After a Sunday slate of games in which eight teams put up 30 points or more and six quarterbacks threw for at least 300 yards — and two for over 400 — we see once again how a high-powered passing attack can make or break an NFL team.
In a shootout at FedExField, Matt Schaub of the Texans and Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb combined for 66 completions, four touchdowns and 923 passing yards in a 30-27 Houston win. Once Washington safety Laron Landry went down with an injury midway through the game, Schaub exposed a depleted Redskin team time and again, leading the Texans back from a 20-7 halftime deficit to a thrilling overtime win.
A couple of quarterbacks who started the year as back-ups also made some noise on Sunday. Michael Vick made his first start in over four years, replacing the injured Kevin Kolb for McNabb's former team, the Eagles. The three-time Pro Bowler looked like his old self, throwing for 284 yards and rushing for 37 more in the win. Detroit was also led by someone who started the year as a back-up: Shaun Hill, the journeyman quarterback out of Maryland. Hill threw for 335 yards and tossed two touchdowns in the absence of starter Matthew Stafford, proving himself a worthy replacement.
In a sibling quarterback showdown, Peyton Manning outgunned little brother Eli in a 38-14 Colts win over the Giants. Peyton was dead-on accurate, completing 20 of his 26 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns, numbers that probably could have been better if the Colts had not been up 24-0 at halftime and did not keep the ball mostly on the ground in the second half.
Several other quarterbacks around the league put up big passing numbers in romping Week 2 wins. San Diego's Philip Rivers continued to show why he is as good in the regular season as any quarterback in the league, throwing for 334 yards and three touchdowns in a convincing 38-13 win over Jacksonville. The other AFC West powerhouse, Denver, saw its quarterback Kyle Orton throw for over 400 yards, helping the Broncos to a 31-14 victory over Seattle. Rookie wideout Demaryius Thomas was Orton's biggest beneficiary, hauling in eight receptions for 97 yards.
On the other end of the spectrum, Baltimore's Joe Flacco almost single-handedly gave Cincinnati a 15-10 home win. The third-year starter out of Delaware was awful, completing less than 50 percent of his passes for only 154 yards. His biggest problem, however, was taking care of the football. Flacco threw four interceptions, including two crushing blows late in the fourth quarter. The Ravens brought in Anquan Boldin, Donte Stallworth and T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the offseason to improve their passing game, but these additions will be for naught if Flacco is unable to complete passes on a consistent basis.
In Atlanta, the Cardinals' Derek Anderson had his own problems with interceptions in a 41-7 loss to the Falcons. Anderson tossed two picks and was so bad that he was pulled for back-up quarterback Max Hall toward the end of the game. For the Cardinals to have any success this season, Anderson is going to have to do a much better job getting the ball to his best playmaking receivers in Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston.
In the NFL, the old adage reads that offenses win games but defenses win championships. While this saying may be true, take a look at the quarterbacks on recent Super Bowl championship teams. Last season, the Saints were led by quarterback Drew Brees's passing. Just a couple years prior, it was Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Before Manning, quarterback Tom Brady led the Patriots to three Super Bowls in four seasons.
The evidence here suggests that while defense might still win championships, in the past decade, teams have also needed a great quarterback to launch them into the upper echelon of the league.
