As stadium woes continue, the Minnesota Vikings hosted the Chicago Bears outside at TCF Bank Stadium, home of the University of Minnesota football team. The field was good enough to play ice hockey on, frozen solid in the cold Minnesota winter. Onward to the scoring, opened by brickhouse Brett Favre, who connected with Percy Harvin for 23 yards and a touchdown. Ryan Longwell added the extra point. Robbie Gould kicked a field goal for the Chicago Bears, before adding the extra point on Jay Cutler's 67 yard touchdown pass to Johnny Knox. Cutler found Devin Hester in the second quarter, and after Gould added the extra point, the Bears led the Vikings by a score of 17-7, which would be the score into halftime. Gould kicked a 23 yard field goal to open the scoring in the third quarter, following up with an extra point on the Devin Hester 64 yard punt return for a touchdown. Minnesota found the end zone again when Joe Webb ran it in for 13 yards and the score. Longwell added the extra point. Cutler found another receiver for a touchdown, this time being Rashied Davis for 9 yards, with Gould adding the extra point to make it 34-14. Gould added a third and fourth quarter field goal, from 34 and 20 yards. The final had the Bears up 40-14, improving to 10-4, and dropping the Vikings to 5-9.
Fantasy Football All-Stars will follow this post directly.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Fantasy Hockey All-Stars week 10
Another week down, another group of players leading the pack for their Fantasy Managers, hoping to give them a midseason push. Here's who got work done this week
Center: Matt Duchene, 4 goals, 3 assists, +1, 0 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 10 shots on goal
Left Wing: Tomas Fleischmann, 4 goals, 3 assists, +2, 4 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 9 shots on goal
Right Wing: Loui Eriksson, 2 goals, 4 assists, +1, 2 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 10 shots on goal
Defenseman: Jack Johnson, 1 goal, 2 assists, +2, 14 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 10 shots on goal
Goaltender: Anders Lindback: 3 wins, 1.89 goals against average, 74 saves, .925 save percentage, 1 shutout
These were the best players by position for the week. Here's to the midseason push.
Center: Matt Duchene, 4 goals, 3 assists, +1, 0 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 10 shots on goal
Left Wing: Tomas Fleischmann, 4 goals, 3 assists, +2, 4 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 9 shots on goal
Right Wing: Loui Eriksson, 2 goals, 4 assists, +1, 2 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 10 shots on goal
Defenseman: Jack Johnson, 1 goal, 2 assists, +2, 14 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 10 shots on goal
Goaltender: Anders Lindback: 3 wins, 1.89 goals against average, 74 saves, .925 save percentage, 1 shutout
These were the best players by position for the week. Here's to the midseason push.
Song of the Week IV
This week, we have our first repeat artist on here, with James Blunt earning the honors with 1973. The song is the lead track off of his second album, All the Lost Souls, and it went on to be a single for him. The song has a rhythmic beat and a good piano, notorious of his work and setting the soft, strong tone the rest of the album carries. A perfect example of what a first track should sound like. Check this series again next week for the next song.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Sunday Night Football, week 15
This week's prime time Sunday game is between the Green Bay Packers, who are paying a visit to the New England Patriots. Mason Crosby put the Packers up first with a 31 yard field goal. New England responded with a touchdown run from BenJarvus Green-Ellis, from 33 yards, followed by Shayne Graham's extra point. Matt Flynn got Green Bay going the right way in the second quarter, with touchdown passes of 66 and 1 yards to James Jones and Greg Jennings, both followed by Crosby extra points. Tom Brady cut the lead to 17-14 with his touchdown pass to Aaron Hernandez for 2 yards, followed by Graham's extra point. The Patriots took a lead when Kyle Arrington intercepted Flynn for 36 yards and the touchdown, followed by an extra point from Graham, but Flynn regained himself and threw one to his own teammate, John Kuhn, for 6 yards and the touchdown. Crosby added the extra point, before kicking a 19 yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Graham answered that and made the score 27-24 Packers with his 38 yard field goal, and he also tacked on the extra point for Brady's second touchdown to Hernandez, this time from 10 yards. The final score ended up being 31-27 New England over Green Bay. The Patriots improved to 12-2, while dropping the Packers down to 8-6.
Sunday NHL recap
There were four games on for the puckheads among us in a football-dominated Sunday, with the first two being early enough to compete a bit with football broadcasts. We start in Detroit...
Where the Red Wings hosted the Dallas Stars. Andrew Raycroft and Chris Osgood were the netminders. Pavel Datsyuk drew first blood for the Red Wings, potting a power play goal, his 12th marker of the season, from Tomas Holmstrom and Johan Franzen. Patrick Eaves made it 2-0 with his seventh of the year, from Niklas Kronwall and Valtteri Filppula. Brad Richards put Dallas on the board with his 15th of the year, thanks to Loui Erikssoin and Jeff Woywitka. Brenden Morrow potted a goal for the Stars to even it at 2 after the first period, a power play goal from Trevor Daley and Eriksson, good for his eleventh of the year. Franzen put Detroit back up late in the second period with his 14th of the year, helped along by Brian Rafalski and Datsyuk. Morrow tied it for the Stars in the third period with his second of the night and 12th of the year, with help from Jamie Benn. The tie lasted late into overtime, but was broken by Dallas with Eriksson's 14th of the year, assisted by Jamie Benn. Eriksson, Morrow, and Eaves got the stars for the game. Fighting in the second period were Dallas' Steve Ott and Detroit's Justin Abdelkader.
