Week 11 Results
Monday
49ers 32 Bears 7
With Jay Cutler and Alex Smith injured and out of Monday Night’s game, Colin Kaepernick and Jason Campbell were forced to start for their first place teams. The San Francisco 49ers got the kind of relief pitching from Kaepernick tonight that the San Francisco Giants got from Tim Lincecum in the World Series. The 49ers crushed the Chicago Bears 32-7.
Kaepernick completed 16 of his 23 passes for 243 yards and had two touchdown passes.
The 49ers defense made sure it was a miserable night for Campbell. The 49ers intercepted two Campbell passes, sacked him 5 times, and forced him to fumble 3 times. Aldon Smith lead the 49ers defense with 4.5 sacks. NaVorro Bowman lead the 49ers with 12 total tackles.
The Bears were never in the game. The 49ers scored the first 27 points of the game and the score could have been much worse if the Bears defense didn’t force a couple of field goals in the first half.
Next week, the 49ers (7-2-1) will travel to New Orleans to play the Saints, and the Bears (7-3) will be home to play the Vikings.
Sunday
Ravens 13 Steelers 10
It was far from pretty. The winning team didn’t score a touchdown on offense. In the end, the Baltimore Ravens did enough to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 13-10.
The Steelers struck first when back up quarterback Byron Leftwich scrambled for a 31 yard touchdown just :31 seconds into the game. It was the last time the Steelers would find the end zone.
The Ravens only trip to the end zone came at the end of the first quarter when Jacoby Jones returned a Steelers punt 63 yards for a touchdown.
In the end, Justin Tucker kicked one more field goal then Shaun Suisham did.
The game was a battle of wills with both team delivering bone shivering hits in shutting down the other team’s offense.
The Ravens defense forced three turnovers and had a pair of sacks.
The win gave the Ravens a two game lead in the AFC North over the Steelers with the tiebreaker now in hand.
Next week, the Ravens (8-2) will travel to San Diego to play the Chargers, and the Steelers (6-4) will travel to Cleveland to play the Browns.
Broncos 30 Chargers 23
The AFC West would have been just fine if Peyton Manning would have picked a different division to play in. Manning improved to 3-0 in games against AFC West foes as the Denver Broncos defeated the San Diego Chargers, 30-23.
Manning started off shaky as Eric Weddle intercepted one of his first quarter passes and returned it for a touchdown to give the Chargers a 7-0 lead. It was the only lead the Chargers would have all day. Manning got hot throwing three touchdown passes. Matt Prater was 3 for 3 on field goal attempts. As a team, the Broncos rushed for more than 100 yards and averaged 5.6 yards per carry.
The Chargers offense couldn’t keep up with the Broncos. Philip Rivers was intercepted twice and lost a fumble. Rivers did hook up with Danario Alexander for two touchdowns after the game was out of hand.
The win makes the Broncos 7-3 and the Chargers 4-6. The Broncos have beaten the Chargers in both of their meetings and essentially have a four game lead in the AFC West with six games to play.
Next week, the Broncos (7-3) will travel to Kansas City to play the lowly Chiefs, and the Chargers (4-6) will travel to Baltimore to play the Ravens.
Patriots 59 Colts 24
It was billed as the first matchup between Andrew Luck and Tom Brady. It turned out to be a a beat down of epic proportions as the New England Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 59-24.
The Colts got off to a good start and actually lead the Patriots 14-7 after the first quarter. Andrew Luck had a touchdown pass to fellow rookie T.Y. Hilton and Delone Carter scored on a short run.
From there, it was all Patriots. The Patriots scored 52 of the next 66 points and cruised to an easy victory. The Patriots scored touchdowns almost every single way you can think of. Julian Edelman had a 68 yard punt return for a touchdown. Aquib Talib and Alfonzo Dennard each intercepted Andrew Luck passes and returned them for touchdowns. Tom Brady had three touchdown passes including two to Rob Gronkowski. Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen has short touchdown runs.
For Luck, it was a long day. The rookie was intercepted three times and lost a fumble.
The Colts weren’t just beat, they were outclassed by the Patriots. It was an epic beating.
