Hanukkah 2015 Night 8: NFL 2015 Week 14 Recap
As Jews prepare for their last night of Hanukkah, religion and sports collide for a fun conclusion to the Festival of Lights. The Miami Heat made the last night of Hanukkah their Jewish heritage night. Fans who purchased tickets as part of a Jewish package were allowed to shoot a free throw after the game.
Yet while Hanukkah was ending, the other religion of football was reaching its march toward the holy season of the playoffs. As John Randle said, “This is when the big dogs come out.”
With that, here is the NFL 2015 Week 14 Recap.
Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals was the Thursday night game. The 8-4 Vikings came in having lost two of three, both of those losses at home to playoff teams. Now they faced the 10-2 Cardinals. This game lived up to its billing. Early on the The Cardinals after a touchback held the ball 7 1/2 minutes for 14 plays. Yet they bogged down at the Minnesota 8 and settled for a 27 yard Chandler Catazero field goal to lead 3-0. The Vikings quickly came back 80 yards. Adrian Peterson ran for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Vikings. The Cardinals made 80 yards come even quicker. Carson Palmer went deep to Brown for a 65 yard touchdown for a 10-7 Vikings lead.
The Vikings missed a chance to extend the lead in the second quarter when they fumbled the ball away at the Arizona 15. With 4 minutes left in the half after a touchback, the Vikings moved all the way to the Minnesota 15 with 21 seconds left in the half. Todd Bridgewater threw incomplete. On 3rd and 10 from the 15 with 11 seconds left, Bridgewater made a major mistake. He was sacked for an 11 yard loss. Bridgewater was bailed out because the Vikings still had a timeout. Blair Walsh hit the 44 yard field goal to send the teams to the locker rooms tied 10-10.
The Vikings in the third quarter missed another opportunity from the Arizona 35. In long field goal range for the lead, Adrian Peterson lost 6 yards on a run and then fumbled the ball away. Arizona made the Vikings pay from the Arizona 43. On 3rd and 8 from the Minnesota 42, Palmer found Michael Floyd, who raced all the way for the touchdown to make it 17-10 Cardinals. The Cardinals got it back at their own 29 and Palmer led a staggering 16 play drive that consumed nearly 7 1/2 minutes. On 2nd and goal from the 2, Palmer was sacked. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Catanzaro hit from 23 to make it 20-10 Cardinals. Yet the Vikings hung tough.
After moving from their own 36 to the Arizona 36, 1st and 10 was followed by 3 Bridgewater incompletions. Blair Walsh hit the 54 yard field goal to get the Vikings within 20-13 with 12 minutes left in regulation. On 3rd and 1 from the Arizona 29, The Cardinals tried to run the ball and got nothing. The Vikings got it back at their own 12. 88 yards came in 11 plays and 5 minutes. On 3rd and 9 from the Arizona 47, Bridgewater hit Mike Wallace for 23 yards. On 3rd and goal at the 7, Bridgewater found Wallace for the touchdown. With 5 minutes left, the game was tied 20-20.
Arizona took over at their own 16. Palmer was immediately intercepted, but defensive holding gave the Cardinals another chance. Catanzaro came in for a 47 yard field goal try to give the Cardinals the lead. The kick was good. The Cardinals led by 3 and the Vikings took over at their own 20 with 1:23 to play and one timeout. With 23 seconds left and the Vikings out of timeouts, Bridgewater had the Vikings facing 1st and 10 at the Arizona 31, in long field goal range. A pair of incompletions made it 3rd and 10 with only 13 seconds left. A field goal try would be 49 yards. Walsh has the leg.
