NFL's Smartest Plays of the Week

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Dec 3, 2010

NFL's Smartest Plays of the Week

Malcolm Jenkins' strip of Roy Williams

Leading 27-23 in the fourth quarter, Cowboys receiver Roy Williams broke free on a slant pattern and had a clear path to the end zone. In retrospect, he admits, the smart play would have been to go down inbounds and let the clock dwindle. The lure of six points was too much for Williams however, and as he sprinted toward the goal line, Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins caught up to him and stripped the ball. Jenkin's heads-up play got the ball back for the Saints, who would score the game-winning touchdown five plays later.

Brad Smith's 53-yard end around

At halftime, the 8-2 Jets were down 7-3 to the 2-8 Bengals. Their offense was sluggish and they were in dire need of a spark. They found that spark in WR/QB/KR Brad Smith. Forty-seven seconds in to the second half, Smith took a handoff on an smartly called end around and sprinted 53 yards untouched for a touchdown.

Brett Favre's game-saving run

It's already been a long season for Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. The game is taking its toll on Favre's 41-year-old body more than ever before, but for one play in last week's Vikings-Redskins game, Favre looked spryer than ever. Leading 17-13 with 2:25 left, the Vikings needed another first down to close out the game. On third down Favre took the snap and couldn't find anyone open. Rather than throwing it away, Favre sprinted for the first down.

Giants defensive adjustments against Jaguars

After a 41-7 dismantling of the Seattle Seahawks, the New York Giants looked like the team to beat in the NFL. Two-straight losses later, the Giants were rife with question marks. None of those question marks disappeared when the team went to the locker room down 17-6 to the Jaguars at halftime. Frustrated, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora ripped into their teammates, imploring them to pick it up. The result? The Giants held the Jaguars to a field goal in the second half and won 24-20.

Starting Chad Henne

Benched two weeks ago in favor of Chad Pennington, Chad Henne finally returned to the starting role this week against the Raiders. And coach Tony Sparano looks like a genius for putting him there. Aided by a running game that gashed Oakland for 186 yards on the ground, Henne was a tidy 17-for-30 with 307 yards and two touchdowns.

San Diego's practice play clock

Sometimes a team just has your number. In his past six games against the Chargers, Peyton Manning has a passer rating of 74.5 and has been picked off 11 times. On Sunday the Chargers continued the trend, picking off Manning four times and harassing him into a measly 59.8 rating. The secret? According to SI's Peter King, the Chargers practice with a play clock to simulate Manning's pace. After Sunday, it may become a league-wide trend.

Falcons' offensive scheme

Falcons-Packers was a game of contrasts. On one side you had the Packers, spreading the field with five-receiver, no-back formations. On the other side you had the Falcons, pounding the ball, lining up with two, sometimes three tight ends on any given play. The latter philosophy won out on Sunday, as Matt Ryan and the Falcons emerged victorious in a 20-17 thriller.

Sticking with Texans DB Glover Quin

The life of a cornerback is tough. If you break up a pass, you're simply doing what's expected of you. But give up a pass play and you're sitting by yourself on the bus. Houston Texans cornerback Glover Quin was lonely for the last two weeks after giving up game-winning touchdowns to Jacksonville and the New York Jets. But Quin redeemed himself in a big way against the Titans, intercepting three passes during the Texans' 20-0 victory.

Heap's 65-yard TD catch

Todd Heap was supposed to be washed-up. The tight end hasn't been completely healthy in years, and the Ravens drafted two tight ends, presumably to transition away from the 10th year veteran. But as Heap's 65-yard seam route showed on Sunday, Heap still has a few years left in him, and the Ravens are wise to ride him while they still can.

Solider Field turf

What was the key to stopping Eagles quarterback Michael Vick? Was it a mobile defensive line led by Julius Peppers? A robust offense led by Jay Cutler? No, if the Bears proved anything on Sunday, it's that the key to beating Vick lies in the turf. Solider Field's soft sod led to a lot of slipping on both sides in the Bears-Eagles game, but a normally explosive Eagles offense looked a step slower than normal. Will the Bears' technique catch on around the league?