NFL Recap: Week 10 Results

NFL Recap: Week 10 Results

Sunday

Texans 13 Bears 6

It wasn’t pretty. The weather was miserable. Mistakes pilled up like snow in a Nor’easter. In the end, the Houston Texans did just enough to defeat the Chicago Bears, 13-7.

Arian Foster lead the way for the Texans rushing for 102 yards and scoring the games only touchdown on one of his five receptions. Shane Graham made both of his field goal attempts and the Texans defense held the Bears offense to only 2 field goals.

Unfortunately for the Bears, Jay Cutler was forced to leave the game at halftime with a concussion. Cutler was injured on a play that was called back because he had passed the ball over the line of scrimmage. Cutler finished the half but that was the end of his night. Matt Forte rushed for only 39 yards and was outplayed by Foster.

The Bears made too many mistakes to have a chance to win the game. The Bears had four turnovers and were flagged for 5 penalties that resulted in 49 yards.

Next week, the Texans (8-1) will be home to host the Jaguars, and the Bears (7-2) will travel to San Francisco to play the 49ers on Monday Night Football.

Rams 24 49ers 24

A tie? In the National Football League? Where is Donavan McNabb? We need someone to explain the rules of overtime. The St. Louis Rams and San Francisco 49ers played five full halves of football and ended up tied at 24. It was the first tie in the NFL since 2008.

The Rams built a 10 point lead before heading into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, the lead changed from the Rams, to the 49ers, back to the Rams before David Akers kicked a field goal with :05 seconds left to force the game’s first tie since 0-0.

On the first play from scrimmage in overtime, Sam Bradford hooked up with Danny Amendola for a 80 yard pass and catch that appeared to set the Rams up for a chip shot field goal or potential game winning touchdown. The play was called back due to an illegal formation. The 49ers took over the ball and marched into field goal range. David Akers lined up to win the game and pushed his attempt wide left. The Rams had new life and eventually set up for a game winning 53 yard field goal. Greg Zuerlein’s kick was good and the Rams appeared to have won the game. Problem. The Rams were flagged for delay of the game and pushed back 5 yards. Zuerlein’s second attempt wasn’t close. Neither team got close to scoring during the rest of the overtime period.

Sam Bradford passed for 275 yards and two touchdowns for the Rams and Danny Amendola had 11 catches for 102 yards.

The 49ers lost Alex Smith to concussion like symptoms midway through the game. He did not return.

Next week, the 49ers (6-2-1) are home to play the Bears on Monday Night Football, and the Rams (3-5-1) are home to play the Jets.

Cowboys 38 Eagles 23

With 4:36 remaining in the third quarter, Alex Henry kicked a field goal to extend the Philadelphia Eagles lead over the Dallas Cowboys to 7 points. From there, the Cowboys scored 28 of the last 35 points to stun the Eagles, 38-23.

The Eagles started fast with Michael Vick throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to Riley Cooper. Vick was later forced to leave the game with a concussion. Nick Foles was forced onto the field for the first time in the NFL and he started well. Foles hooked up with Jeremy Maclin for a 44 yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.

It all fell apart for the Eagles late in that same quarter. Tony Romo threw a bomb to Dez Bryant that resulted in a 30 yard touchdown for the Cowboys. The Eagles responded with a three and out on offense and were forced to punt. Dwayne Harris took the punt back 78 yards for a touchdown. On the Eagles very next possession, Foles was intercepted by Brandon Carr who returned the ball 47 yards for a touchdown.

In just a little over 3:00 of football the game changed from a 17-10 lead for the Eagles to a 31-17 lead for the Cowboys. The Eagles never recovered.

Jason Hatcher recovered a Foles fumble in the end zone for the final points of the day. For the Eagles, this is their first five game loosing streak under Andy Reid.

Next week, the Cowboys (4-5) will be home to play the Browns, and the Eagles (3-6) will travel to Washington to play the Redskins.

Seahawks 28 Jets 7

Whatever plan the New York Jets had conceived during their bye week to defeat the Seattle Seahawks was an epic failure. The Seahawks never trailed and easily defeated the Jets, 28-7.

Russell Wilson passed for 188 yards and had touchdown passes to Sidney Rice and Golden Tate. Tate also connected with Rice for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Marshawn Lynch rushed for over 100 yards and had a rushing touchdown.

Mark Sanchez played a miserable game for the Jets. Sanchez completed only 9 of his 22 passes for 122 yards and an interceptions. The Jets rushing game didn’t do much to take the heat off of Sanchez and the passing game. The Jets rushed for only 84 yards on 22 carries for an average of 3.6 yards per play.

Next week, the Seahawks (6-4) are on a bye, and the Jets (3-6) will travel to St. Louis to play the Rams.

