Cleveland Browns 22 (5-3), Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17 (1-7)
Cleveland has finished a pleasantly surprising first half of the season with a two-game winning streak and their fourth win in five games, defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 22-17.
After a pair of Billy Cundiff field goals gave the Browns a 6-0 lead early in the second quarter, Tampa Bay answered with an 8 play, 80 yard drive, with Mike Glennon going to rookie wide receiver Mike Evans for a 24 yard touchdown to go ahead by a point with 8:44 left in the half. Patrick Murray hit a 40 yard field goal with 2:25 to go in the second quarter for the Buccaneers, but Cundiff answered with a 43 yarder of his own on the final play of the half to make it 10-9 going into the locker room.
On their opening possession of the second half, Cleveland drove 80 yards in 11 plays, with Brian Hoyer finding rookie running back Terrance West for a two-yard touchdown pass to take the lead 17-16 with 9:10 to go in the thrid quarter. Tampa Bay took it right back, with Glennon again to Evans for another 24 yard score with just under three minutes left in the third.
After a blocked punt gave the Browns the ball at the Buccaneers’ 34, Hoyer threw a 34 yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Taylor Gabriel for his first career NFL touchdown. The Browns defense stood tall for the remainder of the game to give them the win.
Hoyer was 21 of 34 for 300 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, with Gabriel recording 87 yards and a touchdown on five catches. Glennon had 260 yards on 17 of 32, going to Evans seven times for 124 yards and two touchdowns, and Vincent Jackson on six occasions for 86 yards, while Bobby Rainey ran for 87 yards.
Arizona Cardinals 28 (7-1), Dallas Cowboys 10 (6-3)
Arizona finished a sweep of the NFC East with a 28-10 victory against the Cowboys on Sunday, winning their fourth straight game.
Dallas started off well, as rookie Tyler Patmon had his first career interception and took it 58 yards for a touchdown to give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead with 10:55 to go in the first quarter. On its first offensive possession, the Cowboys drove 49 yards in 10 plays, with Dan Bailey kicking a 52 yard field goal to give them a 10-0 lead.
After some early struggles, Carson Palmer got rolling, leading a 13 play, 80 yard drive, and throwing a 7 yard touchdown to John Carlson with 12:39 left in the first half. The Cardinals then went 63 yards in 8 plays, and Palmer found Jaron Brown for an 11 yard touchdown with just under five minutes left in the half, and a blocked field goal on the final play of the second quarter kept it at 14-10 heading into halftime.
Following a scoreless third quarter that included a Tyrann Mathieu interception of Brandon Weeden, Arizona’s defense stepped up again with less than ten minutes to go, as they tackled DeMarco Murray behind the line of scrimmage on fourth-and-inches at the Cardinal 35. The Cardinals then drove 65 yards in 9 plays, including a 27 yard Palmer pass to Ted Ginn, with the drive concluding with a Palmer one yard touchdown to Andre Ellington with six minutes left to extend their lead to 21-10.
Weeden was then intercepted by Antonio Cromartie, and capitalized five plays later with a one-yard touchdown run by rookie Marion Grice for his first NFL touchdown with 4;20 to go, with a Weeden three yard touchdown to Dez Bryant being just window dressing. Palmer finished 22 of 34 for 249 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, while Ellington ran for 95 yards, and caught four passes for 39 yards and a touchdown.
Weeden struggled in starting for the injured Tony Romo, going 18 of 33 for 183 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, with Terrance Williams and Dez Bryant limited to four catches for 34 yards and a touchdown combined. Neither had a coach until their final possession of the game, and DeMarco Murray was held to 79 yards, his first game of the season without reaching the 100 yard mark on the ground.
Philadelphia Eagles 31 (6-2), Houston Texans 21 (4-5)
With the Cowboys loss to the Cardinals, the Eagles were able to take full advantage and get sole possession of first place in the NFC East with a 31-21 over the Texans in Houston.
Philadelphia struck first, as Nick Foles went deep to Jeremy Maclin for a 59 yard touchdown pass with 8:30 to go in the first half. Houston respondeded with its defense, as cornerback A.J. Bouye intercepted Foles and took it 51 yards for a touchdown with 3:11 to go in the first quarter.
