NFL Recap: Week 9 Results

NFL Recap: Week 9 Results

Monday

Saints 28 Eagles 13

Good things happen for the New Orleans Saints when they play at night with black pants and black jerseys. The Saints, dressed in all black, defeated the beleaguered Philadelphia Eagles, 28-13.

The Eagles had the ball with first and goal four times in the game. The Saints defense scored 7 points and the Eagles offense scored 6. On the Eagles first and goal situation Michael Vick was intercepted by Patrick Robinson who returned the ball 99 yards for a touchdown. On the Eagles second and third and goal situations they settled for field goals by Alex Henry. On the Eagles fourth and goal situation Brent Celek fumbled.

The Saints defense sacked Vick seven times, scored a touchdown, and held a team to less than 24 points for the first time all season. Cameron Jordan had three sacks for the Saints and Will Smith had two.

Drew Brees extended his record of consecutive games with a touchdown pass when he connected with Marques Colston in the second quarter. Chris Ivory, Pierre Thomas, and Mark Ingram split 136 yards rushing and averaged 5.6 yards per carry for the Saints.

LeSean McCoy had a succesful night running the ball for the Eagles rushing for 119 yards on 19 carries.

Next week, the Saints (3-5) are home to play the undefeated Falcons, and the Eagles (3-5) are home to play the Cowboys

Sunday

Falcons 19 Cowboys 16

The Atlanta Falcons refuse to lose. Despite, falling behind the Dallas Cowboys 6-0, and despite missing two field goals, the Falcons scored 16 consecutive points and held on to win 19-13.

Matt Bryant made four fields goals. Matt Ryan passed for 342 yards. Roddy White and Julio Jones both had over 100 yards receiving and Michael Turner had over 100 yards rushing.

The Cowboys played well, but didn’t do enough to defeat the Falcons. Tony Romo passed for over 300 yards and had a touchdown pass.

Late in the game, with the Cowboys trailing by three points, the Falcons offense went on a 12 play drive that erased almost all of the remaining time on the clock. By the time the Cowboys got the ball back, they didn’t have enough time to move into field goal range.

Next week, the Falcons (8-0) will travel to New Orleans to play the Saints, and the Cowboys (3-5) will travel to Philadelphia to play the Eagles.

Buccaneers 42 Raiders 32

Last week, Doug Martin broke out on Thursday Night Football. Martin had 214 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns against the Vikings. Then, Martin’s best offensive lineman Carl Nicks was placed on IR with a toe injury. Many questioned if Martin could have the same success he was having before Nicks was injured after the injury. Martin answered that question with an emphatic yes in the Buccaneers 42-32 victory over the Raiders on Sunday.

Martin had touchdown runs of  70, 67, 45, and 1 yard while rushing for a Buccaneers record of 251 yards. Just for fun, Martin also caught 4 passes for another 21 yards. Without Nicks, Martin has gained 272 yards from scrimmage.

Despite Martin running away from the Raiders, the Buccaneers didn’t have such an easy time running away from the Raiders. Carson Palmer 414 yards passing and four toucdown passes to lead the Raiders to within 3 points of the Buccaneers with almost four minutes left in the game.

E.J. Biggers intercepted Palmer late in the fourth quarter to set up Martins fourth touchdown run. The Buccaneers escaped Oakland with a 42-32 victory.

Next week, the Buccaneers (4-4) are home to play the Chargers, and the Raiders (3-5) will host Peyton Manning and the Broncos. buck

Steelers 24 Giants 20

Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger were drafted just a handful of picks apart in 2004. Since, Manning and Roethlisberger have both won two Super Bowls. Also, Manning and Roethlisberger have reputations for being two of the best quarterbacks in the league when the game is on the line in the fourth quarter.