Saints 31 Falcons 27

The Atlanta Falcons started the season 8-0. The New Orleans Saints started the season 0-4. None of that matters when the Saints play the Falcons. Since Hurricane Katrina, the Saints are 11-2 against the Falcons including a 31-27 win on Sunday.

The Falcons came out of the gates on fire and looked like they might run away from the Saints. The Falcons scored 10 points in the first 5 minutes of the game. From that point, the Saints went on a 28-7 run to secure an 11 point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Falcons scored on a Matt Ryan touchdown pass to Tony Gonzalez and a short Matt Bryant field goal to cut the Saints lead to 1. After holding the Saints to a field goal, the Falcons drove the ball to the Saints 1 yards line. Looking for a go-ahead touchdown, Ryan and the Falcons were turned away by the Saints defense. The Falcons got the ball one last time and were again stopped on downs.

The game featured a battle between two of the best tight ends on the Planet. Tony Gonzalez had 11 catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns for the Falcons.Gonzalez also scored his 100th touchdown of his career. Not to be outdone, Jimmy Graham had 7 catches for 146 yards and a touchdown for the Saints.

A few other notes:

• Matt Ryan passed for a career high 411 yards
• Marques Colston’s third quarter touchdown put him in a tie with Deuce McAllister for most touchdowns in Saints history
• Drew Brees extended his streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass t0 52

Next week, the Saints (4-5) will travel to Oakland to play the Raiders, and the Falcons (8-1) are home to face the Cardinals.

Bengals 31 Giants 13

If you can figure out what happens to the New York Giants when the calendar flips to November, Tom Coughlin might have a job for you. After a humiliating 31-13 loss to the previously reeling Cincinnati Bengals, the Giants are 0-2 in November this year after not winning a game in November last year.

Andy Dalton lead the Bengals assault on the Giants. Dalton had four touchdown passes to four different targets. Dalton passed for less than 200 yards but he was 21 of 30 and avoided throwing an interception.

Eli Manning did fare as well as his counterpart. Manning continued his recent struggles with two interceptions and a lost fumble.

The Giants didn’t score a touchdown until there was less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Next week, the Bengals (4-5) will travel to Kansas City to play the Chiefs, and the Giants will try to solve their November nightmare on their bye week.

Titans 37 Dolphins 3

Last week when the Chicago Bears were embarrassing the Tennessee Titans, someone on the Titans staff must have been taking notes. The Titans picked themselves off the matt and destroyed the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, 37-3.

Chris Johnson rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown and Jake Locker threw a pair of touchdown passes in his first game back from a shoulder injury.

The Dolphins played there part in the blowout. Ryan Tennehill was intercepted three times including a pick that was returned to the end zone by Colin McCarthy. Reggie Bush also lost a costly fumble and was benched afterwards by Dolphins coach, Joe Philbin.

Next week, the Titans (4-6) are on their bye, and the Dolphins (4-5) will travel to Buffalo to play the Bills on Thursday Night Football.

Vikings 34 Lions 24

Christian Ponder has struggled to lead the Vikings offense the last couple of weeks. Percy Harvin couldn’t go today with an ankle injury. There was only one clear solution for the Minnesota Vikings, had the ball to Adrian Peterson. Peterson put the Viking on his back and carried them to a 34-24 win over the Detroit Lions.

Peterson rushed for 171 yards and a touchdown on a season high 27 carries. Peterson averaged 6.3 yards a carry and took some of the pressure off of Ponder and the Vikings passing game. Ponder completed 24 of his 32 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns. Ponder protected the ball and avoided the turnovers that plagued him during the teams losing streak.

The Lions got big games for a couple of their stars but couldn’t do enough to slow Peterson. Matt Stafford passed for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. Calvin Johnson had his best game since he appeared on the cover of Madden with 12 catches for 207 yards and a touchdown. The Lions just couldn’t find any space on the ground. As a team, the Lions averaged only 3.5 yards on their 17 rushing attempts.

Next week, the Vikings 6-4 will be on a bye, and the Lions (4-5) will be home to play the Packers.

Patriots 37 Bills 31

The Buffalo Bills have never defeated the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The have been close a handful of times. Sunday was just another close but no cigar day for the Bill at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots had two separate 14 point leads and held on to beat the Bills, 37-31.

Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes including one to Amherst, NY native Rob Gronkowski. Gronkowski has still never played a game against the Bills and been kept out of the end zone.

The Bills battled all day long and on multiple occasions got within a whisker or two of catching the Patriots. After Gronkowski’s touchdown gave the Patriots a 24-10 lead, Ryan Fitzpatrick found his tight end Scott Chandler in the end zone to make it a 7 point game at the half.

In the third quarter, Danny Woodhead took a Brady dump off to the end zone to again extend the Patriots lead to 14. The Bills answered again. Freddie Jackson scored his second touchdown of the day to bring the Bills back to within seven.

