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CNNSI.com's Jon A. Dolezar reviews the Week 15 games.
| Week 15 |
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New England 20 |
at Foxboro, Mass. |
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Miami 13 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
196 -- Rushing yards by the Patriots, who controlled the ball for 36:45. |
Player of
the Game |
Antowain Smith, RB, New England: Carried 26 times for a career-high 156 yards and one touchdown, giving him 1,076 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. |
| Breakdown |
The Patriots continued their amazing run toward the AFC East title by physically dominating the Dolphins. New England scored all 20 of its points in the second quarter and allowed Miami to claw its way back into the game in the fourth, but a late scoring drive by the Dolphins wasn't enough. The bright spot for the Dolphins was the continued late-season offensive rookie of the year push by Chris Chambers, who caught seven passes for a career-high 124 yards, giving him 43 catches for 791 yards (21.97 yards per catch) this season. |
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San Francisco 13 |
at San Francisco |
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Philadelphia 3 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
11 -- Penalties committed by the Eagles for a loss of 109 yards. |
Player of
the Game |
Derek Smith, LB, San Francisco: Unheralded linebacker led the 49ers' underrated defense with nine total tackles, one sack and one interception. |
| Breakdown |
For a bunch with a reputation as a soft, West Coast offense team the 49ers sure can bring it on defense. San Francisco held Philadelphia to 79 rushing yards and was especially clutch on third downs, allowing the Eagles to convert only 3 of 14 attempts. Jeff Garcia passed for only 136 yards -- and has averaged only 156.6 the past five games -- but the 49ers' rushing attack has been in a groove and the aerial game hasn't been needed to win games. |
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Tennessee 13 |
at Oakland, Calif. |
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Oakland 10 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
91.3 -- Field-goal percentage this season for Oakland's Sebastian Janikowski prior to Saturday's game in which he made only 1 of 4 attempts, including a miss on the game-tying 42-yarder with 11 seconds left.
|
Player of
the Game |
Steve McNair, QB, Tennessee: Though he was a game-time decision, McNair stepped up and toughed it out through his back injury, completing 55.5 percent of his passes for 178 yards and one touchdown.
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| Breakdown |
If the Raiders wanted to challenge the Steelers for home field in the AFC, they had a funny way of showing it Saturday. Oakland played another lethargic game and allowed Tennessee to come into the Bay Area and steal a win to even its record at 7-7 and keep alive its faint postseason hopes. The Raiders threw the ball 50 times, largely because they fell behind 10-0 in the third quarter and needed to play catch-up. Skip Hicks outplayed Eddie George once again, carrying 16 times for 64 yards compared to 11 rushes for 23 yards for George.
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Pittsburgh 47 |
at Pittsburgh |
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Detroit 14 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
278 -- Yards by which the Steelers (429) outgained the Lions (151).
|
Player of
the Game |
Kordell Stewart, QB, Pittsburgh: Completed 17 of 26 for 226 yards and three touchdowns and added 22 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown. |
| Breakdown |
The Steelers dominated the Lions in every facet of the game and kept the heat on throughout, scoring at least 10 points in all four quarters. Pittsburgh had a 39:18-20:42 advantage in time of possession and got 25 first downs to only 11 for Detroit. Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala filled in expertly for the injured Jerome Bettis once again, rushing 26 times for 126 yards. Hines Ward broke the Steelers' single-season reception record with seven catches to give him 87 on the season, surpassing Yancey Thigpen's 85 catches in 1995. Jason Gildon continued his amazing season by finishing with six tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery to help the Steelers clinch a bye in the AFC playoffs.
