Week Eight NFL Recaps

Denver Broncos 35 vs. Denver Broncos 21 (TNF on CBS)

Peyton Manning continued his assault of the record books last Thursday night. Manning completed 25 of 35 passes for 286-yards and three touchdowns. All three of them went to Emmanuel Sanders, who made nine receptions for 120-yards. Ronnie Hillman gained 109-yards on 20 carries, putting Juwan Thompson in position to score two rushing touchdowns. Philip Rivers completed 30 of 41 passes for 252-yards and three touchdowns, including two to tight end Antonio Gates. However, he did throw two interceptions. The second one came with less than five minutes remaining, when safety Rahim Moore picked off a deep pass that was intended for Malcom Floyd.

Detroit Lions 22 @ Atlanta Falcons 21 (Wembley Stadium-London, England)

The Lions overcame a 21-0 halftime deficit by scoring 22 unanswered points, including a 48-yard field goal by Matt Prater at the buzzer, to beat the Falcons. Matt Ryan wasted little time by throwing a pair of first quarter touchdowns. Ryan completed 20 of 27 passes for 228-yards in the game. Running back Steven Jackson also scored. In the second half, Matthew Stafford led the charge by throwing a 59-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate on third and 25. Tate caught seven passes for 151-yards. Stafford passed for 325-yards in the game, his second touchdown pass went to running back Theo Riddick, which closed the gap to two. When Detroit got the ball back, Stafford led an 11 play, 63-yard drive which resulted in Prater’s game winning field goal.

Cincinnati Bengals 27 vs. Baltimore Ravens 24

Joe Flacco completed 17 of 34 passes for 195-yards and he also threw two interceptions. The Ravens did overcome an eleven point deficit behind running back Lorenzo Taliaferro’s two touchdown runs. Justin Tucker also kicked three field goals. Baltimore built a 24-20 fourth quarter lead. However, Andy Dalton put together a ten play, 80-yard drive with less than four minutes remaining. With 57 seconds remaining, Dalton scored the game winning touchdown on a quarterback sneak for his second touchdown run of the game. Dalton completed 21 of 28 passes for 266-yards and he also found Mohamed Sanu five times for 125-yards.

Minnesota Vikings 19 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13 (OT)

Teddy Bridgewater completed 24 of 42 passes for 241-yards and threw a 17-yard touchdown strike to Greg Jennings. The Vikings jumped out to a ten point lead, but the Buccaneers came back to take the lead when Mike Glennon threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Bridgewater took over and led Minnesota on a nine play, 61-yard drive in the final two minutes. Kicker Blair Walsh made the 38-yard field goal which tied the game at 13 as time expired. Tampa Bay got the ball first to start overtime, but on their first play from scrimmage, Vikings rookie linebacker Anthony Barr forced a fumble, scooped up the ball, and returned the steal for a 27-yard touchdown. Just 17 seconds into the extra period, Minnesota won the game.

Kansas City Chiefs 34 vs. St. Louis Rams 7

The Chiefs completely dominated in the “Battle of Missouri”. Alex Smith completed 24 of 28 passes for 226-yards. Jamaal Charles rushed for 73-yards, caught four passes for 44 more, and scored two rushing touchdowns. Knile Davis also scored twice, once on the ground and once on a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Kansas City scored 34 unanswered points on offense. On defense, the Chiefs held the Rams to just 200-yards and recorded seven sacks of Austin Davis.

Miami Dolphins 27 @ Jacksonville Jaguars 13

Ryan Tannehill completed 16 of 29 passes for 196-yards and a touchdown. Tannehill also added 48 rushing yards on five carries. Miami’s defense sacked Blake Bortles four times and intercepted a pair of his passes, both for touchdowns. Safety Louis Delmas returned one for an 81-yard score while cornerback Brent Grimes returned the other 22-yards to the house.

Buffalo Bills 43 @ New York Jets 23

Kyle Orton completed 10 of 17 passes for 238-yards and four touchdowns, tying his career high that he set back in 2010. Sammy Watkins racked up 157-yards receiving on only three catches, one of which resulted in a 61-yard scoring reception. Geno Smith was benched in favor of Michael Vick. Smith was only two of eight for five-yards with three interceptions. Vick did lead the Jets on two scoring drives that kept the game close. Both marches ended in Chris Ivory touchdown runs. However, the Jets turned the ball over six times, killing their chances.

Seattle Seahawks 13 @ Carolina Panthers 9

A defensive struggle took place in Carolina. In a battle of field goals, Steven Hauschka kicked a pair, including one from 58-yards out. Graham Gano kicked a trio, his third came from 46-yards out and it gave the Panthers a 9-6 lead with 4:37 remaining in the game. When Seattle got the ball back, Russell Wilson led the Seahawks on a nine play, 80-yard drive. With 47 seconds left, Wilson threw the game winning 23-yard touchdown pass to tight end Luke Willson.