Mike Zimmer decided to trust his young quarterback to either go for the win or at least get the team closer for a shorter field goal try for overtime. Bridgewater made the exact same mistake that he did in the first half, and this time the results were lethal. Bridgewater was sacked, the clock ran out, and their would be no field goal try. Bridgewater is talented, but he has to know that he cannot take a sack in those situations, which he did to end both halves. The Vikings at 8-5 are now out of the division lead again. Bruce Arians has an 11-2 team that clinched a playoff birth and has a stranglehold on a first round bye. 23-20 Cardinals
Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens — Seattle is 7-5 but looking like the team that represented the NFC in the last 2 Super Bowls. The Ravens are done for the year and down to third string quarterback Jimmy Clausen. The Seahawks moved 80 yards in 11 plays and 6 1/2 minutes. An 8 yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Lockett made it 7-0 Seahawks. The Ravens began the second quarter with 3rd and 1 at the Seattle 10. A run failed to get the yard and John Harbaugh opted for the field goal. Justin Tucker hit from 28. Seattle moved to the Baltimore 5 but the fumbled the ball away. With one minute left in the half the Ravens were very much in it. Then they fumbled the ball inside deep in their own territory and Seattle took over at the Baltimore 14. Wilson hit Doug Baldwin for the touchdown to make it 14-3 Seahawks. Tucker did hit a 30 yard field goal to end the half, as the Ravens were only down 14-6.
The Legion of Boom clamped down in the second half. Wilson completed an 80 yard, 11 play, 6 minute drive by finding Baldwin for a 22 yard touchdown. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Wilson went deep to Lockett for a 49 yard touchdown. Richard Sherman the intercepted Clausen, giving Seattle short field. Wilson’s fifth touchdown pass went to Baldwin for 16 yards. At 8-5, Seattle is very much alive for a Wild Card berth. 35-6 Seahawks
Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers — Both teams started 5-0 but while the Panthers remained the NFL’s lone unbeaten, Atlanta collapsed, losing 6 of 7 and on the verge of playoff elimination. The Panthers went right to work, moving 80 yards. Jermaine Stewart got in from the one to make it 7-0 Panthers. Carolina got it back at their own 7 and needed only 3 plays to go 94 yards. A 74 yard touchdown from Cam Newton to Ted Ginn made it 14-0 Panthers. Newton went back to Ginn for a 46 yard touchdown as the Panthers led 21-0 after the first quarter. In the second quarter Newton threw his fourth touchdown pass, a 4 yarder to Dickson to make it 28-0. In the third quarter Graham gang kicked a 38 yard field goal and Whittaker ran for a 16 yard touchdown. Newton took the fourth quarter off. The Panthers are 13-0 while the 6-7 Falcons are a spiraling mess. 38-0 Panthers
Washington Redskins at Chicago Bears — A pair of 5-7 teams tried to avoid playoff elimination although the Redskins remain tied for the NFC Least lead. Washington has been awful on the road, but they began this game with a 15 play, 80 yard drive that consumed 8 1/2 minutes. Alfred Morris got in from the one to make it 7-0 Redskins. In the second quarter the Redskins moved 93 yards. Kirk Cousins ran it in from 3 yards out to make it 14-0 Redskins. Jay Cutler threw a 20 yard touchdown pass to Jeffery as the Bears only trailed 14-7 at halftime.
In the third quarter Cousins moved the Redskins 62 yards and hit Reed for a 5 yard touchdown to make it 21-7 Redskins. Yet Cutler brought the Bears back. An 80 yard drive saw Cutler hit Zach Miller for a 9 yard touchdown to get Chicago within 21-14. Cousins was then intercepted, setting up the Bears at the Washington 21. Matt Forte got in from 7 yards out to tie the game 21-21 after three quarters.
Less than one minute into the fourth quarter, Dustin Hopkins hit a 47 yard field goal to give the Redskins the lead. With 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation, John Fox decided to punt and trust his defense rather than try a 57 yard field goal or go for it on 4th and 8 from the Washington 39. The Bears got it back at their own 20 with 2:11 left. Cutler went deep to Jeffery for a 50 yard gain, but on 2nd and 7 from the Washington 32, Cutler threw incomplete twice. Gould came in for the tying field goal from 50 yards out with 1:45 left. The normally reliable Gould was no good as the Bears fell to 5-8 and are all but done. The 6-7 Redskins are tied for first in the woeful NFC Least. 24-21 Redskins
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals — The Steelers are 7-5 while the 10-2 Bengals would be the top AFC seed if the playoffs started today. Yet the Bengals will never get respect until they win games like this one. A decade ago in the playoffs at home, the Bengals led 10-0 until Carson Palmer got injured. trailed 17-7, the Steelers ripped off 24 straight points on their way to another Super Bowl. This game saw history repeat itself.