Next week, the Patriots (7-3) will travel to Met Life Stadium to play the Jets on Thanksgiving, and the Colts (6-4) will be home to play he Bills.
Saints 38 Raiders 17
After defeating the Atlanta Falcons last week and having won 4 of the last 5 there were whispers that the New Orleans Saints trip into the black hole could be a trap. The Saints couldn’t afford a trap and Drew Brees wouldn’t let it happen. The Saints jumped on the Oakland Raiders early and defeated them, 38-17.
Brees was efficient in his dominance of the Raiders. Brees completed 20 of his 27 passes for over 200 yards and three touchdown passed. Brees hooked up with Lance Moore for two touchdowns and with Jimmy Graham for another. Brees extended his streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass to 54.
Brees job has become easier the last few weeks with the emergence of their running game. For the third straight week the Saints ran the ball with success regardless of who they handed it to. Today, Chris Ivory, Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas, and Chase Daniel had 28 carries for 153 yards and a touchdown. The Saints ran for a 5.5 average.
Also, the Saints defense once again showed improvement. Malcolm Jenkins intercepted a Carson Palmer pass in the first quarter and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown. In total, the Saints defense scored 7 points, only allowed 17, and forced a pair of interceptions. The defense also had three sacks.
Next week, the Saints (5-5) will be home to host the 49ers, and the Raiders (3-7) will travel to Cincinnati to play the Bengals.
Falcons 23 Cardinals 19
As Falcons fans entered the Georgia Dome on Sunday, they were not prepared for the bizarre sequence of events that would play out before their eyes.
The Cardinals scored the first 13 points of the game and had the Falcons on the ropes. Then, the Cardinals replaced their starting quarterback John Skelton with Ryan Lindley. Lindley is a rookie that was drafted by the Cardinals in the sixth round.
More of the bizarre:
- Matt Ryan threw five interceptions and didn’t throw a single touchdown pass.
- Lindey completed only 9 passes for less than 65 yards.
- The Falcons answered the Cardinals first 13 points with 13 points of their own.
- Feely kicked another field goal to give the Cardinals a 3 point lead, then Matt Bryant kicked a field goal to tie the game again, and then Feely kicked another field goal to give the Cardinals their last lead of the day.
- Was it possible that the Cardinals could defeat the Falcons with Ryan Lindley at quarterback?
No, it wasn’t possible. With a little over seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter Ryan drove the Falcons to the goal line with a huge third down conversion to Tony Gonzalez. On the next play, Michael Turner put the ball in the end zone to give the Falcons a 23-19 lead that they would not relinquish. It wasn’t prerry, but the Falcons will take it.
Next week, the Falcons (9-1) will travel to Tampa to play the Buccaneers, and the Cardinals (4-6) will host the St. Louis Rams.
Cowboys 23 Browns 20 (OT)
In the fifth grade, I passed a math test by one point. I had blow the test off, didn’t really prepare for it, and got very lucky to pass it. My mother was furious and she repeated several times that I had passed by the skin of my teeth. Today, the Cowboys defeated the Browns by the skin of their teeth, 23-20 in overtime.
The Browns scored the games first 13 points and took a 13-0 lead into halftime. During halftime, Cowboys fans wanted Tony Romo benched and Jason Garret fired. How could the Cowboys lose at home to the lowly Cleveland Browns?
Finally, the Cowboys got things going. Dan Bailey kicked his first of three field goals, Felix Jones scored on a shot run, and Dez Bryant gave the Cowboys their first lead of the day catching a 28 yard Romo pass in the end zone. The Cowboys had a 17-13 lead with just over six minutes remaining. They were far from out of the woods.
Brandon Weeden found Benjamin Watson for a touchdown with just over a minutes remaining to get the Brown’s lead back. Without much time on the clock, Romo would need to get his team in field goal range just to force overtime.
Two penalties by the Browns defense and a couple of Romo completions set up Dan Bailey for his second field goal of the game to force overtime.
