Week 12 of the NFL was all about last second victories. In four different games, the winning team scored points in the last minute. We will highlight those games as well as the rare tied game.
New England 34 Denver 31 (OT) – This game was worth waiting up for as outlasted in overtime. Denver exploded to a 24-0 halftime lead that started with a Von Miller fumble recovery for a score. New England scored the next 31 points in the 2nd half to take a touchdown lead before Denver was able to tie it up and the game went into overtime. The overtime period looked like we could have a tie on our hands until a punt hit a Bronco player and gave the Patriots the chance to win it. Stephen Gostkowski finished the game with a 31 yard field goal. Tom Brady outplayed Peyton Manning in this round and got the win. Brady finished by going 34-50 for 344 yards with 3 touchdowns while Manning went 19-36 for 150 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception. Denver’s Knowshon Moreno was a man possessed, running 37 times for 224 yards and a touchdown in the losing effort.
Arizona 40 Indianapolis 11 – Since the bye week, Indianapolis has struggled. Even though they were 2-1 coming into this game after the bye, those wins were each by 3 points over Houston and Tennessee with a lopsided loss to St Louis. This game was a blowout, plain and simple. Arizona outgained the Colts 410-239 and unlike last week, the Cardinals had a balanced attack that included 80 yards total on the ground, which for them, is a good thing. Carson Palmer continued to throw for a lot of yards by going 26-37 for 314 yards and 2 touchdowns while Andrew Luck went 20-39 for 163 yards with a touchdown and an interception. “Boom” Herron was the leading rusher for the Colts by running 4 times for 33 yards, so there is reason to panic. Neither Trent Richardson nor Donald Brown had any output worth mentioning. The Colts’ playoff position now lies in the fact that they play in a weak division.
Carolina 20 Miami 16 – The Panthers extend their win streak to 7 games as Carolina scored the go-ahead touchdown with only 43 seconds left to secure the win. With a minute left in the 2nd quarter and the Panthers down 16-3, Cam Newton got to work. With a Graham Gano field goal at the end of the half, the entire 2nd half was all Panthers scoring wise. Cam Newton finished 19-38 for 174 yards with a touchdown and an interception along with 51 yards and a touchdown on 8 carries. Ryan Tannehill threw for 310 yards on 28-42 passing with a touchdown and an interception for Miami. Tannehill also led the Dolphins in rushing with 36 yards on 4 carries. Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas were non-existent in the Miami rushing offense. Mike Wallace was finally showcased by catching 5 passes for 127 yards and a score.
Dallas 24 New York Giants 21 – This is not a playoff game. Since it is not a playoff game, seeing Tony Romo put together a winning drive should not be a surprise. Romo marched the Cowboys down the field and kicker Dan Bailey kicked a 35 yard field goal as time expired to win the game and keep in step with the Philadelphia Eagles for the division lead. This loss snaps the Giants’ 4 game winning streak. Tony Romo finished 23-38 for 250 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception. Eli Manning finished 16-30 for 174 yards and 2 touchdowns. Andre Brown was the offensive star for New York, running 21 times for 127 yards.
San Diego 41 Kansas City 38 – It was a seesaw game capped with a paid of touchdowns in the last 2 minutes as San Diego survived against Kansas City to give the Chiefs their 2nd loss in a row. Alex Smith threw a touchdown pass to Dwayne Bowe with 82 seconds left to give Kansas City the lead, but that was enough for Philip Rivers to hit Seyi Ajirotutu for 26 yards to take the lead back with only 24 seconds left. Kansas City couldn’t respond. Both quarterbacks had strong outings. Philip Rivers went 27-39 for 392 yards with 3 touchdowns while Alex Smith went 26-38 for 294 yards with 3 touchdowns and an interception. Jamaal Charles also scored 2 touchdowns while amassing 115 yards on 14 carries
Tennessee 23 Oakland 19 – With both teams teetering on their playoff relevance, Tennessee, behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, orchestrated one last drive to defeat the Oakland Raiders. Fitzpatrick threw a touchdown pass to Kendall Wright with 10 seconds left to secure the win and go to 5-6 while Oakland fell to 4-7. Fitzpatrick finished 30-42 for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns while his counterpart, Matt McGloin, finished 19-32 for 260 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Both Chris Johnson and Rashad Jennings each finished with 73 yards on the ground. The big difference was that Oakland kicker Sebastian Janikowski missed 2 field goals during the game while Rob Bironas missed none.
Minnesota 26 Green Bay 26 – The score is not a misprint. This game went through overtime and ended in a tie. All looked lost for Green Bay when Minnesota opened up a 23-7 lead early in the 4th quarter. No one told Matt Flynn as he orchestrated a come back strong enough to tie to the game with under a minute remaining. The game went into overtime and each team kicked a field goal per the possession rule. The Packers struck first with Mason Crosby kicking a 20 yarder, which might as well have been an extra point and Blair Walsh of the Vikings matching with under 4 minutes left. The top QB of the day was Christian Ponder, who went 21-30 for 233 yards with a touchdown despite being sacked 6 times. Adrian Peterson ran 32 times for 146 yards and a score as well. For the Packers, Matt Flynn went 21-36 for 218 yards with a touchdown and Scott Tolzien went 7-17 for 98 yards. Eddie Lacy also continued his campaign for rookie of the year by running 25 times for 110 yards and a touchdown.
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