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| Falcons RB Michael Turner runs against the Saints defense. |
Saints QB Drew Brees finally went an entire game without throwing a touchdown pass. That's the first time he's done that since the 2009 season. He also threw five interceptions and a gaffe right before halftime prevented the Saints from putting points on the board. The Falcons were again lucky to win this game because they were outplayed for the most part outside of the turnovers. The opening drive for the Falcons was very impressive. They marched down the field with ease and it appeared this would be a long day. They were right.
Jacksonville Jaguars 18 Buffalo Bills 34
The Bills thoroughly outplayed the Jaguars in this one, even if the numbers don't necessarily indicate that. They got help from the run game, with RB Fred Jackson rushing for over 100 yards and RB C.J. Spiller chipping in a cool 77 yards. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick only completed nine of 17 pass attempts for 112 yards, but he threw for two touchdowns. Jaguars QB Chad Henne completed less than 50% of his passes. That's never a good recipe for trying to win.
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| Seahawks QB Russell Wilson. |
The Seahawks had the Bears on the ropes in regulation, but a long completion to Bears WR Brandon Marshall kept the game alive for the Bears. K Robbie Gould sent it into overtime, but Seahawks QB Russell Wilson didn't flinch. He simply marched the Seahawks down the field on their first overtime possession and completed the game and drive when he completed a 13-yard pass for the game-winner. Both teams are now the two Wild Card teams in the NFC.
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| Colts QB Andrew Luck. |
When the Lions started their three game home stretch against the Packers, they knew it wouldn't be easy. All three games were against teams with winning records. The Lions needed to go 2-1 to continue to have a realistic shot at the playoffs. However, they suffered three consecutive heartbreaking losses, and their playoff chances are pretty much gone at this point. From the Colts perspective, QB Andrew Luck was having a horrible game. Down 33-21 however, he threw two touchdown passes, including the gam-winner to WR Donnie Avery as time expired. He's only a rookie by the way.
Minnesota Vikings 14 Green Bay Packers 23
RB Adrian Peterson had 210 yards on 21 carries, including an 82-yard touchdown run. That sounds like a victory for the Vikings. Not so fast! Vikings QB Christian Ponder once again held the offense back with two poor interceptions and the Packers were able to put the game away in the fourth quarter. The run game for the Packers was productive in this game. RB James Starks was able to rush for 66 yards and a touchdown, while RB Alex Green rushed for 58 yards.
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| Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel mourns the death of LB Jovan Belcher. |
I do not agree this game should've been played at all Sunday. The things Romeo Crennel and Scott Pioli saw when LB Jovan Belcher decided to take his life is something that will play over and over in their minds forever. For Crennel to coach a day after one of his player commits suicide seems unreasonable to me. Crennel and the Chiefs were the ones who decided to play the football game. They performed well also, albeit against a poor Panthers team. This game should've been played Monday or Tuesday. Credit to the Chiefs organization for having a moment of silence for Kasandra Perkins and victims of domestic abuse.
New England Patriots 23 Miami Dolphins 16
Coming into the season, this was the easiest division to predict. Under QB Tom Brady, the Patriots have won the AFC East every season except for the 2002 and 2008 seasons. In 2008, Brady missed the entire season to a torn ACL. This game wasn't easy at all for the Patriots. Brady was sacked four times and was intercepted. Also, a roughing the punter penalty hurt the Dolphins, as the Patriots were able to continue to drive and score. The Patriots have two big home battles coming up against the Texans and 49ers. Those should be interesting.
Arizona Cardinals 6 New York Jets 7
New York City, we have a quarterback controversy. Surprisingly, it doesn't involve QB Tim Tebow mostly. QB Mark Sanchez had one of the worst games of his career, and the Jets were going nowhere. Rex Ryan finally decides to pull the plug and insert QB Greg McElroy. McElroy led the Jets to a touchdown on his first drive. Overall, he completed five of seven pass attempts for only 29 yards, but he looked calm and efficient out there. The Jets have an easy schedule the rest of the way. Their playoff chances may be slim, but they can get to 9-7 and hope. They should continue to roll with McElroy.
