NFL 2014 Week 15 Recap
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Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams — San Francisco and Seattle get all the attention but the entire NFC West is about nasty, physical defenses. Bruce Arians and Jeff Fisher both bought the heat in the Thursday night game, resulting in an old-school bare-fisted slobberknocker without a touchdown. Greg Zuerlein hit a 24 yard field goal to give the Rams a 3-0 lead after the first quarter. Chandler Catanzaro hit from 23 and 44 in the second quarter, from 51 in the third quarter, and from 46 in the fourth quarter.
With six minutes left in the game, the Rams trailed 12-3 and faced fourth and goal at the one. Fisher decided to kick the field goal and trust his defense. Zuerlein hit from 19 to make it a one score game. With 90 seconds left the Rams faced fourth and three at the Arizona 43. Shaun Hill threw incomplete. The Rams got it back with 18 seconds left but Hill was intercepted on the final play by Patrick Peterson. While the Cardinals maintained the top record in the NFC, they lost Drew Stanton and are now down to their third string quarterback. 12-6 Cardinals
Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons — Shawn Suisham kicked a pair of 38 yard first quarter field goals and William Gay returned an interception of Matt Ryan 52 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter as the Steelers jumped to a 13-0 lead they never relinquished. After Devon Hester caught a 17 yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan, LeVeon Bell score from the one to make it 20-7 Steelers at halftime. Matt Bryant hit field goals of 28 and 22 in the third quarter, but Bell’s second touchdown from 13 yards out put the Steelers up 27-13 in the fourth quarter. Ryan hit Roddy White for a 4-yard touchdown with 10 1/2 minutes remaining, but after that the Pittsburgh defense clamped down. Ben Roethlisberger finished 27 of 35 with 360 yards passing as the Steelers remained in contention for the AFC North Crown. 27-20 Steelers
Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens — A blocked punt returned 11 yards for a touchdown got the Ravens on the board first, but four Josh Scobee field goals had Jacksonville up 12-10 at halftime. Scobee hit from 53 and 45 in the first quarter and from the exact same distance in the second quarter sandwiched around a 22 yard kick from Justin Tucker. Once again the Jaguars played tough, but could not mount offense in the second half. Joe Flacco threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Owen Daniels in the third quarter and Justin Tucker tacked on a 33 yard field goal with 1:15 to play. Down by 8 and facing fourth and 19 from the Jacksonville 23, Blake Bortles was intercepted as the Ravens got to 9-5 in the ultra-competitive AFC North. 20-12 Ravens
Green Bay Packers at Buffalo Bills — Mason Crosby hit a 45 yard field goal to get the Packers on the board. Thigpen then returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown and a 7-3 Bills lead. In the second quarter Eddie Lacy ran it in from one yard out to make it 10-7 Packers. After that, Dan Carpenter took over. He hit from 27 to tie the game 10-10 at the half. He hit from 51 and 35 in the third quarter and hit his fourth field goal from 48 in the fourth quarter to make it 19-10 Bills. Crosby hit from 34 to get the Packers within one score. Down by 6, the Packers saw the game slip away when Aaron Rodgers was sacked and fumbled in the end zone for a safety. Buffalo at 8-6 stayed alive in the playoff race while the Packers at 10-4 fell one game back in the race for home field advantage. 21-13 Bills
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers — With Cam Newton nursing injuries sustained in a car crash, Derek Anderson filled in well in going 25 of 40 for 277 yards and one touchdown pass. Graham Gano hit from 29 to get the Panthers on the board first. Josh McCown hit Mike Evans from 8 yards out to make it 7-3 Buccaneers. Yano then hit from 49 and in the second quarter from 38 to make it 9-7 Panthers. Murray hit from 48 to put Tampa Bay back on top.Trailing 10-9 at halftime, Anderson’s two-yard touchdown pass to Jerricho Cotchery and Graham Gano’s fourth field goal were enough for the win. The Buccaneers got within a deuce with three minutes to play when McCown scrambled for a 16 yard touchdown. The Buccaneers got the ball back at their own 10 with only 23 seconds left. Josh McCown was intercepted. 19-17 Panthers
