Week 3 pregame notes for every game

September 24, 2009

foxsports

Sunday - Early games

The Browns managed just two field goals vs. the Broncos last Sunday and were beaten, 27-6. Dating to last season, Cleveland has dropped eight straight games by a combined score of 190-57.

Brady Quinn threw for just 166 yards vs. Denver in Week 2 with more than half of those yards going to Braylon Edwards. Despite catching six passes for 92 yards, Edwards failed to score a touchdown for the 10th straight game — the longest drought of his NFL career.

Baltimore went to San Diego and beat the Chargers, 31-26, improving to 2-0 for the second straight year. It marks the third time the Ravens have won their first two games of any season and they made the playoffs each of the previous two (2000 and 2008).

Dating to Week 7 of 2008, Baltimore is 11-2 in their last 13 regular-season games — tied with Indianapolis for the best record in football. The Ravens are 13-7 all-time vs. the Browns and have won five of the last six games between the two in Baltimore.

Joe Flacco has posted 95.8 and 96.6 ratings in his first two wins of 2009 and is now 13-5 as Baltimore's starting quarterback. The Ravens are 9-0 since the beginning of 2008 when Flacco records a passer rating of 90+.

Including two touchdowns, Willis McGahee led the Ravens with 79 yards on the ground last week and has now reached paydirt in four straight regular-season games overall. McGahee currently leads all AFC backs with three rushing TDs in 2009.

Cleveland has had 197 running plays since last scoring a touchdown — the longest active streak in football. On the flipside, the Browns' defense has given up five rushing TDs in 2009 — most in the league.

Joshua Cribbs has 35 career kickoff returns vs. the Ravens — most of any player all-time. Last season, Cribbs racked up 237 kickoff-return yards against Baltimore, including his fifth career KOR touchdown.

Redskins (1-1) at Lions (0-2)

The Redskins pulled out a 9-7 win over the Rams in Week 2 and have now scored just 26 points in their first two games of 2009 — tied for second fewest in the league with the Browns (St. Louis-7).

Including a 25-17 victory last season, Washington is 27-10 all-time vs. the Lions and 6-2 in games played in Detroit since 1970. The Redskins have rushed for at least 100 yards in 16 straight games vs. Detroit overall.

The Lions lost, 27-13, to the Vikings last weekend and have now dropped 19 straight games overall — tied for the second-longest losing streak in NFL history with the 1942-43 Chicago Cardinals and 1961-62 Oakland Raiders.

Matthew Stafford threw his first career NFL touchdown pass in Week 2 — an 8-yarder to Calvin Johnson. Johnson now has 11 touchdown receptions since Week 6 of 2008 — most of any player in football.

Kevin Smith carried the ball 24 times for 83 yards and caught two passes for 10 yards vs. the Vikings in Week 2. Smith now leads the Lions in both rush yards (103) and receptions (9) in 2009.

Chris Cooley has had seven catches in each of his first two games and is currently tied with Brent Celek of the Eagles for most receptions by a tight end in 2009. Dating to the beginning of 2008, Cooley has caught at least four passes in 16 of 18 contests and since November 14, 2004 he's had at least one catch in 74 straight regular-season contests.

Jason Campbell is 2-0 all-time vs. the Lions, posting a combined passer rating of 126.3 in those contests. Campbell is 5-1 as Washington's starting QB when recording a rating of 100+.

Ernie Sims has been in on 14 tackles this season (8 unassisted) and his 384 combined tackles since joining the league in 2006 are fourth-most in the NFL. Redskins linebacker, London Fletcher is first in the league during that span with 435.

Jaguars (0-2) at Texans (1-1)

With their 31-17 loss to the Cardinals last Sunday, the Jaguars dropped to 0-2 for the second straight year and just the fourth time in franchise history (also 1995 and 2003). Dating to last season, Jacksonville has lost four straight and eight of nine overall.

Jacksonville turned the ball over three times vs. Arizona in Week 2 and now has 17 giveaways in its last eight games — second-most of any AFC squad since Week 12 of 2008 (Cleveland-21).