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Baltimore 16 |
at Baltimore |
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Cincinnati 0 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
41.0 -- Completion percentage for Jon Kitna, who hit on only 16 of 39 passes.
|
Player of
the Game |
Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore: Tormented the Bengals' offense with making 11 total tackles and two interceptions of Kitna passes. |
| Breakdown |
The Ravens allowed their first 100-yard rusher in 50 games, but forced timely turnovers and got tough when the Bengals threatened to score. Corey Dillon rushed 24 times for 127 yards to end Baltimore's amazing string of games without allowing anyone to rush for more than 100 yards. Terry Allen led the Ravens' ground attack with 22 carries for 91 yards and one touchdown. Baltimore had Kitna looking confused in the fourth quarter, which led to a sideline tiff between he and Chad Johnson. |
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Chicago 20 |
at Chicago |
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Washington 15 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
6 -- Sacks of Tony Banks by the Bears, led by Roosevelt Colvin's two.
|
Player of
the Game |
Brian Urlacher, LB, Chicago: In addition to his usual excellent defensive game with nine total tackles, Urlacher caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from punter Brad Maynard on a brilliant fake field goal in the fourth quarter. |
| Breakdown |
The Bears improved their chances to take the NFC Central and earn a first-round bye with a scrappy victory against the Redskins. Jim Miller completed only 13 passes for 98 yards, but Anthony Thomas churned out 82 tough yards on 24 carries. Chicago held Stephen Davis to 57 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries. The Bears can clinch the NFC Central with wins in their final two games regardless of how the Packers fare.
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Tampa Bay 48 |
at Tampa, Fla. |
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New Orleans 21 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
36:13 -- Time of possession for the Bucs, who rushed 39 times for 157 yards. |
Player of
the Game |
Mike Alstott, RB, Tampa Bay: Carried 24 times for 101 yards and one touchdown in his best game since a 41-14 rout of the Vikings in Week 7. |
| Breakdown |
Maybe the Bucs finally had enough of winning ugly. Tampa Bay dominated New Orleans to move squarely back into the lead for the final NFC wild-card spot. Ronde Barber led a solid defensive effort by the Bucs with three tackles and three interceptions, including one he ran back 36 yards late in the game. Aaron Brooks threw three touchdowns passes but was also picked off four times, while his counterpart Brad Johnson passed for 207 yards and three scores. In addition to forcing Brooks into mistakes, Tampa Bay also held Ricky Williams to just 26 rushing yards on 10 carries.
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St. Louis 38 |
at Charlotte, N.C. |
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Carolina 32 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
10 -- Difference in total yards between the Rams (412) and Panthers (402). |
Player of
the Game |
Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis: Rushed 30 times for a season-high 202 yards and two touchdowns and also had three catches for 50 yards. |
| Breakdown |
The Rams kept pace with the Steelers for the best overall record and remain on track to win home-field advantage through the NFC playoffs. But the Panthers gave them a dogfight and had their chances in the second half. Adam Archuleta returned from injury and led the Rams with 10 tackles and one sack. Kurt Warner completed 18 of 23 for 217 yards for two touchdowns, but he did throw two picks. Carolina held Isaac Bruce to just one catch for seven yards, only six days after he burned the Saints for five catches for 86 yards and three touchdowns.
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New York 27 |
at East Rutherford, N.J. |
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Seattle 24 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
1.7 -- Difference in average yards per play between the Giants (6.1) and Seahawks (4.4).
|
Player of
the Game |
Ike Hilliard, WR, New York: Caught seven passes for 105 yards and one touchdown, including the game-winning 7-yarder from Kerry Collins with 20 seconds left. |
| Breakdown |
The Giants kept their plaoyff hopes alive by getting their second fourth-quarter comeback win in as many weeks. Amani Toomer caught eight passes for 124 yards and Collins completed 30 of 47 for 338 yards. Micheal Barrow led the Giants' defense with 11 total tackles and one sack. Shaun Alexander gained 132 total yards and scored two touchdowns after regaining his starting job with Ricky Watters sidelined for the season. |
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Jacksonville 33 |
at Minneapolis |
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Minnesota 3 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
209 -- Yards by which the Jaguars (423) outgained the Vikings (214). |
Player of
the Game |
Stacey Mack, RB, Jacksonville: Dominated the Vikings with 27 carries on 111 yards and two touchdowns. |
| Breakdown |
The hellish season for the Vikings continued with a 30-point loss to a mediocre Jaguars team. Jacksonville outgained Minnesota 214-28 on the ground and kept the football for 34:08. Tony Brackens and Gary Walker each recorded two sacks of Spergeon Wynn, who replaced Todd Bouman in the first quarter. Jimmy Smith caught eight passes for 122 yards, giving him 100 catches for 1,259 yards this season.
