Week Fourteen NFL Recaps

Dallas Cowboys 41 @ Chicago Bears 28 (TNF on CBS)

Tony Romo completed 21 of 26 passes for 205-yards and three touchdowns to help defeat the Bears on Thursday night. Cole Beasley was on the receiving end of two scores. DeMarco Murray ran for 179-yards on 32 carries, racked up 228-yards of total offense, and scored a rushing touchdown. The Cowboys scored four unanswered touchdowns to jump out to a 35-7 lead, but the Bears would make things interesting in the fourth quarter. Jay Cutler completed 32 of 46 passes for 341-yards and two touchdowns. Cutler also ran for a ten-yard score. As time was running out, the Bears threatened to close the gap to six. But Cutler’s pass was intercepted by Brandon Carr in the end zone with 1:29 remaining. The Cowboys withstood a late rally and hung on to improve their record to 9-4.

Pittsburgh Steelers 42 @ Cincinnati Bengals 21

The Steelers trailed entering the fourth quarter, but scored 25 unanswered points to put away the Bengals. Andy Dalton accounted for all three of Cincinnati’s touchdowns, two through the air and one on the ground from 20-yards out. Dalton completed 21 of 29 passes for 302-yards while rushing for 22-yards on four carries. A.J. Green made 11 catches for 224-yards and scored on an 81-yard touchdown reception. Ben Roethlisberger completed 25 of 39 passes for 350-yards and three touchdowns. Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant each had over 100-yards receiving. Bryant also had a 94-yard scoring reception. Le’Veon Bell carried the ball 26 times for 185-yards and scored twice on the ground. Bell would also catch six passes for 50-yards with a receiving touchdown.

St. Louis Rams 24 @ Washington Redskins 0

In D.C., the Rams recorded their second straight shutout and made it look easy. Shaun Hill completed 16 of 22 passes for 213-yards and two touchdowns, both of which went to tight end Jared Cook. Tavon Austin would finish things off with 78-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter. St. Louis’ defense registered seven sacks on Robert Griffin III and Colt McCoy as the Redskins managed just 206-yards of total offense.

New York Giants 36 @ Tennessee Titans 7

After seven straight losses, the New York Giants finally came out victorious on Sunday afternoon. The Giants erupted for 30 unanswered points, as Eli Manning completed 26 of 42 passes for 260-yards, which included a 15-yard touchdown pass to Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham Jr. made 11 receptions for 130-yards in the game. Andre Williams gained 131-yards on 24 carries and scored a touchdown from 50-yards out. Meanwhile, the Giants defense had a field day. The unit held the Titans offense without a touchdown, registered eight sacks on Zach Mettenberger, and surrendered 207-yards.

Carolina Panthers 41 @ New Orleans Saints 10

The Panthers came into the Superdome and completely neutralized the Saints on Sunday. Cam Newton completed 21 of 33 passes for 226-yards and three touchdowns. Newton also gained 83-yards on 12 carries and scored once on the ground. Jonathan Stewart carried the ball 20 times for 155-yards and ran for a 69-yard touchdown. As a whole, the Panthers ran for 271-yards. Meanwhile, the Saints were held to just 92-yards on the ground. New Orleans could only manage one touchdown against a Carolina defense that contained Drew Brees the entire game.

Minnesota Vikings 30 vs. New York Jets 24

An unexpected shootout took place at TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Geno Smith completed 18 of 29 passes for 254-yards and a 35-yard touchdown pass to Percy Harvin. Harvin made six receptions for 124-yards. Teddy Bridgewater found Charles Johnson for a 56-yard touchdown reception, keeping the Vikings within striking distance. The defenses also made some key plays. The Jets registered a safety while Vikings linebacker Gerald Hodges intercepted a pass for a 27-yard touchdown. Both teams combined for 38 first downs and each side had over 400-yards. When Nick Folk made a 44-yard field goal with 23 seconds remaining, the game was sent into overtime. The Jets punted following their first possession of the extra period. It took the Vikings just three plays to find the end zone, which they did on an 87-yard strike from Bridgewater to Jarius Wright. Teddy Bridgewater finished the game with two touchdown passes and 309-yards. Jarius Wright and Charles Johnson each had over 100-yards receiving. Minnesota earned its sixth win of the season.

Baltimore Ravens 28 vs. Miami Dolphins 13

Trailing by ten after the first quarter, the Ravens would come back to defeat the Dolphins on Sunday. Joe Flacco responded with a 12 play, 97-yard drive just before halftime. With two seconds remaining, he found Steve Smith in the end zone to close the gap to three. Flacco would throw for another touchdown pass to Kamar Brown and he would run for one as well. Joe Flacco completed 25 of 33 passes for 269-yards in the game. The Ravens gained 183-yards rushing, including 71-yards and a touchdown by Justin Forsett. Baltimore’s defense sacked Ryan Tannehill six times and held Miami to 249-yards of total offense.

Indianapolis Colts 25 @ Cleveland Browns 24

The Browns jumped out to a fourteen point lead behind two defensive touchdowns, but the Colts would come back. Andrew Luck passed for 294-yards. He even threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to T.Y. Hilton, who made ten catches for 150-yards. Trailing by four with 3:46 remaining, Luck led an 11 play, 90-yard drive. With 32 seconds left, he found Hilton in the end zone for the game winning one-yard score. The heroics of Hilton and Luck gave the Colts a 9-4 record and a two game lead in the AFC South.

