NFL Wrap: Green Bay Packers snap four-game losing streak to close out Week 12
AARON Rodgers tossed two touchdown passes as the Green Bay Packers snapped a four-game losing streak. See what else happened in Week 12 of the NFL.
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GREEN BAY back to winning ways, Kansas City win thriller by barest of margins and 49ers’ season officially over.
It’s all in the Week 12 NFL Wrap.
AUSSIES IN ACTION
Giants punter Brad Wing had another busy day at the office with nine punts against Cleveland, taking him to 2498 yards for the season, the fifth-most yards of any punter in the league this season. Five of his punts against the Browns were downed inside 20, with one touchback for an average of 47.4 yards. Aussie Steelers punter Jordan Berry had a long punt of 54 yards against Indianapolis from four on the night. He had one inside 20 and one touchback with an average of 44.3 yards. Lachlan Edwards had a 44.5 yard punt average for the Jets in his four efforts, with one inside 20 and his longest being a 50-yarder. Adam Gotsis had four snaps on the defensive line for Denver and David Yankey , newly promoted from the Panthers practice squad, had one offensive snap and four special teams snaps for Carolina.
The Hard Count team analyse the playoff credentials of the Raiders, Chiefs and Falcons after big victories, the most bizarre moments on and off the field in Week 12 and are joined by Aussie NFL free agent Brad Craddock to check in with his rookie year — LISTEN HERE.
YANKEY BECOMES 14TH AUSSIE TO PLAY NFL
BILL BELICHICK’S STONE COLD TEBOW TREATMENT
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 13 — GREEN BAY PACKERS 27
Aaron Rodgers tossed two touchdown passes as the Green Bay Packers snapped their four-game losing streak with a 27-13 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rodgers hit wide receiver Davante Adams for both of his touchdown passes to resurrect the Packers’ outside hopes of forcing their way into the playoff picture following a disappointing campaign.
The win saw the Packers improve to 5-6 in the NFC North, though they still lag behind division leaders Detroit (7-4) and Minnesota (6-5).
The Eagles’ defeat left them rooted to the bottom of the NFC East at 5-6 although they remain in contention for a wild-card berth.
The Packers had opened up a 14-10 lead at half-time and were 17-13 up after both teams began the second half with an exchange of field goals.
However the game swung decisively Green Bay’s way when Eagles lineman Fletcher Cox was penalised for roughing the passer on an incomplete third down pass.
That gave Green Bay an automatic first down and they duly rammed home the advantage to score through fullback Aaron Ripkowski on a one-yard run.
A further field goal put the Packers 27-13 ahead, a lead the Eagles never looked like overhauling as the clock wound down in the fourth quarter.
Rodgers finished with 30 completions from 39 attempts to pass 300 yards. Rookie counterpart Carson Wentz started brightly but faded as Green Bay took control in the second half. Wentz completed 24 of 36 passes for 254 yards, but threw for no touchdowns and one interception.
DENVER BRONCOS 27 — KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 30 OT
Cairo Santos’ 34-yard field goal hit the left upright and bounced through as time expired to give the Kansas Chiefs a 30-27 overtime victory over the Denver Broncos.
That avoided the third tie in the NFL this season, something that hasn’t happened since 1973 before the league introduced overtime.
The winner followed a risky move by Broncos coach Gary Kubiak, who sent his kicker out for a 62-yard attempt with 1:01 left only to see Brandon McManus come up short.
That gave the Chiefs possession at the Denver 48 with one timeout and just over a minute remaining. The Chiefs reached the Denver 16 before Santos ended the snoozer-turned-thriller in perfect fashion.
The Chiefs (8-3) kept up with the Oakland Raiders (9-2) in the AFC West race and the Broncos (7-4) could find themselves fighting for a wild card now. Both teams kicked field goals on their opening possession of overtime, McManus from 44 yards and Santos from 37. That followed Kansas City’s amazing tying drive in the final 3 minutes of regulation.
Alex Smith threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to rookie Tyreek Hill and a 2-point conversion pass to tight end Demetrius Harris with 12 seconds left to tie it at 24.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 22 — NEW YORK JETS 17
Playing with an ailing knee, Tom Brady tied Peyton Manning for most wins by a quarterback in NFL history, getting his 200th by throwing a go-ahead 8-yard touchdown pass to Malcolm Mitchell with 1:56 left, leading the New England Patriots to a 22-17 victory over the New York Jets.