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Kansas City 20 |
at Kansas City |
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San Diego 17 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
8-13 -- Third-down conversions by the Chiefs (61.5 percent), compared to only 4 for 11 for the Chargers (36.4 percent).
|
Player of
the Game |
Tony Richardson, FB, Kansas City: Though he finished with only seven total yards and five touches, Richardson had the game-winning 1-yard touchdown run with 48 seconds left.
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| Breakdown |
The Chargers finally played a decent game, but a last-minute scoring drive by the Chiefs sent San Diego to its eighth consecutive defeat. Doug Flutie completed 15 of 27 for 175 yards and two touchdowns and LaDainian Tomlinson rushed 27 times for 145 yards, but the Chiefs got it done when it counted. Priest Holmes gained 80 yards on 23 carries to extend his league-leading rushing total to 1,347 yards. |
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Atlanta 33 |
at Atlanta |
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Buffalo 30 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
35:48 -- Time of possession for the Falcons, who also outgained the Bills 489-398.
|
Player of
the Game |
Chris Chandler, QB, Atlanta: Completed 28 of 40 for a career-high 431 yards and two touchdowns.
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| Breakdown |
The Falcons struggled to beat the lowly Bills at home and needed a last-second 52-yard field goal by Jay Feely to pull out the win. Buffalo held Maurice Smith to 23 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, while his counterpart Shawn Bryson rushed 16 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns for the Bills. Feely had hit only 76.7 percent this season but was 4-for-4 Sunday including the clutch game-winner. |
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Green Bay 30 |
at Green Bay, Wis. |
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Cleveland 7 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
6 -- NFL-record total season of 30 or more touchdown passes for Brett Favre. Dan Marino (4) is the only other quarterback with more than two 30-touchdown seasons. |
Player of
the Game |
Brett Favre, QB, Green Bay: Completed 18 of 28 passes (season-best 64.3 completion rate)for 139 yards and three touchdowns
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| Breakdown |
The Packers broke out the bruising, old-time offense to accompany the snow flurries and chilly weather Sunday. Green Bay clinched its first playoff berth since 1998 by rushing for a season-high 222 yards. Ahman Green carried the ball 21 times for 150 yards, giving him a career-high 1,255 rushing yards this season. Bubba Franks caught four passes for 29 yards and two touchdowns against former college coach Butch Davis. The lone bright spot for the Browns was the strong rushing game from Jamel White, who carried 21 times for 131 yards. |
|
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Arizona 17 |
at Tempe, Ariz. |
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Dallas 10 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
37:14 -- Time of possession for the Cowboys, who lost despite outrushing the Cards 174-75 thanks in large part to three turnovers and 10 penalties.
|
Player of
the Game |
Pat Tillman, SS, Arizona: Recorded 15 total tackles to lead the Cards' strong defensive effort. |
| Breakdown |
The final game between the Cards and Cowboys as division rivals held little intrigue to fans outside of Phoenix and Dallas. Arizona managed only 209 total yards because Dallas held onto the football so long. The Cowboys played a great defensive game in holding David Boston to only three catches for 26 yards and limiting Michael Pittman to 58 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries. Emmitt Smith ran for 128 yards but needs to total 182 yards in the Cowboys' last two games to record his 11th consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season. |
|
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New York 29 |
at New Orleans |
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Indianapolis 28 |
• Recap
• Game Summary
|
| Key Stat |
26 -- First downs for the Jets, compared to only 18 for the Colts. |
Player of
the Game |
Curtis Martin, RB, New York: Carried the ball 23 times for 122 yards to leave him only seven yards shy of Priest Holmes for the NFL rushing lead. |
| Breakdown |
Vinny Testaverde pulled out another thriller for the Jets, who now control their own destiny in the AFC East with games remaining against Buffalo and at Oakland. New York would win tiebreakers with both New England and Miami for the division crown, so Sunday's comeback win against Indianapolis was huge. Testaverde completed 28 of 47 for 285 and two touchdowns and Wayne Chrebet caught eight passes for 118 yards. Edgerrin James' replacement Dominic Rhodes gained 126 yards and one touchdown on the ground but had two key fumbles. |
