Saints 22 (10-3) Titans 17 (7-6)
The Tennesse Titans took the Saints to the brink driving the ball all the way down to the 5-yard line with :07 second left in the fourth quarter needing only a touchdown to win the game. Ultimately, the Saints defense was up to the challenge stopping the Titans short of the end zone and improving their record to 10-3. Drew Brees threw two touchdown passes to up his streak of throwing at least one to forty games. Marques Colston had a pair of touchdowns for the Saints. Chris Johnson was bottled up all day rushing for only 23-yards.
Texans 20 (10-3) Bengals 19 (7-6)
TJ Yates found Kevin Walter in the end zone with only a few ticks left on the clock to complete a second half comeback. The Texans outscored the Bengals 17-3 in the second half to defeat the fading squad. Andy Dalton connected with Jerome Simpson to give the Bengals a 17-3 lead at the half. It was all Texans from that point on and with the Titans losing to the Saints the Texans are the champions of the AFC South. The Texans will play in the playoffs for the first time as a franchise. As we speak, the Texans would be the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Lions 34 (8-5) Vikings 28 (2-11)
Christian Ponder had the ball inside the ten yard line as time clicked off the clock in the fourth quarter, but he couldn’t put the ball in the end zone and the Lions survived to improve to 8-5 and in the thick of things in the NFC wild card race. Matt Stafford threw two touchdown passes including an long first quarter pass to Titus Young. The Vikings got 109 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown from the red hot Percy Harvin but it wasn’t enough to keep them from falling to 2-11 in what has been a disappointing 2011 season.
Jets 37 (8-5) Chiefs 10 (5-8)
The New York Jets got 181 yards passing and two touchdowns from Matt Sanchez, and Shonn Greene rushed for 121 yards and scored a touchdown to muscle the Jets past the punchless Chiefs. Tyler Palko struggled all day to prove he is even capable of playing in an NFL game. Palko finished 16-32 for 195 yards passing and 1 touchdown. Most of those yards came well after the outcome of the game was decided. Plaxico Burress got another red zone touchdown and the Jets improved to 8-5 to keep pace in the AFC wild card race.
Patriots 34 (10-3) Redskins 27 (4-9)
Rob Gronkowski caught six passes for 161 yards and a touchdown to lead the Patriots over a game Washington Redskins team. Gronkowski’s touchdown set the NFL record for most touchdowns in a season by a tight end passing Antonio Gates mark set in 2004. The Redskins battled all day and Rex Grossman threw two touchdown passes. In the end, Brady and the Patriots were too much for the Redskins who have lost eight of their last nine games. The Patriots remained on track to win another AFC East title and a bye in the AFC playoffs.
Falcons 31 (8-5) Panthers 23 (4-9)
The Panthers came out firing and jumped all over the Falcons on two touchdown passes by Cam Newton and a long touchdown run by D’Angelo Williams. The Panthers were in command of the game at the half leading the Falcons 23-7. The second half was a completely different story. Matt Ryan threw four touchdowns on the day including a pair to Julio Jones in the second half to leads the Falcons to 24 second half points and an 8-point victory. The Falcons kept their slim hopes at defending their NFC South championship alive and improved their chances at securing one of the two wild cards spots in the NFC playoffs.
Jaguars 41 (4-9) Buccaneers 14 (4-9)
Maurice Jones-Drew set a Jaguars franchise record scoring four touchdowns in setting the franchise’s mark for most career scores. The Jaguars also scored two touchdowns on defense and road a 28-point second quarter to an easy victory over the rivals from the state of Florida. The Buccaneers played an incredibly sloppy game turning the ball over seven times.
Ravens 24 (10-3) Colts 10 (0-13)
The Baltimore Ravens got 10 first quarter points and coasted to a 24-10 victory over the winless Colts. Ray Rice rushed for 103-yards and a touchdown, and Joe Flacco connected with Torrey Smith for a touchdown and Terrell Suggs had three sacks and forced three fumbles to terrorize the answerless Colts offense. The Ravens maintained their half game lead over the Steelers for first place in the AFC North and are one of three 10-3 teams in the AFC that are fighting for the two byes in the AFC playoffs.
Broncos 13 (8-5) Bears 10 (7-6)
Tim Tebow struggled through what looked like it would be his worst day as a pro. In the first three quarters against the Bears, Tebow was 3-13 passing the football. Meanwhile, Caleb Hanie helped the Bears build a 10-0 lead. In the fourth quarter, Tebow magic took over. Tebow lead the Broncos down the field for a touchdown and then (after Marion Barber rushed the ball out of bounds and gave the Broncos another :40) lead them down the field again for a Matt Prater 59-yard filed goal to send the game to overtime. In overtime, Marion Barber fumbled the ball and the Broncos recovered in good field position. Just a few plays later, Tebow got the offense in position to attempt a game winning field goal. Matt Prater nailed a 51-yard field goal to give the Broncos the lead (and coupled with a Raiders loss to the Packers) a 1-game lead atop the standings of the AFC West. Tebow was 18-24 with 191-yards passing and a touchdown in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Bears fall to 7-6 and could be in trouble in the race for the final NFC wild card spot.
Cardinals 21 (6-7) 49ers 19 (10-3)
The 49ers were all over the Cardinals early in the game driving up and down the field. The problem was that the 49ers were scoring field goals and not touchdown. Eventually, the Cardinals woke up and got touchdowns from Early Doucet, Larry Fitzgerald, and Andre Roberts to give them a two-point victory over the NFC West Champions. Frank Gore rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown, but John Skelton was the story of the game. Skelton replaced an injured Kevin Kolb and was 19-28 with 281 yards passing and 3 touchdowns. The 49ers still control their own destiny for the final bye in the NFC.
Chargers 37 (6-7) Bills 10 (5-8)
The Chargers jumped out to an early lead and then held off a weak surge by the Bills to go on to a blowout victory. Philip Rivers had three touchdown passed, 2 to Antonio Gates, and Ryan Matthews rushed for 114-yards. Ryan Fitzpatrick struggled to move the Bills offense and had less than 200 yards passing and two touchdowns. With the win, the Chargers move into contention in the AFC West, but remain two games behind the red hot Broncos. The Bills were once 5-2 and Western New Yorkers were making their Super Bowl Plans. Since a victory over the Redskins in Toronto, the Bills have lost their last six games by a combined 118 points.
Packers 46 (13-0) Raiders 16 (7-6)
The Packers won their 20th game in a row in destroying the Raiders by 30 points at Lambeau field. Aaron Rodgers thew for two touchdowns and Ryan Grant rushed for two more. The Packers win wasn’t all roses as the team watched Greg Jennings limp off the field with what the team is calling a knee injury. Jennings left the game in the third quarter and didn’t return. He spent much of the fourth quarter on the bench with a towel over his head. The Raiders were never in contention and Carson Palmer had a nightmare outing throwing four interceptions. The Raiders are now 1-game behind the Broncos for first place in the AFC West.