It was the 50th win for Brady after facing a fourth-quarter deficit or tie. Trailing 17-16 with 5:04 left and the ball on the Patriots 17, Brady led a solid drive by completing six passes. After James White stretched for 4 yards on fourth-and-4, a 25-yard catch by Chris Hogan put the ball at the 8. Brady then zipped a pass to Mitchell to put the Patriots (9-2) ahead.
A 2-point conversion try by White was initially ruled good, but reversed on replay because the ball never crossed the goal line -- giving the Jets (3-8) a final chance.
But Chris Long hit Ryan Fitzpatrick before he could throw, resulting in a fumble recovered by Trey Flowers. The Patriots then ran out the clock to win the closely played game that had been flexed out of a prime-time spot. The teams have had a final margin of seven points or fewer in each of their last seven meetings.
Patriots fans loudly chanted “Brady! Brady!” in the final moments at MetLife Stadium, which had lots of empty seats as frustrated Jets fans apparently stayed home. Brady improved to 22-6 in regular-season games against the Jets, joining Brett Favre as the only QBs in NFL history with at least 22 wins vs. two teams. Brady has 26 victories vs. Buffalo.
It was the 500th win in franchise history for the Patriots, the first original AFL franchise to reach the mark. Brady, who was questionable with a knee injury , wasn’t his usual spectacular self, but finished 30 of 50 for 286 yards and two touchdowns. Mitchell caught five passes for 42 yards and two touchdowns. Fitzpatrick, back as the starter after missing New York’s last game with a sprained knee, was 22 of 32 for 269 yards.
MIAMI DOLPHINS 31 — SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 24
Ndamukong Suh tackled Colin Kaepernick 2 yards short of the goal line as time ran out, and the Miami Dolphins handed the San Francisco 49ers a franchise-record 10th consecutive loss with a 31-24 victory. Ryan Tannehill threw for 285 yards and three scores to compensate for a sputtering Miami ground game.
With the 49ers trailing by seven, Kaepernick moved them from their 38 to the 6 in the final 1:44. But he threw incomplete on first down, and then was tackled from behind by the 305-pound Suh on the final play.
The Dolphins (7-4) extended their winning streak to six games, their longest since 2005. Kaepernick passed for three TDs, but the 49ers (1-10) still haven’t won since the season opener.
Tannehill went 20 for 30, ran for 34 yards and had no turnovers. He threw scoring passes of 16 yards to Dion Sims, 43 yards to Kenny Stills and 15 yards to rookie Leonte Carroo.
Kaepernick tried to keep up. Jeered loudly at the start of the game for his political views, Kaepernick went 29 for 46 for 296 yards and ran for 113 on 10 carries.
Miami won even though Jay Ajayi had trouble finding running room behind an offensive line missing three starters. He gained 45 yards in 18 carries against a team ranked last in the league in run defence.
Tannehill put the Dolphins ahead to stay with his 100th touchdown pass in his fifth NFL season, and Carroo’s first career touchdown made it 31-14 with 11:31 left.
It was a different approach for the Dolphins, who had rallied in fourth quarter in their four previous games.
This time the opponents mounted a comeback. Torrey Smith made a one-handed catch for a 1-yard touchdown to help the 49ers close to 31-24 with less than three minutes left, and they quickly forced a punt to set up the exciting finish.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 14 — SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 5
Jameis Winston threw a pair of touchdown passes to Mike Evans and Tampa Bay’s rejuvenated defense shut down Russell Wilson and Seattle’s sputtering offense to beat the first-place Seahawks 14-5 on Sunday.
Evans scored on receptions of 3 and 23 yards in the opening quarter, a grieving Alterraun Verner had one of two interceptions off Wilson, and the Bucs sacked the Seattle quarterback six times.
The Bucs (6-5) have won three straight to climb back into contention for a playoff berth. In addition to stopping Seattle’s three-game winning streak, they remained one game behind first-place Atlanta in the NFC South.
Playing two days after the death of his father, Verner picked off Wilson to stop a promising drive in the final minute of the opening half. Bradley McDougald had the other interception off Wilson, who had thrown two in 335 attempts this season entering Sunday. Lavonte David returned a fumble 53 yards, ending another promising Seattle drive in the fourth quarter.
Winston completed 21 of 28 passes for 220 yards and one interception. Evans had eight receptions for 104 yards, and Doug Martin rushed for 87 yards on 23 attempts for the Bucs.