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns — Bryan Hoyer got the Browns to a 7-4 start, but consecutive losses led to Mike Pettine risking the entire season by allowing Johnny Manziel to start. Manuel was miserable, throwing for only 80 yards with two interceptions. The Bengals asked the Browns defense for 244 yards rushing. The star rookie in this game was Jeremy Hill, who rushed for 148 yards and a pair of first half touchdowns in a game that was over by halftime. Hill scored from 2 yards out in the first quarter and from 16 yards out in the second quarter. Both of his scores were followed by a 44 yard Mike Nugent field goal to make it 20-0 Bengals. Nugget hit from 34 in the third quarter and Bulkhead ran it in from 10 yards in the fourth quarter as the Bengals moved one step closer to clinching their division while the Browns are on the brink of elimination. 30-0 Bengals
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts — Every week Andrew Luck seems to get off to a slow start. This week he had a first quarter interception returned 27 yards by Lewis for a Houston touchdown. Luck rebounded in the second quarter with a pair of touchdown passes. He hit Hakeem Nicks for a 26 yard score and threw a 3 yard touchdown to Allen. With the Colts leading 14-7 at halftime, the second half was a defensive slog. Randy Bullock hit a 53 yard field goal and Adam Vinatieri answered from 29. With 90 seconds left, Houston’s third string quarterback was intercepted as the Colts hung on for another ugly win to get to 10-4 and win the AFC South Crown. 17-10 Colts
Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs — The Chiefs Thomas returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown early. In the second quarter Carlo Santon hit from 41 to make it 10-0 Chiefs. Sebastian Janikowski hit from 53 in the second quarter and from 33 in the third quarter as the Raiders only trailed 10-6 in the third quarter. The second field goal came when the Raiders returned a fumble to the Chiefs 15 and the offense wasted the opportunity. As with so many Raiders games, the defense played well, the offense did nothing, and the defense finally broke.
Kenneth Davis ran it in from 3 yards out for the Chiefs. Then after a fumbled snap gave the Chiefs a short field, Alex Smith threw a 20 yard touchdown pass to Kelce. Smith then went to Davis for a 70 yard touchdown in a 21-point third quarter that turned a close game into a 31-6 Chiefs blowout. Derek Carr threw 56 passes, completing only 27 for 222 yards and the late garbage touchdown the team normally gets. The Chiefs at 8-6 kept their playoff hopes alive. 31-13 Chiefs
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots — Miami actually outplayed New England in the first half but two breakdowns killed them. Caleb Sturgis had a field goal blocked and returned 62 yards by Kyle Arrington for a touchdown and a 7-0 Patriots lead. Sturgis hit from 24 to get the Dolphins on the board. An interception of Ryan Tannehill in the second quarter was returned 60 yards to the Miami 8. Shane Vereen got in from 3 yards out to make it 14-3 Patriots. Sturgis hit from 53 to get the Dolphins with 14-6. A New England breakdown saw Landry return a punt 32 yards to the Patriots 32 with 11 seconds left in the half. One play as enough for Tannehill to go deep to Mike Wallace for a touchdown as the Dolphins only trailed 14-13 at halftime.
The Patriots exploded with 24 points in the third quarter. LeGuarrette Blount ran it in from 3 yards out and Stephen Gostkowski hit from 35 to make it 24-13 Patriots. Tom Brady then threw a pair of touchdown passes, hitting Rob Gronkowski for a 27 yard score and Julian Edelman for a six yard strike as the Patriots led 38-13. Gostkowski added a 36 yard field goal in the fourth quarter. The Patriots at 11-3 are on track for home field throughout the playoffs while the Dolphins at 7-7 are all but eliminated in what could be the end of the Joe Philbin era. 41-13 Patriots
Washington Redskins at New York Giants — Colt McCoy got injured early on and Robert Griffin III played the rest. Griffin was not bad, going 18 for 27 for 236 yards and one touchdown pass without an interception. Kai Forbath hit a 35 yard field goal to get the Redskins on the board first. Eli Manning threw a 10 yard touchdown pass to O’Dell Beckham for a 7-3 Giants lead. In the second quarter Griffin hit Thompson for a 9 yard touchdown pass to put Washington back in front. However. Griffin’s one mistake killed the Redskins. On third and goal from the 8 with the Redskins leading 10-7, RGIII scrambled on the last play of the half and initially appeared to score a touchdown. On further review it was ruled that RGIII fumbled at the one out of the end zone for a touchback.
