Week Six NFL Recaps

Indianapolis Colts 33 @ Houston Texans 28 (TNF on CBS)

The Colts erupted to a 24-0 first quarter lead. Andrew Luck completed 25 of 44 passes for 370-yards and three touchdowns. T.Y. Hilton caught nine passes for 223-yards and scored a touchdown. The Texans would come back behind the running of Arian Foster, who gained 109-yards on 20 carries and scored twice. Defensive end J.J. Watt scooped up a fumble and scored from 45-yards out to pull the Texans within five in the fourth quarter. However, Houston’s offense committed two costly fumbles which were recovered by the Colts in the final four and a half minutes of the game.

Tennessee Titans 16 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars 14

Charlie Whitehurst completed 17 of 28 passes for 233-yards. Whitehurst led the Titans on an eight play, 80-yard drive to their only touchdown, a one-yard run by running back Jackie Battle. Kicker Ryan Succop added three field goals to account for the rest of the scoring. Both of Jacksonville’s touchdowns came courtesy of a pair of former Central Florida stars. Running back Storm Johnson scored his first NFL touchdown while Blake Bortles threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to tight end Clay Harbor. Bortles completed 32 of 46 passes for 336-yards and threw for his only touchdown pass with 37 seconds remaining. The Titans would hang on to win the game.

Baltimore Ravens 48 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17

Joe Flacco had a career game. Flacco completed 21 of 29 passes for 306-yards and five touchdown passes, all of which came in the first half. Baltimore scored a string of 38 unanswered points during the first two quarters. Torrey Smith caught two touchdowns. Steve Smith caught one and racked up 110-yards on five receptions, and finally, the Ravens running back Justin Forsett gained 111-yards on 14 carries. Their defense was led by a pass rush that registered five sacks. Mike Glennon did pass for 314-yards and two touchdowns, including one to rookie Mike Evans, but the outcome was never in doubt.

Denver Broncos 31 @ New York Jets 17

Peyton Manning completed 22 of 33 passes for 237-yards and three touchdowns. Manning is now three more touchdown passes away from breaking Brett Favre’s all time record of 508. Julius Thomas caught two touchdowns and Demaryius Thomas caught the other, along with ten receptions for 124-yards. Geno Smith did throw a pair of touchdowns as the Jets came back within seven. His last pass was intercepted and returned for the clinching touchdown by cornerback Aqib Talib with 15 seconds remaining.

Detroit Lions 17 @ Minnesota Vikings 3

Matthew Stafford completed 19 of 33 passes for 185-yards and a touchdown pass to running back Theo Riddick. Riddick made five receptions for a game high 75-yards. Joique Bell rushed for 74-yards on 18 carries with a rushing touchdown and totaled 97-yards of offense. Teddy Bridgewater returned as the starting quarterback, but he threw three interceptions and was sacked eight times.

New England Patriots 37 @ Buffalo Bills 22

New England caught fire for the second straight week. Tom Brady completed 27 of 37 passes for 361-yards and four touchdowns. Brandon LaFell caught two of those scoring strikes. Kyle Orton completed 24 of 38 passes for 299-yards and two touchdowns. Fred Jackson also scored from a yard out for the Bills first rushing touchdown of the season. The Bills had the Patriots against the ropes, but a seven play, 93-yard scoring drive that ended with LaFell’s 56-yard scoring reception ended Buffalo’s hopes.

Carolina Panthers 37 @ Cincinnati Bengals 37 (OT)

Cam Newton completed 29 of 46 passes for 284-yards and two touchdowns. Newton also ran for 107-yards on 17 carries and scored once on the ground. Andy Dalton completed 34 of 44 passes for 323-yards and a pair of scores as well. Dalton benefitted from an 11 catch, 120-yard receiving day by Mohamed Sanu. Sanu also caught a 34-yard scoring reception. Giovani Bernard gained 137-yards on 18 carries with a rushing touchdown and added four receptions. Both teams battled to overtime, where Mike Nugent and Graham Gano exchanged field goals. With 2:19 remaining, Dalton led a nine play, 62-yard scoring drive to set up a field goal. Nugent missed the 36-yard attempt as time expired.