The Texans went to Nashville and pulled out a 34-31 victory over the Titans behind four touchdown passes by Matt Schaub. Houston has now won six of its last eight dating to last season and is 10-1 all-time when scoring 30 points or more.

Andre Johnson caught his 500th career pass last week in his 88th NFL game. The only player all-time to reach 500 receptions more quickly is Anquan Boldin, who did it in 80 games.

The Texans are 8-6 all-time vs. Jacksonville and have beaten the Jags three straight times at home by an average of over 15 points per game.

Matt Schaub threw a career-high four touchdown passes in Week 2 vs. the Titans, bouncing back from a disappointing Week 1 game against the Jets. Including his 124.7 rating vs. Tennessee last Sunday, the Texans are now 8-2 when Schaub has a QB rating of 100 or higher.

With six catches for 65 yards last week, Torry Holt now has 12,772 career receiving yards, moving past Art Monk to No. 13 on the all-time list. Holt needs just 14 yards vs. the Texans to move past Irving Fryar into the No. 12 spot all-time.

At just under 26½ years old, the Jaguars currently boast the league's third-youngest average roster age behind Green Bay and Indianapolis.

49ers (2-0) at Vikings (2-0)

The 49ers defeated the Seahawks, 23-10, last Sunday and have now started 2-0 for just the second time since 1999 (also 2007). The last time San Francisco won its first three games of any season was 1998 on the way to a 12-4 record.

Frank Gore recorded the second 200+ yard rushing game of his career last Sunday and both have come vs. the Seahawks. With an 80-yard as well as a 79-yard touchdown run in the game, Gore became the only player in NFL history besides Barry Sanders (1997 vs. TB) to have two 75+ yard rushing TDs in the same contest.

Behind another Brett Favre come-from-behind win, the Vikings defeated the Lions, 27-13, last Sunday and are now 2-0 for the first time since winning their first two contests in 2006. Dating to Week 12 of 2008, Minnesota has now won five straight road games overall by an average of over 14 points per contest.

Brett Favre will be making his first career start in the Metrodome as the home quarterback this Sunday after completing 77.1 percent of his passes in his first two games as Viking QB — best of any quarterback in the league thus far in 2009. Favre was just 6-10 all-time inside the Metrodome as the Packers' field general.

Adrian Peterson followed up his 180-yard rushing performance Week 1 with 92 yards on the ground last Sunday vs. the Lions. Peterson (136.0) and Frank Gore (118.5) are currently first and third among all NFL backs in rush yards per game this season.

Despite being sacked eight times in his first two games, Shaun Hill has posted victories in each and is now 9-3 all-time as the Niners' starting QB. Hill was originally signed to his first NFL contract by the Vikings in 2005.

This will be these two teams' 39th regular-season meeting all-time — Minnesota currently leads the series 19-18-1 and has beaten the 49ers three straight times at home.

Minnesota has won two of three and 17 of its last 22 home openers — the last time the Vikes started a season with three straight wins was when they began the 2003 campaign 6-0.

Falcons (2-0) at Patriots (1-1)

The Falcons beat the Panthers, 28-20, last Sunday and are now 2-0 for the first time since 2006 and the third time since 1999 (also 2004 and 2006). Dating to last season, Atlanta has won five straight and seven of eight regular-season games overall.

Matt Ryan threw a career-high three touchdown passes in Week 2, posting a 122.2 rating in the process. The Falcons are now 7-0 when Ryan records a 100+ QB rating.

The Patriots failed to score a touchdown last Sunday and lost, 16-9, to the Jets in the Meadowlands. The loss snapped Tom Brady's 21-game win regular-season win streak and marked New England's first game without scoring a touchdown since being shut out by Miami on December 10, 2006.

Tom Brady posted a rating of just 53.1 in Week 2 — just the eighth time in his career that he's had a QB rating under 54 as a starter (1-7 record in those games).