We head to Chicago for the second game, where the Blackhawks hosted the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Corey Crawford were the goalkeepers for the game. Jonathan Toews got the Blackhawks up first with his 15th of the season in the first period, assisted by Brian Campbell and Patrick Sharp. Kyle Clifford evened the score for the Kings, potting his second of the year, with help from Michal Handzus and Wayne Simmonds. Duncan Keith netted his third of the year to make the lead 2-1 for Chicago, assisted by Sharp and Toews. Fernando Pisani made it 3-1 for the 'Hawks, potting his fifth of the year, with help from Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland. Simmonds tried to get Los Angeles back together with his seventh of the year, with help from Anze Kopitar and goalie Jonathan Quick, but they couldn't muster any more offense in the third period and fell 3-2 to Chicago. Toews, Keith, and Simmonds earned the stars for the game. Sharing a dance in the first period were the Blackhawks' John Scott (the real estate manager) and the Kings' Kevin Westgarth.
Moving along to Ottawa, where the Senators hosted the Washington Capitals. Michal Neuvirth and Brian Elliott got the nod for their respective teams. Ottawa opened the scoring with a goal by Ryan Shannon, his fourth of the season, from Jesse Winchester. The Senators had a 2-0 lead when Chris Kelly potted his eighth of the year, assisted by Chris Neil. Washington answered in the second period with an early goal by Mathieu Perreault, his third of the year, with helpers from Mike Knuble and Brooks Laich. Forty-six seconds later, Eric Fehr tied it with his fifth of the year, assisted by Alex Ovechkin. Later that same period, Perreault had struck again, with his second of the night and fourth of the year, with assistance for this goal coming from Fehr, on the power play. No more scoring would be conducted after this point, and the Capitals went on to defeat the Senators 3-2. Perreault, Kelly, and Fehr earned the stars for their performances.
Lastly, we have the game between the Colorado Avalanche and Montreal Canadiens, at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Carey Price and Craig Anderson were in between their pipes for the game. Michael Cammalleri opened the scoring for the Canadiens, with a power play goal from Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn. The Avalanche answered with a power play goal from Ryan Wilson late in the first period, his second marker of the season helped along by Ryan O'Reilly and goalie Craig Anderson. Montreal regained the lead in the second period with a goal by Alexandre Picard on the power play, his second goal of the year, assisted by Max Pacioretty and Scott Gomez. Kevin Porter tied it up for Colorado with his seventh of the campaign, helped along by Philippe Dupuis, and they took the lead on a goal by T.J. Galiardi, his fifth of the season, helped by O'Reilly and Jonas Holos. This 3-2 Avalanche lead would hold up to defeat the Canadiens. O'Reilly, Anderson (27 for 29 saves) and Cammalleri were the three stars.
That's all the hockey there is for Sunday. The Sunday Night Football post will follow this one at the conclusion of the game. Tomorrow, there will be Song of the Week and Fantasy Hockey All-Stars, plus the Monday Night Football post at its regularly scheduled time.
Where the Red Wings hosted the Dallas Stars. Andrew Raycroft and Chris Osgood were the netminders. Pavel Datsyuk drew first blood for the Red Wings, potting a power play goal, his 12th marker of the season, from Tomas Holmstrom and Johan Franzen. Patrick Eaves made it 2-0 with his seventh of the year, from Niklas Kronwall and Valtteri Filppula. Brad Richards put Dallas on the board with his 15th of the year, thanks to Loui Erikssoin and Jeff Woywitka. Brenden Morrow potted a goal for the Stars to even it at 2 after the first period, a power play goal from Trevor Daley and Eriksson, good for his eleventh of the year. Franzen put Detroit back up late in the second period with his 14th of the year, helped along by Brian Rafalski and Datsyuk. Morrow tied it for the Stars in the third period with his second of the night and 12th of the year, with help from Jamie Benn. The tie lasted late into overtime, but was broken by Dallas with Eriksson's 14th of the year, assisted by Jamie Benn. Eriksson, Morrow, and Eaves got the stars for the game. Fighting in the second period were Dallas' Steve Ott and Detroit's Justin Abdelkader.
We head to Chicago for the second game, where the Blackhawks hosted the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Corey Crawford were the goalkeepers for the game. Jonathan Toews got the Blackhawks up first with his 15th of the season in the first period, assisted by Brian Campbell and Patrick Sharp. Kyle Clifford evened the score for the Kings, potting his second of the year, with help from Michal Handzus and Wayne Simmonds. Duncan Keith netted his third of the year to make the lead 2-1 for Chicago, assisted by Sharp and Toews. Fernando Pisani made it 3-1 for the 'Hawks, potting his fifth of the year, with help from Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland. Simmonds tried to get Los Angeles back together with his seventh of the year, with help from Anze Kopitar and goalie Jonathan Quick, but they couldn't muster any more offense in the third period and fell 3-2 to Chicago. Toews, Keith, and Simmonds earned the stars for the game. Sharing a dance in the first period were the Blackhawks' John Scott (the real estate manager) and the Kings' Kevin Westgarth.