Detroit Lions 34 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17

Like the Colts, the Lions got their ninth win as well on Sunday afternoon. As usual, Matthew Stafford was the catalyst. Stafford completed 26 of 34 passes for 311-yards and three touchdowns. Calvin Johnson made eight catches for 158-yards and scored once. The Lions defense was at top form, sacking Josh McCown six times and intercepting him twice. The Buccaneers were held to just 26-yards rushing and 233-yards of total offense.

Houston Texans 27 @ Jacksonville Jaguars 13

One week after Ryan Fitzpatrick led the way with his six touchdown passes, Arian Foster led the way with his 127-yards rushing. Foster also added a touchdown from a yard out. Fitzpatrick completed 13 of 19 passes for 135-yards and scored a rushing touchdown himself. The Texans defense recorded four sacks, including three by J.J. Watt. The Jaguars were held to a single touchdown. With their seventh win, Houston now moved above the .500 mark.

Denver Broncos 24 vs. Buffalo Bills 17

The Broncos jumped out to a big lead behind three touchdown runs by C.J. Anderson. Peyton Manning posted pedestrian numbers, going 14 of 20 for 173-yards with two interceptions. Denver’s offense managed to gain just over 300-yards. Meanwhile, the Bills staged a furious rally in the fourth quarter. Kyle Orton passed for 355-yards and threw a 14-yard touchdown strike to Chris Hogan. Orton also scored on a one-yard run with 55 seconds remaining in the game. However, the Broncos recovered the ensuing onside kick to hang on for the win and improve to 10-3.

Arizona Cardinals 17 vs. Kansas City Chiefs 14

Out in Glendale, the Cardinals attempted to end their two game skid. They would fall behind in the first half though. Jamaal Charles gave the Chiefs a 14-6 lead, scoring on a 63-yard run and catching an 18-yard touchdown pass. Alex Smith completed 26 of 39 passes for 293-yards. Trailing by five in the third quarter, linebacker Alex Okafor intercepted a Smith pass. Drew Stanton, who passed for 239-yards, capitalized off of the turnover by throwing a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jaron Brown. The score followed with a successful two-point conversion pass from Stanton to tight end John Carlson. With an outstanding defensive effort in the fourth quarter, Arizona hung on to win. The Cardinals have now won seven home games, their highest total since 1925. They also posted consecutive ten win seasons for the first time since 1976.

Seattle Seahawks 24 @ Philadelphia Eagles 14

Russell Wilson completed 22 of 37 passes for 262-yards and two touchdowns. Wilson also gained 48-yards rushing on ten carries with a 26-yard score on the ground. Marshawn Lynch made a 15-yard touchdown reception and racked up 113-yards of total offense. Mark Sanchez threw for a pair of touchdowns, but he was held to 96-yards through the air. Despite being held to just 50-yards on 17 carries, LeSean McCoy became the Philadelphia Eagles all-time leading rusher. As a whole, the Eagles were held to just nine first downs and 139-yards of total offense. The Seahawks have now won six of their last seven games.

Oakland Raiders 24 vs. San Francisco 49ers 13

In the “Battle of the Bay”, the Raiders pulled off their second win in three weeks. It was another stunning upset. Derek Carr completed 22 of 28 passes for 254-yards and three touchdowns in his best performance of the season. Tight end Mychal Rivera caught seven passes for 109-yards. The Raiders defense sacked Colin Kaepernick five times, held the 49ers to 248-yards, and allowed a single touchdown.

New England Patriots 23 @ San Diego Chargers 14 (SNF on NBC)

The Patriots overcame a 14-3 deficit to score 20 unanswered points in San Diego on Sunday night. Tom Brady completed 28 of 44 passes for 317-yards and two touchdown strikes. One of Brady’s scoring passes, a 69-yarder to Julian Edelman, helped put the Chargers away in the fourth quarter. Edelman caught eight passes for 141-yards in the game. New England’s defense sacked Philip Rivers four times while holding the Chargers offense to 216-yards and one touchdown.

Green Bay Packers 43 vs. Atlanta Falcons 37 (MNF on ESPN)

This game marked the anniversary of an important event. On this day 34-years ago, Howard Cosell made a statement that John Lennon was shot and killed. The stunning announcement was made during a Monday night game between the Dolphins and Patriots. As for the game itself, the Packers jumped out to an overwhelming 31-7 halftime lead. Aaron Rodgers completed 24 of 36 passes for 327-yards and three touchdowns, including two to Jordy Nelson. Nelson caught eight passes for 146-yards. The Packers running game also made heavy contributions, gaining 179-yards on the ground. James Starks carried ten times for 75-yards while Eddie Lacy ran for 73-yards on 13 carries. Both backs would each rack up over 100-yards of total offense and score a touchdown. The Falcons did come back to pull within six. Matt Ryan completed 24 of 39 passes for 375-yards and four touchdowns. Julio Jones made 11 receptions for 229-yards and scored a touchdown. The Packers would hang on in the final minutes and secure their fifth consecutive win. Atlanta dropped to 5-8 to remain tied for first place with the Saints in the NFC South, a division which will feature a champion without a winning record.