers time of possession against the Bengals. 23:28 might also equal Carson Palmer’s 40 time. Of course, with a cannon arm, Palmer doesn’t need to run. But does Palmer still have cannon arm? He was 19/37 for 195 yards, his second straight game under 200 yards passing. There are whispers that Palmer still doesn’t look like his pre-elbow surgery self.

Ryan Torain led the Redskins with 46 yards on seven carries. Remember the name – this guy will probably wind up being the team’s top rusher in the second half of the season.

David Garrard somehow threw 31 incompletion on 30 pass attempts. Just kidding. But seriously, Garrard was bad. 13/30 for 105 yards and a pick.

Michael Vick ran the ball only four times against the Jags (30 yards and a touchdown).

After Sunday’s game, 10 of DeSean Jackson’s 18 career touchdowns have been 50 yards or longer.

The Chargers had five turnovers and gave up two kickoff returns for touchdowns at Seattle. That’s what it takes to nullify a career-high 455 yards passing from Philip Rivers.

LaDainian Tomlinson has taken over as the No. 1 running back for the Jets. He had 15 carries against the Dolphins, five more than Shonn Greene had. Tomlinson managed a hearty 70 yards on the night.


For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @cbssportsnfl on Twitter and subscribe to our RSS Feed .

Posted by Will Brinson  

Our affinity for graphs and charts and purty pictures knows no bounds, so (with a nod to the smartypants at  NY Mag ), we present our first-ever NFL approval matrix. Suggestions, complaints and intellecutual property lawsuits may be directed to us on Twitter (@CBSSportsNFL) .

Click to  embiggen .

Posted by Andy Benoit

The 49ers announced that they have fired offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye. This comes just one day after Mike Singletary publicly backed the maligned playcaller. (In fairness to Singletary, his support of Raye was issued during a postgame news conferenc. So what else was he going to say? Can you imagine the backlash if Singletary had fired Raye right there on the spot?)

The 0-3 Niners have been awful offensively in both of their road losses. They scored just six points at Seattle, which was almost as many timeouts as they burned due to slow play-calling. Sunday, the Niners managed only 10 points, seven of them coming in garbage time.

Second-year quarterback coach Mike  Johnson will take over from Raye. Johnson had been serving as the middle man in play-calling (literally...Raye would make the call and Johnson would relay it to Alex Smith).

UPDATE (5:40 p.m.): Here was the transcript from part of today's Singletary news conference.

On changing his mind about Jimmy Raye:

“Well after I got back here I went home, and I said you know what, I’m just going to go back and look at the film. So, I came back here and basically spent the night here looking at film. And just kind of looked at the overall view of where we are, and looking at where we need to go, and felt that I needed to make the change. And so that’s really all it was.”

On whether he was prompted by Front Office staff to make the move:

“No. One thing I want you to understand is if I make a decision, it’s my decision. The thing that I have control over is the 53 man staff, the 53 man roster and the staff, who is on my coaching staff. That is my decision.”

On what he saw in the film:

“That I need to make a change.”

On what he saw specifically that prompted the change:

“Not going there. Just needed to make a change.”

On whether he sought advice on the move or whether he did it by himself:

“Just me sitting here by myself."

On his primary reasons for making the coaching change:

“Well I just felt that for the overall scheme of things, where we are, I just felt that right now that Mike Johnson would do a good job.”

For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @cbssportsnfl on Twitter and subscribe to our RSS Feed .

Posted by Andy Benoit

Chiefs defensive end Shaun Smith developed a reputation for being a loafer while in Cleveland (his game film was behind that). Somehow, the sixth-year pro has managed to take his reputation even lower. 

Smith now has a reputation as – what shall we call this? – a grabber. As in, he’s been accused of grabbing opponents…you know, down there.

49ers rookie right tackle Anthony Davis was flagged for a personal foul for going after Smith in the third quarter Sunday. Afterwards, Davis told Matt Maiocco of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, “He tried to feel me. That’s weird, right?”

Yes, Anthony, that is weird. And it was brave of you to talk about it. You did nothing wrong. (Except maybe get the personal foul flag on a crucial third down while trailing 10-3, but even your fiery coach defended you afterwards.)

This is the second week in a row that Smith has been accused of this sort of behavior. Last week, Browns center Alex Mack spoke up. "I don't think he should be able to do that," Mack told The Associated Press the day after the game. "I'm still fired up about it."

