Studs and Duds, Week 9: Vintage Warner Reappears

Each week in the NFL, there are players that impress and players that distress. One week a certain quarterback might toss four touchdowns and run around pointing skyward, while the next he's laying on his back, holding his facemask as the other team returns one of his three interceptions for the game-winning score. With that in mind, here's Studs and Duds.

Studs

Kurt Warner, QB Arizona (22-32, 261 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs) -- Last week, Warner had five interceptions, looks his age, didn't appear to be comfortable with a receiving core most would quarterbacks in the league would die for. This week, in a much-needed victory over the Chicago Bears, Warner flipped the switching, tossing five touchdowns to tie his career high and put his Cardinals back in the driver's seat of the NFC West.

Warner threw touchdown passes on Arizona's first four possessions even without Anquain Boldin, who was second on the team in receiving yards heading into the Bears game. That didn't seem to bother Warner, as he connected with four different teammates for scores.

Michael Turner, RB Atlanta (18 carries, 166 yards, 2 TDs) -- Up until last week, Michael Turner was suffering a little hangover from his breakout 2008, when he was second in the regular season in rushing behind Adrian Peterson in his first full season as a NFL starter. Turner had only one 100 yard game is his first six outings this year, but has combined for 317 yards in the last two games including his game this week against Washington where Turner averaged 9.2 yards per carry. Atlanta, who will be battling the Eagles and Giants for a Wild Card bid, seems elite when Turner is running the ball well, freeing up Matt Ryan and their sneaky explosive passing attack, and Sunday was their X's and O's. Give it to the Human Bowling Ball, let him run over defenses, and hold on for dear life.

Philip Rivers, QB San Diego (24-36, 209 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs) -- Statistically it wasn't one of his best games. Not even close, in the short career of Philip Rivers, but as for defining moments, it was as important as any game he's played. Needing a touchdown to not only beat draft foe Eli Manning and his previously dominant New York Giants, but to keep pace with the Denver Broncos in the AFC West, Rivers drove his team down the field 80 yards with 2:05 left on the clock in the fourth quarter, hitting Vincent Jackson in the back corner of the end zone with 21 seconds to play to give the Chargers a one point win and their third win in a row.

Less than a month ago, this was the same Rivers who got sacked five times against Denver, and the Chargers didn't look to have a shot at a playoff spot out of their division. Now, with the Broncos losing to the Steelers on Monday Night, it's only a game deficit, and most of that lies with Rivers and his heroic effort on Sunday.

Duds

Tommie Harris, DT Chicago -- Hitting people in the face rarely leads to anything positive, but doing it when the person is wearing a helmet? Downright idiotic. Harris, the Bears three-time Pro Bowler, punched Deuce Lutui in the first possession of the game against the Cardinals, leading to an automatic ejection and quick winner of the "more likely to do damage to yourself than someone else" award for this week. (possibly called the "Plaxico Burress All-Stars?") The Bears defense, a week removed from forcing four fumbles and two interceptions against the Browns, looks like a completely different unit out without Harris, and only he's to blame.

Matthew Stafford, QB Detroit (22-42, 203 yards, 2 TDs, 5 INTs) -- Here's a group you don't want to join when referring to starting quarterbacks in the NFL ... Derek Anderson, JaMarcus Russell, and Josh Johnson. Those are the three guys with worse quarterback ratings than Stafford, who clocked in at a 42.2 this week in the loss against Seattle. The more disappointing part than that? Stafford had the Lions up 17-0 on the Seahawks after the first quarter, thanks to consecutive touchdown passes. Seattle rallied off 15 straight points before a field goal in the fourth quarter got the Lions back within five, only to have Stafford throw a pick that Josh Wilson kindly returned to the end zone to put Detroit away for good. Being a quarterback in the NFL is tough enough ... being a rookie quarterback for the Lions is damn near impossible. So far this season, Stafford is making it look as tough as should be expected.

Alex Smith, QB San Francisco (29-45, 286 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs, 1 Fumble) -- It had been over two years since Alex Smith was starting at home for the 49ers. In the final 6:24 seconds of San Fran's loss to Tennessee, all the fans in attendance remembered why. Smith tossed two of his three picks in that stretch, fumbled twice and was sacked four times to go along with his already tough day, that saw the Titans tack on 17 points thanks to 49ers turnovers.

Insult to injury? Smith was playing against Vince Young, basically a one-year younger version of himself. Young, like Smith, was drafted in the top-3 coming out of college, has yet to live up to the hype and is just now starting to get a chance to play on a team that doesn't look to be nearly as good as previously expected. Young is now 2-0 as a starter for the Titans while Smith still seems to struggle when it matters.