NFL Wrap week 11: Broncos humbled by Rams, Packers smash Jets, Bengals bounce back, Brown saves Steelers
BEN Roethlisberger threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown to seal a comeback win. Check out what else went down in week eleven’s games.
BEN Roethlisberger threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown with 9:01 left as the Pittsburgh Steelers edged the Tennessee Titans. Check out what else went down in week eleven’s games.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS 27 - TENNESSEE TITANS 24
Ben Roethlisberger threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown with 9:01 left as the Pittsburgh Steelers edged the Tennessee Titans 27-24 on Monday.
The Steelers (7-4) staged an impressive rally in the second half to take sole possession of second in the successful AFC North heading into their bye. Le’Veon Bell ran for 204 yards and a TD, and William Gay returned an interception 28 yards for a score.
The Titans (2-8) blew a 24-13 lead in their fourth consecutive loss. They sacked Roethlisberger five times and intercepted a pass in the end zone. Rookie Zach Mettenberger threw for 263 yards and two touchdown passes, and rookie Bishop Sankey ran for another score.
Roethlisberger had been intercepted only five times this season. But the Titans sacked him three times in the second quarter, and Jason McCourty picked off a pass intended for Antonio Brown in the end zone with 44 seconds left in the first half.
The Titans called timeout, and then Mettenberger threw to a wide-open Nate Washington, who beat Gay with a stutter-step on his way to a career-best 80-yard touchdown reception. Washington, who won two Super Bowl rings in Pittsburgh, wagged his finger at the crowd once he got to the 25.
Mettenberger added a 4-yard TD pass to Chase Coffman in the third quarter, capping an 11-play drive for a 24-13 lead.
The Steelers responded with Bell’s 5-yard TD run on the first play of the fourth, and Roethlisberger’s TD to Brown was enough for the win.
ST LOUIS RAMS 22 — DENVER BRONCOS 7
Shaun Hill was effective in his first start since regaining the quarterback job and the St. Louis Rams defence made life miserable for Peyton Manning in a 22-7 victory over the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Rookie Tre Mason had 29 carries for 113 yards, the most allowed by the Broncos’ top-ranked run defence.
Kenny Britt had four catches for 128 yards with a 63-yard score and Greg Zuerlein was a career-best five-of-five on field goals for the Rams (4-6).
Manning was 34 for 54 for 389 yards with two interceptions, but was held to a 42-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Sanders, ending a streak of 15 consecutive games with at least two touchdown passes.
The Broncos (7-3) were held to 28 yards rushing and failed twice on fourth down deep in St. Louis territory.
Manning threw incomplete from the 37 in the first quarter and rookie Aaron Donald’s sack ended a drive in the fourth quarter on fourth-and-4 from the 28.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 42 - INDIANPOLIS COLTS 20
Jonas Gray rushed for 199 yards and a franchise-record four touchdowns in his fourth career game.
Tom Brady threw two TD passes as the AFC-best Patriots (8-2) earned their sixth consecutive victory. New England also has won five in a row against Indianapolis (6-4).
Brady finished 19 of 30 for 257 yards with two interceptions.
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck was 23 of 39 for 303 yards with two scores. He extended his franchise record of consecutive 300-yard games to eight and moved within one of Drew Brees’ NFL record.
But the unheralded Gray was the surprise star. His first two scoring runs gave New England a 14-10 halftime lead. His other two helped put the game away in the second half.
GREEN BAY PACKERS 53 — PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 20
Aaron Rodgers passed for 341 yards and three touchdowns, Julius Peppers returned his second interception of the season for a score, and the Green Bay Packers defence stuffed the high-octane Philadelphia Eagles for a 53-20 rout Sunday.
The matchup of NFC contenders quickly became a blowout with the Packers (7-3) racing out to a 30-6 half-time lead. Rodgers threw for two touchdowns in the first half, while Micah Hyde scored on a 75-yard punt return.
Peppers finished off the Eagles by returning Mark Sanchez’s pass 52 yards for a 39-6 lead in the third quarter.