New England Patriots 51 vs. Chicago Bears 23

Tom Brady took full advantage of the Bears secondary on Sunday. Brady completed 30 of 35 passes for 354-yards and threw five touchdowns. Tight end Rob Gronkowski scored three of those touchdowns while catching nine passes for 149-yards. Brandon LaFell also had big numbers, catching 11 passes for 124-yards and scoring once. Despite the blowout, Jay Cutler completed 20 of 30 passes for 227-yards and three touchdowns. Matt Forte rushed for 114-yards on 19 carries while catching six passes for 54-yards and a touchdown.

Houston Texans 30 @ Tennessee Titans 16

Arian Foster led the way for the Texans on Sunday. Foster gained 151-yards on 20 carries and scored twice on the ground while also scoring once on a touchdown reception. Overall, the Texans gained 212-yards rushing. Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 19 of 35 passes for 227-yards. In his first NFL start, Titans rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger completed 27 of 41 passes for 299-yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Arizona Cardinals 24 vs. Philadelphia Eagles 20

Carson Palmer completed 20 of 42 passes for 329-yards and two long touchdown strikes. The first was an 80-yard pass to Larry Fitzgerald and the second was a 75-yarder to John Brown. Fitzgerald racked up 160-yards on seven catches, while Brown caught five passes for 119-yards. Nick Foles threw the ball 62 times and completed 36 of those balls for 411-yards and a pair of touchdowns, both to Jeremy Maclin. Maclin caught 12 passes for 187-yards in the game.

Cleveland Browns 23 vs. Oakland Raiders 13

Brian Hoyer completed 19 of 28 passes for 275-yards and a touchdown to wide receiver Andrew Hawkins. Kicker Billy Cundiff hit all three of his field goal attempts. The Browns defense forced three turnovers and limited the Raiders to a single touchdown that came with seven seconds remaining. For the Browns, the win pushed them over the .500 mark. As for the Raiders, they fell to 0-7 and lost their 13^th consecutive game in the process, a streak that started back in week twelve of the 2013 season.

Pittsburgh Steelers 51 vs. Indianapolis Colts 34

Ben Roethlisberger had a record setting day against the Colts. Roethlisberger set franchise records by passing for 522-yards and six touchdowns. Overall, he completed 40 of 49 passes. Martavis Bryant and Antonio Brown each caught two scoring receptions. Brown made ten catches for 133-yards. Tight end Heath Miller made seven catches for 112-yards and scored once. Andrew Luck completed 26 of 45 passes for 400-yards and three touchdowns. T.Y. Hilton made six catches for 155-yards with one score and unknown Donte Moncrief caught seven passes for 113-yards with a touchdown of his own.

New Orleans Saints 44 vs. Green Bay Packers 23 (SNF on NBC)

The Saints took a tight game and broke it wide open Sunday night. At halftime, the score was knotted at 16, but Drew Brees buried the Packers with three second half touchdown passes. Brees completed 27 of 32 passes for 311-yards. His performance was complemented by the power running of Mark Ingram, who gained 172-yards on 24 carries with a touchdown. Aaron Rodgers did complete 28 of 39 passes for 411-yards and a 70-yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb. Cobb made five catches for 126-yards. Rodgers also ran for a touchdown, but he did throw two interceptions and Green Bay turned the ball over three times. Running back Eddie Lacy accounted for 182-yards of total offense, including eight receptions for 123-yards.

Washington Redskins 20 @ Dallas Cowboys 17 (OT) (MNF on ESPN)

Returning to Texas, Colt McCoy completed 25 of 30 passes for 299-yards while scoring a rushing touchdown. DeSean Jackson made six catches for 136-yards. Alfred Morris rushed for 73-yards on 18 carries and scored a touchdown. DeMarco Murray rushed for 141-yards on 19 carries, extending his streak of 100-yard games to eight while crossing the 1,000-yard rushing barrier. He also caught four passes for 80-yards. Tony Romo completed 17 of 28 passes for 209-yards and a touchdown to Dez Bryant. Romo left the game in the fourth quarter with a back injury. Backup Brandon Weeden came in and led an eight play, 80-yard drive where he completed four of six passes and a 25-yard touchdown strike to tight end Jason Witten. Romo returned when the game went into overtime knotted at 17. The Redskins got the ball first; McCoy led a nine play, 58-yard drive which led to a 40-yard field goal by Kai Forbath. The Cowboys got the ball next, but cornerback Bashaud Breeland made the game winning play when he batted down Romo’s fourth and three pass to Dez Bryant.

Byes: New York Giants, San Francisco