NFL Weekly Recap Week 16
Week sixteen matchups
Buffalo Bills 19 vs. Miami Dolphins 0
- Fred Jackson keyed the Bills offense by rushing for 111-yards on 19 carries and scoring Buffalo’s only touchdown while Dan Carpenter kicked four field goals. The Bills rushed for 203-yards and their defense limited Miami to six first downs and 103-yards of total offense in the shutout victory.
Cincinnati Bengals 42 vs. Minnesota Vikings 14
- Andy Dalton completed 27 of 38 passes for 366-yards and four touchdown passes, including two to A.J. Green. Cincinnati limited the Vikings to 203-yards of total offense and ten first downs. They also sacked Matt Cassel four times and picked off three of his passes, one of which resulted into a 25-yard interception return for a touchdown by linebacker Vincent Rey. With the win over Minnesota, the Bengals clinched their first division title since 2009.
Indianapolis Colts 23 @ Kansas City Chiefs 7
- Kansas City got off to a good start as Jamaal Charles scored from 31-yards out. Charles rushed for 106-yards on 13 carries, but the Chiefs were shut out for the rest of the game. Andrew Luck completed 26 of 37 passes for 241-yards and a 33-yard touchdown pass to running back Donald Brown. Brown also added a 51-yard score on the ground and he accounted for 110-yards of total offense. Indianapolis improved to 10-5 and Kansas City clinched a playoff berth despite the loss.
St. Louis Rams 23 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13
- Kellen Clemens completed 16 of 20 passes as he efficiently engineered the St. Louis offense while Zac Stacy rushed for 104-yards on 23 carries with a touchdown. Greg Zuerlein added a trio of field goals, including a 54-yarder, and the Rams held Tampa Bay to 170 total yards and sacked Mike Glennon seven times.
New York Jets 24 vs. Cleveland Browns 13
- The Jets overcame an early ten point deficit as Geno Smith completed 20 of 36 passes for 214-yards and a pair of touchdown passes to wide receiver David Nelson. Smith also rushed for a touchdown while running back Chris Ivory carried 20 times for 109-yards as New York gained 422-yards of total offense. Their defense limited Jason Campbell to 18 completions in 40 attempts and they also intercepted two of his passes.
Dallas Cowboys 24 @ Washington Redskins 23
- Tony Romo completed 17 of 27 passes for 226-yards and a pair of touchdown passes, including the game winner to DeMarco Murray with 1:08 remaining on fourth down. Murray also scored another touchdown on the ground while gaining 96 rushing yards on 22 carries. Kirk Cousins completed 21 of 36 passes for 197-yards and a touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon, who made 11 catches for 144-yards.
Carolina Panthers 17 vs. New Orleans Saints 13
- Drew Brees completed 30 of 44 passes for 281-yards and a touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham as the Saints built a 17-13 fourth quarter lead. With 55 seconds remaining, Cam Newton drove the Panthers 65-yards down the field in only five plays and he hit Domenik Hixon with the game winning touchdown pass with 23 seconds left in the game. Newton completed 13 of 22 passes for 181-yards in the game and his clutch play helped Carolina clinch a playoff berth, their first since 2008.
Tennessee Titans 20 @ Jacksonville Jaguars 16
- Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 17 of 26 passes for 181-yards and a touchdown pass to Nate Washington, who made six receptions for 117-yards. Shonn Greene and Chris Johnson combined to rush for 181-yards and Greene added a touchdown in the third quarter. Chad Henne completed 24 of 34 passes for 237-yards and a pair of touchdown passes.
Denver Broncos 37 @ Houston Texans 13
- Peyton Manning completed 32 of 51 passes for 400-yards and four touchdown passes, three of them came in the fourth quarter to bury the Texans. Manning also broke Tom Brady’s single season touchdown pass record with his 51st scoring pass to Julius Thomas. Eric Decker caught ten passes for 131-yards and a pair of touchdown receptions while Demaryius Thomas made eight catches for 123-yards with a touchdown of his own. The Broncos held Houston to 240-yards of total offense and a single touchdown as they clinched the AFC West for the third straight season.
New York Giants 23 @ Detroit Lions 20 (OT)
- Eli Manning completed 23 of 42 passes for 256-yards and a touchdown pass to Jerrel Jernigan. Detroit overcame a ten point deficit to take a 20-13 lead with touchdown runs by Joique Bell and rookie Theo Riddick. When the Lions got the ball again late in the fourth quarter, Matthew Stafford’s pass was picked off by Will Hill, who returned it for a 38-yard touchdown to tie the score with less than five minutes remaining. The game was sent into overtime and when the Giants got the ball for their second possession, Manning hit Jernigan for a 15-yard connection on fourth and seven. The critical conversion helped set up Josh Brown for the game winning field goal attempt, which he made from 45-yards out to win the game with 7:32 left to go in the extra period. This was Detroit’s third loss in a row and it knocked them out of playoff contention.