New England has won 15 straight regular-season games vs. NFC teams and since the beginning of 2004 is 19-1 vs. the opposing conference. That said, Atlanta holds a 6-5 advantage in the all-time series vs. the Patriots.

Tony Gonzalez had seven catches for 71 yards last weekend and caught a touchdown pass in his sixth straight game — a career high. Gonzalez' six TD receptions in his last six games is tied for second-most in the league since Week 14 of 2008.

Fred Taylor had 46 yards on eight carries vs. the Jets in Week 2 and with 11,342 career rush yards, is just 11 shy of passing John Riggins for No. 15 on the all-time list.

Atlanta will get a bye in Week 4 following this game with New England, marking its earliest break since 2002. The Falcons are 6-2 in their last eight games prior to their bye week.

Titans (0-2) at Jets (2-0)

The Titans dropped a heartbreaker, 34-31, at home to the Texans last Sunday and are now 0-2 for the first time since 2006 and just the second time in their last eight campaigns overall.

Chris Johnson set career-highs in rush yards (197), receiving yards (87) and total touchdowns (3) in last week's loss to the Texans. On his way to those totals, Johnson became the first player in NFL history to record a 90+ yard rushing TD, 50+ yard rushing TD and a 60+ yard receiving TD in the same game.

New York beat the Patriots, 16-9, in Week 2 and is now 2-0 under rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. The last time the Jets started a season with as many as three straight victories was in 2004 when they won five straight games to begin that campaign.

With wins in his first two games, Rex Ryan became just the third Jets' head coach all-time to go 2-0 to begin his New York coaching career (Pete Carroll-1994 and Al Groh-2000).

The Jets have not allowed an offensive touchdown in either of their first two games of 2009. The last time any team accomplished that feat was in 2006 when the Falcons, Ravens and Broncos all did so. Since 1960, no team has gone three straight games to begin a season without allowing opponents an offensive TD.

New York has allowed just three red-zone drives in 2009 (tied for the league-low) and has yet to allow a red-zone TD. The only other team in the league that has not allowed a red-zone touchdown is Seattle.

The first time these two franchises played in 1961, it was the Houston Oilers over the New York Titans by the score of 27-21. Tennessee (Houston) has an all-time regular-season record of 21-16-1 vs. New York.

Kerry Collins (37,637 career passing yards) needs just 68 yards in this game to pass Boomer Esiason and move into 13th place on the NFL's all-time passing yards list.

Chiefs (0-2) at Eagles (1-1)

The Chiefs dropped a 13-10 decision to the Raiders at home in Week 2 and have now lost six straight games dating to last season. Kansas City is now 2-25 in its last 27 games overall (since November 4, 2007).

This contest marks Kansas City's first of four straight games vs. NFC East squads. The Chiefs are 2-5 vs. the NFC East since 1999 with both victories coming against the Redskins and they haven't defeated the Eagles since 1998 (0-2 since).

With Donovan McNabb inactive, Philadelphia lost, 48-22, to the Saints last weekend. The last time the Eagles gave up more points in a single game was October 30, 2005 in a 49-21 loss to the Broncos.

Kevin Kolb threw for 391 yards in the Eagles' Week 2 loss to New Orleans — the most by any quarterback making his first career start since 1950. Donovan McNabb (464 yards on 12/5/04 vs. GB) is the last Philadelphia QB to throw for more yards than Kolb did last Sunday.

Matt Cassel made his first start in a Chiefs' uniform last week and threw for 241 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Cassel is now 10-6 in his career as a starter and this will be his first start vs. the Eagles.

Kansas City has scored half of its 2009 points in the fourth quarter (17) - however, the Chiefs have already allowed 28 fourth-quarter points this season — most in the league.

The Eagles' leading receiver with 14 catches in 2009, Brent Celek had a career-high eight receptions last week vs. the Saints and with 104 yards, recorded his second career 100-yard receiving game as well.

