Mike Holmgren's coaching magic has brought the Seattle Seahawks to the brink of their first playoff berth since 1988.
Seattle beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium for the first time since 1990 to open up a three-game lead over Kansas City with six games to play.
In other games, the Packers clawed back into the NFC Central race by beating the division-leading Lions at Green Bay, while the Niners may have formally passed the torch to the Rams in the NFC West. The 3-7 Niners, who will finish with fewer than 10 wins for the first time in 16 seasons, lost 23-7 to St. Louis at home.
| Week 11 NFL Recap |
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Seahawks 31 (8-2),
Chiefs 19 (5-5) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
42: Combined first downs by the Chiefs and Seahawks.
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| Player of the Game |
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Ricky Watters, RB, Seattle: Gained 174 total yards and scored three touchdowns in Seattle's huge road win. |
| Breakdown |
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The Seahawks hold a commanding lead in the AFC West, and appear very likely to end their 11-year playoff drought. Seattle is host to Tampa Bay and travels to Oakland the next two weeks in key games that could determine whether it can compete for home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. |
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Packers 26 (5-5), Lions 17 (6-4)
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| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
209: Total combined penalty yards by the Packers and Lions in a game that had 18 penalties.
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| Player of the Game |
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Dorsey Levens, RB, Green Bay: Gained 146 hard-fought total yards by catching a career-high 10 passes for 99 yards on a day that the Lions loaded up to stop Green Bay's running attack. |
| Breakdown |
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The Packers called this a must-win game, and they did just that to avoid falling to 4-6 and three games behind the Lions in the divisional race. Gus Frerotte struggled with two interceptions and barely a 50 percent completion rate against the fired-up Green Bay defense. Detroit fell into a three-way tie for the NFC Central lead with the loss, with the Packers only one game behind the Lions, Vikings and Buccaneers for first place. |
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| Dolphins 27 (8-2), Patriots 17 (6-4) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
8: Interceptions thrown in the last two games by Drew Bledsoe after throwing only four interceptions in the first eight games.
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| Player of the Game |
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Terrell Buckley, CB, Miami: Had the key interception in the third quarter that led to J.J. Johnson's touchdown run that put the Dolphins up 24-10.
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| Breakdown |
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The Dolphins continue to hurt opposing quarterbacks with clever blitzes and tremendous coverage in the secondary. Drew Bledsoe looked bad for the second straight game, but most of the time he didn't have enough of an opportunity to sit in the pocket and find an open receiver. The struggling Pats have three of their next four games on the road, including a tough matchup against the Bills at Buffalo next Sunday.
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| Titans 16 (8-2), Steelers 10 (5-5) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
6: Advantage in total yards for the Steelers in a very even game. |
| Player of the Game |
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Marcus Robertson, FS, Tennessee: Led the Titans with 11 total tackles and had one pass defended.
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| Breakdown |
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Jeff Fisher has to be pleased that his team continues to show the ability to win the close games, as five of its eight wins are by six points or less. Tennessee sacked Kordell Stewart five times, with amazing rookie Jevon Kearse recording another sack to push his season total to 7 1/2. Steve McNair didn't get much offense going through the air against the Steelers, but his two rushing touchdowns in the first quarter put the Titans out to the early lead.
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| Colts 44 (8-2), Eagles 17 (3-8) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
241: Advantage in total yards the Colts (455) had over the Eagles (214). |
| Player of the Game |
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Edgerrin James, RB, Indianapolis: Passed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in his 10th game with 22 carries for 152 yards and two rushing touchdowns, and also added five catches for 47 yards and one touchdown.
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| Breakdown |
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The Colts are looking great for a playoff spot after another easy road win against an overmatched NFC East opponent. Peyton Manning threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns and then took a seat for the first time in his career with the Colts holding a huge lead. Indianapolis is off to its best start since 1977 when it won nine of its first 10 games under Ted Marchibroda.
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| Buccaneers 19 (6-4), Falcons 10 (2-8) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
408: Total combined yards by both teams. |
| Player of the Game |
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Derrick Brooks, LB, Tampa Bay: Led the Bucs with 11 total tackles and recorded one sack for a loss of seven yards.
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| Breakdown |
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Tampa Bay continues to win with solid defense and a very ordinary offense. Four field goals by rookie Martin Gramatica were the difference in the game. Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn combined for only 92 yards on 23 carries, and Trent Dilfer completed only 15-of-31 passes for 142 yards and one interception. Fortunately for the Bucs, Atlanta was even worse with Chris Chandler throwing for only 109 yards and tossing two interceptions in the game. Tampa Bay moved into a three-way tie atop the NFC Central, and faces a big challenge next week at Seattle against the 8-2 Seahawks.