The Steelers began with an 11 play, 80 yard drive that took 5 1/2 minutes. Williams got in from one yard out to make it 7-0 Steelers. Red Rifle Andy Dalton moved the Bengals from their 10 to a 2nd and goal at the Pittsburgh 4. Dalton was then intercepted, and he injured his thumb trying to make the tackle. Out of nowhere, Dalton is now most likely out of the rest of the year. In came AJ McCarron, who is known for sleeping with Miss Alabama. Now the league will learn if he can play pro football.
Meanwhile, the Steelers held the ball for 7 1/2 minutes and 13 plays. Chris Boswell hit a 42 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Steelers in the second quarter. After Mike Nugent missed a 54 yard field goal, Boswell hit from 47 to make it 13-0 Steelers. Mccarran did throw a 66 yard touchdown pass to AJ Green to get the Bengals within 13-7. Yet Boswell hit from 45 to make it 16-7 Steelers at halftime. The third quarter began with Mccarran being intercepted by William Gay, who returned it 23 yards for a touchdown and a 23-7 Steelers lead. Nugent hit a 46 yarder, but on the first play of the fourth quarter Boswell hit his fourth field goal from 31 to make it 26-10 Steelers.
Nugent hit from 27 but another interception of McCarron sealed Cincy’s fate. Deangelo Williams got in from the one to make it 33-13 Steelers. Cincinnati did get a garbage touchdown, but this game validated everything about both of these franchises. The Steelers are 8-5 and the Bengals are 10-3, but Cincinnati started 9-0 and now seems to be in free fall. Now they are without Dalton and Tyler Eifert, who was also injured in this game. Respect is earned, and until Cincinnati beats Pittsburgh when it matters, the Bengals will continue to have their doubters. 33-20 Steelers
San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns — Two of the worst organizations in football played the Stupor Bowl for the right to win the top pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Johnny Manziel was given one last chance to show he was capable of playing pro football. Cleveland moved 84 yards and Crowell got in from one yard out to make it 7-0 Browns. In the second quarter Travis Coons hit from 26 for the Browns and Phil Dawson answered from 44. League rules required the second half not be canceled. In the third quarter Manziel led the Browns 78 yards and hit Gary Barnidge for a 2 yard touchdown and a 17-3 Browns lead. In the fourth quarter the Browns moved 91 yards and Crowell got the last 3 yards to make it 24-3 Browns. The 49ers got a garbage touchdown. Manziel finished a solid 21 of 31 for 270 yards passing, one touchdown and one interception. 24-10 Browns
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars — The Colts at 6-6 are tied for the AFC South lead while the Jaguars seemed done at 4-8. The first half was ugly. The second half was just shocking. A 46 yard Josh Myers field goal had the Jaguars up 3-0 early. Adam Vinatieri countered from 25 and then from 21 in the second quarter to make it 6-3 Colts. After 28 minutes of hideous football, the final 2 minutes were just football follies. At the 2 minute warning from his own 10, Bortles was sacked and fumbled. Robert Mathis recovered in the end zone to make it 13-3 Colts. Then from the Indy 29, Bortles was sacked and fumbled again. With 1:11 left, the Colts took over at the Jags 34. Even a field goal would mean a 16-3 game and an easy Colts win. Instead, Matt Hasselbeck got sacked and Branch returned it 49 yards for a Jacksonville touchdown. The Jaguars only trailed 13-9 at halftime. The second half could be a turning point for both of these organizations. We will know in a decade.
Bortles began the third quarter by throwing an 80 yard touchdown pass to Hurns to put the Jaguars in front 16-13. Then Greene returned a punt 73 yards for another touchdown and a 23-13 Jaguars lead. Vinatieri hit a 32 yard field goal. The Colts trailed 23-16, but after that the Jaguars just carpet-bombed the Colts. Bortles threw a 4 yard touchdown pass to Robinson to cap an 80 yard drive and make it 30-16 Jaguars after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter Bortles hit Julius Thomas for a 3 yard score. Hasselbeck then got injured and third stringer Charlie Whitehurst came in for the Colts. Robinson ran it in from one yard out to make it 44-16 Jaguars. An interception of Whitehorse was returned to the Indy one. On fourth and goal, Bortles got the yard. The 6-7 Colts are tied for the lead in the awful AFC South, while the 5-8 Jaguars can still win the division. Totally dominated for 29 minutes, the Jaguars outscored the Colts 48-3 over the final 31 minutes. 51-16 Jaguars
San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs — Nobody wins ugly like the Chiefs, while the Chargers just lose. In the rain, the Chiefs moved 96 yards in the second quarter. Alex Smith threw a 44 yard touchdown pass to Wilson, the only thing resembling a highlight. Cairo Santos hit a 39 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Chiefs at halftime. Josh Lambo hit a 30 yard field goal for the Chargers in the third quarter. With 5 minutes left, the Chargers took over at their own 11 and mounted a 19 play drive.