San Francisco 49ers 13 St. Louis Rams 16 OT
If these two teams would've tied again, it would've been a very strange occurrence. Before their first tie earlier this season, we hadn't seen a tie in four years and we've only seen two ties since 2002. QB Colin Kaepernick, who replaced QB Alex Smith in the earlier meeting between the two teams, threw the ball efficiently, but he made bad plays that may have cost the 49ers this game. Rams K Greg Zuerlein made sure there wasn't a tie this time.
Houston Texans 24 Tennessee Titans 10
This game was uneventful for the most part. The Texans clinched the AFC South by sacking Titans QB Jake Locker six times and forcing six turnovers as well. After Chris Palmer was fired as the Titans offensive coordinator, Dowell Loggains debuted as the offensive coordinator in this game. He wasn't much assistance to the offense. Now the Texans get ready for their showdown against the Patriots in a battle of early division winners.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23 Denver 31
The Broncos lined up in the victory formation at the end of the game, and QB Peyton Manning did not forget what happened to his little brother back in Week 2. Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano didn't forget either, as the defensive line pushed the pile once in a last ditch effort at creating an unexpected turnover. After Manning took the snap, he took several steps back before kneeling to avoid being pummeled. The Buccaneers led 10-7 at the half, but 21 unanswered in the third quarter put the Broncos ahead for good.
Pittsburgh Steelers 23 Baltimore Ravens 20
I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but it appeared Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin didn't care to meet John Harbaugh at midfield for the handshake. Tomlin shook his hand without looking at him and it appeared he wanted to get away as quickly as possible before Harbaugh jerked him back to him. I guess I'm just reading too much into it. However, the Ravens were successful handing the ball off to RB Ray Rice and even RB Bernard Pierce. They stopped handing the ball off in the fourth quarter, and relying on QB Joe Flacco is never a good thing. This allowed the Steelers to score 10 unanswered in the fourth for a very important win.
Cleveland Browns 20 Oakland Raiders 17
Browns QB Brandon Weeden did throw two interceptions, but he threw for a career high 364 yards and a touchdown in the victory. This is the Browns first road win of the season and it comes against a team they knew they could beat. Raiders QB Carson Palmer threw for 351 yards and two touchdowns himself, but that one interception was costly.
Cincinnati Bengals 20 San Diego Chargers 13
The Chargers have lost seven of their past eight games, as they continue their freefall. They are 4-8 but they are not mathematically out of the playoffs yet. Still, this might be time for Norv Turner's departure. The Chargers also have to get offensive weapons. QB Philip Rivers is clearly showing he's handling more responsibility than he can handle. The Bengals, meanwhile, have won four straight games and are tied with the Steelers for the final Wild Card spot. It appeared earlier in the season the Bengals weren't going to be in the playoffs. They've turned it around.
Philadelphia Eagles 33 Dallas Cowboys 38
Eagles QB Nick Foles and RB Bryce Brown showed a lot of upside in this game. The Eagles dominated the first half and took a 24-17 lead into the fourth quarter. However, the Cowboys dominated in the fourth, and QB Tony Romo dominated in the second half alone. He threw three touchdown passes, all in the second half, for the win. The Cowboys made it interesting as they always do but they prevailed.
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| Redskins WR Josh Morgan recovers fumble for a touchdown. |
This was easily the most electric game of Week 13. Redskins fans in FedEx Field were going nuts throughout the game, and it had a playoff feel. The Giants drove the ball down the field numerous times on the Redskins defense in the first half, yet only came away with 13 points. That was exactly how the first game played out. The second half was shaping up to be a little like the first matchup as well. Giants QB Eli Manning completed a 3rd and 10 pass to TE Martellus Bennett down 17-16, but a holding penalty brought it back and the Giants never got the ball back after they punted. This is a win that keeps the Redskins in the NFC East race, while the Giants have three difficult games ahead.
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