With 52 yards on the ground in Week 2, Brian Westbrook is the only player in the league to garner 5,000+ rush yards and 3,000+ receiving yards since the beginning of 2004.

Packers (1-1) at Rams (0-2)

The Packers lost, 31-24, at home to the Bengals last Sunday — their first loss at Lambeau Field to the Bengals all-time. Green Bay was just 2-6 on the road in 2008 and is playing away from home for the first time this season.

Green Bay is just 7-11 since the beginning of last season with eight of those losses coming by seven points or less. The Packers are 2-1 all-time at Edward Jones Dome — this will be Aaron Rodgers' first game in St. Louis.

The Rams were beaten, 9-7, by the Redskins in Week 2 (their 12th consecutive loss) and are just 5-29 since the beginning of 2007.

Steven Jackson rushed for 104 yards last Sunday and dating to Week 16 of 2008, has now gone over 100 yards on the ground in three of his last four games overall. Jackson ran for 143 and a touchdown the last time these two teams met in 2007.

Aaron Rodgers has been sacked a league-high 10 times in 2009 and Packer receivers have dropped eight of his catchable passes already this season — most of any QB in the NFL. Despite ending up on the turf too frequently, Rodgers has not thrown an interception in 125 consecutive pass attempts.

Charles Woodson picked off two Carson Palmer passes last Sunday and took one of the picks 37 yards to paydirt — his seventh career interception return for a touchdown. Woodson has 21 INT since joining the Packers in 2006 — tied with two others for most in the league during that span.

St. Louis is one of two teams in the league without a field goal in 2009 (Tampa Bay is the other). Josh Brown missed his only attempt of the season — a 37-yarder in Week 1.

The Rams have lost two straight home-openers, but overall, St. Louis is 10-4 in its first game of the season at Edward Jones Dome since 1995.

Giants (2-0) at Buccaneers (0-2)

New York beat Dallas, 33-31, in the debut of new Cowboys Stadium and is now 2-0 for the second straight and third time in the last five seasons. The Giants have a 13-4 regular-season record on the road since 2007 — best in the NFC.

Eli Manning is now 24-8 in his last 32 starts overall and has won seven straight September games dating to September 23, 2007. Including a playoff win in January of 2008, Manning is 2-0 all-time vs. the Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay lost, 33-20 on the road in Buffalo last Sunday and is now 0-2 for the third time in the last six seasons. The Bucs have dropped six straight games by an average of over 11 points per game dating to December of 2008.

Carnell Williams recorded his first career receiving touchdown last Sunday and has now reached paydirt in both games this season and giving him four total TDs in his last three contests overall.

Kellen Winslow led all Buccaneer receivers with seven catches for 90 yards last Sunday. Winslow now has caught at least one pass in every one of his 46 career NFL games.

The Giants are the only team in football without a red-zone TD in 2009 and have six field goals in eight trips inside their opponents' 20-yard line this season.

Mario Manningham (10 catches-150 yards) and Steve Smith (10 catches-134 yards) both had outstanding games last Sunday and are currently the league's top duo with 422 combined receiving yards in 2009.

Byron Leftwich has been knocked down a league-high 20 times in 2009. Leftwich had three touchdown passes in Week 2 for just the third time in his career (also vs. Washington in 2006 and vs. Tennessee in 2005).

Sunday — Late games

Saints (2-0) at Bills (1-1)

New Orleans throttled the Eagles in Philadelphia last Sunday, 48-22, and is 2-0 for the first time since 2006 when the Saints started with three straight victories on their way to the NFC South title. The Saints are 4-4 all-time vs. the Bills, including 2-1 in Buffalo.

Drew Brees had three touchdown passes in Week 2 and now has nine total on the season — tied with Charley Johnson of the 1965 Cardinals for most of any quarterback in the first two games of a season. Brees has thrown for 14,579 yards in 50 games for the Saints — most of any QB in his first 50 games with a new team in NFL history.