On 3rd and 14 from their own 7, Rivers hit Malcolm Floyd for 41 yards. On 4th and 3 from the Chiefs 45 with 1:17 left, Rivers hit Herndon for 6. On 4th and 10 from the Chiefs 39, Rivers hit Antonio Gates for 16 with 36 seconds left. With 16 seconds left, on 4th and 10 from the Chiefs 23, Rivers hit Brown for 22 yards. With 5 seconds left, the Chargers were one yard away from tying the game. 2 false starts gave the Chargers one more chance from the 11. Rivers threw incomplete. 19 plays. 0 points. These are the Chargers. The Chiefs have won 7 straight to get to 8-5, making Andy Reid one happy Walrus Lite. 10-3 Chiefs
Tennessee Titans at New York Jets — The Jets big win over the Giants last week propelled Gang Green to 7-5. Now they needed to beat a Titans team with nothing to play for. Ryan Fitzpatrick led the Jets 80 yards in 14 plays and 6 minutes and hit Eric Decker for a 16 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Jets. Ryan Bullock hit a 47 yard field goal and then a 27 yarder in the second quarter to make it 13-0 Jets. Fitzpatrick led the Jets 72 yards and threw a 16 yard touchdown pass to Powell. Fitzpatrick then hooked up with Brandon Marshall for a 69 yard touchdown as the Jets led 27-0 at halftime. The second half was a formality. The Titans did reach the end zone once in the third quarter and Bullock tacked on one more field goal in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring. The Jets are 8-5. Todd Bowles has a defense. He also has a quarterback. Fitzpatrick went 21 of 36 for for 263 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. 30-8 Jets
Buffalo Bills at Philadelphia Eagles — Both teams are on the brink of playoff elimination at 5-7 while the Eagles are still tied for the NFC Least. It is rare that Rex Ryan is not the storyline, but LeSean McCoy really wants revenge on Chip Kelly. The Eagles moved 61 yards and Darren Sproles ran it in from one yard out to make it 7-0 Eagles. Tyron Taylor responded with a 47 yard touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins to make it 7-7. In the second quarter Sam Bradford connected with Agholor on a 53 yard touchdown to make it 14-7 Eagles. Dan Carpenter hit a 38 yard field goal for the Bills and Caleb Sturgis answered from 45 as the Eagles took a 17-10 lead into the locker rooms. In the third quarter Sturgis hit from 41 and Carpenter countered from 40 as the bills trailed 20-13. A field position game and a penalty on a punt return had the Bills starting at the Philly 44. On 3rd and 13 from the Philly 33, Taylor scrambled for 14 and Gillislee for the last 19 as the game was tied 20-20 after three quarters. With 5 1/2 minutes left, Bradford shook off an earlier interception and led the Eagles from their 34 to the Buffalo 12. Surges hit from 30 and the Eagles had the lead with 3 1/2 minutes left. With 1:23 left, on 3rd and 8 from the Buffalo 33, Taylor went deep and was intercepted. Both teams are 6-7, but the Bills are on the brink of elimination while the Eagles are tied for the pathetic NFC Least lead. 23-20 Eagles
Detroit Lions at St. Louis Rams — Both teams are done for the year and coaches Jim Caldwell and Jeff Fisher, who both came close to winning a Super Bowl, are on the hot seat. Defenses ruled the first half as Matthew Stafford had an interception returned 58 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Rams lead at the break. In the third quarter Stafford led the Lions 65 yards and hit Golden Tate for a 9 yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7. The Rams came back 80 yards and Todd Gurley ran it in from 5 yards out to make it 14-7 Rams after three quarters. In the fourth quarter the Rams moved 91 yards and Gurley ran for a 15 yard touchdown to make it 21-7 Rams. With 6 minutes left in regulation Stafford moved the Lions from their own 14. A 2 yard touchdown pass to Tate completed the 86 yard drive. The Lions were within 7 points, and a perfectly executed onside kick had the Lions at their own 47 with 2:03 left to tie the game. On 4th and 3 out of the shotgun, Stafford fumbled the snap, picked it up, and threw incomplete. The Rams ran out the clock. 21-14 Rams