In overtime, the Cowboys and Browns both had drives that failed to produce points. Unfortunately for the Browns, they shanked the punt in overtime and set the Cowboys up with a short field needing only a field goal to win. A few plays later, Bailey kicked his third field goal of the game and the Cowboys escaped the Browns by the skin of their teeth.
Next week, the Cowboys (5-5) host the Redskins on Thanksgiving, and the Browns (2-8) will host the Steelers.
Packers 24 Lions 20
For most of the day, it seemed like the Detroit Lions had the Green Bay Packers right where they wanted them. The Lions lead the game most of the day and seemed to be frustrating Aaron Rodgers.
With 2:00 remaining in the fourth quarter the referee whistled the play dead for the two-minute warning. The Lions were holding on to a six point lead, but the Packers were threatening with the ball at the Lions 22 yard line. On the very first play after the warning, Rodgers threw a strike to Randall Cobb in the end zone for the games winning touchdown. It was a dagger for the Lions and Lions fans who were left only to mumble, “we had them.”
Rodgers completed 19 of 27 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns. Rogers hooked up with Cobb and Jermichael Finley for touchdowns.
The Lions got great performances from Calvin Johnson and Nick Fairley. Megatron caught 5 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown. Fairley was in the Packer backfield all day recording 7 total tackles and two sacks.
Next week, the Packers (7-3) will travel to New York to play the Giants on Sunday Night Football, and the Lions (4-6) will host the Texans on Thanksgiving.
Buccaneers 27 Panters 21 (OT)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers scored the games first 10 points on Sunday and appeared to be ready to crush the Carolina Panthers. Then, the Panthers scored the games next 21 points and had an 11 point lead with just over 6:00 remaining in the fourth quarter.
From there, the Buccaneers wouldn’t be denied. With 4:03 remaining, Connor Barth kicked his second field goal of the game to cut the Panthers lead to 8. The Panthers offense was back on the field with a chance to seal the game. The Panthers got two first downs but were forced to to punt the ball back to the Buccaneers with just over a minute remaining in the game.
Josh Freeman was standing at his own 20 yard line down by 8 points with 1:02 on the clock and no timeouts in his pocket. An unnecessary roughness penalty on the Panthers got the Buccaneers going and five plays later Freeman hit Vincent Jackson in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. The score brought the Buccaneers to within 2 points with only :12 seconds on the clock. Freeman used play action to free Jackson for the two point conversion that tied the game.
In overtime, the Buccaneers didn’t mess around. Freeman found Dallas Clark in the end zone for a game winning touchdown. Despite being down 11 points late, the Buccaneers had defeated the Panthers 27-21.
Next week, the Buccaneers (6-4) will host the Atlanta Falcons, and the Panthers (2-8) will play the Eagles on Monday Night Football.
Texans 43 Jaguars 37 (OT)
Andre Johnson wasn’t going to let his Houston Texans lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Johnson scored a 48 yard touchdown with only 2:00 minutes remaining in overtime to give the Texans a 43-37 win over the Jaguars.
The Jaguars showed up to play on Sunday and had a 14 point lead with less than six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The Jaguars lead the game on three different occasions but each time the Texans had an answer.
The Jaguars offense sprung to life when starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert was injured and relieved by Chad Henne. Henne entered the game and passed for 354 yards and four touchdowns. Many of that yardage was to the Jaguars first round pick Justin Blackmon. Blackmon played his best game as a pro catching 7 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown.
In the end, it wasn’t enough for the Jaguars to upset the Texans.Texans quarterback Matt Schaub matched Henge with 43 completions for 527 yards and two touchdowns. Schaub threw a pair of fourth quarter touchdown passes to Garrett Graham that sent the game to overtime.
In overtime, the Jaguars and Texans traded field goals before Johnson won the game with his long catch and run for a touchdown. Johnson finished the day with 14 catches for 273 yards and a touchdown.
Next week, the Texans (9-1) will travel to Detroit to play the Lions on Thanksgiving, and the Jaguars (1-9) will host the Titans.
