Sports (washingtonpost.com)

Two-Minute Drill
Patriots Struggle Without Dillon, Law

The Washington Post
Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2004, Page D12

Hamstring Sidelines Moss Early | Star of the Day
By the Numbers | Quotable | Sunday's Best | Looking Ahead

New England Patriots running back Corey Dillon was scratched from yesterday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a thigh injury, and Pro Bowl cornerback Ty Law left in the first quarter with a foot injury.

New England clearly missed both players and lost its first game, 34-20, after winning an NFL-record 21 in a row.

Dillon, coming off consecutive 100-yard games, went into the day sixth in the NFL with 637 yards rushing and is averaging 106.1 yards a game. He had two 100-yard performances in 13 games against the Steelers, all with Cincinnati, but was held to 60 yards or fewer in each of his most recent four starts against them.

Law, one of the NFL's premier pass defenders, was injured slipping on the Heinz Field turf, which is showing bare spots not even halfway through the NFL season. Immediately after Law was lifted, Ben Roethlisberger threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress with Randall Gay, Law's replacement, in coverage.

The Patriots were without their other starting cornerback, Tyrone Poole, who sat out a second consecutive game with an injured knee.

Patriots Coach Bill Belichick played down Dillon's injury on Friday, saying Dillon was "fine" and probable, meaning he had a 75 percent chance of playing. Dillon was downgraded to questionable later in the day.

Kevin Faulk, a sixth-year running back from LSU, replaced Dillon and finished with four yards on five carries. Faulk entered yesterday with 43 yards on 11 carries and a 3.9 average in three games this season.

-- From News Services

Hamstring Sidelines Moss Early
Randy Moss left Minnesota's game against the New York Giants at halftime, leaving the wide receiver without a catch for the second straight week.

Moss, bothered by a right hamstring he strained on Oct. 17 at New Orleans, was introduced in the starting lineup and played a handful of snaps in the first half.

He was thrown to once, catching the ball on a fade route in the corner of the end zone. But he couldn't get his left foot inbounds, and the pass was ruled incomplete. Moss clearly wasn't able to go full speed when he ran downfield.

Moss walked out for the second half wearing a gray T-shirt, sweat pants and sandals. This was the 103rd consecutive regular season appearance for Moss, who has played in every game of his seven-year career. Last week against Tennessee, his streak of 101 straight games with a catch ended when he played two snaps.

-- From News Services

Star of the Day
Chargers quarterback Drew Brees threw for five touchdowns, 281 yards and no interceptions on 22-for-25 passing to lead the San Diego Chargers to a 42-14 victory over the Oakland Raiders. Brees has the Chargers tied with Denver for first place in the AFC West at 5-3.

By the Numbers
5: Total rushing yards for the New England Patriots in their 34-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was the Super Bowl champion's first loss after winning an NFL-record 21 games in a row.
17:26: Time of possession advantage for the Dallas Cowboys in their 31-21 victory over the Detroit Lions. The Cowboys ran the ball 41 times, 11 more attempts than in any of their other games this season, with Eddie George gaining 99 yards on 31 carries.
1,095: Combined yards of offense for the Colts and Chiefs in Kansas City's 45-35 victory. The Chiefs compiled 590 yards of offense, the third-most in a single game in NFL history.

Quotable
"The Giants are not on our schedule next year. Thank God."
Vikings Coach Mike Tice after a 34-13 loss to the Giants, who also beat Minnesota, 41-0, in the 2001 NFC championship game

Sunday's Best
Top Rushers (by yards)
195: Shaun Alexander, Seahawks, 32 carries, 1 TD
147: Chris Brown, Titans, 32 carries, 1 TD
143: Priest Holmes, 32 carries, 3 TDs
125: Duce Staley, 25 carries
115: Michael Vick, 12 carries
102: Willis McGahee, 30 carries, 2 TDs
101: Tiki Barber, 101 carries, 2 TDs

Top Passers (by yards)
499: Jake Plummer, Broncos, 31 of 55, 4 TDs, 3 INTs
472: Peyton Manning, Colts, 25 of 44, 5 TDs, 1 INT
389: Trent Green, Chiefs, 27 of 34, 3 TDs, 3 TDs
289: Brett Favre, 20 of 32, 1 TD, 3 INTs
281: Drew Brees, 22 of 25, 5 TDs
276: David Carr, 26 of 34, 2 TDs, 2 INTs

Top Receivers (by yards)
208: Rod Smith, Broncos, 9 catches, 1 TD
125: Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs, 8 catches, 2 TDs
119: Marvin Harrison, Colts, 5 catches, 2 TDs
119: Reggie Wayne, Colts, 6 catches, 2 TDs
117: Jimmy Smith, Jaguars, 9 catches
106: Muhsin Muhammad, Panthers, 8 catches, 2 TDs
101: David Givens, Patriots, 8 catches, 2 TDs
101: Terrell Owens, Eagles, 8 catches, 1 TD
100: Keary Colbert, Panthers, 4 catches

Looking Ahead
Philadelphia at Pittsburgh. One week after eliminating the New England Patriots from the ranks of the undefeated, the will Steelers try to do the same to the only remaining unbeaten team in the league. The Eagles (7-0), meantime, are looking to extend their best start in franchise history and give Terrell Owens another opportunity to show off his dance moves.

New England at St. Louis. A rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI, one of the most memorable of them all. The Rams out-gained the Patriots 427-267 in total offense, but New England forced three turnovers. Adam Vinatieri's 48-yard field goal as time expired gave the Patriots their first Super Bowl title, 20-17.

Minnesota at Indianapolis. Both teams lost yesterday, so expect some extra effort on "Monday Night Football." The Vikings struggled against the New York Giants with an injured Randy Moss, who was in street clothes after halftime. His health will go a long way in determining if Minnesota can survive a shootout against Peyton Manning.