Wilson finished 17 of 33 for 151 yards. The Seahawks (7-3-1) were held to 1-yard net passing in the first half, when Wilson was sacked four times for 19 yards in losses.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 49 — LOS ANGELES RAMS 21
Drew Brees passed for 310 yards and four touchdowns, Mark Ingram scored twice, and the New Orleans Saints defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 49-21. Playing 10 days after being knocked unconscious in a Thursday night loss at Carolina, Ingram rushed for 146 yards on 14 carries, including a 61-yard scamper and a 10-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-1 play. He also scored on a 21-yard screen to the right side of the field, which was wide open as the Rams tried to pressure Brees.
Two of Brees’ scoring strikes went to Michael Thomas, whose touchdowns of 6 and 21 yards were part of a nine-catch, 108-yard performance. Brees’ other touchdowns went to Ingram and Brandon Coleman from 6 yards out.
Saints coach Sean Payton also victimised his former defensive co-ordinator, Gregg Williams, with some razzle-dazzle that produced a 50-yard touchdown pass from receiver Willie Snead to running back Tim Hightower.
The victory snapped a two-game skid for the Saints (5-6), who are trying to maintain hopes of a playoff push.
Jared Goff, the NFL’s top overall draft pick last spring, completed 20 of 32 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns for the Rams (4-7), who’ve lost six of their last seven. Goff had his share of brilliant throws in his first road start, but also was intercepted by safety Kenny Vaccaro and lost a fumble.
OAKLAND RAIDERS 35 — CAROLINA PANTHERS 32
Derek Carr came back from an injured pinkie to lead another fourth-quarter comeback and the Oakland Raiders won their fifth straight game, beating the Carolina Panthers 35-32 on Sunday.
Carr threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns despite missing a series after the injury, leading the Raiders (9-2) back from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to clinch their first winning season since 2002.
After leading a game-tying drive earlier in the fourth quarter, Carr hit Michael Crabtree on a 49-yard pass on third-and-9 from the 14 to help set up Sebastian Janikowski’s 23-yard field goal with 1:45 left that gave Oakland the lead.
Cam Newton led the Panthers (4-7) into Oakland territory on the final drive but Greg Olsen dropped a pass on third down that would have put Carolina in field goal range and Khalil Mack stripped Newton on a fourth-down sack to seal the win.
The Panthers scored the first 25 points in the second half after Carr left the game when he hurt his right pinkie while fumbling a snap on the second play from scrimmage in the third quarter.
Jonathan Stewart scored on short runs following Carr’s fumble and his interception to Thomas Davis when he returned. Newton hit two long touchdown passes, connecting on an 88-yarder to Ted Ginn Jr. and a 44-yarder to Kelvin Benjamin that made it 32-24 early in the fourth quarter.
But Carr did what he has done best by leading his team back despite needing a glove on his injured right hand and taking snaps solely out of the shotgun.
ATLANTA FALCONS 38 — ARIZONA CARDINALS 19
Taylor Gabriel took two short passes for touchdowns and the Atlanta Falcons returned from a bye week to add to Arizona’s misery, blowing out the Cardinals 38-19 on Sunday.
Gabriel, who was cut by the winless Cleveland Browns before the season, scored on plays of 35 and 25 yards that showed off his speed. His second score finished the Cardinals, who began the season touted as a Super Bowl contender but have been one of the NFL’s most disappointing teams.
The Falcons (7-4) began the day leading the NFC South and moved a step closer to their first playoff berth since 2012. The Cardinals (4-6-1) have lost two straight and three of their past four, putting them in danger of missing the postseason a season after reaching the NFC championship game. Coach Bruce Arians was on the sideline after falling ill and being briefly hospitalised early in the week, but it did little to inspire his team.
Arizona got off to a strong start, burning the Falcons for eight plays of at least 13 yards on their first two possessions. Jermaine Gresham capped the first drive with a 1-yard touchdown catch, but a botched shotgun snap forced the Cardinals to settle for a field goal and a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter.
Tevin Coleman’s 2-yard touchdown run capped a 13-play, 77-yard drive that extended Atlanta’s lead to 24-13 late in the third quarter. Then it was Gabriel with the clinching score. He finished with four catches for 75 yards, coming up big for the Falcons on a day when Jones was held to four catches for 35 yards matched up mostly against Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson.
Peterson was called for a couple of pass interference penalties while defending Jones, both of which contributed to Atlanta scores.
BALTIMORE RAVENS 19 — CINCINNATI BENGALS 14
One touchdown and Justin Tucker’s flawless right leg were enough to thrust the Baltimore Ravens into a first-place tie in the AFC North.
