Does Peyton Hillis miss Denver? Will he ever stop laughing about Josh McDaniels' insistence that he wasn't a team player? Can it get any worse in Denver? The answer to at least one of these questions is 'yes'...
- Image via Wikipedia
Patriots 45, Lions 24
After surprisingly falling behind 14-3 early, Tom Brady turned on the awesome and scored a perfect QB rating; going 21/27 for 341 yards and 4 TD’s to lead the Pats to a Thanksgiving Day win over the feisty Lions.
Saints 30, Cowboys 27
The Saints saw a 17-point lead evaporate, and appeared headed for defeat until Dallas WR Roy Williams’ 4th Quarter fumble. Drew Brees drove the Saints 89 yards in 5 plays, hitting Lance Moore for a 12-yard TD with 1:55 left. Then the Cowboys missed a 59-yd field goal in the final seconds, extending the Saints’ winning streak to four games.
Jets 26, Bengals 10
The Jets’ Brad Smith scored on a 53-yard end-around, then again on an 89-yard kick return despite losing a shoe. The Jets rushed for 170 yards, while the Bungles could only manage 163 yards total as they lost their eighth game in a row. The Jets and Patriots, both 9-2, meet next week to decide first place in the AFC East.
Falcons 20, Packers 17
In a battle of the league’s best young QBs, the Pack’s Aaron Rodgers threw for 344 yards, including a 10-yard TD to Jordy Nelson on 4th down with 56 seconds left to tie it at 17. Atlanta’s Matt Ryan answered with a stellar 24/28 performance, and was complemented by Michael Turner’s 110 yards on the ground. Matt Bryant hit a 47-yard field goal with 9 seconds remaining to give the Falcons the victory, as well as the NFC’s best record at 9-2.
Texans 20, Titans 0
Houston’s Arian Foster ran for 143 yards, and caught 9 passes for 75 yards. Titans rookie QB Rusty Smith was picked off three times in his first career start as the Texans earned the shutout. But the game was overshadowed by the brawl between Houston’s Andre Johnson and Tennessee’s Cortland Finnegan. Both men were fined $25,000. They will seek to make that money back in their Prime Time rematch at UFC 127.
Vikings 17, Redskins 13
The Redskins managed only 216 yards of offense and were loudly booed by their home crowd. Vikings RB Toby Gerhart rushed for 76 yards and a TD after Adrian Peterson’s ankle injury. Brett Favre looked 10 years younger as he ran 10 yards for a first down late in the game to seal a Minnesota win.
Steelers 19, Bills 16 (OT)
After the Steelers blew a 13-0 halftime lead, the Bills were on the cusp of a major upset in overtime when WR Stevie Johnson dropped a sure TD. Pittsburgh’s new kicker Shaun Suisham went 4/4 on field goal attempts, hitting a 41-yarder to win in OT. Johnson later seemed to blame a higher power for his gaffe. With the Bills’ luck over the years, there must be a lot of pagans in Buffalo.
Browns 24, Panthers 23
Browns QB Jake Delhomme narrowly beat his old team when John Kasay missed a 42-yard field goal for the Panthers as time expired. Peyton Hillis rushed for 131 yards and 3 TD’s for the Browns, continuing his “Josh McDaniels is a Complete Moron” tour of NFL cities.
Giants 24, Jaguars 20
Eli Manning avoided the turnovers that have plagued the Giants in recent weeks. He hit TE Kevin Boss for a 32-yard TD with 3:15 left as the Giants overcame a 17-6 halftime deficit and ended the Jags’ 3-game winning streak.
Rams 36, Broncos 33
The Broncos’ free-fall continued as the defense gave up 431 yards to the young Rams offense. Sam Bradford had his first 300-yard passing performance, adding 3 TD passes as the Rams moved into a tie for first in the NFC West with Seattle. As bad as Denver’s defense is, I’m not sure that Elvis Dumervil would have made a difference.
Chiefs 42, Seahawks 24
The Chiefs offense racked up 503 total yards and controlled the ball for over 41 minutes. Matt Cassel threw 4 touchdowns, 3 of them to rising star WR Dwayne Bowe. Jamaal Charles ran for 173 of the Chiefs’ 270 total rushing yards. I bet Seattle’s pretty happy that they don’t play in the AFC West anymore.
Dolphins 33, Raiders 17
Chad Henne returned as Miami’s starting QB and had his best game of the year, throwing for 307 yards and 2 TD’s. The Dolphins gained 471 total yards in almost 42 minutes of possession time. Oakland’s return to success may have been an illusion…
Bears 31, Eagles 26
Jay Cutler tied a career high with 4 touchdown passes, while RB Matt Forte added 117 yards rushing for the Bears. Eagles QB Michael Vick threw for 333 yards, but also threw his first interception of the season as the Bears upset the Eagles.
Ravens 17, Buccaneers 10
Ravens QB Joe Flacco threw for 289 yards and 2 TD’s, including a 65-yard strike to TE Todd Heap that put the Ravens ahead for good in the 2nd Quarter. Tampa Bay has yet to beat a team with a winning record. The Ravens square off with the Steelers next Sunday night with first place in the AFC North on the line.
Chargers 36, Colts 14
Peyton Manning threw 4 interceptions, 2 of which were returned for touchdowns. Manning has now thrown 7 picks in the last two weeks. The Chargers played mistake-free as they handed the Colts their worst home defeat of the Peyton Manning era.
49ers 27, Cardinals 6
With two 3-7 teams playing, ESPN probably would have drawn more viewers by pre-empting this game with an infomercial for the Shake Weight. After Frank Gore’s season-ending hip injury, 49ers RB Brian Westbrook returned to form, rushing for 136 yards and a TD. The Cardinals only highlight was in the post-game press conference, where QB Derek Anderson threw a hissy fit when asked why he was laughing on the sideline while his team was getting smoked.