Philadelphia (7-3) was held to 11 points below its NFC-leading scoring average by a Packers defence rejuvenated since Clay Matthews moved to inside linebacker.
Green Bay’s offense was in good hands again with Rodgers, who broke Tom Brady’s NFL record of 288 straight passes at home without an interception.
ARIZONA CARDINALS 14 — DETROIT LIONS 6
Drew Stanton threw touchdown passes to Michael Floyd on Arizona’s first two possessions and the Cardinals held Detroit without a touchdown, beating the Lions 14-6 on Sunday in a matchup of teams with two of the best records in the NFC.
Stanton, starting after Carson Palmer was lost for the season with a knee injury, threw TD passes of 42 and 12 yards. After that, Arizona’s offense stalled and Stanton threw two interceptions. But the Lions couldn’t convert either turnover into a touchdown.
Arizona won its sixth in a row to improve to an NFL-best 9-1. The Cardinals, with their best record through 10 games since 1948, have a two-game lead over Seattle and San Francisco in the NFC West.
Detroit (7-3) was held without a touchdown for the first time this season.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 27 — WASHINGTON 7
Rookie Mike Evans had 209 yards receiving and two touchdowns Sunday, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers broke a five-game losing streak with a 27-7 win over the Washington Redskins.
Evans accounted for 73 per cent of Josh McCown’s 288 yards passing. The No. 7 overall draft pick’s 51-yard catch set up a field goal in the first half, and his touchdowns of 36 and 56 yards came in the second.
Johnthan Banks returned an interception for a touchdown, and McCown completed 15 of 23 passes for the Buccaneers, who are 2-8.
The Redskins committed three turnovers, and Robert Griffin III was sacked six times. Washington fell to 3-7.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 16 — NEW YORK GIANTS 10
San Francisco rookie linebacker Chris Borland intercepted a fourth-down pass by Eli Manning at the 49ers 2 with 4:43 to play capping a goal line stand in a 16-10 victory Sunday that sent the error-plagued New York Giants to their fifth straight loss.
Borland had two of the 49ers’ five interceptions as the Niners (6-4) survived a game in which a big advantage in time of possession and takeaways did not translate into a blowout on the scoreboard.
Colin Kaepernick threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree and Phil Dawson kicked three first-half field goals as the 49ers won their second straight on the road.
Manning threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Larry Donnell on New York’s opening possession, but the reeling Giants (3-7) only got a field goal from Josh Brown the rest of the way.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 13 — OAKLAND RAIDERS 6
Philip Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Malcolm Floyd on the game’s third play from scrimmage, and the San Diego Chargers held on for a lacklustre 13-6 victory against winless Oakland on Sunday, extending the Raiders’ losing streak to 16.
Rivers hurt his right leg midway through the third quarter but stayed in the game. The injury appeared to get progressively worse, and Rivers was walking gingerly on the sideline in the fourth as backup Kellen Clemens warmed up. But Rivers went back in after Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 25-yard field goal to pull the Raiders within a touchdown with four minutes to play.
The Chargers (6-4) snapped a three-game losing streak and welcomed back Ryan Mathews, Manti Te’o and Melvin Ingram, who had been out since September.
The skid by the Raiders (0-10) is the equivalent of a full season. Monday is the one-year anniversary of their last win, 28-23 at Houston.
CINCINNATI BENGALS 27 — NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 10
Andy Dalton rebounded from one of the worst outings of his career by passing for three touchdowns, and the Cincinnati Bengals dropped the New Orleans Saints to a second straight loss, 27-10 on Sunday.
For Dalton, the game represented a dramatic reversal from a week ago, when he completed only 10 passes for 86 yards and had a passer rating of 2.0 in a 24-3 loss to Cleveland.
Against New Orleans (4-6), Dalton gave the Bengals (6-3-1) an early lead they never relinquished. He was 16 of 22 for 220 yards, did not throw an interception and finished with a passer rating of 143.9.
Two of Dalton’s touchdown passes went to tight end Jermaine Gresham and the other to A.J. Green on a pinpoint 24-yard pass along the sideline.