Tucker kicked four field goals and Baltimore shut down the Cincinnati Bengals’ depleted offense Sunday in a 19-14 victory that put the resurgent Ravens back over .500. Tucker connected from 52, 57 and 54 yards to stake the Ravens to a 16-3 halftime lead. He added a 36-yard field goal to make it 19-9 with 12:16 remaining.
Tucker has made 34 field goals in a row, including 27 this season, and has connected on all 15 conversion tries.
Baltimore (6-5) has won three of four following a four-game losing streak. Joe Flacco threw for 234 yards and a score to help the Ravens end a five-game skid against the Bengals (3-7-1), whose playoff hopes took another serious blow.
The victory was not assured until Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton fumbled when sacked by Elvis Dumervil, and defensive end Lawrence Guy recovered at the Baltimore 21 with 1:05 left and the Ravens up 19-12.
Cincinnati got a safety on the final play when Baltimore punter Sam Koch ran out of the end zone. Dalton went 26 for 48 for 283 yards. He fumbled three times, losing two.
At this point, the Bengals will need a sensational finish to extend their run of consecutive playoff appearances to six. Cincinnati has won only one of seven games since Sept. 29.
BUFFALO BILLS 28 — JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 21
LeSean McCoy scored twice, with 103 yards rushing, including a career-best 75-yard run, and the Buffalo Bills won their second in a row by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 28-21. Tyrod Taylor’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Justin Hunter with 10:46 remaining put the Bills ahead for good during a second half in which the teams traded the lead five times. Taylor also scored on a 7-yard run in helping to keep Buffalo in the playoff hunt.
The Bills (6-5) won for the second straight week when trailing at halftime after doing so just once last season. Taylor also produced just the second fourth-quarter comeback of his career, and improved to 2-11 when the Bills trail by four or more at any point in a game.
The Jaguars (2-9) lost for the sixth straight game — their longest skid since opening the 2014 season at 0-6. The game was decided with four minutes left, when the Jaguars were unable to convert a fourth-and-9 at the Buffalo 46. Blake Bortles hit Marquise Lee on a crossing pattern over the middle, but he was limited to a 4-yard gain. The Bills then took over and ran out the clock. Bortles went 13 of 26 for 126 yards and two touchdowns, and also had a career-best 81 yards rushing. The Jaguars’ offense was hampered by injuries. Chris Ivory, who opened the scoring with a 2-yard run, was sidelined in the first half by a hamstring injury. And then Jacksonville lost receiver Allen Hurns, also with a hamstring injury while diving into the end zone on a 12-yard catch and run.
TENNESSEE TITANS 27 — CHICAGO BEARS 21
Marcus Mariota threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns, and the Tennessee Titans hung on to beat the depleted Chicago Bears 27-21. The Titans (6-6) gave their playoff hopes a boost, though they watched as Chicago (2-9) cut a 20-point lead to six in the fourth quarter.
Matt Barkley, starting for the injured Jay Cutler, led the late surge. The Bears had a first down at the Tennessee 7 in the final minute when Josh Bellamy dropped a pass in the end zone on first down. Barkley’s next three attempts fell incomplete, preserving the win for Tennessee.
The Titans moved one game out of first place in the AFC South.
Mariota, putting together one of the best seasons ever by a Titans quarterback, came through with another solid performance. The second-year pro completed 15 of 23 passes. Rishard Matthews added 64 yards receiving, including a diving touchdown grab near the end of the first half. Delanie Walker had three catches for 50 yards and a touchdown, and the Titans headed into their bye on a winning note after losing at Indianapolis last week.
With Cutler nursing a right shoulder injury, the Bears were forced to give Barkley his first career start. The former Southern California star struggled before coming on strong down the stretch, going 28 for 54 for 316 yards with the first three touchdowns of his career and two interceptions. Barkley got picked off by Wesley Woodyard with the ball on the Tennessee 16 in the second quarter, and he was intercepted in the end zone by Da’Norris Searcy early in the third. He did, however, throw a 6-yard touchdown to Deonte Thompson with just over three minutes left to cut it to 27-21. The Bears got the ball back on their 35 with 1:56 remaining after the Titans went three-and-out. But they couldn’t complete the comeback.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 21 — HOUSTON TEXANS 13
Philip Rivers threw for 242 yards and three touchdowns to give the San Diego Chargers a 21-13 win over the mistake-prone Houston Texans. Dontrelle Inman had 119 yards receiving and a touchdown to help San Diego (5-6) to the victory.