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — The 5-7 Saints are done while the 6-6 Buccaneers are alive. Early on Drew Brees capped a 60 yard drive and threw a 3 yard touchdown pass to Marques Colston for a 7-0 Saints lead. In the second quarter it was deja vu as Brees led the Saints 65 yards and hit Colston for a one yard score to make it 14-0 Saints. The Buccaneers came back 80 yards and Doug Martin ran for a 14 yard touchdown to get the Buccaneers within 14-7. Kai Forbath hit a 23 yard field goal for the Saints and Connor Barth answered from 39 as the Buccaneers trailed 17-10 at halftime. In the third quarter the Saints moved 63 yards and Tim Hightower ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 24-10 Saints. In the fourth quarter the Buccaneers moved 80 yards and Jameis Winston threw a 6 yard touchdown pass to Humphries to get Tampa Bay within 7 points with 9 minutes left in regulation. The Bucs got it back but could not move the ball. With 4 1/2 minutes left from the Saints 44, Lovie Smith decided to punt and trust his defense. With 2 1/2 minutes left, on 3rd and 2 from the Saints 33, Brees threw incomplete. However, defensive holding killed the Buccaneers and allowed the Saints to run out the clock. Brees finished 31 of 41 for 312 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Both teams at 6-7 are looking to next year. 24-17 Saints
Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos — Denver came in 10-2 while the Raiders at 5-7 were one more loss from 13 straight non-winning seasons. Even with Brock Osweiler filling in for Peyton Manning, Denver’s defense was supposed to obliterate Oakland’s offense and easily dispatch of the overmatched Raiders. Cue ESPN uber-announcer Chris Berman. “THAT’s why they play the games.” The first half was all Denver. The Raiders actually had negative 12 yards of offense, the worst output by any team in a quarter of a century. Osweiler had nearly 200 yards passing in the first half. The only reason the game was not a complete blowout is because the Oakland defense led by Khalil Mack came up big in desperation time. in the earlier game in Oakland, the Broncos with Manning did not score an offensive touchdown. The Broncos won 16-10 behind 3 field goals and a defensive touchdown. In this first half Brad McManus hit 4 field goals from 41, 35, 29 and 20 yards. With 18 seconds left in the half the Broncos had 1st and goal at the 2 and Osweiler threw 3 straight incompletions. The Raiders trailed 12-0 at halftime. The defense was doing all it could, but the Raiders were not going to have a chance to avoid a blowout with negative offense.
The Raiders took the second half kickoff after a touchback and finally got a drive going. On 3rd and 6 from the Denver 11 after a false start, Derek Carr hit Seth Roberts for the touchdown. The Raiders only trailed 12-7, and the Silver and Black defense played lights out in the second half. The Oakland offense could not capitalize. Midway through the third quarter Denver faced 3rd and 3 from their 31. Osweiler threw complete to Denarius Thomas for 7 yards, but Thomas fumbled and Charles Woodson recovered for the Raiders at the Denver 41. The Oakland offense responded by losing 3 yards and punting. Late in the third quarter after a terrific punt by Marquette King, the Broncos faced 3rd an d9 at their own 3. Khalil Mack was a one man wrecking crew, and he sacked Osweiler in the end zone, forcing another fumble. An Oakland recovery would have given the Raiders the lead, but Denver recovered. The Raiders got the safety and trailed 12-9 after three quarters.
After the free kick the Raiders could not move the ball, but they received another major break to start the fourth quarter. King boomed a 55 yard punt and Emanuel Sanders fumbled it. The Raiders took over at the Denver 11. On 3rd and 15 from the 16, Carr fired to Mychel Rivera to give the Raiders the 3 point lead. Jack Del Rio then made a very questionable coaching decision. Long snapper Condo was injured a few plays earlier on the fumble recovery. Despite an extra point making it a 4 point game, Del Rio did not want to try it without his long snapper. Instead the Raiders went for 2 and Carr threw incomplete. The Broncos got it back and quickly moved to a 3rd and 9 at the Oakland 36. Osweiler hit Vernon Davis for a 5 yard gain. On 4th and 4, Gary Kubiak opted for the tying field goal from 49 yards out. McManus was gold in the first half, but his fifth field goal doinked off the upright no good. The Raiders had dodged another bullet. The question with 10 1/2 minutes left was whether this team that never finishes games could finally play a complete game.
