NFL 2009 | Brett Favre Minnesota Vikings QB
Brett Favre

As the NFL approaches the halfway point, it's still a wide open race to the playoffs.

Sure, the Indianapolis Colts (7-0) and New Orleans Saints (7-0) are in good shape with spotless records. But in the unpredictable NFL, you don't want to count out anybody. Since 1990, when the current 12-team playoff format was adopted, 47 teams (20.6 percent of the 228 playoff clubs) have advanced to the postseason after starting the season with a .500 or worse record after eight games. So while being undefeated is nice, Colts wide receiver REGGIE WAYNE knows there's a lot of football left to be played.

"We know that 7-0 guarantees us nothing," says Wayne. "We've gotten farther than this in the past and came out with nothing. We just want to stay dialed in and continue to win games."

And "continue to win games" is exactly what the Colts have been doing. Indianapolis has now won 16 consecutive regular-season games and can tie the 1933-34 Chicago Bears for the third-longest streak in NFL history with a win this Sunday against the 5-3 Houston Texans.

The 7-0 mark for Colts head coach JIM CALDWELL is the second-best start in the past 80 years for a rookie head coach, trailing only POTSY CLARK (8-0) of the 1931 Portsmouth Spartans. "They're not handing out anything for whatever record that is," says Caldwell. "We've got a lot of work ahead of us."

And that work continues this Sunday. Both the Colts and Saints will look to remain unbeaten as part of five key divisional matchups in Week 9:

AFC North: Baltimore (4-3) at Cincinnati (5-2)

AFC South: Houston (5-3) at Indianapolis (7-0)

AFC East: Miami (3-4) at New England (5-2)

NFC South: Carolina (3-4) at New Orleans (7-0)

NFC East: Dallas (5-2) at Philadelphia (5-2)

BALTIMORE RAVENS (4-3) at CINCINNATI BENGALS (5-2)

The 4-3 Ravens will visit the 5-2 Bengals in a matchup between two of the top teams in the AFC North. Baltimore is riding high after an impressive 30-7 victory over the previously unbeaten Denver Broncos while the Bengals, who had a bye in Week 8, have won five of their past six games.

"It was a special win," says Ravens running back RAY RICE after defeating Denver. "It was a game that we needed, especially coming off the bye week. To come out and play all three phases the way we played, that was special."

In Week 7, the Bengals played, according to offensive coordinator BOB BRATKOWSKI, "our best game of this year." Cincinnati defeated Chicago 45-10 behind quarterback CARSON PALMER's five touchdown passes and running back CEDRIC BENSON's career-high 189 rushing yards. But head coach MARVIN LEWIS is looking forward, not back.

"It's a new season," says Lewis, speaking of the games after the bye week. "We have a nine-game schedule and we open with Baltimore."

HOUSTON TEXANS (5-3) at INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (7-0)

Two of the NFL's hottest clubs will meet at Lucas Oil Stadium this Sunday in a battle of the AFC South's top teams.

Houston has won three games in a row, including a 31-10 victory at Buffalo last week. The Texans, now 5-3, are two games above .500 after eight games for the first time in franchise history.

"This team has grown so much since the day I got here," says Houston wide receiver ANDRE JOHNSON, who leads the NFL with 697 receiving yards. "I've pretty much been through it all here. We've come a long way."

The Colts, who are 7-0 for the fourth time in the past five seasons, begin a stretch that will see them play teams that are a combined 19-11 (.633) over the next four games. That starts this Sunday against the Texans.

"We're heading into the teeth of our schedule," says Indianapolis quarterback PEYTON MANNING.

Indianapolis remained unbeaten with an 18-14 win over San Francisco last week, highlighted by running back JOSEPH ADDAI's 22-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass to REGGIE WAYNE.

"I couldn't drop that one," says Wayne, who ranks second in the NFL behind Houston's Johnson with 689 receiving yards. "If I had dropped that one, he would have messed with me forever."

DALLAS COWBOYS (5-2) at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (5-2)

"Philadelphia and Dallas are playing great in all three phases," says NBC analyst TONY DUNGY. "It's setting up a big showdown game -- with first place in the NFC East on the line -- on Sunday night."

The Cowboys have won three consecutive games and have scored 101 points (33.7 per game) during their recent winning streak. Quarterback TONY ROMO has posted a 100+ passer rating in all three games and wide receiver MILES AUSTIN has recorded 21 catches for 482 yards (160.7 per game) and five touchdowns in the past three -- the first three starts of his career. Austin's 482 receiving yards are the most by a player in his first three starts since 1970.

"The Cowboys are the best team in the NFC East right now," says NFL Network analyst STEVE MARIUCCI.

Last week, the Eagles scored 40 points in a 23-point victory over the New York Giants, the team's largest margin of victory over the Giants since 1996. In Philadelphia's five wins this season, the team has averaged 34.4 points per game.

One of the weapons in the high-octane offense is wide receiver-punt returner DE SEAN JACKSON, who has scored six touchdowns of at least 50 yards this year, becoming just the second player in NFL history -- Pro Football Hall of Famer ELROY (CRAZYLEGS) HIRSCH (1951) -- to score six 50-yard touchdowns in the first seven games of a season.