Foles left the game after the first quarter with a left shoulder injury and did not return (finished 10 of 13 for 124 yards, a touchdown and an interception), so backup Mark Sanchez came in and led a 6 play, 60 yard drive, and threw a touchdown to rookie receiver Jordan Matthews from 11 yards out. The Texans tied it with just over four minutes left in the half when Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Arian Foster on a wheel route, and he ran nearly 40 yards into the endzone on a 56 yard touchdown catch, though Cody Parkey hit a 45 yard field goal at the end of the second quarter to give the Eagles a 17-14 lead.
Philadelphia extended its lead to 10 with an 8 yard touchdown run by Chris Polk with 2:40 left in the third quarter, but Houston cut it back to 3 with a Fitzpatrick touchdown to DeAndre Hopkins with just under 12 minutes to go. But the Eagles ended any chances for the Texans to win with a devastating 15 play, 80 yard drive, ending in a Sanchez touchdown to Maclin from 8 yards out with less than four minutes left to go.
In his first start in nearly two years, Sanchez was 15 of 22 for 203 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, with LeSean McCoy aiding with 117 yards rushing, and Maclin finishing with six catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Fitpatrick was 13 of 27 for 203 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while Foster rushed for 56 yards and caught two passes for 63 yards and a touchdown, but left the game in the third quarter with a non-contact injury and did not return, while Philadelphia linebacker DeMeco Ryans also left with a potentially serious injury.
Eagles pretty sure DeMeco Ryans tore his Achilles. Season over for him. Not a good day for them, injury-wise.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 2, 2014
For #Eagles QB Nick Foles, I'm told it's a clavicle injury. If it's broken, will be out a while.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 2, 2014
Kansas City Chiefs 24 (5-3), New York Jets (1-8)
Despite a new starter at quarterback (Michael Vick) and no turnovers, the Jets’ losing streak was extended to eight, while Kansas City won its third straight game, 24-10.
The Chiefs got up early, as their opening possession went 81 yards in 12 plays, with Jamaal Charles running for a one-yard touchdown. Following a defensive stop, Kansas City drove 71 yards in 7 plays, concluding with a two-yard touchdown pass from Alex Smith to Anthony Fasano to increase their lead to 14-0 with 3:25 left in the first quarter.
New York answered with a 15 play, 81 yard drive, with Vick finding Eric Decker for a three-yard touchdown with 2:09 left in the half. The Chiefs doubled their lead again, as a 78 yard kick return by De”Anthony Thomas set up a 12 yard touchdown from Smith to Travis Kelce with 39 seconds left, though Percy Harvin’s 65 yard return allowed Nick Folk to kick a 39 yard field goal at the end of the half to make it 21-10.
Kansas City again made it a 14 point game with a 16 play, 75 yard drive that ended in a 19 yard field goal by Cairo Santos with 5 minutes left in the third quarter, and their defense held the rest of the way. Smith was 21 of 31 for 199 yards and two touchdowns, while Vick was 21 of 28 for 196 yards and a touchdown, going to Harvin 11 times for 129 yards, as the receiver had 225 all-purpose yards.
Cincinnati Bengals 33 (5-2-1), Jacksonville Jaguars 23 (1-8)
The Bengals won their second straight game to stay in contention in a difficult AFC North, beating the Jaguars 33-23.
After a Josh Scobee field goal late in the first quarter to give Jacksonville an early lead, Cincinnati responded with a 10 play, 80 yard drive, ending in a 19 yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton to Mohamed Sanu with 11:55 to go in the second quarter. The Bengals increased their lead before halftime with a 31 yard Mike Nugent field goal and a blocked punt for a safety.
With the opening possession of the second half, Cincinnati went 62 yards in 8 plays, with rookie running back Jeremy Hill scoring from one-yard out to make it 19-3 with 10:40 left in the third quarter. It took little over a minute for the Jaguars to cut into the lead, as rookie Blake Bortles found fellow first-year player Allen Hurns for a 40 yard touchdown.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Bengals again went up 16 when Dalton threw to A.J. Green for an 18 yard touchdown, but Bortles went to Hurns to the endzone again from 18 yards out, though a missed two-point conversion left it at 26-16 with just under 10 minutes to go. Following a Dalton interception, Denard Robinson ran for a 5 yard touchdown with 8:13 left in the game, but the next play from scrimmage was a 60 yard touchdown for Hill on the ground, ending Jacksonville’s hopes.