Wish we had video or the proper photo here, but in stories like these, the media usually has to settle with a face shot of the accused. Smith at least did us a favor by sort of looking the part.

For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow  @cbssportsnfl   on Twitter   and subscribe to our  RSS Feed .

Posted by Andy Benoit

Cowboys @ Texans

Andre Johnson will play despite battling an ankle injury during the week. Until E Antonio Smith came down with an illness Saturday afternoon, Johnson was the only Texan listed as questionable – everyone else is no worse than probable.

The Cowboys are almost equally as healthy. Starting fullback Deon Anderson is out (knee) and special teamer/nickel linebacker Sean Lee is questionable with a hamstring. Other than that, this is full strength against full strength. (Not counting, of course, suspended Texans Duane Brown and Brian Cushing).

49ers @ Chiefs

Center Eric Heitmann is still not back from his broken fibula suffered in August, though from the sound of things, he’s making progress. Ted Ginn is doubtful with a knee, which means the responsibilities of muffing punts could fall to sixth-round rookie Kyle Williams. (Phillip Adams had a chance last week against the Saints, but he muffed a punt late, resulting in a crucial turnover. At this point, Mike Singletary would give his right eye in exchange for a reliable return artist.)

Chiefs starting DE Tyson Jackson is doubtful (knee). Jackson is a young, high-drafted starter, but the defense can survive without him. In fact, backup Shaun Smith is the more natural 3-4 end. Smith lacks stamina, though, so expect Wallace Gilberry (who, by the way, is probable with a sore back) to see plenty of snaps.

Ryan O’Callaghan has been out since late August with a groin injury. Thus, sixth-round rookie Barry Richardson will continue to start at right tackle.

Eagles @ Jaguars

No one is listed as anything worse than probable for the Eagles this week – including Week 1’s concussion victims, MLB Stewart Bradley and QB Kevin Kolb. (By the way, did you hear that Andy Reid is going to start Michael Vick ahead of Kolb!!!?!!!???!!?)

The Jaguars will be without athletic linebacker Justin Durant (ankle). Durant will be replaced by versatile second-year pro Russell Allen, who is actually the team’s best linebacker (Allen was Jacksonville’s most consistent downhill attacker against the run last year).

The Jags are already thin at safety, which is why coaches should be nervous about Anthony Smith’s foot (questionable).

Colts @ Broncos

It’s always hard to read a Colts injury report, as president Bill Polian loves to obfuscate the truth as much as possible. (Polian is playing well within the rules when he does, too.)

Six players are questionable, including DT Eric Foster (knee), WR Pierre Garcon (hamstring), OT Charlie Johnson (foot), LB Clint Session (hamstring) and RB Joseph Addai (knee). Of the bunch, only Addai had full participation in practice. Johnson has been playing with a bad foot all season, so he can be expected to go. The Colts have plenty of depth to replace Garcon and Session.

Denver’s injury situation is far more precarious. Knowshon Moreno is already out after injuring his hamstring in practice. (This is not the same hamstring that kept him out during the preseason). Correll Buckhalter will start. We could also see Laurence Maroney, though he’s listed as probable with a thigh. Adding to the challenge in the run game is the fact that RT Ryan Harris still hasn’t recovered from his preseason ankle injury and RG Chris Kuper is questionable with a bum knee.

Cornerbacks Champ Bailey (foot) and Andre Goodman (thigh) were limited in practice, which isn’t ideal when facing the Colt offense. But both corners are expected to play Sunday.


For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @cbssportsnfl on Twitter and subscribe to our RSS Feed .

Posted by Andy Benoit

Got a link for the Hot Routes? Hit us up on Twitter ( @CBSSportsNFL )

The Patriots extended their naming-rights deal with Gillette to 2031. This likely means another 20 years of seeing those razors painted near mid-field in New England.

Anyone who saw Mike Singletary’s testy interview with KPIX’s Dennis O’Donnell last week will be disappointed to know that the 49ers and KPIX have jointly agreed to replace O’Donnell with Kim Coyle.

Seahawks linebacker Leroy Hill is out with a right leg injury that was originally called a calf problem but, according to Pete Carroll, is closer to the Achilles. (This likely means it is an Achilles injury since there isn’t anything particularly close to the Achilles, except, of course, the calf.) Call this karmic justice – Hill probably should have been suspended for more than just Week 1 anyway.

Very few teams are scrutinized enough to have stories written about their kickers struggling in practice. Unfortunately for David Buehler (Buehler?...Buehler?....Buehler?), the Cowboys are one of those teams.