Moving along to Ottawa, where the Senators hosted the Washington Capitals. Michal Neuvirth and Brian Elliott got the nod for their respective teams. Ottawa opened the scoring with a goal by Ryan Shannon, his fourth of the season, from Jesse Winchester. The Senators had a 2-0 lead when Chris Kelly potted his eighth of the year, assisted by Chris Neil. Washington answered in the second period with an early goal by Mathieu Perreault, his third of the year, with helpers from Mike Knuble and Brooks Laich. Forty-six seconds later, Eric Fehr tied it with his fifth of the year, assisted by Alex Ovechkin. Later that same period, Perreault had struck again, with his second of the night and fourth of the year, with assistance for this goal coming from Fehr, on the power play. No more scoring would be conducted after this point, and the Capitals went on to defeat the Senators 3-2. Perreault, Kelly, and Fehr earned the stars for their performances.
Lastly, we have the game between the Colorado Avalanche and Montreal Canadiens, at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Carey Price and Craig Anderson were in between their pipes for the game. Michael Cammalleri opened the scoring for the Canadiens, with a power play goal from Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn. The Avalanche answered with a power play goal from Ryan Wilson late in the first period, his second marker of the season helped along by Ryan O'Reilly and goalie Craig Anderson. Montreal regained the lead in the second period with a goal by Alexandre Picard on the power play, his second goal of the year, assisted by Max Pacioretty and Scott Gomez. Kevin Porter tied it up for Colorado with his seventh of the campaign, helped along by Philippe Dupuis, and they took the lead on a goal by T.J. Galiardi, his fifth of the season, helped by O'Reilly and Jonas Holos. This 3-2 Avalanche lead would hold up to defeat the Canadiens. O'Reilly, Anderson (27 for 29 saves) and Cammalleri were the three stars.
That's all the hockey there is for Sunday. The Sunday Night Football post will follow this one at the conclusion of the game. Tomorrow, there will be Song of the Week and Fantasy Hockey All-Stars, plus the Monday Night Football post at its regularly scheduled time.
NFL Week 15 late games recap
There are three games late for today. The first one was between...
The Atlanta Falcons, and the hosting Seattle Seahawks. Marshawn Lynch got the Seahawks on the board first with his 1 yard touchdown run, followed by an extra point from Olindo Mare. Matt Ryan's pass to Jason Snelling for 3 yards and the touchdown, followed by an extra point by Matt Bryant was enough to tie the game for the Falcons. Bryant and Mare exchanged field goals, with Bryant true from 27 yards and Mare good from 38 yards. Atlanta took the lead when Ryan passed to Michael Jenkins for a touchdown of 24 yards before the half, followed by a Bryant extra point to make it 17-10. The Falcons jumped on a Matt Hasselbeck fumble, with Jonathan Babineaux recovering it and taking it in, followed by an extra point by Bryant, who added a 25 yard field goal to make it 27-10. Ryan then found Roddy White later in the third quarter, good for 5 yards, with Bryant providing the extra point. Trying to create a rally, backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst ran a touchdown in for a yard, followed by a successful two point conversion pass from Whitehurst to Ben Obomanu. This produced the final score of 34-18, improving Atlanta to 12-2, and dropping Seattle to 6-8.
The next game featured the New York Jets paying a visit to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Brad Smith of the Jets opened the scoring early, returning the kickoff from Shaun Suisham 97 yards for the touchdown, with Nick Folk adding the extra point. Pittsburgh tied it with a touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Matt Spaeth, good for 9 yards, and Suisham's extra point. Folk and Suisham exchanged field goals in the second quarter, with a 25 yard shot from Folk answered by Suisham's 42 yard kick in the last minute of the half, leaving the game tied at 10. Rashard Mendenhall made it 17-10 for the Steelers with his with a two yard rush, followed by a Suisham extra point, but the game was soon tied with Mark Sanchez running it in himself from 7 yards out, followed by Folk's extra point. Folk added a field goal from 34 yards in the fourth quarter, and the Jets defense sealed the deal with a safety by tackling Mewelde Moore in his own end zone, producing a 22-17 final with the Jets on top. Both teams ended up at 10-4 at the conclusion of the game.