Redskins 31 Eagles 6
Robert Griffin III almost pitched a perfect game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Griffin completed 14 of his 15 passes for 200 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed the ball 12 times for 84 yards. The Washington Redskins easily defeated the Eagles, 31-6
It was a glorious preformance by Griffin-the former Baylor star- on the the day after his former teammates defeated the #1Kansas State Wildcats. It was the first time that Baylor had defeated the #1 team in the Nation.
It was also the first time that the Eagles have lost five consecutive games under Andy Reid. Nick Foles completed only 21 of his 46 passes for 204 yards and two interceptions.
Griffin spread the ball all over the field completing touchdown passes to four different players. Santana Moss had the games longest touchdown when he got behind the Eagles defense for a 61 yard catch.
Next week, the Redskins (4-6) will travel to Dallas to play the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, and the Eagles (3-7) will try to end their losing streak against the Panthers on Monday Night Football.
Jets 27 Rams 13
Matt Sanchez played one of his most efficient games of the season and the New York Jets ended a three game losing streak by defeating the St. Louis Rams, 27-13.
Sanchez completed 15 of his 20 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown. Sanchez also protected the football avoiding an interception for the first time since October 14th against the Colts.
The Jets defense dominated Sam Bradford and the St. Louis Rams offense. The Jets forced three turnovers, sacked Bradford three times, and held the Rams to only 281 yards.
Tim Tebow attempted a fake punt that was stuffed. He also completed his only pass that lost a yard.
Bradford did have two touchdown passes for the Rams and Stephen Jackson averaged 6.2 yards per carry.
Next week the Jets (4-6) will host the New England Patriots on Thanksgiving night, and the Rams (3-6-1) will host the Cardinals.
Bengals 28 Chiefs 6
Ryan Succop kicked a 34 yard field goal midway through the first quarter to give to Kanas City Chiefs a 3-0 lead over the Cincinnati Bengals. That was the end of the good news for Chiefs fans. The Bengals scored 28 of the last 31 points and defeated the Chiefs, 28-6.
Andy Dalton had three touchdown passes to three different players and Benjarvus Green-Ellis had a 1 yard rushing touchdown. Green-Ellis also rushed for over 100 yards and AJ Green caught 6 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown.
The Chiefs failed to get anything going on offense. Matt Cassel was 8 for 16 with only 93 passing yards before Brady Quinn took over the quarterback duties. Quinn didn’t do much better. Quinn completed 9 of his 14 passes for only 95 yards.
Next week, the Bengals (5-5) are home to play the Raiders, and the Chiefs (1-9) are home to play the Broncos.
Thursday
Bills 19 Dolphins 14
It was far from pretty. There was nothing artistic about it. The game was filled with penalties and turnovers. The Buffalo Bills will take it. In front of over 70,00 rabid fans who braved the cold weather, the Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins, 19-14.
The Bills were hosting a nationally televised game for the first time since 2008 and the emotion seemed to get them off to a great start. Just a minute and a half into the first quarter Leodis Mckelvin returned a Dolphins punt 79 yards for a touchdown. The Bills got a field goal later in the quarter to grab an early 10-0 lead.
The Dolphins responded with a special teams play of their own. After the Bills field goal, Marcus Thigpen returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. From there, the game slowed to a pace the elderly would envy.
The Bills kicked three more field goals before halftime to take a commanding 19-7 lead into the locker room. The difference could have been greater but time and again the Bills failed in the red zone. The Bills made four trips inside the Dolphins 20 and didn’t score a single touchdown.
In the second half, both teams struggled to do much on offense. The Bills hurt themselves with 11 penalties that totaled 100 yards.
The Dolphins closed the gap late in the fourth quarter when Ryan Tannehill hooked up with Devone Bess in the end zone to close the Bills lead to 5.
After closing the gap to 5, the Dolphins had two possessions to attempt to take the lead. On both of those possessions, Tannehill was intercepted. First, Jairus Byrd made a diving interception just after the 2:00 warning. Then in the games closing seconds Bryan Scott intercepted a Tannehill pass to clinch the win for the Bills.
Next week, the Bills (4-6) will travel to Indianapolis to play the Colts, and the Dolphins (4-6) will be home to play the Seahawks.
More stories you might like