Buffalo beat Tampa Bay, 33-20, last weekend and snapped a 5-game home losing streak in the process. Trent Edwards is now 7-6 in 13 career starts at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Freddy Jackson set career highs in both rushes (28) and rush yards (163) last week vs. the Bucs. Jackson has two 100-yard games in his last three and his 356 yards on the ground during that span are most of any AFC back since Week 17 of 2008.

With 45 points in Week 1 and 48 in Week 2, New Orleans became the first team since the 1968 Raiders to record 45+ points in each of the first two games of a season.

Darren Sharper took a Kevin Kolb pass 97 yards to the house last Sunday and now has nine career interception returns for touchdowns — tied for second-most all-time. Sharper's 57 career interceptions are most of all active NFL players.

Terrell Owens caught his first touchdown pass a Bill last weekend and now has 140 career TD receptions overall. Since 2000, Owens has 110 touchdown catches — most in the league (Randy Moss is second with 107).

The Bills have returned an interception in each of the first two games of 2009 — the last team to post an INT touchdown in each of its first two games in any season was the 1998 Seahawks.

Bears (1-1) at Seahawks (1-1)

The Bears pulled out a 17-14 victory over the Steelers last weekend and are now 1-1 for the third straight season. Chicago has lost three consecutive road contests dating to last season and is just 3-9 in its last 12 games away from Soldier Field overall.

After throwing four interceptions in his Bears' debut Week 1 vs. Green Bay, Jay Cutler had two touchdown passes and zero picks in posting a 104.7 rating against Pittsburgh. Cutler now has a career record of 11-0 when posting a rating of 100 or higher.

Matt Hasselbeck suffered a broken rib vs. the Niners last Sunday and the Seahawks dropped their first game of the season, 23-10, in San Francisco. Hasselbeck (2-0 all-time with a 100.2 rating at home against the Bears) is most likely a game-time decision for this game vs. Chicago.

Seneca Wallace started a career-high eight games last season (3-5 record) and in five career starts at Quest Field has thrown eight TD passes and zero interceptions (101.3 rating) while going 3-2.

John Carlson recorded his second straight 6-catch game last weekend and now has a team-high 12 receptions in 2009. Dating to Week 12 in 2008, Carlson has had at least one touchdown catch in each of his last four home games (5 TD total in those games)

In sharp contrast to some prior seasons, Seahawk receivers have dropped just two catchable passes in 2009 — tied with Atlanta and Miami for fewest in football.

Chicago has put together six scoring drives this season and is averaging 10.3 plays on those drives — most among all NFC squads and second-most in the league (Miami-11.0).

Matt Forte has just 84 yards on the ground in his first two games of 2009 after running for a combined 215 yards in the first two games of his rookie campaign last year. Seven (5 rush, 2 rec) of Forte's 12 career touchdowns have come on the road.

Steelers (1-1) at Bengals (1-1)

After scoring just 13 points in its overtime win vs. the Titans in the first game of the 2009 NFL season, Pittsburgh could muster only 14 vs. the Bears in last Sunday's loss. The last time the Steelers failed to score more than 14 points either of their first two regular-season games was 1997 (Lost 37-7 to Dallas and beat Washington, 14-13).

The Steelers have held the Bengals to 17 points or fewer in every contest during their current 5-game win streak vs. the division rivals. Pittsburgh is 15-3 in Cincinnati since 1991 and is currently riding a 7-game win streak in the Queen City (last loss in 2001).

After a heartbreaking loss to the Broncos in Week 1, Cincinnati bounced back and beat the Packers at Lambeau Field for the first time ever last Sunday, 31-24. The Bengals have now won four of their last five games, dating to Week 15 of 2008.

Including his first rushing TD since October of 2005 (vs. the Steelers), Carson Palmer accounted for all four of Cincinnati's touchdowns last weekend. Palmer has now scored three rush touchdowns in his career with the other one coming vs. Dallas in November of 2004.

Including the postseason, Ben Roethlisberger has a career record of 11-0 in his home state of Ohio — 6-0 in Cincinnati and 5-0 in Cleveland.