Lastly, we have the Oakland Raiders hosting the Denver Broncos. Jacoby Ford opened the scoring for the Raiders with a 71 yard touchdown rush, followed by a Sebastian Janikowski extra point. Tim Tebow found a couple ways to score touchdowns in his first NFL start, with a 40 yard run and a 33 yard pass to Brandon Lloyd, with Steve Hauschka adding the extra point. Michael Bush got Oakland back together with his 1 yard touchdown run, with Janikowski's extra point tying the game. Hauschka and Janikowski went on a kicking spree when the teams switched sides, with Hauschka getting two field goals from 46 and 35 yards, and Janikowski kicking three from 49, 35, and 47 yards. At the end of the third quarter, it was 23-20 in favor of Oakland over Denver. Jason Campbell extended the Raider lead when connecting for a touchdown with Marcel Reece for 73 yards, with Janikowski adding the extra point. Cutting it back down to a one-score game was Hauschka, kicking a field goal of 45 yards, but Correll Buckhalter got pinned in his own end zone on the next Bronco drive, and the Raiders nabbed a safety, making it 32-23. Bush added another 1 yard touchdown for insurance, with Janikowski's extra point making it 39-23, which proved to be the final. Oakland advanced to 7-7, and Denver fell to 3-11.
Two more posts coming out today (maximum) so keep an eye out for a hockey recap and a Sunday Night Football post.
The Atlanta Falcons, and the hosting Seattle Seahawks. Marshawn Lynch got the Seahawks on the board first with his 1 yard touchdown run, followed by an extra point from Olindo Mare. Matt Ryan's pass to Jason Snelling for 3 yards and the touchdown, followed by an extra point by Matt Bryant was enough to tie the game for the Falcons. Bryant and Mare exchanged field goals, with Bryant true from 27 yards and Mare good from 38 yards. Atlanta took the lead when Ryan passed to Michael Jenkins for a touchdown of 24 yards before the half, followed by a Bryant extra point to make it 17-10. The Falcons jumped on a Matt Hasselbeck fumble, with Jonathan Babineaux recovering it and taking it in, followed by an extra point by Bryant, who added a 25 yard field goal to make it 27-10. Ryan then found Roddy White later in the third quarter, good for 5 yards, with Bryant providing the extra point. Trying to create a rally, backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst ran a touchdown in for a yard, followed by a successful two point conversion pass from Whitehurst to Ben Obomanu. This produced the final score of 34-18, improving Atlanta to 12-2, and dropping Seattle to 6-8.
The next game featured the New York Jets paying a visit to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Brad Smith of the Jets opened the scoring early, returning the kickoff from Shaun Suisham 97 yards for the touchdown, with Nick Folk adding the extra point. Pittsburgh tied it with a touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Matt Spaeth, good for 9 yards, and Suisham's extra point. Folk and Suisham exchanged field goals in the second quarter, with a 25 yard shot from Folk answered by Suisham's 42 yard kick in the last minute of the half, leaving the game tied at 10. Rashard Mendenhall made it 17-10 for the Steelers with his with a two yard rush, followed by a Suisham extra point, but the game was soon tied with Mark Sanchez running it in himself from 7 yards out, followed by Folk's extra point. Folk added a field goal from 34 yards in the fourth quarter, and the Jets defense sealed the deal with a safety by tackling Mewelde Moore in his own end zone, producing a 22-17 final with the Jets on top. Both teams ended up at 10-4 at the conclusion of the game.
Lastly, we have the Oakland Raiders hosting the Denver Broncos. Jacoby Ford opened the scoring for the Raiders with a 71 yard touchdown rush, followed by a Sebastian Janikowski extra point. Tim Tebow found a couple ways to score touchdowns in his first NFL start, with a 40 yard run and a 33 yard pass to Brandon Lloyd, with Steve Hauschka adding the extra point. Michael Bush got Oakland back together with his 1 yard touchdown run, with Janikowski's extra point tying the game. Hauschka and Janikowski went on a kicking spree when the teams switched sides, with Hauschka getting two field goals from 46 and 35 yards, and Janikowski kicking three from 49, 35, and 47 yards. At the end of the third quarter, it was 23-20 in favor of Oakland over Denver. Jason Campbell extended the Raider lead when connecting for a touchdown with Marcel Reece for 73 yards, with Janikowski adding the extra point. Cutting it back down to a one-score game was Hauschka, kicking a field goal of 45 yards, but Correll Buckhalter got pinned in his own end zone on the next Bronco drive, and the Raiders nabbed a safety, making it 32-23. Bush added another 1 yard touchdown for insurance, with Janikowski's extra point making it 39-23, which proved to be the final. Oakland advanced to 7-7, and Denver fell to 3-11.
Two more posts coming out today (maximum) so keep an eye out for a hockey recap and a Sunday Night Football post.
Week 15 football Early Games
There was a lopsided slate of games on Sunday, with ten kicking off early, and only three late. This imbalance and my recent laziness results in this post being somewhat late and possibly boring. The scores were relatively average early, so here we go, starting with...
St. Louis hosting Kansas City, in the Missouri battle. Josh Brown got the St. Louis Rams on the board first, kicking two field goals of 37 and 52 yards. Matt Cassel, coming off an appendectomy, found Leonard Pope in the end zone for two yards in the second quarter. Ryan Succop added the extra point on this touchdown and the one by Jamaal Charles, which was a two yard run. The Chiefs took the 14-6 lead into halftime. Succop extended the lead to 20-6 with field goals in the third and fourth quarters from 53 and 38 yards. The Rams tried to come back with a 5 yard touchdown run by Steven Jackson and extra point from Brown, but Thomas Jones 2 yard run for a touchdown and Succop's extra point making it 27-13 was too much. The Chiefs won and improved to 9-5, while the Rams fell down to 6-8 with the loss.