Dalton finished 19 of 31 for 233 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, with Sanu catching four passes for 95 yards and a touchdown, and Hill rushing for 154 yards in his first career start. Bortles was 22 of 33 for 247 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, with Hurns catching seven passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns, and Robinson rushing for 94 yards and a touchdown.
Miami Dolphins 37 (5-3), San Diego Chargers 0 (5-4)
After a buzzer-beater loss in week 6 to the Green Bay Packers, the Dolphins have played nearly perfect football, and were on-point from beginning to end with a 37 to ____ victory over the San Diego Chargers, who have dropped three straight games.
San Diego moved the ball deep into Miami territory on its first possesion, but on a 4th down and 1 from the Dolphins’ 22, Branden Oliver was stopped for a one-yard loss by safety Reshad Jones. Miami took advantage, as a 10 play, 77 yard drive ended in a Ryan Tannehill 6 yard touchdown pass to tight end Charles Clay with 1:46 left in the first quarter
After a defensive stop early in the second quarter, the Dolphins went 61 yards in eight plays, with Lamar Miller running in for a two-yard touchdown, and then took advantage of a Philip Rivers interception with a 26 yard Caleb Sturgis to be up 17-0 with 8:53 left in the half. Sturgis added a 25 yarder in the final two minutes of the half to give Miami a 20-0 advantage into the locker room.
The Dolphins extended their lead on their opening possession of the second half, as Tannehill ended an 8 play, 72 yard drive with a 21 yard touchdown pass to Rishard Matthews. After another Rivers interception, Sturgis hit a 23 yard field goal, and a Rivers fumble recovered at the Charger 14 was converted on the next play with a Tannehill touchdown to rookie receiver Jarvis Landry with 2 minutes left in the third quarter to make it 37-0, the final score of the game.
Tannehill was super efficient again, finishing 24 of 34 for 288 yards and three touchdowns, completing passes to ten different receivers, while rushing for 47 yards on four carries. Rivers had one of the worst performances of his career, going 12 of 23 for 138 yards, three interceptions and a fumble.
Minnesota Vikings 29 (4-5), Washington Redskins 26 (3-6)
The Minnesota Vikings spoiled Robert Griffin II’s return to the field, winning 29-26 for their second straight victory.
After a Kai Forbath field goal gave the Redskins an early 3-0 lead after the first quarter, Washington finished a 6 play, 91 yard drive with a 14 yard touchdown run from Alfred Morris to go ahead 10-0 with 14:46 to go in the half. Following a Captain Munnerlyn interception of Griffin, Minnesota went 46 yards in four plays, ending with rookie Teddy Bridgewater finding tight end Chase Ford for a 20 yard touchdown with 36 seconds left in half.
The Vikings took the lead in the third, as Matt Asiata ran in from two yards out just barely four minutes into the second half to go up 14-10. The Redskins answered with a 13 yard touchdown pass from Griffin to DeSean Jackson just over three minutes later, and Forbath added another field goal to make it 20-14 at the end of three quarters.
Minnesota went back up with a 10 play, 76 yard drive, with Asiata scoring again on a 7-yard scamper with 13 minutes left. But Washington scored a touchdown four minutes later, with Morris punching in a two-yard score, but a Griffin run for two was no good, making it 27-26 with nine minutes left.
The Vikings took the ensuing possession 73 yards in 12 plays, with Asiata scoring his third touchdown from a yard out and converting for two on a run, and Minnesota’s defense held to give them the victory. Bridgewater improved to 3-2 as a starter, completing 26 of 42 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown, while Griffin was 18 of 28 for 281 yards, a touchdown and an interception, going to Jackson four times for 120 yards and a touchdown.
New England Patriots 43 (7-2), Denver Broncos 21 (6-2)
In a battle of the two best teams in the AFC, the Patriots went to 3-0 against the Peyton Manning-led Broncos in Foxborough with a convincing 43-22 win.