Santonio Holmes (14) and Hines Ward (14) have combined for 28 catches through Week 2 — tied with Randy Moss and Wes Welker for most of any pair of AFC teammates in 2009. Ward has 106 career catches vs. Cincy — most of any player all-time.

Chad Ochocinco had four catches for 91 yards (and a TD) last Sunday and now has 9,085 career receiving yards — most of any Bengal receiver all-time. Ochocinco has 1,029 receiving yards in 15 career games vs. the Steelers — most of any active NFL player against Pittsburgh.

Cedric Benson ran for 141 yards last weekend vs. the Packers and now has six career 100-yard performances overall. Benson has accounted for 91.6 percent of his squads' rush yards in 2009 (217 of 237) — highest of any player in the league.

Broncos (2-0) at Raiders (1-1)

The Broncos beat the Browns, 27-6, last weekend and are now 2-0 for the third straight and sixth time in their last nine campaigns. However, Denver has only made the postseason one time since 2001 after winning its first two games (2003).

With wins in his first two games as a Bronco, Kyle Orton now has a career record of 23-12 (.657). Orton has yet to throw an interception in 2009 and his rating of 90.9, if maintained, would be a career high.

Oakland went to Kansas City and beat the Chiefs for the third straight time at Arrowhead Stadium, 13-10. Dating to Week 16 of 2008, the Raiders have won three of four overall and beat the Broncos, 31-10, in 2008 at Invesco Field.

With its 13-10 Week 2 victory, Oakland snapped a 28-game losing streak when scoring 13 or fewer points. Prior to last Sunday, the last time the Raiders had such a win was September 19, 2004 — 13-10 over the Bills.

Knowshon Moreno had 75 yards on 17 carries in Week 2 and now leads all rookie running backs with 94 rushing yards in 2009. Moreno's backfield partner, Correll Buckhalter is averaging 7.2 yards per carry thus far — second-highest of any back in the league with at least 15 rushes this season.

After a couple of shaky outings, JaMarcus Russell gets to play against a team he has actually had some success against. Russell has posted a combined passer rating of 127.3 in two career starts (1-1 record) vs. Denver (73.0%, 3 TD, 0 INT).

Having had 22 series without a turnover this season, Denver is the only team in the NFL without an offensive giveaway in 2009.

Raiders' punter, Shane Lechler is averaging 53.9 yards per kick in 2009 — best of any punter in the league through Week 2.

Dolphins (0-2) at Chargers (1-1)

Despite holding onto the ball for 45:07 of their game last Monday, the Dolphins lost to the Colts, 27-23, and dropped to 0-2 for the fourth consecutive season. The last team to have the ball for 45+ minutes in a game and lose, were the Rams on October 27, 1996 vs. the Ravens.

Behind 136 yards by Ronnie Brown, the Dolphins rushed for 239 yards against the Colts in Week 2 — their highest total since running for 256 vs. the Patriots on December 29, 2002. Browns' performance gave him 3,612 career rush yards and moved him past Tony Nathan into No. 5 on the Dolphins' all-time list.

The Chargers lost, 31-26, at home to the Ravens last Sunday and had their 5-game regular-season win streak snapped in the process. San Diego has dropped seven straight games to the Dolphins (since 1995) by an average of over 10 points per contest.

Phillip Rivers threw for a career-high 436 yards in Week 2 and now leads all NFL quarterbacks with 688 total passing yards in 2009. Rivers has tossed 14 touchdown passes since Week 14 of 2008 — most of any AFC quarterback.

With LaDainian Tomlinson out, the Chargers ran for just 53 yards vs. the Ravens in Week 2 — their lowest rushing output since a 42-yard game vs. the Vikings on November 4, 2007. As a team, San Diego has 130 yards on the ground in 2009 — third-lowest in the league.

Ted Ginn Jr. caught a career-high 11 passes last Monday night for 108 yards en route to his second career 100-yard performance. Chad Pennington threw 33 passes in Week 2 — 16 of which targeted Ginn.

