Week Eleven NFL Recaps

Miami Dolphins 22 vs. Buffalo Bills 9 (TNF on CBS)

Thursday night featured an AFC East divisional battle of two 5-4 teams. A trio of Dan Carpenter field goals gave the Bills a slim 9-3 lead in the third quarter. The Dolphins came back by scoring 19 unanswered points. Ryan Tannehill completed 26 of 34 passes for 240-yards and a pair of scoring strikes. Lamar Miller keyed Miami’s running game, gaining 86-yards on 15 carries. The Dolphins defense limited the Bills to 237-yards of total offense, held them without a touchdown, and recorded a safety when Kyle Orton was called for intentional grounding in the end zone. With a win, Miami rebounded from their tough road loss in Detroit, while Buffalo lost their second consecutive game.

Chicago Bears 21 vs. Minnesota Vikings 13

Jay Cutler completed 31 of 43 passes for 330-yards and three touchdowns, including two to Brandon Marshall and one to Alshon Jeffery, who made 11 receptions for 135-yards. As usual, Matt Forte did his damage on the ground and through the air. Forte rushed for 117-yards on 26 carries and racked up 58-yards on six catches. The Bears defense limited the Vikings to ten first downs and 243-yards of total offense. Chicago also overcame a ten-point deficit to score three unanswered touchdowns.

Houston Texans 23 @ Cleveland Browns 7

With Ryan Fitzpatrick benched, Ryan Mallett got the start for the Texans. Mallett completed 20 of 30 passes for 211-yards and two touchdowns, including a surprising scoring toss to defensive end J.J. Watt. Alfred Blue filled in for an injured Arian Foster. Blue rushed for 156-yards on 36 carries, as Houston gained 213-yards on the ground. Kicker Randy Bullock also added three field goals as the Texans scored 16 unanswered points. Brian Hoyer passed for 330-yards and had a touchdown strike to Andrew Hawkins which capped off a seven play, 62-yard scoring drive. However, the Browns could not gain any more momentum on the offensive side of the ball.

San Francisco 49ers 16 vs. New York Giants 10

Colin Kaepernick completed 15 of 29 passes for 193-yards and a 48-yard touchdown strike to Michael Crabtree. Running back Frank Gore rushed for 95-yards on 19 carries, while tallying 114-yards of total offense. Eli Manning passed for 280-yards, connecting with Rueben Randle seven times for 112-yards. Manning also threw a touchdown pass to tight end Larry Donnell, but he was victimized by the turnover bug, throwing five interceptions.

Kansas City Chiefs 24 vs. Seattle Seahawks 20

As usual, Jamaal Charles led the way for the Chiefs. Charles ran for 159-yards on 20 carries and scored twice. Russell Wilson completed 20 of 32 passes for 178-yards and a pair of scoring strikes, including one to former Chiefs tight end Tony Moeaki. Wilson also rushed for 71-yards on eight carries, contributing to a Seahawks running game that was, as always, led by Marshawn Lynch. Lynch gained 124-yards on 24 carries. In the fourth quarter, Kansas City stole victory away from the Seahawks. The Chiefs offense marched 71-yards down the field in just four plays and ended the drive with a four-yard touchdown run by Knile Davis. Davis’ score proved to be the game winning touchdown.

Atlanta Falcons 19 @ Carolina Panthers 17

Matt Ryan’s two-yard touchdown pass to Roddy White, along with a trio of Matt Bryant field goals, helped the Falcons build a 13-point halftime lead. The Panthers came back to take a one point lead behind Cam Newton’s two touchdown passes, including one to Kelvin Benjamin. Newton completed 23 of 37 passes for 292-yards while Benjamin caught nine passes for 109-yards. The Falcons drove 54-yards in 12 plays on their ensuing drive, which ended with Bryant kicking the go-ahead field goal from 44-yards out. Carolina ended up mounting a drive which got Graham Gano into field goal range. However, Gano’s 46-yard attempt was blocked with 1:22 remaining. Atlanta hung on to win and take the first place lead in the NFC South.