On Sunday, it was Roethlisberger not Manning who lead his team to a fourth quarter victory. The Pittsburgh Steelers trailed the New York Giants 20-10 heading into the fourth quarter. The Giants had built their lead despite a poor day of passing by Manning. Michael Boley had a 70 yard touchdown when he picked up a Roethlisberger fumble. Andre Brown had a short touchdown run that was set up by a long pass interference penalty, and Lawrence Tynes was perfect on both of his field goal attempts.

On the Steelers first drive in the fourth quarter, Roethlistberger hooked up with Mike Wallace on a 51 yard catch and run for a touchdown. Then, the Steelers drove to inside the Giants 5 yard line where their drive stalled. The Steelers attempted a fake field goal that was snuffed out by the Giants and stopped. Manning couldn’t take advantage and the Giants were forced to punt the ball back to the Steelers. With the ball in his hands again, Roethlisberger drove the Steelers back to the Giants goalline. This time, Isaac Redman scored the game’s winning touchdown.

Despite having over four minutes after the Steelers took the lead, Manning and the Giants couldn’t find any fourth quarter magic. The Steelers held on for a 24-20 victory.

The game was played at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ in front of a full house despite the challenges left by Hurricane Sandy.

Next week, the Steelers (5-3) are home to play the Chiefs on Monday Night Football, the Giants (6-3) will travel to Cincinnati to play the Bengals.

Seahawks 30 Vikings 20

Will the real Christian Ponder please stand up? Ponder started the season on fire leading the Vikings to a 5-2 record. In the Vikings fifth win, Ponder showed signs of cracking. Against the Cardinals, Ponder had only 8 completions and 58 yards passing. Ponder was poor in defeat last week against the Buccaneers. Today, Ponder may have hit rock bottom against the Seahawks. Ponder completed 11 of his 22 passes for only 63 yards and an interception. So who is the real Christian Ponder?

The Seahawks are delighted that the goulash Ponder showed up on Sunday. The Seahawks took advantage  of Ponder’s poor play and defeated the Vikings, 30-20.

Marshawn Lynch rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown. Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson passed for over 150 yards and three touchdowns. Golden Tate scored two touchdowns for the Seahawks.

Adrian Peterson did all he could to pick up his beleaguered quarterback. Peterson rushed for 182 yards and two touchdowns on only 17 carries. Peterson averaged over 10 yards a carry. Percy Harvin has one of his poorest games of the season gaining only 34 yards from scrimmage and catching only two passes.

Next week, the Seahawks (5-4) are home to play the Jets, and the Vikings (5-4) are home to play the Lions.

Broncos 31 Bengals 23

Peyton Manning passed for 291 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Denver Broncos to a 31-23 victory over the Cincinatti Bengals.

The Broncos had a 17-3 lead early in the game, but the Bengals fought back with a field goal and a Andy Dalton to AJ Green touchdown pass.

Manning was intercepted on by Terence Newman on back to back possessions and the Bengals took adavantage. BenJarvus Green-Ellis scored in the first minute of the fourth quarter to give the Bengals their first lead of the day.

5 plays later, Manning took the game back. Manning needed only 2:23 seconds to connect with Joel Dreessen in the end zone to give the Broncos a 4 point lead. On the Bengals next drive, Dalton was intercepted by Champ Bailey. With the ball back in his hands, Manning put the Bengals away connecting with Eric Decker in the end zone to give the Broncos a 11 point lead with only 3 minutes remaining. The Bengals added another field goal but never got any closer than that.

Next week, the Broncos (5-3) will travel to Carolina to play the Panthers, and the Bengals (3-5) will be home to play the Giants.

Ravens 25 Browns 15

The Baltimore Ravens scored 14 first quarter points in Cleveland on Sunday and looked to be on their way to an easy victory over the lowly Browns.

Then, Phil Dawson kicked five straight field goals to give the Browns a 1-point lead with just under 9 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland Stadium was rocking, the momentum was on the Browns side, and the Ravens were ripe for an upset.

