Week Nine NFL Recaps

New Orleans Saints 28 @ Carolina Panthers 10 (TNF on CBS)

Drew Brees completed 24 of 34 passes for 297-yards and a touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham on Thursday night. Brees also scored on a quarterback sneak. Mark Ingram pounded out 100 tough yards on 30 carries while scoring twice. The Saints registered three long touchdown scoring drives, two from 80-yards out and one from 85-yards out. Cam Newton accounted for the Panthers only touchdown of the game on a ten-yard scoring run which closed the gap to seven in the third quarter. However, that was the closest the Panthers could get on the scoreboard. Newton was sacked four times while completing just ten of 28 passes. The Saints second straight prime time game resulted in their second straight win, which brought their record to the .500 mark for the first time this season.

Cleveland Browns 22 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17

Although the Buccaneers came into Cleveland with just one win, they gave the Browns some trouble. Mike Glennon completed 17 of 33 passes for 260-yards and two touchdowns. Both of Glennon’s touchdowns went to Mike Evans, who caught seven passes for 124-yards. Running back Bobby Rainey accounted for 121-yards of total offense. Brian Hoyer brought the Browns back. Hoyer completed 21 of 34 passes for 300-yards and two touchdowns, including the game winning 34-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Taylor Gabriel in the fourth quarter.

Arizona Cardinals 28 @ Dallas Cowboys 17

Carson Palmer rebounded from an early pick six for a touchdown by throwing three touchdown passes against the Cowboys on Sunday afternoon. Palmer completed 22 of 34 passes for 249-yards. Running back Andre Ellington rushed for 95-yards on 21 carries. Ellington also made four catches for 39-yards and scored on a touchdown reception. Brandon Weeden got the start for the injured Tony Romo. Weeden struggled against the Cardinals, being intercepted twice and only led the offense to one touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Philadelphia Eagles 31 @ Houston Texans 21

Nick Foles completed 10 of 13 passes for 124-yards and a 58-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin. Foles ended up leaving the game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. Mark Sanchez took control of the offense by passing for over 200-yards and two touchdowns. In the fourth quarter, Sanchez put the game out of reach by engineering a 15 play, 80-yard drive which ended with an eight-yard scoring strike to Maclin. Maclin caught six passes for 158-yards. LeSean McCoy also rushed for 117-yards on 23 carries. Ryan Fitzpatrick passed for 203-yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 56-yard score to Arian Foster. Foster racked up 119-yards of total offense.

Kansas City Chiefs 24 vs. New York Jets 10

Alex Smith completed 21 of 31 passes for 199-yards and two touchdowns as the Chiefs defeated the Jets in Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. Jamaal Charles pounded out 78-yards on 20 carries and scored once. For the Jets, Michael Vick engineered a 15 play, 81-yard drive which culminated with a three-yard touchdown pass to Eric Decker in the second quarter. Vick also got great production from Percy Harvin, who made 11 catches for 129-yards. However, Vick was knocked out of the game and replaced by Matthew Simms. Simms was unable to generate any offense as New York lost its eighth straight game.

Cincinnati Bengals 33 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars 23

Blake Bortles completed 22 of 33 passes for 247-yards and two touchdowns, but the Jaguars were unable to upend the Bengals this weekend. Both touchdown passes went to Allen Hurns, who made seven receptions for 112-yards. The Jaguars actually came back from a 16-point fourth quarter deficit to pull within a field goal. Jeremy Hill put the game away for Cincinnati with a 60-yard touchdown run. Hill carried 24 times for 154-yards in the game. Andy Dalton completed 19 of 33 passes for 233-yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Miami Dolphins 37 vs. San Diego Chargers 0

Ryan Tannehill completed 24 of 34 passes for 288-yards and three touchdowns. Tannehill also rushed for 47-yards on four carries. Philip Rivers had his worst game since 2007. Rivers was sacked four times, threw three interceptions, and had a passer rating of 31.0. The Chargers managed only ten first downs and 178-yards of total offense. In the end, San Diego was shut out for the first time since 1999.

Minnesota Vikings 29 vs. Washington Redskins 26

Robert Griffin III made his first start since the second week of the season in Minnesota this past weekend. Griffin completed 18 of 28 passes for 251-yards and a touchdown to DeSean Jackson. Jackson racked up 120 receiving yards on only four catches. Alfred Morris carried 19 times for 92-yards, gained 109-yards of total offense, and scored twice on the ground. Teddy Bridgewater completed 26 of 42 passes for 268-yards and had a 20-yard touchdown strike to tight end Chase Ford. Running back Matt Asiata scored three times, including the game winning score with 3:27 remaining. The touchdown capped off a 12 play, 73-yard drive.

St. Louis Rams 13 @ San Francisco 49ers 10

Colin Kaepernick completed 22 of 33 passes for 237-yards and a touchdown to Anquan Boldin as the Rams upset the 49ers on Sunday. The Rams defense kept the game close by sacking Kaepernick eight times. Late in the third quarter, Austin Davis’ 21-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt tied the score at ten. Greg Zuerlein kicked the eventual game winning field goal with 5:25 remaining in the game. With 3:11 remaining, Kaepernick led the 49ers on a nine play, 87-yard drive. The 49ers marched all the way down to the St. Louis one-yard line. However, Kaepernick fumbled at the goal line in the final seconds. The ball was recovered by linebacker James Laurinaitis.

New England Patriots 43 vs. Denver Broncos 21

Another Manning-Brady duel, another win for Brady. Tom Brady completed 33 of 53 passes for 333-yards and four touchdowns. Brady benefitted from a big game by Julian Edelman. Edelman caught nine passes, scored on a touchdown reception, returned a punt for an 84-yard score, and accounted for 173-yards. The Patriots built an insurmountable 27-7 halftime lead from which the Broncos were unable to overcome. Peyton Manning completed 34 of 57 passes for 438-yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted twice. Emmanuel Sanders made ten receptions for 151-yards, while Demaryius Thomas caught seven passes for 127-yards.

Seattle Seahawks 30 vs. Oakland Raiders 24

A cold rain fell on CenturyLink Field while the visiting Raiders nearly upset the Seahawks on Sunday. Seattle built a 24-3 lead behind an interception return for a touchdown and two rushing scores by Marshawn Lynch. Lynch totaled 143-yards of offense. The Raiders did come back behind two late Derek Carr touchdown passes, but Seattle did enough in the second half to prevent a late rally and keep the silver and black winless.

Pittsburgh Steelers 43 vs. Baltimore Ravens 23 (SNF on NBC)

For the second straight game, Ben Roethlisberger threw six touchdown passes. Roethlisberger completed 25 of 37 passes for 340-yards. Martavis Bryant caught two of those scoring passes. Antonio Brown made 11 catches for 144-yards and scored once as well. Joe Flacco completed 30 of 45 passes for 303-yards and a pair of touchdowns, but he was sacked four times. Linebacker James Harrison recorded two of those sacks. With a win, the Steelers took over the first place spot in the AFC North.

Indianapolis Colts 40 @ New York Giants 24 (MNF on ESPN)

On Monday night, Andrew Luck completed 25 of 46 passes for 354-yards and four touchdowns to four different receivers. Luck led the Colts on touchdown drives of 68, 84, and 80-yards. Eli Manning did not have such luck. Manning did complete 27 of 52 passes for 359-yards and a pair of touchdowns, both of which came in the fourth quarter. For the most part though, Manning could not find a rhythm.

Byes: Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Tennessee Titans