Cleveland Browns 31 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 10

Cleveland erupted for 31 unanswered points. Brian Hoyer completed just eight of 17 passes, but threw for 217-yards and a touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Cameron. Cameron racked up 102-yards on just three receptions. The Browns running game was the primary weapon in gutting Pittsburgh’s defense. Ben Tate pounded out 78-yards on 25 carries and scored twice. Isaiah Crowell glided to 77-yards on 11 carries and scored once. Cleveland’s defense limited the Steelers to a single touchdown. This was just the Browns third win over Pittsburgh in 23 games and it marked their most convincing victory in this series since 1989.

Green Bay Packers 27 @ Miami Dolphins 24

Ryan Tannehill completed 20 of 31 passes for 244-yards and two touchdowns. Miami held a 24-17 lead in the fourth quarter. Mason Crosby’s 30-yard field goal cut the deficit to four. Aaron Rodgers, who completed 24 of 42 passes for 309-yards, saved his best for last. With 2:04 remaining, Rodgers led an 11 play, 60-yard drive. On first and goal from Miami’s four-yard line, Rodgers hit tight end Andrew Quarless for his third touchdown pass of the game with just three seconds remaining. The scoring strike proved to be the game winning touchdown.

San Diego Chargers 31 @ Oakland Raiders 28

The Chargers struggled against the winless Raiders, but they still came from behind to win in the fourth quarter. Philip Rivers completed 22 of 34 passes for 313-yards and three touchdown passes. Branden Oliver gained 101-yards on 26 carries and scored the game winning touchdown with 1:56 remaining. Before this game, Derek Carr only had four touchdown passes during the season. Carr threw four against the Chargers; he also passed for 282-yards. Wide receiver Andre Holmes caught two scoring receptions and racked up 121-yards on only four receptions. However, when Oakland threatened in the final minutes, Carr’s pass was intercepted by cornerback Jason Verrett.

Chicago Bears 27 @ Atlanta Falcons 13

Jay Cutler completed 26 of 38 passes for 381-yards and a touchdown pass to Josh Morgan. Matt Forte added two rushing touchdowns. Forte rushed for 80-yards on 17 carries and caught ten passes for 77 more yards. Cutler also benefitted from great receiving days by Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall. Jeffery made five catches for 139-yards while Marshall caught six passes for 113-yards. Chicago’s defense racked up four sacks, including two by defensive end Willie Young.

Dallas Cowboys 30 @ Seattle Seahawks 23

Seattle jumped out to a 10-0 lead following a field goal and a blocked punt return for a touchdown. Tony Romo would rebound from the deficit. Facing a hostile environment and a stingy Seahawks defense, Romo completed 21 of 32 passes for 250-yards and two touchdown passes. Trailing by three in the fourth quarter, Romo led the Cowboys on a nine play, 80-yard drive that was culminated by DeMarco Murray’s 15-yard touchdown run. Murray rushed for 115-yards on 29 carries. Seattle still clung to life in the final moments, but Russell Wilson’s pass was intercepted by linebacker Rolando McClain with 42 seconds remaining.

Arizona Cardinals 30 vs. Washington Redskins 20

Carson Palmer made his first start since Week one. Palmer completed 28 of 44 passes for 250-yards and a pair of touchdown pass. Kicker Chandler Catanzarro made a trio of field goals, but Washington would keep the game close. Kirk Cousins completed 24 of 38 passes for 354-yards and two touchdowns, including a 64-yard scoring pass to DeSean Jackson. Jackson accounted for 115-yards on only three receptions. Cousins did throw three interceptions, the final one was returned for a 28-yard touchdown by safety Rashad Johnson with 18 seconds remaining to seal the win.

Philadelphia Eagles 27 vs. New York Giants 0 (SNF on NBC)

Nick Foles completed 21 of 34 passes for 248-yards and two touchdowns. LeSean McCoy rushed for 149-yards on 22 carries and Darren Sproles added a rushing touchdown. The Eagles defense completely overwhelmed Eli Manning, sacking him eight times. Linebacker Connor Barwin tallied three of those sacks while defensive end Vinny Curry recorded two. The Giants did not score a single point as the Eagles recorded their first shutout since 1996.

San Francisco 49ers 31 @ St. Louis Rams 17 (MNF on ESPN)

The 49ers overcame a 14-0 deficit by scoring 24 unanswered points. Colin Kaepernick completed 22 of 36 passes for 343-yards and three touchdowns. One of his scoring passes came with 14 seconds remaining in the half, an 80-yard scoring strike to Brandon Lloyd. Still, the Rams trailed by seven in the fourth quarter. San Francisco’s defense erased all doubt when Dontae Johnson returned an interception for a 20-yard touchdown with 53 seconds left.

Byes: Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints