NFL Early Games week 15

There are eight early games on this week. First of all...

The Houston Texans host the Carolina Panthers. Carolina struck first with Cam Newton tossing a touchdown pass to Steve Smith 26 yards away, and Olindo Mare handled the extra point. The Panthers moved along in the second quarter on Newton's 9 yard touchdown to Jeremy Shockey, and Mare again handled the PAT. Carolina was up 21-0 at the half due to a 7 yard touchdown run by Richie Brockel, and Mare once again kicked an extra point. Houston got on the board in the third quarter with two Neil Rackers field goals, from 26 and 34 yards away. The Texans pulled closer with a 1 yard Arian Foster touchdown run in the fourth quarter, allowing a Rackers extra point. The Panthers put the game in the bag with a 24 yard DeAngelo Williams touchdown rush, and Mare's extra point made it 28-13. Carolina is now 5-9 while Houston is 10-4.

Up to Buffalo, where the Bills welcomed in the Miami Dolphins. Buffalo led off with C.J. Spiller rushing 24 yards for a touchdown, and Dave Rayner made the extra point. Miami tied it with a Matt Moore touchdown pass of 22 yards to Anthony Fasano, and Dan Carpenter made the extra point here. Carpenter left it at 13-7 Dolphins when halftime came after kicking two field goals, good from 20 and 26 yards out. Miami extended the lead in the third quarter when Moore found Brandon Marshall for a 65 yard touchdown connection, allowing Carpenter to kick a PAT. Carpenter added on for the Dolphins with another 26 yard field goal in the fourth quarter. The Bills tried to get some back as Ryan Fitzpatrick passed a 3 yard throw to Spiller for a touchdown, but the two-point attempt was a failure. Miami answered with Reggie Bush ripping off a 76 yard touchdown run, and Carpenter was true with the extra point. Buffalo answered back on Fitzpatrick's 2 yard touchdown to Derek Hagan, and Rayner was good with the extra point. Raynerr cut the score to 30-23 with a 34 yard field goal for the Bills, but they couldn't tie the game and lost. Both teams are now 5-9.

Down a bit to Indianapolis, where the Colts host the Tennessee Titans. Indianapolis led off when Adam Vinatieri nailed a 47 yard field goal. Tennessee answered in the second quarter with a pair of Rob Bironas field goals for a 6-3 halftime score, good from 53 and 21 yards away. The Colts got going again in the third quarter as Dan Orlovsky threw 18 yards for a touchdown to Reggie Wayne, and Vinatieri made the extra point. Indianapolis got defensive on the next score, as Jacob Lacey picked off Matt Hasselbeck, and took it 32 yards to get the touchdown, allowing another Vinatieri PAT. Vinatieri also kicked a 40 yard field goal for Indianapolis in the fourth quarter. Jake Locker tried to rally the Titans with a 7 yard touchdown to Nate Washington and Bironas making the extra point. The Colts squashed the comeback with an 80 yard Donald Brown touchdown run, making it 27-13 after the Vinatieri extra point. This held as a final, giving the Colts a 1-13 record and the Titans a 7-7 marker.

A little to the west, the St. Louis Rams hosted the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati opened with Mike Nugent making a 21 yard field goal. St. Louis took a 6-3 lead into the locker rooms after field goals of 26 and 43 yards by Josh Brown. Nugent tied it for the Bengals in the third quarter on a 41 yard field goal kick. Cincinnati took the lead when Bernard Scott ran 1 yard for a touchdown, and Nugent tallied the extra point. Cedric Benson extended the Bengal lead with a 4 yard touchdown run, and Nugent tacked on another PAT. The Rams got as close as 20-13 when Kellen Clemens found Danario Alexander on a 25 yard touchdown pass, and Brown made the extra point. This was a final, and the Bengals are now 8-6 while the Rams are 2-12.