Cincinnati Bengals 27 @ New Orleans Saints 10

After failing to play up to his standards the previous week, Andy Dalton caught fire against the Saints. Dalton completed 16 of 22 passes for 220-yards and three touchdowns. His leading receiver was A.J. Green, who made six catches for 127-yards and a touchdown. Tight end Jermaine Gresham caught just two passes, but both of them resulted in touchdowns. Jeremy Hill rushed for 152-yards on 27 carries to help bolster Cincinnati’s running game. Meanwhile, the Saints had no running game, managing a mere total of 75-yards against a stingy Bengals defense.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27 @ Washington Redskins 7

Josh McCown completed 15 of 23 passes for 288-yards and two touchdowns on Sunday. Both of McCown’s scoring strikes went to Mike Evans, who racked up 209-yards on seven receptions. The Buccaneers defense completely overwhelmed the Redskins. Robert Griffin III threw a pair of interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown by cornerback Jonathan Banks, and fell victim to six sacks. Washington was held to a single touchdown.

St. Louis Rams 22 vs. Denver Broncos 7

Shaun Hill was the Rams starting quarterback against the Broncos. Hill completed 20 of 29 passes for 220-yards and had a 63-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt. Britt made four receptions for 128-yards, Tre Mason pounded out 113-yards on 29 carries, and Greg Zuerlein kicked five field goals. The Rams offense was efficient, but their defense was even better. Peyton Manning threw for 389-yards and had a touchdown pass to Emmanuel Sanders, but the 42-yard scoring play was the Broncos only points of the afternoon. Manning was also intercepted twice.

San Diego Chargers 13 vs. Oakland Raiders 6

Philip Rivers’ 22-yard touchdown pass to Malcom Floyd was the only touchdown that was scored between both teams on Sunday afternoon. Rivers completed 22 of 34 passes for 193-yards. Ryan Mathews made his first start since the season’s second week and gained 70 hard yards on 16 carries. The Chargers defense carried the offense. Oakland failed to score a touchdown while managing just nine first downs and 233-yards.

Green Bay Packers 53 vs. Philadelphia Eagles 20

Aaron Rodgers picked up right where he left off from his six touchdown performance against the Bears last Sunday night. Rodgers completed 22 of 36 passes for 341-yards and three touchdowns. Jordy Nelson made four receptions for 109-yards and scored once while Randall Cobb made ten catches for 129-yards. Eddie Lacy also caught a touchdown reception and racked up 114-yards of total offense. Meanwhile, the Eagles offense struggled, turning the ball over four times. Despite throwing for 346-yards and two touchdown passes, Mark Sanchez was sacked three times and threw a pair of interceptions. One of Sanchez’s interceptions resulted in a 56-yard touchdown return by Julius Peppers. Peppers’ score was one of two touchdown returns by the Packers defense.

Arizona Cardinals 14 vs. Detroit Lions 6

Every point of this game was scored in the first half. Drew Stanton completed 21 of 32 passes for 306-yards and two touchdowns to Michael Floyd. Arizona’s defense put relentless pressure on Matthew Stafford by sacking him four times. The Cardinals also held the Lions to just 11 first downs and 262-yards. Detroit was limited to just a pair of field goals. Arizona became the first team to reach nine wins this season and they have their best record through a ten game stretch since 1948.

New England Patriots 42 @ Indianapolis Colts 20 (SNF on NBC)

The Patriots came into Indianapolis and brought the Colts house down. Tom Brady overcame a pair of interceptions by completing 19 of 30 passes for 257-yards and two touchdowns. The star of the show was running back Jonas Gray. An undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame, Gray rushed for 199-yards on 38 carries and scored four touchdowns. New England gained a total of 244-yards on the ground. Andrew Luck completed 23 of 39 passes for 303-yards and a pair of touchdowns. Luck’s favorite target was tight end Coby Fleener, who made seven catches for 144-yards. The Colts failed to establish a running game, managing just 19-yards on 17 carries against the Patriots defense.

Pittsburgh Steelers 27 @ Tennessee Titans 24 (MNF on ESPN)

Pittsburgh overcame an 11-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat the Titans on Monday night. Le’Veon Bell carried the ball 33 times, gained 204-yards and scored a touchdown. Ben Roethlisberger overcame five sacks to complete 21 of 32 passes for 207-yards and a touchdown toss to Antonio Brown. Brown’s touchdown reception proved to be the game winning score. Zach Mettenberger completed 15 of 24 passes for 263-yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yard bomb to Nate Washington.

Byes: Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Baltimore Ravens