After an exchange of punts, a 22 yard punt return had the Raiders starting at the Denver 47 with 6:48 to play. Carr hit Clive Walford for 21 yards, but after that the Raiders did nothing. With 5 minutes left, Seabass came in for a 43 yard field goal to extend the lead. The kick was no good, and again the Raiders looked like they were finding a new way to collapse. With 3:50 to play, the Broncos faced 4th and 5 at their own 37. Oseweiler threw a perfect pass to to Vernon Davis. In front of a stunned home crowd, Davis just dropped it. Now the Raiders had a short field. They were already in very long field goal range but a couple first downs could end things. Instead they went backward. Denver had to use all of their timeouts, but the Raiders punted on 4th and 23 from midfield. Marquette King was brilliant on this day, and pinned Denver again back at their own 8. Osweiler had 2 1/2 minutes to work with. At the 2 minute warning, the Broncos had 2nd and 4 at their own 29. Khalil Mack, who already had sacked Osweiler 4 times on the day, turned ferocious when it mattered most. His 5th sack followed by a deep incompletion had the Broncos facing 4th and 12 at their own 21 with 90 seconds left. Osweiler went deep incomplete again in front of a shellshocked home crowd.
The Raiders would lose 3 more yards, but only because Carr took a knee 3 times. Osweiler was 35 of 51 for 308 yards, but could not get the Broncos in the end zone. Carr was only 12 of 29 for 135 yards but he threw 2 touchdown passes. Neither quarterback was intercepted. After 8 straight losses, the Raiders finally beat Denver. The Raiders at 6-7 are clinging to playoff life, while the 10-3 Broncos would not even have a first round bye if the playoffs began today. For the Raiders, this could turn out to be a turning point. For the late Jewish Al Davis, it was a great way to end Hanukkah as the Raiders played the most inspired football since the 2011 game the day after he died. It was ugly, but it was also Just Win Baby. On this Silver and Black Sunday, the Raiders did. 15-12 Raiders
Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers — The 8-4 Packers looked to finish off the 4-8 Cowboys as Mike McCarthy took back the play calling duties to try and revive his offense. In the first quarter the Cowboys moved to a 3rd and goal at the 3. Matt Cassel was the intercepted. Aaron Rodgers led the Packers to a 2nd and goal at the one. Rodgers threw incomplete and then a touchdown run by Starks was reversed and ruled short of the goal. McCarthy went for it on 4th and goal from the one. Rodgers took the sneak and got stuffed as the first quarter remained scoreless. In the second quarter the Packers got it back at the Dallas 48. On 3rd and 4 from the Dallas 13, Rodgers hit Starks for the touchdown. The Packers got it back and moved 81 yards. Rodgers got the final 3 yards himself as the Packers led 14-0 at the break. Dallas did get a touchdown on a 7 yard run from Turbin in the third quarter, but after that Dom Capers and his Green Bay defense clamped down. The Packers only led 14-7 in the fourth quarter, when the Packers got the ball from their 16 and moved forward. With 4:50 to play, the Packers faced 2nd and 25 from the Dallas 30. Starks took the handoff and raced for the touchdown to salt the game away. Dallas turned it over on downs to give the Packers a short field. Eddie Lacy ran it in from one yard out to complete the scoring. The Packers moved into a one game lead in the NFC North. Even in the NFC Least, Dallas is mathematically alive but pretty much eliminated. Depending on the mood of Jerry Jones, Jason Garrett may be eliminated as well. 28-7 Packers