North a tad to Chicago, as the Bears host the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle led off with a 2 yard Marshawn Lynch Skittle mission, and Steven Hauschka made the extra point. Chicago quickly got it back as Tarvaris Jackson fumbled in the end zone and it was picked up by Israel Idonije, allowing Robbie Gould the tying extra point. The Bears led 14-7 at halftime thanks to Caleb Hanie tossing a 25 yard touchdown to Kahlil Bell, and Gould adding on another extra point. Lynch went for bag number two in the third quarter by rushing 3 yards for a touchdown, and Hauschka retied the game with the extra point for the Seahawks. Seattle took the lead as Red Bryant intercepted Hanie and took it in 20 yards for a touchdown, allowing Hauschka another PAT. Hauschka also kicked a 33 yard field goal for the Seahawks near the end of the quarter. Jackson corrected his early mistake for Seattle by tossing a 2 yard touchdown to Michael Robinson, and Hauschka was there for the extra point yet again. The Seahawks iced the game at 38-14 when Brandon Browner pickd Hanie off and ran to the end zone for a touchdown play of 42 yards, allowing Hauschka a final extra point. Seattle is now 7-7, as is Chicago.

North again, as the Minnesota Vikings hosted the New Orleans Saints. Minnesota opened on a Ryan Longwell field goal of 44 yards. New Orleans replied with a 5 yard Drew Brees touchdown pass to Lance Moore, and John Kasay made the extra point. Longwell pulled the Vikings back in the second quarter on a 49 yard field goal. Brees and the Saints sped away again with a 1 yard touchdown to Jimmy Graham, and Kasay was there with the extra point. Minnesota got some back with Christian Ponder tossing a 10 yard touchdown pass to Toby Gerhart, and Longwell was true with the extra point. New Orleans would take a 21-13 lead into the locker rooms when Brees tossed a 13 yard touchdown to Darren Sproles, and Kasay once more made the extra point. Brees continued to throw well for the Saints in the third quarter by finding John Gilmore for a 2 yard touchdown reception, and Kasay kicked another PAT. Brees hooked up with Moore again to give New Orleans an even bigger lead, this time a 47 yard connection, and Kasay kicked another extra point. The Saints added to the domination in the fourth quarter when Pierre Thomas rushed 1 yard to get the touchdown, and Kasay supplied his last extra point of the game. The Vikings cut the deficit only to 42-20 when Ponder found Gerhart on a 16 yard touchdown pass, and Longwell finished the scoring with the extra point. New Orleans is now 11-3 while Minnesota is 2-12.

Back to Missouri, where the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Green Bay Packers. The score was 6-0 at halftime because of Kansas City's Ryan Succop kicked a 19 and a 32 yard field goal each in the first quarter, and scoring silence in the second quarter. The game picked up a bit in the third quarter as Green Bay took the lead when Aaron Rodgers passed 2 yard for a touchdown to Donald Driver, and Mason Crosby made the extra point. Succop gave the Chiefs the lead back with a 46 yard field goal. Succop also kicked a 20 yard field goal for Kansas City in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs took a larger lead with a 1 yard Jackie Battle touchdown run, allowing Succop to kick the extra point. The Packers got it to 19-14 with Rodgers rushing 8 yards to get a touchdown, and Crosby was good with the PAT, but they could not get any farther and they lost. Green Bay is now 13-1, the pursuit of a perfect season once again squashed, and Kansas City is now 6-8.

Finally, the New York Giants host the Washington Redskins. Washington started off with Graham Gano kicking a 36 yard field goal. Rex Grossman kept the Redskins going in the second quarter, by passing a touchdown to Santana Moss for 20 yards, and Gano made the extra point. Washington extended the lead again on Darrel Young's 6 yard touchdown rush and a Gano extra point. New York got on the board just before the half with a Lawrence Tynes field goal of 40 yards, for a 17-3 score. The Redskins went back on the attack in the third quarter with Gano blasting a 43 yard field goal. Washington added on again in the fourth quarter with Gano's 25 yard field goal. The Giants made it 23-10, and got no further points after that, when Ahmad Bradshaw ran 3 yards for a touchdown, and Tynes kicked in a PAT. Washington improves to 5-9 while dropping New York to 7-7.