After a Stephen Gostkowski field goal, Denver took its first, and as it turns out only lead on a 9 play, 80 yard drive, with Ronnie Hillman running in for a one-yard touchdown to go up 7-3 with just under four minutes left in the first quarter. Following another Gostkowski field goal in the first minute of the second quarter, New England got back up with a 5 yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Julian Edelman, and Edelman struck again just three and a half minutes later with an 84 yard punt return touchdown to be up 20-7 with eight minutes left in the half.
After stopping the Broncos on a fourth down in New England territory, the Patriots drove 57 yards in nine plays, and Brady found Shane Vereen for a 5 yard touchdown with just 8 seconds to go in the half to build a commanding 27-7 advantage. Denver finally answered a 24 point barrage with a score of their own, an 18 yard touchdown from Peyton Manning to Julius Thomas on the first possession of the second half.
However, another Gostkowski field goal was followed by a juggled ball by Wes Welker that ended in an interception by Brandon Browner that was returned to the Broncos’ 10, and Brady went to LaFell for a touchdown on the next play to have a 37-14 lead midway through the third quarter. Denver answered with a touchdown pass from Manning to Hillman from 15 yards out less than two minutes later, but the Patriots then drove 80 yards in 14 plays, with Brady going to Rob Gronkowski for a one-yard touchdown barely a minute into the fourth quarter, and held on for the big victory.
Brady was 33 of 53 for 333 yards, four touchdowns and an interception, finding Gronkowski nine times for 105 yards and a touchdown, and Edelman on another nine occasions for 89 yards and a touchdown. Manning was 34 of 57 for 438 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, going to Emmanuel Sanders ten times for 151 yards and DeMaryius Thomas seven times for 127 yards.
St. Louis Rams 13 (3-5), San Francisco 49ers 10 (4-4)
A roller coaster season for the 49ers continued on Sunday, as they lost to the NFC West rival Rams after a bye week, 13-10, losing for a second consecutive game.
After the teams exchanged field goals in the third quarter, San Francisco got into the endzone with a Colin Kaepernick pass to Anquan Boldin from 27 yards out. St. Louis tied in late in the first half, as Austin Davis went to Kenny Britt for a 21 yard touchdown with just over a minute to go in the second quarter.
Following a scoreless third quarter, the Rams took their first lead with a 39 yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein with five and a half minutes left in the fourth. With just over three minutes left, the 49ers started from their own 12, and drove to the St. Louis one yard line with 14 seconds left, but an incomplete pass from Kaepernick to Frank Gore was followed by a Kaepernick sneak, but the ball was fumbled and recovered by James Laurinaitis in the endzone to end it.
Davis struggled, going 13 of 24 for 105 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, while Kaepernick was 22 of 33 for 287 yards, a touchdown, and a lost fumble, and was sacked eight times, with Boldin catching six passes for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Seattle Seahawks 30 (5-3), Oakland Raiders 24 (0-8)
In a tougher than expected matchup with the winless Raiders, the Seahawks squeaked out a 30-24 victory for their second straight win that allowed them to move to second place in the NFC West.
After a Sebastian Janikowski field goal on Oakland’s opening possession, Seattle answered with an 8 play, 72 yard drive that ended with a 3 yard touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch with four minutes left in the first quarter. The Seahawks ended the first quarter with a 35 yard interception return for a touchdown by linebacker Bruce Irvin to go up 14-3 after one.
After a Steven Haushka field goal early in the second quarter, another long drive (11 plays, 78 yards) concluded with a Lynch run into the end zone, this time from 5 yards out to make it 24-3 at halftime. The Raiders began to rally in the second half, as a blocked punt was returned for a touchdown by Brice Butler just over a minute into the third quarter, and rookie quarterback Derek Carr threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Mychal Rivera with less than three minutes before the fourth quarter to get within a touchdown, 24-17.
Seattle again made it a two-score game with a pair of Haushka field goals early in the fourth quarter, with Carr finding Rivera for another one-yard touchdown with just under two minutes left, but a failed onside kick ended Oakland’s hopes. Wilson struggled, completing 17 of 35 passes for 179 yards, with Lynch rushing for 67 yards and two touchdowns while grabbing five passes for 76 yards.
Carr was 24 of 41 for 194 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