New England Patriots at Houston Texans was the Sunday night game. New England lost 2 straight after starting 10-0 while the Texans saw their 4 game win streak snapped last week to fall back to .500. New England came into the game knowing that the other two 10-2 teams both lost earlier in the day. The Texans came in knowing their 6-6 division rival lost earlier in the day. A field position game early had the Patriots at their own 48. A 45 yard bomb from Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski led to 3rd and goal at the 2. Brady hit Martin for the touchdown and the 7-0 Patriots lead. Nick Novak hit a 37 yard field goal for the Texans. In the second quarter Stephen Gostkowski answered from 43 and Novak countered from 45 as the Texans only trailed 10-6. Yet field position killed Houston as New england took over with 2:45 left in the half at the Houston 41. With 24 seconds left, on 3rd and 9 from the 11, Brady hit LaFell for 10 and Gronkowski for the one yard touchdown to make it 17-6 Patriots at halftime. In the second half, the New England defense shut the door. Gostkowski hit a 49 yard field goal in the third quarter. The Patriots did fumble a punt, but the Texans gambled on 4th and 4 from the New England 15 and lost as Bryan Hoyer threw incomplete. later, facing 3rd and 8 from the New England 32, the Texans fumbled and lost 23 yards. In the fourth quarter Hoyer was sacked and fumbled, giving the Patriots the ball at the Houston 7. On 3rd and goal, White scored the 2 yard touchdown to complete the scoring. The Texans at 6-7 are tied for the meager AFC South lead while at 11-2 the Patriots now are one game up in the AFC and the battle for home field throughout the playoffs. 27-6 Patriots
New York Giants at Miami Dolphins was the Sunday night game. Both teams came in at 5-7 although that was still good enough for the Giants with a win to tie for the forlorn NFC Least lead. The Dolphins fumbled on their first series. Yet despite starting with a short field, the Giants settled for a 35 yard Josh Brown field goal for a 3-0 Giants lead. The Dolphins came back 74 yards and Larry Miller ran for a 14 yard touchdown to make it 7-3 Dolphins. In the second quarter the Giants moved 70 yards. Eli Manning hit Reuben Randle for a 6 yard touchdown on 3rd and goal to make it 10-7 Giants. The Dolphins took the lead again 14-10 when Larry Miller ran for a 38 yard touchdown.
With 3 minutes left in the half it was the Giants fumbling deep in their own territory and the Dolphins recovering. Yet this time it was the Dolphins failing to convert. Franks hit a 36 yard field goal to make it 17-10 Dolphins with 1:52 left in the half. Manning quickly went deep to Odell Beckham for a 45 yard gain with 15 more added for roughing the passer. Manning hit Tye for a 5 yard touchdown as the teams were tied 17-17 at intermission.
In the third quarter Ryan Tannehill went deep to Kenny stills for a 47 yard touchdown to make it 24-17 Dolphins. The Giants came back 80 yards and Manning went to Beckham again for a 6 yard touchdown to make it 24-24 with 5 minutes left in the third quarter. With just over 12 minutes left in regulation, Tannehill threw incomplete on 3rd and 5 from the Giants 44. A perfect punt had the Giants pinned at their own 4 yard line. 2 plays later from the 16, Manning went bombs away to a wide open Beckham for an 84 yard touchdown. With 11 minutes left the Giants led by 7 points.
Miami moved from their 28 to the Giants 31. On 3rd and 10 Tannehill threw incomplete, and offensive holding would normally be declined. Tom Coughlin gambled and accepted the penalty to put the Dolphins out of field goal range. On 3rd and 20 Tannehill threw incomplete again. Another great punt pinned the Giants at their own 3 midway through the fourth quarter. The Dolphins got it back at the Giants 48 with 6 minutes left. An offensive personal foul meant 2nd and 25 and killed the drive. With 4 1/2 minutes left after a touchback, the Dolphins on defense again needed a stop. This time it was not coming. On 3rd and 2 from the Giants 28, Rashad Jennings gained 3 yards. At the 2 minute warning, the Giants faced 3rd and 3 at the Miami 48.
With the Dolphins out of timeouts, the sane thing to do would be to run the ball and take the clock down to almost one minute. Tom Coughlin gambled again knowing an incomplete pass would give Miami plenty of time. Coughlin trusted Manning, and Manning found Beckham for 5 yards and the game clinching first down. The Dolphins insisted that Beckham trapped the ball, but replays were inconclusive. It stood as a catch. The Dolphins at 5-8 are eliminated from the playoffs while the 6-7 Giants are in a three-way NFC Least tie. Manning was a franchise best in terms of passing completion percentage, going a white hot 27 of 31 for 337 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. 31-24 Giants