Drew Brees passed for 255 yards and one TD to Kenny Stills.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 24 — SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 20
The Kansas City Chiefs stopped the Seattle Seahawks on fourth down three times late in the fourth quarter Sunday, holding on for a tense 24-20 victory in a matchup of playoff contenders.
Jamaal Charles ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns, and Knile Davis also ran for a score, as the Chiefs (7-3) won their fifth straight game and moved into a tie for first in the AFC West.
Russell Wilson threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns, and Marshawn Lynch had 124 yards rushing for Seattle (6-4). But the Seahawks’ star running back, fresh off a four-touchdown game, was stuffed twice by the Kansas City defence with the outcome hanging in the balance.
The Seahawks’ last-chance drive ended when Wilson threw incomplete on fourth-and-18 at their 20-yard line with 1:13 left in the game.
CHICAGO BEARS 21 — MINNESOTA VIKINGS 13
Jay Cutler threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns, and the Chicago Bears won for just the second time in seven games, beating the Minnesota Vikings 21-13 on Sunday.
Ryan Mundy intercepted Teddy Bridgewater’s 29-yard pass in the end zone in the closing minute, and the Bears hung on for the win after suffering two of the worst blowout losses in franchise history.
Alshon Jeffery had 135 yards receiving and a touchdown catch, Brandon Marshall added 90 yards and two TD receptions, and Matt Forte ran for 117 yards.
Jared Allen had a sack against his former team, and the Bears (4-6) prevailed after joining the 1923 Rochester Jeffersons as the only teams to give up 50 or more points in consecutive games with blowouts at New England and Green Bay. But it was a different story against the Vikings (4-6).
ATLANTA FALCONS 19 — CAROLINA PANTHERS 17
Matt Ryan threw for 268 yards and a touchdown, Matt Bryant added four field goals and the Atlanta Falcons moved into a tie for first place in the lowly NFC South with a 19-17 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Bryant’s 44-yard field goal with 2:08 left put Atlanta ahead for good, and the Falcons withstood a late Carolina rally.
Carolina’s Graham Gano missed a 46-yard field goal try with 1:27 remaining and had a 63-yarder blocked as time expired.
The Falcons (4-6) moved into a tie with New Orleans for the division lead after the Saints lost at home to Cincinnati 27-10.
Cam Newton overcame two early interceptions to throw for 292 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough for the Panthers (3-6-1), who have lost five straight.
HOUSTON TEXANS 23 — CLEVELAND BROWNS 7
J.J. Watt caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Mallett, dominated on defence and the Houston Texans climbed back to .500 with a 23-7 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Watt was all over the field. Along with his TD, he recorded a strip sack, made five tackles — three for a loss — recovered a fumble and hurried Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer into several bad throws. Watt provided more proof he’s the NFL’s best defensive player.
Mallett threw a pair of TD passes and finished with 211 yards in his first career start. The four-year veteran was promoted during the bye week after the Texans (5-5) benched Ryan Fitzpatrick.
The Texans played without star running back Arian Foster because of a groin injury, but rookie Alfred Blue stepped in and gained 156 yards on a franchise-record 36 carries.
The Browns (6-4) won’t spend a second straight week atop the AFC North. They lost for just the second time in seven games, and Watt is the main reason why.
MIAMI DOLPHINS 22 — BUFFALO BILLS 9
RYAN Tannehill threw two second-half touchdown passes to spark the Miami Dolphins over Buffalo 22-9 and boost their bid for an NFL playoff spot.
Tannehill completed 26-of-34 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns as the Dolphins improved to 6-4, their best record so late in a season since 2008, the last time Miami qualified for the playoffs.
The Dolphins moved percentage points behind Cincinnati (5-3 with a draw) and alongside Baltimore and Pittsburgh for the last wildcard playoff berth in the American Conference while the Bills fell to 5-5.
The Dolphins will be tested by AFC West division leader Denver next week in their playoff quest.
Originally published as NFL Wrap week 11: Broncos humbled by Rams, Packers smash Jets, Bengals bounce back, Brown saves Steelers
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