Besides acting like a punk about his DWI arrest and saying he doesn’t understand why it’s a black eye for the organization, there’s another reason to find Braylon Edwards’ behavior this week reproachable and inexcusable: Two years ago, Edwards was one of the men drinking earlier in the night with Donte Stallworth hours before Stallworth drove home and hit and killed Mario Reyes.

Derrick Mason is not speaking to the media for the rest of the season. This is big news for Baltimore journalists because Mason is one of the better interviews in the league. Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun is holding out hope that the veteran wideout will still blow a fuse sometime in November, though.

More Ravens news, linebacker Tavares Gooden is out at least a couple of weeks with a shoulder injury.

Beanie Wells told reporters he will definitely play Sunday. Sounds like someone saw Tim Hightower’s 80-yard touchdown run last week.

The Panthers are having a little trouble finding a quality No. 2 receiver. Fortunately, not having a No 2 receiver is not a big deal when you don’t even have a No. 1 quarterback.

Safety Kareem Moore is finally back for the Redskins. Left tackle Trent Williams did not practice Wednesday due to a sprained knee, but he’s expected to play Sunday. (We can assume that, even while sitting out, Williams still had a better practice than replacement Stephon Heyer.)

Chris Johnson responded to Hines Ward’s assertion that he “gave up” after being hit so many times by the Steelers last Sunday.


For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow  @cbssportsnfl   on Twitter   and subscribe to our  RSS Feed .

Posted by Will Brinson

Today's podcast entry features a pretty timely guest: Archie Manning.

After all, his two sons just did metaphorical battle in Indianapolis on Sunday night and then last evening, his team, the New Orleans Saints, won their second close game of the year as they took down the 49ers in Candlestick Park.

So we talked to Archie about those two fairly large events, what he thinks about NFL coaches replacing quarterbacks after just two weeks how the looming lockout will effect the NFL in 2011, and his role with the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year (fun fact: they're giving away $1 million to two college teams that can manage to go an entire game without penalties combined).

Hit the play button to see what he has to say and don't forget to subscribe via iTunes .

If you can't view the podcast, click here to download .


For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow  @cbssportsnfl   on Twitter   and subscribe to our  RSS Feed .

Posted by Will Brinson



Unfortunately for the San Francisco 49ers, 1:14 on the clock with two timeouts and Drew Brees under center is just a little too much to leave out on the field when you score. Clearly they couldn't have purposely left any more time on the clock when Frank Gore punctuated a thrilling drive with a seven-yard rush, but expecting anything less from the defending champs would have been silly. Indeed, they finished the game off with a 37-yard Garrett Hartley kick (which may or may not have been blocked IN) amid swirling winds.

Still, for a team that's 0-2 and suffered a complete travashamockery of an embarrassment in Week 1 at Seattle, things could be worse for San Francisco.

For starters, they have talent. No one's questioning whether or not Michael Crabtree,  Vernon Davis and Josh Morgan are good -- the biggest issue was Alex Smith actually being able to get them the ball. He did that Monday night, and despite registering two picks, he did it well, racking up 275 yards.

Then there's Frank Gore, who looked as explosive as he ever has while piling up 112 yards on 20 carries (including a touchdown) and 56 receiving yards on seven catches (also including a touchdown). As long as he's healthy, that team will be able to stay in games.

Before we get to the most important part, mentioning Mike Singletary is key: look at the team that showed up in Candlestick Park tonight, now look back at the team that showed up in Seattle, now back to Candlestick, now back to Seattle, look, it's a horse! Whatever, the point is that they're complete opposites and judging the Niners hopes for the 2010 season based on that first game (or the first snap against the Saints ) makes about as much as a dude on a horse's body pimping men's body wash.

And the reason the two teams look different is that Singletary, for all his bonkos quotes, got his team prepared. He may have killed a rat, or shut down Yahoo!, or something, but he got his team motivated (yet again), and there's a good chance you'll see him do an increasingly good job of it as the season goes along.

As to the biggest point -- they play in the NFC West, the weakest-sauced of the weak when it comes to divisions. Arizona and Seattle are tied for first at 1-1 and those two teams just got a thankful paddling from Atlanta and Denver, respectively. Remove St. Louis from the equation and remember that at some point Matt Hasselbeck will get injured and Derek Anderson will remember he's Derek Anderson ... this is still a division that an 0-2 49ers team can take down.

For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow  @cbssportsnfl   on Twitter   and subscribe to our  RSS Feed .