The Redskins fumbled the second half kickoff, setting up the Giants at the Washington 17. Josh Brown hit a 32 yard field goal to tie the game. Forth answered from 38 to make it 13-10 Redskins. Eli Manning went 23 of 34 for 250 yards without an interception. Manning and Beckham were the difference, as a 35 yard touchdown connection put the Giants in the lead in the third quarter. Their third touchdown hookup from 6 yards out in the fourth quarter turned out the lights. 24-13 Giants
Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers — Twice in the first half Denver moved to the San Diego one yard line. A third time they got to the eight. All three times they settled for Connor Barth field goals and a 9-0 lead. Late in the half San Diego began a drive at the Denver 17 after a 58 yard punt return and settled for a Nick Novak field goal. Novak had another kick blocked as the Chargers trailed 9-3 at halftime. In the third quarter Novak dunked another kick off the upright no good.
The Broncos finally capitalized as Peyton Manning threw a 28 yard touchdown pass to Denarius Thomas to make it 16-3 Broncos. Philip Rivers found Antonio Gates for a 5 yard touchdown to get the Chargers within 16-10 with 10 minutes left in regulation. Barth hit his fourth field goal from 49 yards out with five minutes left to put the game out of reach. One minute later Barth added his fifth field goal from 50 yards out. Denver at 11-3 won its fourth straight AFC West division title and still has a shot at home field throughout the playoffs. The Chargers are now 8-6 as consecutive home losses to New England and Denver shows the Chargers to be playoff tomato cans if they even get in. 22-10 Broncos
New York Jets at Tennessee Titans — A pair of 2-11 teams played because league ruled would not allow this hideous offering to be canceled. Jake Locker and Charlie Whitehorse were awful while Geno Smith gave up a safety after an exchange of field goals. Tennessee led 5-3 at the half of a game that should never be viewed again. Ryan Succor hit two more field goals in the third quarter sandwiched around Smith throwing a 9 yard touchdown pass to Connor. The Titans led 11-10 after three quarters of the stupor bowl. Chris Ivory ran it in from one yard out with 3:15 to play to give the Jets the win. 16-11 Jets
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions — Minnesota jumped to a 14-0 lead on a 2 yard touchdown run by Asiata in the first quarter and an 8 yard second quarter touchdown pass from Teddy Bridgewater to Greg Jennings. Two critical interceptions by Teddy Bridgewater wrecked the Vikings. The first was returned 56 yards to the Minnesota 11, setting up a 7 yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Golden Tate. and led 14-10 at the half. The second one set up Detroit at the Minnesota 32. Matt Prater hit from 29 as the Lions only trailed 14-10 at halftime.