"I've just been put in some great positions to score long touchdowns," says Jackson. "Whatever we need to do to make it work, that's what we're going to do. I want to keep winning, keep making plays and hopefully make it to the Super Bowl."

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (5-2) at DENVER BRONCOS (6-1)

The defending champion Steelers, coming off a bye, will look to extend their winning streak to five consecutive games this Monday night at Denver when two division leaders clash.

"We're stacking wins," says Pittsburgh wide receiver HINES WARD of the team's recent winning streak. "In the month of November, we're heading in the right direction."

In Week 7, the Steelers, who currently are tied for first in the AFC North with Cincinnati, scored two defensive touchdowns in the fourth quarter -- 77-yard fumble-return TD by linebacker LA MARR WOODLEY and 82-yard interception-return TD by linebacker KEYARON FOX -- in the team's 27-17 win over Minnesota.

"There's a lot of season left and we have some growing to do defensively," says Pittsburgh defensive coordinator DICK LE BEAU. "I think we have the potential to be a very, very good defense."

A team that has shown a very, very good defense in 2009 is Denver. The Broncos, who enter the week in first place in the AFC West with a 6-1 mark, rank second in the NFL allowing just 13.7 points per game. Denver will look to rebound after suffering its first loss of the season last week against another AFC North opponent, the Baltimore Ravens.

"You can find out just as much about your team through the adversity of a loss as you can through six wins," says Broncos head coach JOSH MC DANIELS. "Now we've got to get ready to play against a really good team in Pittsburgh."

 

There have been 81 touchdowns of at least 50 yards scored this season. That is the most through the first eight weeks of a season since 1970. The previous high was 80 touchdowns of 50+ yards scored in 1998.

Miami's TED GINN had kick-return touchdowns of 101 and 100 yards in the third quarter of the Dolphins' 30-25 win over the New York Jets. Ginn is the first player in NFL history with two touchdowns of 100 yards in the same game and is the eighth player in NFL history with two kick-return touchdowns in a game. Ginn also became the first player to record two KR-TDs in the same quarter since Green Bay's TRAVIS WILLIAMS in 1967.

In Tennessee's 30-13 win over Jacksonville, Titans running back CHRIS JOHNSON rushed for touchdowns of 52 and 89 yards (228 rushing yards total) and Jaguars running back MAURICE JONES-DREW rushed for touchdowns of 80 and 79 yards (177 rushing yards total). The game was the first in NFL history with four rushing touchdowns of at least 50 yards.

Indianapolis quarterback PEYTON MANNING completed 31 of 48 passes for 347 yards in the Colts' 18-14 win over San Francisco. Manning, who now has 4,026 completions in his career, reached the 4,000-completion mark in his 183rd career game, the fastest in NFL history. Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback DAN MARINO reached 4,000 completions in 193 games. Manning is one of only four players in NFL history to record 4,000 completions, joining current Vikings quarterback BRETT FAVRE (5,894) and Hall of Famers Marino (4,967) and JOHN ELWAY (4,123).

Philadelphia wide receiver DE SEAN JACKSON had a 54-yard touchdown reception in the Eagles' 40-17 win over the New York Giants. Jackson became just the second player in NFL history with six touchdowns (four receiving, one rushing, one punt return) of at least 50 yards in his team's first seven games of a season.

Jackson joins Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver ELROY (CRAZYLEGS) HIRSCH, who had six touchdowns of at least 50 yards in 1951 with the Los Angeles Rams, as the only players to accomplish the feat.

San Diego running back LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON rushed for 56 yards in the Chargers' 24-16 win against Oakland. Tomlinson, who now has 12,027 rushing yards in his career, reached the 12,000-yard mark in his 132nd game, the fourth-fastest in NFL history behind Pro Football Hall of Famers JIM BROWN (115 games), ERIC DICKERSON (118) and BARRY SANDERS (125). The NFL's all-time leading rusher, EMMITT SMITH, accomplished the feat in 133 games and Hall of Famer WALTER PAYTON reached 12,000 yards in his 134th game.

Minnesota quarterback BRETT FAVRE passed for four touchdown passes in the Vikings' 38-26 win over Green Bay. Favre threw at least four touchdown passes in a game for the 21st time in his career and tied Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO for the most such games in NFL history.

Favre returned to Lambeau Field for the first time as a visiting player. During his 16-year career in Green Bay, Favre won 89 games at Lambeau. Favre is the first player since 1970 to win 90 games at a stadium as both a home and visiting player. Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback JOHN ELWAY won 95 games at Mile High Stadium -- all as a Bronco -- and is the only other quarterback since 1970 to win at least 90 games at one NFL venue.

Indianapolis rookie head coach JIM CALDWELL improved to 7-0 with an 18-14 win over San Francisco. Caldwell joined POTSY CLARK of the 1931 Portsmouth Spartans (8-0) as the only rookie head coaches in the past 80 years to start the season 7-0.

 

NFL 2009 Week 9 - Favre Returns to Lambeau; 3 Unbeatens Most Since Merger