Stephen Gostkowski opened the fourth quarter for with a field goal for the Patriots to give them their fourth double digit lead of the day. The Bills then rallied again as Fitzpatrick found Donald Jones in the end zone to cut the Patriots lead to 3. That was as close as the Bills would get. The Patriots got another Gostkowski field goal and then stopped the Bills comeback bid when Devin McCourty intercepted a Fitzpatrick pass in the end zone.

Next week, the Patriots (6-3) will be home to face the Colts, and the Bills (3-6) are home to play the Dolphins on Thursday Night Football.

Buccaneers 34 Chargers 24

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers proved that they are more than a team with a fantastic running back. Seven different players scored touchdowns in a back and forth battle between the Buccaneers and the San Diego Chargers that ended with the Buccaneers ahead, 34-24.

The game featured five lead changes and a tie. Philip Rivers threw three touchdown passes for the Chargers and Josh Freeman had two touchdown passes for the Buccaneers. Nick Novak had a field goal for the Chargers and Connor Barth had two field goals for the Buccaneers. The Chargers outgained the Buccaneers 426-279.

The difference in the game was a play on special teams and a play on defense for the Buccaneers. First, the Buccaneers blocked a Chargers punt in the second quarter and Adam Hayward returned it 29 yards for a touchdown. Then, Leonard Johnson intercepted a Rivers pass in the red zone and returned it 83 yards for a touchdown. That play gave the Buccaneers a 10 point lead and the Chargers never got closer than 3 down again.

The Buccaneers outscored the Chargers 17-3 in the second half.

Next week, the Buccaneers (5-4) will travel to Carolina to play the Panthers, and the Chargers (4-5) will travel to Denver to play the Broncos.

Broncos 36 Panthers 14

The Carolina Panthers opened their game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday with a Cam Newton to Greg Olson touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead. At that point, it might have been best for the Panthers fans in attendance to leave their seat and head home. The Broncos scored the next 29 points and coasted to a 36-14 victory.

Peyton Manning passed for 300 yards and a touchdown and rookie tailback Ronnie Hillman scored his first career NFL touchdown. The Broncos also got scoring plays from their defense and special teams. With the game tied at 7, Trindon Holliday returned a Matt Prater punt 76 yards for a touchdown. Later, with the Broncos in charge 17-7, Tony Carter intercepted a Cam Newton pass and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown. The Broncos defense also scored a safety when Mike Adams tackled Newton in his end zone.

The Panthers got a pair of touchdown receptions from Greg Olson, but many of their other stars let them down against the Broncos. Newton passed for less than 250 yards and was intercepted twice. Jonathan Stewart and D’Angelo Williams rushed for a combined 37 yards, and Steve Smith had only 1 catch for 19 yards.

Next week, the Broncos (6-3) are home to play the Chargers, and the Panthers (2-7) will travel to Tampa to play the Buccaneers.

Ravens 55 Raiders 20

The Baltimore Ravens had won their previous five games by a combined 23 points. On Sunday, they defeated the Oakland Raiders by 35 points. In fact, the 55 points that the Ravens scored matched the most the Raiders have ever allowed in their franchises history. The Raiders have surrendered 55 points on three different occasions and the last time was in 1981 to the San Diego Chargers.

The Ravens dominated the game from start to finish. The Ravens outscored the Raiders 10-o in the first quarter, 17-10 in the second, 21-7 in the third, and 7-3 in the fourth.

Ray Rice, punter Sam Koch, and Joe Flacco each had rushing touchdowns for the Ravens. Flacco also passed for 341 yards and three touchdown. Torrey Smith had two catches and scored touchdowns on both of them.

Jacoby Jones closed out the scoring with a 105 yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

The Raiders made more mistakes Sunday than some teams make in a season. The Raiders gave up 55 points, over 400 yards of offense, and were penalized 10 times for 105 yards. The Raiders also turned the ball over three times.

Next week, the Ravens (7-2) will travel to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers on Sunday Night Football, and the Raiders (3-6) will host the Saints.

Thursday

Colts 27 Jaguars 10

Andrew Luck made his first appearance on National television and his Indianapolis Colts easily defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, 27-10.

The Colts scored 24 of the games first 27 points to put away the Jaguars before the fourth quarter. The game far far from pretty as both teams made several mistakes. The Colts and Jaguars combined for 16 penalties for 155 yards and five turnovers.

Luck was the difference in the game. He rushed for the game’s first two touchdowns and c0mpleted 18 of his 26 pass attempts.

Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert wasn’t nearly as efficient. Gabbert completed only 18 of his 31 pass attempts and had a third quarter pass returned for a touchdown by Darius Butler. Gabbert was injured in the fourth quarter and was relieved by Chad Henne.

Next week, the Colts (6-3) will travel to New England to play the Patriots, and the Jaguars (1-9) will travel to Houston to play the Texans.