The next game featured the Carolina Panthers hosting the Arizona Cardinals. John Kasay opened the scoring for Carolina with two field goals in the first quarter, from 28 and 29 yards. He also added the extra point on the touchdown pass from Jimmy Clausen to Jeff King, for 16 yards, making it 13-0 Panthers. Arizona got on the board with a Jay Feely field goal of 23 yards, to make it 13-3 at halftime. Kasay made it 19-3 in the third quarter with two more field goals, from 24 and 43 yards. The Cardinals tried to come back in the fourth quarter, with Steve Breaston recovering a fumble by teammate Tim Hightower to get a touchdown, but the two point conversion attempted was no good. Jay Feely added one more field goal from 30 yards, but it was too late to do anything, and Carolina survived to win 19-12. Carolina improved to 2-12 (it is improvement, surprisingly) while Arizona fell to 4-10.
In a far more meaningful game, the New York Giants hosted the Philadelphia Eagles in a battle of the NFC East's two best teams. Eli Manning opened the scoring for the Giants with a touchdown to Mario Manningham, good for 35 yards, followed by Lawrence Tynes adding an extra point. David Akers answered for the Eagles with a 34 yard field goal to make it 7-3. Manning connected with Manningham again, however, this time for only 33 yards and a touchdown, with Tynes adding an extra point, followed by a field goal of 25 yards, and another extra point on the Manning touchdown pass to Hakeem Nicks of 8 yards right before halftime. New York led Philadelphia 24-3 heading into the locker room. Michael Vick got the Eagles going in the right direction out of the half, throwing 8 yards to Jeremy Maclin for the touchdown, followed by David Akers' extra point. Manning answered with an 8 yard touchdown pass to Kevin Boss in the fourth quarter, with Tynes adding the extra point. Vick finally found his groove after this, throwing first to Brent Celek to get a 65 yard touchdown, and then running 4 yards to get another touchdown, before connecting with Maclin again for 13 yards. Akers added all three extra points, tying the game at 31. The last play of the game was a Matt Dodge punt, which DeSean Jackson fumbled, but recovered and returned for 65 yards and the touchdown, giving the Eagles a 38-31 victory after Akers added the last extra point. Philadelphia improved to 10-4, while dropping their rivals to 9-5.
Back to more meaningless games, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting the Detroit Lions. Drew Stanton got the Lions on the board first with a touchdown pass of 10 yards to Nate Burleson, followed by Dave Rayner's extra point. Josh Freeman responded in the second quarter with a touchdown pass to Mike Williams, good for 24 yards, followed by Connor Barth's extra point, and Barth provided another extra point after LeGarrette Blount had a 39 yard touchdown run. Making it 14-10 Buccaneers before the halftime, Dave Rayner added a field goal of 41 yards for the Lions. He added the extra point on Maurice Morris' touchdown run of 10 yards in the third quarter. Reclaiming the lead for Tampa Bay was Connor Barth, kicking two field goals from 30 and 26 yards. Rayner sent it to overtime with his 28 yard field goal at the end of regulation, and won it for Detroit in the extra frame with a 34 yard field goal. The 23-20 victory improved the Lions to 4-10, and knocked Tampa Bay down to 8-6.
In another relatively pointless match, the Battle of Ohio raged on with the Cleveland Browns hosting the Cincinnati Bengals. Colt McCoy opened the scoring, giving the Browns a lead with a 20 yard touchdown pass to Robert Royal, followed by Phil Dawson's extra point. Cedric Benson scored on an 18 yard touchdown run, and Clint Stitser tied it for the Bengals with the extra point. He then kicked three straight field goals, 25 yards to make it 10-7 Cincinnati at halftime, and 39 and 34 yards in the third quarter to make it 16-7. Dawson and Stitser traded kicks in the fourth quarter, with Dawson good from 23 yards and answered by Stitser's 20 yard kick. McCoy tried to rally the Cleveland troops with a 46 yard touchdown pass to Brian Robiskie, followed by a Dawson extra point, but it wasn't enough, and Cincinnati hung on to win 19-17. They jumped up to 3-11, knocking down their stately rivals to 5-9.
Staying in the AFC, but going to the East for the Miami Dolphins hosting the Buffalo Bills. It took until the second quarter for any scoring to be put on the board, when Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a touchdown pass to David Nelson for 18 yards, followed by Ryan Lindell's extra point, and also a later field goal from 29 yards to make it 10-0 Bills. The Dolphins made it 10-7 after Ronnie Brown ran 6 yards for the touchdown, followed by Dan Carpenter's extra point. The score stood solid through halftime, and was changed by Fitzpatrick's touchdown pass of 15 yards to Stevie Johnson, followed by Lindell's extra point making it 17-7. Chad Henne passed to Brandon Marshall for 9 yards in the fourth quarter, and Carpenter's extra point made it 17-10, but it was too late to save Miami, who fell by the aforementioned score. The Bills advanced to 4-10, while the Dolphins fell down to 7-7.