Arizona Cardinals 17 @ Seattle Seahawks 10
- In this defensive struggle, points were definitely hard to come by as Arizona led 9-3 in the fourth quarter. Russell Wilson, who was surprisingly ineffective a good part of the game, threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Zach Miller with 7:26 remaining in the game. Carson Palmer overcame four interceptions by throwing a touchdown pass to Michael Floyd from 31-yards out with 2:13 left to go. Rashard Mendenhall scored on a run for the two-point conversion to give the Cardinals a touchdown lead. Seattle had one last chance to tie the game, but Wilson’s pass hit Doug Baldwin’s arm, bounced into the air, and got intercepted by linebacker Karlos Dansby.
Pittsburgh Steelers 38 @ Green Bay Packers 31
- Ben Roethlisberger completed 16 of 28 passes for 167-yards and a pair of touchdown passes, his leading receiver was Antonio Brown, who made six catches for 105-yards. Matt Flynn completed 21 of 39 passes for 232-yards and a touchdown pass while Eddie Lacy scored two touchdowns on the ground. The Steelers took the lead when Le’Veon Bell, who rushed for 124-yards on 26 carries, scored with 1:25 remaining. On the ensuing kickoff, Micah Hyde gave Green Bay good field position following a 70-yard return. The Packers brought the ball all the way to the Pittsburgh one-yard line. However, a false start penalty resulted in a five-yard penalty and a ten second runoff. With the seconds running off the clock, Flynn got the play off, but his pass to Jarrett Boykin fell incomplete on the final play and the Steelers hung on for the win.
San Diego Chargers 26 vs. Oakland Raiders 13
- Philip Rivers completed 19 of 29 passes for 201-yards and a touchdown pass to Keenan Allen while Ryan Mathews gained 99-yards on 25 carries with a score of his own. Matt McGloin completed 20 of 36 passes for 206-yards while Darren McFadden added a touchdown despite only gaining eight-yards on four carries. With 54 seconds remaining, Oakland had a chance to draw within a touchdown, but Marcel Reece dropped McGloin’s pass on fourth and five to end the Raiders hopes.
New England Patriots 41 @ Baltimore Ravens 7
- Tom Brady completed 14 of 26 passes for 172-yards and a touchdown pass to Shane Vereen while running back LeGarrette Blount rushed for two scores. New England’s defense sacked Joe Flacco four times, intercepted two of his passes, forced the Ravens to commit four turnovers, and held them to a single touchdown. The unit also scored two consecutive touchdowns to cap off the demolition of the defending champions. Defensive end Chandler Jones recovered a fumble in the end zone and safety Tavon Wilson intercepted a pass and returned it for a 74-yard score. Prior to the game, the Patriots found out that they clinched the AFC East and after the game, they improved their record to 11-4.
Philadelphia Eagles 54 vs. Chicago Bears 11 (SNF on NBC)
- Nick Foles completed 21 of 25 passes for 230-yards and a pair of touchdown passes. The Eagles rushed for 289-yards as LeSean McCoy gained 133-yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns while Bryce Brown’s 65-yard score helped him cap off a 115-yard effort on only nine carries. Overall, Philadelphia’s offense gained 514 total yards and found the end zone six times. The defense recorded five sacks, three by Trent Cole and two by Mychal Kendricks, and they also forced a pair of turnovers while recording a safety. Philadelphia improved their record to 9-6 and they will face the Cowboys in Dallas next week to determine the NFC East Championship. Meanwhile, Chicago will face Green Bay in the regular season finale and the winner of that game will win the NFC North.
San Francisco 49ers 34 vs. Atlanta Falcons 24 (MNF on ESPN)
- Colin Kaepernick completed 13 of 21 passes for 197-yards and a touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin while rushing for another score. Frank Gore rushed for 97-yards on 21 carries while scoring once as San Francisco built a 27-17 fourth quarter lead. Matt Ryan completed 37 of 48 passes for 348-yards and a pair of touchdown passes, including one to Roddy White, who made 12 receptions for 141-yards. Ryan threw his second touchdown pass to Tony Gonzalez with 2:09 remaining and after Jason Snelling recovered Matt Bryant’s perfectly executed onside kick to give Atlanta hope. When the Falcons drove the ball to the San Francisco ten-yard line, Ryan’s pass was bobbled and intercepted by linebacker Navarro Bowman, who raced 89-yards for the clinching touchdown. The win helped the 49ers clinch a playoff spot in their final game at Candlestick Park.
Week seventeen matchups
Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons
Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears
Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
Houston Texans @ Tennessee Titans
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts
New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins
Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings
Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints
Washington Redskins @ New York Giants
Cleveland Browns @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders
San Francisco 49ers @ Arizona Cardinals
Kansas City Chiefs @ San Diego Chargers
St. Louis Rams @ Seattle Seahawks