The Texans (6-5) lost in Houston for the first time this season after winning their first five here. Playing a large part were four turnovers, including three interceptions by Brock Osweiler.
The Chargers were up by four in the fourth quarter when Rivers evaded the rush and delivered a 25-yard pass to Inman. Kareem Jackson was flagged for unnecessary roughness for a helmet-to-helmet hit on the play, leaving San Diego at the 12-yard line. Rivers delivered a touchdown pass to rookie Hunter Henry on the next play to push the lead to 21-10.
Osweiler’s second interception came after that when he badly overthrew C.J. Fiedorowicz and Dwight Lowery made the easy grab. Houston added a field goal with 37 seconds left and recovered an onside kick. But Osweiler’s first shot at the end zone was knocked down, and the second one was intercepted as time expired.
NEW YORK GIANTS 27 — CLEVELAND BROWNS 13
Eli Manning threw two touchdown passes to Odell Beckham Jr., Jason Pierre-Paul returned a fumble for a TD and the New York Giants extended their winning streak to six games, holding off Cleveland 27-13 on Sunday to keep the Browns winless.
Manning had three TD passes as the Giants (8-3) won their sixth straight. They don’t overwhelm anyone, but the Giants do just enough to win and are in position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
Manning threw a 32-yard TD pass to Beckham in the second quarter and added a 4-yarder to the star wide receiver with 5:10 left to finally put away the Browns (0-12). Cleveland has lost 15 in a row since last season. It is 3-30 since ending the 2014 season with five consecutive losses.
Browns quarterback Josh McCown, back in the line-up after rookie Cody Kessler sustained his second concussion last week, finished with 322 yards passing and threw a TD pass to rookie Corey Coleman. With the Giants leading 14-6, Pierre-Paul rumbled 43 yards for his third career TD. The defensive end, who had three of New York’s seven sacks, snagged the ball after McCown’s arm was struck by Johnathan Hankins and raced to the end zone, putting the Giants ahead by two touchdowns. Robbie Gould missed the extra point, and that became a brief concern when McCown hooked up with Coleman with 8:17 left.
DALLAS COWBOYS 31 — WASHINGTON 26
The Dallas Cowboys celebrated Thanksgiving Day by making it a perfect 10 in the NFL.
The NFC East leaders rattled off their 10th successive win with a 31-26 success over Washington which tightens their grip on receiving a home fixture in the post-season play-offs.
Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott had two touchdowns, with Ezekiel Elliott running in two more.
Washington’s quarterback Kirk Cousins was unlucky to be on the losing side as he threw 449 yards, passing the 400-yard mark for the second time this season, and had three touchdowns.
DETROIT LIONS 16 — MINNESOTA VIKINGS 13
MATT Prater’s 40-yard field goal on the final play has given the Detroit Lions a 16-13 victory over the Minnesota Vikings and sole possession of first place in the NFC North on Thanksgiving Day at Ford Field.
Prater’s game-winning kick completed another late comeback for the Lions (7-4), who have trailed in the fourth quarter in all of their victories.
Darius Slay’s interception of a Sam Bradford pass set up the game-winner. Matthew Stafford completed 23 of 40 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown, and Anquan Boldin caught seven passes for 69 yards and a score for Detroit. The Lions led 10-7 at the half.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS 28 — INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 7
Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown hooked up for three touchdowns Thursday night and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defence shut down the Indianapolis Colts in a 28-7 victory.
The Steelers (6-5) helped their playoff chances with a second straight win and snapped a four-game losing streak on Thanksgiving.
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck sat out with a concussion, and his absence showed as Indy’s first winning streak of the season ended at two games. While his replacement, Scott Tolzien, hung tough most of the night, the performance wasn’t good enough to extend the Colts’ 10-game winning streak on Thursday nights.
The Steelers built a 21-7 lead by scoring touchdowns on each of their first three possessions — a 5-yard TD run from Le’Veon Bell, and touchdown catches by Brown of 25 and 33 yards.
Indy’s only score came on a 5-yard TD pass from Tolzien to Donte Moncrief early in the second quarter, a play set up by the first completion of Pat McAfee’s career on a fake punt.
The Colts had two chances to cut the deficit but Tolzien was stopped twice on third-down runs at the 1-yard line, and the Steelers forced incompletions on both fourth-down plays.
Originally published as NFL Wrap: Green Bay Packers snap four-game losing streak to close out Week 12
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