Heading down to Texas, where the Dallas Cowboys hosted the Washington Redskins. David Buehler broke the scoring game open with his 42 yard field goal, followed by his extra point on the 3 yard touchdown pass from Jon Kitna to Miles Austin. Buehler added a 20 yard field goal in the second quarter to make it 13-0 before the Redskins struck with a Rex Grossman touchdown pass of 19 yards to Ryan Torain. Graham Gano added the extra point. Kitna and the Cowboys responded with a 14 yard touchdown pass to Jason Witten before halftime, with Buehler adding the extra point to make it 20-7. Buehler provided an extra point on Tashard Choice's 3 yard touchdown run in the third quarter as well, which was answered by Grossman's touchdown pass of 10 yards to Santana Moss, and Gano's extra point. Buehler kicked another 20 yard field goal to make it 30-14 at the end of the third quarter. Washington came out on the attack in the fourth quarter, with Grossman connecting on touchdowns of 5 yards to Santana Moss and Chris Cooley, followed by two successful two point conversions to Cooley and Mike Sellers. The score was suddenly tied, but Buehler saved the day for Dallas with a 39 yard field goal, making it 33-30 Cowboys, proving to be the final score fifty seconds later. Dallas improved to 5-9, dropping their rivals to the same record.
We move along to an AFC South rivalry between the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars and the host Indianapolis Colts. Peyton Manning and the Colts drew first blood, passing to Austin Collie for 7 yards and a touchdown, followed by an Adam Vinatieri extra point. Josh Scobee responded for the Jaguars, with a 22 yard field goal to make it 7-3. Manning did find Collie again, this time for 27 yards, with Vinatieri adding another extra point. Jacksonville struck again with a punt return touchdown by Mike Thomas, 78 yards to dent the goal line, with Scobee adding the extra point before halftime. Indianapolis led 14-10 at the half. Donald Brown kept the Colts going in the third quarter with a 43 yard touchdown run, with Vinatieri adding another extra point before kicking a 34 yard field goal to make it 24-10. Jacksonville responded with David Garrard finding Mike Sims-Walker for 6 yards and the touchdown, followed by a Scobee extra point. Indianapolis made it 27-17 with a field goal of 37 yards by Vinatieri. Garrard made it 27-24 with another touchdown to Sims-Walker, followed by a Scobee extra point, but on the kickoff, Tyjuan Hagler returned the ball for 41 yards and the touchdown to put the game away at 34-24 after Vinatieri's extra point. This proved to be the final, with Indianapolis improving to 8-6, simultaneously dropping their rivals to the same mark atop the division.
Back east, where the Baltimore Ravens hosted the New Orleans Saints, in what could be a Super Bowl preview (probably not). Drew Brees allowed New Orleans to draw first blood with his touchdown pass of 18 yards to Jimmy Graham, followed by an extra point from Garrett Hartley. Baltimore evened the score with Joe Flacco passing to Ed Dickson for 34 yards and touchdown, followed afterward by Billy Cundiff's extra point. Ray Rice added onto the Ravens score with his 10 yard touchdown run, and a touchdown reception of 17 yards from Flacco. Cundiff added both extra point, making it 21-7. The Saints trimmed the lead, as Brees found Graham again, for 1 yard, and Hartley added the extra point to make 21-14 going into the locker room. Hartley and Cundiff traded barbs in field goals in the third quarter, with Hartley good from 47 yards and Cundiff completing from 33. Brees found Lance Moore in the fourth quarter for 15 yards and a touchdown, which Hartley added an extra point on, but they would not hold on to the tie, as Cundiff kicked two more field goals, from 32 and 27 yards. The 30-24 score was a Baltimore win, improving to 10-4, and dropping the Saints to 10-4 as well.
Lastly, we have a rematch for the Andre Johnson-Cortland Finnegan fight, with the Houston Texans visiting the Tennessee Titans. The Titans came out swinging, so to speak, with Kerry Collins throwing touchdown passes of 3 and 1 yards to Nate Washington and Justin Gage, shortly followed by Chris Johnson's 11 yard touchdown run. Rob Bironas added all three extra points to make it 21-0 after the first quarter. Neil Rackers got a quieted Houston team on the board with a 37 yard field goal, but the 24-3 score at halftime was made possible by Bironas' 30 yard field goal right before the break. Matt Schaub connected with Andre Johnson in the third quarter for 12 yards and the touchdown, followed by Rackers' extra point, but Javon Ringer replied with a 7 yard touchdown run to make it 31-10 after Bironas added the extra point. In a futile attempt to make a comeback, Schaub found Kevin Walter for 4 yards, and Rackers added the extra point to make it 31-17, which ended up being the final. The Titans improved to 6-8, with the Texans falling to 5-9.
That's all for the early games, keep watch for the late games in a couple hours or so.