Joey Porter recorded his first sack of the season last Monday and now has 84.0 in his career — 5th-most among all NFL players since the beginning of 1999.

Darren Sproles caught seven passes for 124 yards (both career highs) in Week 2 and now has 167 yards receiving in 2009 — most of any running back in the league.

Sunday night

Colts (2-0) at Cardinals (1-1)

Indianapolis beat Miami, 27-23, last Monday and has now won an NFL-high 11 straight regular-season games dating to last season. Jeff George was the Colts' QB the last time the team made the journey to play in Arizona — a 20-17 loss in 1990.

Peyton Manning passed for 303 yards in Week 2 and has now posted four 300-yard games in his last five regular-season contests. Manning's 125.8 passer rating since Week 14 of 2008 is the best in football.

Arizona beat the Jaguars, 31-17, in Jacksonville last Sunday for their first win of the season and is now 65-2 since 1981 when scoring 30 points or more in a game. Dating to 2008, the Cardinals are just 2-3 in their last five regular-season home games.

Kurt Warner set an NFL record by completing 92.3 percent of his passes (24-for-26) in the win over Jacksonville last Sunday. Warner connected on his first 15 passes of the game on his way to breaking the record formally held by Vinny Testaverde (91.3 percent vs. the LA Rams in 1993).

The Colts are 42-15 on the road since the beginning of 2002 — tied with New England for the best record in the league. Indianapolis has won five straight away from home, all by seven points or less.

The Cardinals forced three Jaguar turnovers last week and finished the game with a +1 turnover ratio. Under head coach Ken Whisenhunt, the Cardinals are now 17-0, including postseason play, when they win the turnover battle and 1-15 record when they lose the turnover battle.

Indianapolis has not allowed a passing touchdown in either of the first two games of 2009 and overall has given up just six passing TDs since the beginning of last season — by far the fewest in football (Pittsburgh is 2nd — 15). The Cardinals have allowed 39 opponent passing touchdowns since 2008 — most in the league.

Despite nursing a sore hamstring, Anquan Boldin had eight catches for 69 yards in Week 2. Boldin now has 6,584 career receiving yards and needs just 61 against the Colts to move past Mel Gray into No. 4 on the Cardinals' all-time list.

Monday night

Panthers (2-0) at Cowboys (1-1)

Carolina lost, 28-20, to the Falcons last Sunday and is 0-2 for the fifth time in franchise history (also 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2006). The Panthers have never finished a season with a winning record when they've lost their first two games.

Dallas has defeated Carolina seven straight times during regular-season play (7-1 vs. the Panthers overall) with six of those Cowboy victories decided by seven points or fewer.

The Cowboys dropped their first game in their new stadium, 33-31, to the Giants and dating to Week 16 of 2008 have now lost three of the last four games overall. Dallas has allowed an average of 32.8 ppg in those four contests.

Tony Romo threw three interceptions and was just 13-for-29 (44.8 percent) in Week 2, posting a 29.6 passer rating in the process (second-lowest of his career). Romo is 2-0 all-time vs. the Panthers (2 TD, 2 INT, 83.7 rating).

Steve Smith had eight catches for 131 yards vs. the Falcons in Week 2 and has now recorded six 100+ yard receiving games in his last eight contests overall. Smith's 888 receiving yards since Week 12 of 2008 are most of any player in the league.

Jake Delhomme improved upon his Week 1 performance last Sunday, but still threw an interception giving him five picks already in 2009 — tied with Matthew Stafford for most in the league. Since joining Carolina in 2003, Delhomme has a regular-season record of 0-3 vs. Dallas

The Panthers have allowed 28+ points in four straight regular-season games and dating to Week 12 of 2008, Carolina has given up an average of 30.0 ppg — second-highest in the league (Detroit-35.1).

Dallas will be making its 71st all-time appearance on Monday Night Football in Week 3 — second-most among all teams (Miami-74). The Cowboys have won 41 MNF games — most of any team in football.

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