Then, Joe Flacco lead the Ravens on a 9 play, 80 yard touchdown drive that took 4:22 second off the clock. Flacco capped the drive with a 19 yard pass to Troy Smith for the game winning touchdown.

The Browns touched the ball two more times but failed to score another point. Brandon Weeden was intercepted twice in the defeat.

Next week, the Ravens (6-2) are home to play the Raiders, and the Browns (2-7) are on their bye.

Packers 31 Cardinals 17

Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdown passes to three different players and the Green Bay Packers coasted to a victory over the Arizona Cardinals, 31-17.

Rodgers hooked up with Randall Cobb for two touchdowns, and with James Jones and Tommy Crabtree for one each.

The Packers scored 24 of the games first 31 points before the Cardinals climbed back into the game with 10 consecutive points.

Larry Fitzgerald caught a short John Skelton pass and broke a handful of tackled before diving into the end zone for a third quarter touchdown. Jay Feely kicked a field goal for the Cardinals a few minuted later.

Just when the Cardinals thought they might catch up, Rodgers threw the dagger. On the last play of the third quarter, Rodgers hooked up with Crabtree for a 72 yard touchdown that sealed the game for the Packers.

Despite starting 4-0, the Cardinals fell below .500 with their fifth consecutive loss.

Next week, the Packers (6-3) and Cardinals (4-5) will be on their bye.

Colts 23 Dolphins 20

Andrew Luck was the first pick of the NFL Draft in April. Ryan Tannehill was the ninth pick in the same draft. On Sunday, Luck and Tannehill played head to head for the first time in a game with huge playoff implications in the AFC. When the dust settled, the Colts had defeated the Dolphins, 23-20.

Luck broke the NFL’s single-game rookie record by throwing for 433 yards. Cam Newton set the record last season when he passed for 422 yards.

Luck also passed for two touchdowns and completed 30 of his 48 passes. Donnie Avery and T.J. Hilton both had over 100 yards receiving, and Hilton caught one of Luck’s two touchdown passes. Reggie Wayne also caught one of Luck’s two touchdown passes.

Ryan Tannehill didn’t break any records but he did have a sold day for the Dolphins. Tannehill passed for 290 yards and a touchdown pass. Tannehill also avoided throwing an interception. Reggie Bush rushed for a highlight reel 18 yard touchdown in the second quarter.

In the end, Sunday was about the Colts. It was their coach, Chuck Pagano, who made his first appearance in Lucas Oil Stadium since being diagnosed with leukemia earlier in the season. It was their quarterback that set an NFL record. It was their kicker that nailed a 43 yard field goal to put the Colts up for good late in the fourth quarter. It’s the Colts that now find themselves in the driving seat for one of two wild-card berths in the AFC playoffs.

Next week, the Colts (5-3) will travel to Jacksonville to play the Jaguars on Thursday Night Football, and the Dolphins (4-4) will be home to play the Titans.

Panthers 21 Redskins 13

They call it the Redskins rule. Since 1940, there has been 18 presidential elections. The Redskins rule has correctly predicted the outcome of those elections 17 times. Mitt Romney was seen dancing* outside of RFK stadium after the Panthers defeated the Redskins, 21-13.

(*This has not been confirmed)

The Redskins rule is this. If the Redskins win their last home game before the election, the incumbent candidate will be re-elected. If the Redskins lose their last home game before the election, the challenger will be elected. This rule has applied correctly in every single election since 1940 except in 2004. If the rule applies correctly this year, Mitt Romney will be the next leader of the free world.

The game was a battle of the last two first overall selections in the NFL draft, Cam Newton and Robert Griffin III.

Newton passed for over 200 yards and a touchdown and added 50 yards rushing and another touchdown. Griffin matched Newton in passing and rushing yards but failed to lead a touchdown drive until the final minute of the game when the outcome was already decided.

Next week, the Panthers (2-6) will be home to play the Broncos, and the Redskins (3-6) will be on their bye.