St. Louis hosting Kansas City, in the Missouri battle. Josh Brown got the St. Louis Rams on the board first, kicking two field goals of 37 and 52 yards. Matt Cassel, coming off an appendectomy, found Leonard Pope in the end zone for two yards in the second quarter. Ryan Succop added the extra point on this touchdown and the one by Jamaal Charles, which was a two yard run. The Chiefs took the 14-6 lead into halftime. Succop extended the lead to 20-6 with field goals in the third and fourth quarters from 53 and 38 yards. The Rams tried to come back with a 5 yard touchdown run by Steven Jackson and extra point from Brown, but Thomas Jones 2 yard run for a touchdown and Succop's extra point making it 27-13 was too much. The Chiefs won and improved to 9-5, while the Rams fell down to 6-8 with the loss.
The next game featured the Carolina Panthers hosting the Arizona Cardinals. John Kasay opened the scoring for Carolina with two field goals in the first quarter, from 28 and 29 yards. He also added the extra point on the touchdown pass from Jimmy Clausen to Jeff King, for 16 yards, making it 13-0 Panthers. Arizona got on the board with a Jay Feely field goal of 23 yards, to make it 13-3 at halftime. Kasay made it 19-3 in the third quarter with two more field goals, from 24 and 43 yards. The Cardinals tried to come back in the fourth quarter, with Steve Breaston recovering a fumble by teammate Tim Hightower to get a touchdown, but the two point conversion attempted was no good. Jay Feely added one more field goal from 30 yards, but it was too late to do anything, and Carolina survived to win 19-12. Carolina improved to 2-12 (it is improvement, surprisingly) while Arizona fell to 4-10.
In a far more meaningful game, the New York Giants hosted the Philadelphia Eagles in a battle of the NFC East's two best teams. Eli Manning opened the scoring for the Giants with a touchdown to Mario Manningham, good for 35 yards, followed by Lawrence Tynes adding an extra point. David Akers answered for the Eagles with a 34 yard field goal to make it 7-3. Manning connected with Manningham again, however, this time for only 33 yards and a touchdown, with Tynes adding an extra point, followed by a field goal of 25 yards, and another extra point on the Manning touchdown pass to Hakeem Nicks of 8 yards right before halftime. New York led Philadelphia 24-3 heading into the locker room. Michael Vick got the Eagles going in the right direction out of the half, throwing 8 yards to Jeremy Maclin for the touchdown, followed by David Akers' extra point. Manning answered with an 8 yard touchdown pass to Kevin Boss in the fourth quarter, with Tynes adding the extra point. Vick finally found his groove after this, throwing first to Brent Celek to get a 65 yard touchdown, and then running 4 yards to get another touchdown, before connecting with Maclin again for 13 yards. Akers added all three extra points, tying the game at 31. The last play of the game was a Matt Dodge punt, which DeSean Jackson fumbled, but recovered and returned for 65 yards and the touchdown, giving the Eagles a 38-31 victory after Akers added the last extra point. Philadelphia improved to 10-4, while dropping their rivals to 9-5.
Back to more meaningless games, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting the Detroit Lions. Drew Stanton got the Lions on the board first with a touchdown pass of 10 yards to Nate Burleson, followed by Dave Rayner's extra point. Josh Freeman responded in the second quarter with a touchdown pass to Mike Williams, good for 24 yards, followed by Connor Barth's extra point, and Barth provided another extra point after LeGarrette Blount had a 39 yard touchdown run. Making it 14-10 Buccaneers before the halftime, Dave Rayner added a field goal of 41 yards for the Lions. He added the extra point on Maurice Morris' touchdown run of 10 yards in the third quarter. Reclaiming the lead for Tampa Bay was Connor Barth, kicking two field goals from 30 and 26 yards. Rayner sent it to overtime with his 28 yard field goal at the end of regulation, and won it for Detroit in the extra frame with a 34 yard field goal. The 23-20 victory improved the Lions to 4-10, and knocked Tampa Bay down to 8-6.
In another relatively pointless match, the Battle of Ohio raged on with the Cleveland Browns hosting the Cincinnati Bengals. Colt McCoy opened the scoring, giving the Browns a lead with a 20 yard touchdown pass to Robert Royal, followed by Phil Dawson's extra point. Cedric Benson scored on an 18 yard touchdown run, and Clint Stitser tied it for the Bengals with the extra point. He then kicked three straight field goals, 25 yards to make it 10-7 Cincinnati at halftime, and 39 and 34 yards in the third quarter to make it 16-7. Dawson and Stitser traded kicks in the fourth quarter, with Dawson good from 23 yards and answered by Stitser's 20 yard kick. McCoy tried to rally the Cleveland troops with a 46 yard touchdown pass to Brian Robiskie, followed by a Dawson extra point, but it wasn't enough, and Cincinnati hung on to win 19-17. They jumped up to 3-11, knocking down their stately rivals to 5-9.
Staying in the AFC, but going to the East for the Miami Dolphins hosting the Buffalo Bills. It took until the second quarter for any scoring to be put on the board, when Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a touchdown pass to David Nelson for 18 yards, followed by Ryan Lindell's extra point, and also a later field goal from 29 yards to make it 10-0 Bills. The Dolphins made it 10-7 after Ronnie Brown ran 6 yards for the touchdown, followed by Dan Carpenter's extra point. The score stood solid through halftime, and was changed by Fitzpatrick's touchdown pass of 15 yards to Stevie Johnson, followed by Lindell's extra point making it 17-7. Chad Henne passed to Brandon Marshall for 9 yards in the fourth quarter, and Carpenter's extra point made it 17-10, but it was too late to save Miami, who fell by the aforementioned score. The Bills advanced to 4-10, while the Dolphins fell down to 7-7.
