Surprising wins in week 6

It’s been a tough season so far for Steven Jackson and his St. Louis team. An offensive line crippled by injury. A coaching change in mid-season. So it was great to see Jax have a good day, and his team get a surprising win, a 19-17 shocker on the road in the nation’s capital. Jackson powered for 79 yards on 22 carries against one of the best, most physical defenses in the league (the unit held Dallas too xx and Philly to zz the last two weeks). Jackson added 33 yards receiving, making 111 from scrimmage in the win.

Speaking of surprising wins, how about that Arizona thriller over Dallas? The ‘Boyz somehow erased a 10-point deficit in the final minutes, but Desert Swarm won it in OT on a blocked punt, of all things, 30-24. Before the drama, Larry Fitzgerald put on an amazing show of toughness, hands, and desire. He caught five passes for 79 yards and a touchdown, including a 2-yd. fade for the score, and a 30-yd. sizzler between and over a pair of defenders to set up the go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter.

In a physical tussle between the Purple People from the Twin Cities and the winless bunch from Motown, a pair of our guys had good days. Adrian Peterson reeled off 111 yards, most of it in a second half comeback effort, as Minnesota won 12-10. Peterson also had a key blitz pickup in the big pass play that keyed the winning field goal with nine seconds left, a pass interference penalty worth 42 yards. Meanwhile, the man known as Megatron, Calvin Johnson, put up good numbers despite catching passes from the backup QB. He had four grabs for 85 yards and a 12-yard TD, Detroit’s sole six of the game. It looked for a long time like it would be enough to win it for the visitors, but Minnesota pulled out its second straight cardiac style win.

And another steady game for LaDainian Tomlinson, as San Diego exacts much-desired vengeance on New England in a 30-10 spanking. LT had 118 yards from scrimmage, broken down thusly—74 running, 44 receiving. Remember, he’s doing it with an injured toe that is clearly hampering his ability to cut on a dime, the LT way we all love.