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Part of the great fan appeal of the NFL is that you never know what's going to happen from week to week. Sometimes, teams that look like they have no chance of winning on paper come out and play strong or get a couple of good bounces, and all of a sudden you have an upset on your hands. At other times, teams that look pretty evenly matched will engage in an epic struggle that isn't decided until the final seconds tick off the clock. And at still other times, we get to sit back and watch a good old-fashioned blowout. Let's focus on the latter scenario this week and take a closer look at some of the wide open games we were treated to in our favorite sport.

New York Giants over Washington Redskins
The New York Giants badly wanted to win this game in honor of beloved owner Wellington Mara who passed away earlier in the week at age 89 after a bout with cancer. After an emotional pre-game tribute, the Giants got right down to business and proceeded to blow out the Washington Redskins by a score of 36-0. Running back Tiki Barber rushed for a career-best 206 yards on 24 carries, and made good on his vow to score a touchdown in honor of Mara. Kicker Jay Feely also had a career day, booting 5 field goals under very tough, windy conditions.

Denver Broncos over Philadelphia Eagles
In the middle of the game, the Eagles looked like they were poised to come back and make a real contest out of it, but the result ended up being a 49-21 blowout, so I'm including this game in the list. The Broncos dominated early, scoring 4 touchdowns in the first half to jump out to a 28-7 lead. Quarterback Jake Plummer continued to play well and had his best game of the season by going 22-of-35 for 309 yards and 4 touchdowns with no interceptions. Running backs Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell both rushed for over 100 yards and both scored touchdowns (Bell scored twice). The Broncos were helped out by the fact that Eagles' quarterback Donovan McNabb threw 11 incomplete passes and one interception on his first 12 attempts of the game before finally connecting with running back Brian Westbrook for a short gain.

Carolina Panthers over Minnesota Vikings
How much worse can the Vikings season get? We're about to find out, as quarterback Daunte Culpepper was carted away during this game following an injury. Initial reports indicate that Culpepper could be lost for the rest of the season, which spells trouble for the dismal Vikings' offense. The Panthers weren't concerned about who was playing quarterback for Minnesota; instead, they took care of their own business. Quarterback Jake Delhomme threw for 341 yards and 3 touchdowns, wide receiver Steve Smith hauled in 11 catches for 201 yards and a touchdown, and running back Stephen Davis chipped in 2 touchdowns as the Panthers ripped the Vikings by a score of 38-13.

Be sure to check back next week for another quick rundown of NFL highlights!