Heading down to Texas, where the Dallas Cowboys hosted the Washington Redskins. David Buehler broke the scoring game open with his 42 yard field goal, followed by his extra point on the 3 yard touchdown pass from Jon Kitna to Miles Austin. Buehler added a 20 yard field goal in the second quarter to make it 13-0 before the Redskins struck with a Rex Grossman touchdown pass of 19 yards to Ryan Torain. Graham Gano added the extra point. Kitna and the Cowboys responded with a 14 yard touchdown pass to Jason Witten before halftime, with Buehler adding the extra point to make it 20-7. Buehler provided an extra point on Tashard Choice's 3 yard touchdown run in the third quarter as well, which was answered by Grossman's touchdown pass of 10 yards to Santana Moss, and Gano's extra point. Buehler kicked another 20 yard field goal to make it 30-14 at the end of the third quarter. Washington came out on the attack in the fourth quarter, with Grossman connecting on touchdowns of 5 yards to Santana Moss and Chris Cooley, followed by two successful two point conversions to Cooley and Mike Sellers. The score was suddenly tied, but Buehler saved the day for Dallas with a 39 yard field goal, making it 33-30 Cowboys, proving to be the final score fifty seconds later. Dallas improved to 5-9, dropping their rivals to the same record.
We move along to an AFC South rivalry between the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars and the host Indianapolis Colts. Peyton Manning and the Colts drew first blood, passing to Austin Collie for 7 yards and a touchdown, followed by an Adam Vinatieri extra point. Josh Scobee responded for the Jaguars, with a 22 yard field goal to make it 7-3. Manning did find Collie again, this time for 27 yards, with Vinatieri adding another extra point. Jacksonville struck again with a punt return touchdown by Mike Thomas, 78 yards to dent the goal line, with Scobee adding the extra point before halftime. Indianapolis led 14-10 at the half. Donald Brown kept the Colts going in the third quarter with a 43 yard touchdown run, with Vinatieri adding another extra point before kicking a 34 yard field goal to make it 24-10. Jacksonville responded with David Garrard finding Mike Sims-Walker for 6 yards and the touchdown, followed by a Scobee extra point. Indianapolis made it 27-17 with a field goal of 37 yards by Vinatieri. Garrard made it 27-24 with another touchdown to Sims-Walker, followed by a Scobee extra point, but on the kickoff, Tyjuan Hagler returned the ball for 41 yards and the touchdown to put the game away at 34-24 after Vinatieri's extra point. This proved to be the final, with Indianapolis improving to 8-6, simultaneously dropping their rivals to the same mark atop the division.
Back east, where the Baltimore Ravens hosted the New Orleans Saints, in what could be a Super Bowl preview (probably not). Drew Brees allowed New Orleans to draw first blood with his touchdown pass of 18 yards to Jimmy Graham, followed by an extra point from Garrett Hartley. Baltimore evened the score with Joe Flacco passing to Ed Dickson for 34 yards and touchdown, followed afterward by Billy Cundiff's extra point. Ray Rice added onto the Ravens score with his 10 yard touchdown run, and a touchdown reception of 17 yards from Flacco. Cundiff added both extra point, making it 21-7. The Saints trimmed the lead, as Brees found Graham again, for 1 yard, and Hartley added the extra point to make 21-14 going into the locker room. Hartley and Cundiff traded barbs in field goals in the third quarter, with Hartley good from 47 yards and Cundiff completing from 33. Brees found Lance Moore in the fourth quarter for 15 yards and a touchdown, which Hartley added an extra point on, but they would not hold on to the tie, as Cundiff kicked two more field goals, from 32 and 27 yards. The 30-24 score was a Baltimore win, improving to 10-4, and dropping the Saints to 10-4 as well.
Lastly, we have a rematch for the Andre Johnson-Cortland Finnegan fight, with the Houston Texans visiting the Tennessee Titans. The Titans came out swinging, so to speak, with Kerry Collins throwing touchdown passes of 3 and 1 yards to Nate Washington and Justin Gage, shortly followed by Chris Johnson's 11 yard touchdown run. Rob Bironas added all three extra points to make it 21-0 after the first quarter. Neil Rackers got a quieted Houston team on the board with a 37 yard field goal, but the 24-3 score at halftime was made possible by Bironas' 30 yard field goal right before the break. Matt Schaub connected with Andre Johnson in the third quarter for 12 yards and the touchdown, followed by Rackers' extra point, but Javon Ringer replied with a 7 yard touchdown run to make it 31-10 after Bironas added the extra point. In a futile attempt to make a comeback, Schaub found Kevin Walter for 4 yards, and Rackers added the extra point to make it 31-17, which ended up being the final. The Titans improved to 6-8, with the Texans falling to 5-9.
That's all for the early games, keep watch for the late games in a couple hours or so.
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