Midway through the third quarter Prater hit from 30 to get the Lions within 14-13. Midway through the fourth quarter Blair Walsh had a 26 yard try blocked. With 3:45 to play Prater hit from 33 to give the Lions the lead. Just before the 2 minute warning Minnesota faced 3rd and 4 at the Detroit 45. Bridgewater threw incomplete twice. Minnesota got it back at their own 30 with 45 seconds to play. From midfield, Mike Zimmer decided to bring Walsh in for a 68 yard field goal try rather than go with the Hail Mary. An ending to be talked about forever did not happen as the kick was no good. The Lions at 10-4 are tied for the NFC North lead. 16-14 Lions
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks — This was the game where the Seahawks would either permanently wreck the 49ers or San Francisco would rise from the ashes. The defenses were as nasty as ever. Stephen Hauscka hit a 38 yard first quarter field goal and smash mouth runner Frank Gore got in from 10 yards out in the second quarter as the 49ers led 7-3 at halftime. In the second half the Legion of Boom shut down the 49ers. Marshawn Lynch ran for a five-yard touchdown in the third quarter and Russell Wilson threw a ten-yard fourth quarter touchdown to drop the 49ers to 7-7 and perhaps end the Jim Harbaugh era in San Francisco. Seattle at 10-4 is still one game back in the brutal NFC West. 17-7 Seahawks
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles was the Sunday night game. On Thanksgiving, the Eagles went into Dallas and walloped the Cowboys 33-10. The Sunday night game rematch between these 9-4 teams was a wild one that brought action from the opening kickoff. A short kick was fielded by nobody, allowing Dallas to fall on it at the Philadelphia 17. DeMarco Murray scored from one yard out to quickly make it 7-0 Cowboys. Dallas got it back and Romo led a staggering 16 ply, 88 yard drive that consumed nearly 8 1/2 minutes. A 4 yard touchdown pass to Dez Bryant made it 14-0. On their next drive Romo hit Bryant for a 26 yard touchdown as the Cowboys led 21-0 in the second quarter.
The Eagles rallied back on the ground as a 5 yard touchdowns by Chris Polk got the Eagles on the board. Chris Parkey hit a 47 yard field goal as the Eagles only trailed 21-10 at halftime. In the third quarter Mark Sanchez moved the Eagles from their own 14 to a 3rd and 12 at the Dallas 27. Sanchez went deep to Jeremy Maclin for 26 yards and Polk got the last yard on the ground to get the Eagles within 21-17. Romo was then sacked and fumbled, giving the Eagles the ball at the Dallas 14. Darren Sproles got in from the one as the Eagles had come all the way back to go up 24-21 in the third quarter. It looked like another Romo meltdown.
Then momentum swung again. Romo moved the Cowboys 78 yards as Murray scored his second rushing touchdown from the 2 to put the Cowboys up 28-24. Sanchez was then intercepted, giving the Cowboys the ball at the Philly 42. Romo then connected with Bryant for the third time for a 25 yard touchdown in powering Dallas to a 35—24 lead early in the fourth quarter. The Eagles got within eight points on a 43 yard Parkey field goal and got the ball back with a chance to tie the game midway through the fourth quarter.
Captain Morgan Brent Celek fumbled the ball and the Cowboys recovered at the Philly 34. Dan Bailey made a critical 49-yard field goal to get the Dallas lead back to 11 points with 4 1/2 minutes left. One more Sanchez interception sealed the game as the Cowboys gutted out a tough win to lead the NFC East by one game with two left. 38-27 Cowboys
New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears was the Monday night game. The Monday night game saw the lifeless Bears play like themselves. On the first play of the second quarter after a defensive pass interference penalty, Drew Brees threw an 8 yard touchdown pass to Josh Hill to open the scoring. With 4 minutes left in the half the Saints took over at their own 5. Brees moved them 95 yards as a 9 yard touchdown pass to Marques Colston with 30 seconds left in the half made it 14-0 Saints. The Saints got the ball to start the second half and 80 yards in 12 plays and 6 1/2 minutes put the game away. Bree hit Hill for the 7 yard score to make it 21-0 Saints. Jay Cutler’s second interception led to a 26 yard Shane Graham field goal as the Saints led 24-0 after three quarters.
The Bears finally got in the end zone early in the fourth quarter but then fell back into dysfunction. Mark Ingram ran for a 15 yard Saints touchdown with less than 2 minutes left. Another Chicago touchdown during garbage time completed the scoring. Brees finished 29 of 36 for 375 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Cutler completed another three passes to the opposing defense. The 6-8 Saints lead the NFC South while the Marc Trestman era may end in a couple weeks. 31-15 Saints