Will the Redskins rule predict the winner of the elections for the 18th time in 19 tries since 1940? We will find out on Tuesday.

Bears 51 Titans 20

The Chicago Bears humiliated the Tennessee Titans by dominating the game on offense and defense in a 51-20 victory.

Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler hooked up three times for touchdowns. Matt Forte gained 148 total yards and scored a touchdown. Charles Tilman had nine tackled and forced four fumbles. Brian Urlacher returend an interception 46 yards for a touchdown. Robbie Gould kicked four field goals. The Bears had pro-bowl players making pro-bowl plays all over the field in their dominating victory.

The Titans were just outmatched and trailed the Bears 31-5 at halftime. The Titans trailed the Bears 51-12 before Chris Johnson broke a 80 yard run for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Johnson finished the day with 141 yards rushing and one touchdown.

Next week, the Bears (7-1) will host the Texans on Sunday Night Football, and the Titans (3-6) will travel to Miami to play the Dolphins.

Texans 21 Bills 9

Mario Williams returned to Houston with revenge on his mind, pain in his wrist, and a Bills jersey on his back. Williams had 5 solo tackles, a sack, and 3 tackles for loss. It wasn’t enough for the Bills to upset the mighty Texans.

Arian Foster rushed for over 100 yards, Andre Johnson caught eight passes for 118 yards, and Matt Schaub passed for over 250 yards and two touchdown passes. The Texans coasted to an easy victory over the outmatched Bills, 21-9.

Ryan Fitzpatrick failed to drive the Bills offense into the end zone. The rushing game managed only 78 total yards, Fitzpatrick passed for only 268 yards, and the Bills punted five times.

Next week, the Texans (7-1) will travel to Chicago to play the Bears on Sunday Night Football, and the Bills (3-5) will travel to New England to play the Patriots.

Lions 31 Jaguars 14

The Detroit Lions didn’t need a fourth quarter miracle today. They were playing the Jacksonville Jaguars. To beat the Jaguars, most NFL teams just need to show up.

Mikel Leshoure had three short touchdown runs in the third quarter and the Lions cruised to a 31-14 victory over the Jaguars.

Calvin Johnson missed practice all week with a knee injury but was well enough today to dominate the Jaguars. Johnson had 7 catches for 129 yards receiving.

The Jaguars failed in all phases of the game. The defense failed to force a turnover. The offense didn’t score a point until the outcome was decided and it was the fourth quarter.

Blaine Gabbert had two interceptions and didn’t get much help from the running game. The Jaguars averaged only 3.2 yards per carry and finished the game with only 64 yards rushing.

Next week, the Lions (4-4) will travel to Minnesota to play the Vikings, and the Jaguars (1-7) will play the Colts at home on Thursday Night Football.

Thursday

Chargers 31 Chiefs 13

Rumors have been circulating since Sunday, that if the Chargers couldn’t beat the Chiefs on on Thursday Night Football, Norv Turner would be fired. Norv can sleep well tonight. The Chargers spanked the Chiefs, 31-13.

Philip Rivers played a near perfect game completing 18 of his 20 pass attempts for 220 yards and a touchdown. His only mistake was just before the half when he tried to force a ball into the end zone and Eric Berry picked it off.

The Chargers defense scored two touchdowns in two minuted at the beginning of the second quarter.  Shaun Phillips recovered a Matt Cassel fumble in the end zone for the first touchdown, and Demorrio Williams returned a Cassel pass 58 yards to the house after the ball bounced off of Dexter McCluster’s hand.

Jamaal Charles had only 12 carries for 39 yards a few days after rushing for 4 yards on 5 carries.

In the Chiefs first eight football games, they have failed to take the lead for a single second.

The Chargers moved to within a half a game of the Broncos in the AFC West with the victory.

Next week, the Chargers (4-4) will travel to Tampa Bay to play the Buccaneers, and the Chiefs (1-7) will travel to Pittsburgh to play the Chiefs on Monday Night Football.