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| Panthers 31 (4-6), Browns 17 (2-9) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
22: Total first downs by each team in a surprisingly even offensive game. |
| Player of the Game |
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Tim Biababutuka, RB, Carolina: Rushed for 93 yards on 17 carries and added three catches for 42 yards.
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| Breakdown |
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William Floyd carried only six times for eight yards, but when two of those carries go for one-yard touchdown runs that makes it a pretty successful day. Tim Biakabutuka did the grunt work getting most of the carries until the ball got into the red zone, and Steve Beuerlein had another solid day passing with 199 yards and two touchdowns.
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| Jets 17 (4-6), Bills 7 (7-4) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
33:57: Time of possession by the Jets. |
| Player of the Game |
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Ray Lucas, QB, New York Jets: Played a very efficient game, completing 16-of-20 passes for 142 yards with no touchdowns, but also no interceptions.
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| Breakdown |
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Buffalo held the league's leading rusher, Curtis Martin, to only 64 yards on 23 carries, but the Bills couldn't get any offense going of their own. Doug Flutie struggled by completing only 22-of-40 passes for 220 yards and two interceptions. The Jets limited the Bills to 60 yards on 17 carries. The Jets hit the road next Sunday with their three-game winning streak heading off to Indianapolis, while the Bills look to rebound at home against the Patriots.
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| Rams 23 (8-2), 49ers 7 (3-7) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
43.8: Third-down conversion percentage by the Rams. |
| Player of the Game |
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Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis: Played another tremendous all-around game with 126 yards rushing and 43 yards receiving.
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| Breakdown |
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St. Louis is very close to clinching a playoff spot, with a four-game lead over second-place Carolina with only six games left to play. Dominant defensive end Kevin Carter had two more sacks on Sunday to push his season total to 11 1/2. Kurt Warner threw for only 201 yards -- his second-lowest total of the season -- and Isaac Bruce added 11 catches for 93 yards and a touchdown. The demise of the 49ers continues to be painful to watch, with Jeff Garcia and Steve Stenstrom combining to throw three interceptions Sunday, and Jerry Rice catching only three passes for 23 yards.
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| Redskins 23 (6-4), Giants 13 (5-5) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
8.3: Third-down conversion percentage by the Redskins. |
| Player of the Game |
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Stephen Davis, RB, Washington: Carried 33 times for a career-high 183 yards and one touchdown to take over the league rushing lead again with 1,034 yards.
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| Breakdown |
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Davis ran through the league's fifth-best defense to get his career-high rushing total, and Washington's defense in turn forced five turnovers. The Redskins took over sole possession of the NFC East lead, and host the lowly Eagles next week with a chance to extend their advantage in the division.
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| Cardinals 13 (4-6), Cowboys 9 (5-5) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
207: Total offensive yards by Arizona.
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| Player of the Game |
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Emmitt Smith, RB, Dallas: Ran for 127 yards on 29 carries in a losing effort, in his first game back after missing two weeks with a broken hand.
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| Breakdown |
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Adrian Murrell stepped back into the starting lineup and rushed for 72 yards on 17 carries, replacing the injured Michael Pittman. Arizona got a great defensive effort out of Eric Swann up front, as he recorded two sacks and added two solo tackles in the low-scoring battle. Deion Sanders picked off his 42nd career pass Sunday, but it was his first interception this season, despite having started eight games since coming back from injury.
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| Bears 23 (5-6), Chargers 20 (4-6) OT |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
430: Yards of total offense by the Bears on Sunday, well above their average of 347.3 yards per game coming in. |
| Player of the Game |
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Marcus Robinson, WR, Chicago: Emerging third-year receiver caught six passes for 163 and a touchdown, pushing his season totals to 53 catches for 967 yards and six touchdowns.
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| Breakdown |
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The Bears played another close game, but this time Chris Boniol won it with a field goal in overtime. Jim Miller followed up last week's 422-yard performance with 357 yards and one touchdown against the Chargers. Bobby Engram complimented Robinson's huge receiving game with eight catches for 121 yards, and Curtis Conway played for the first time in a month, catching four passes for 24 yards. Chicago is still hanging on by a thread in the NFC Central race with the win over San Diego, but a loss at Detroit on Thanksgiving Day could doom its chances.
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| Ravens 34 (4-6), Bengals 31 (1-10) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
15: Penalties committed by the Bengals for 127 yards. |
| Player of the Game |
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Matt Stover, K, Baltimore: Booted a 50-yard field goal as time expired to give the Ravens the three-point win on the road.
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| Breakdown |
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The Bengals lost their 106th game of the '90s, tying them with the Buccaneers of the 1980s for the losingest decade of all time. Darnay Scott caught two touchdown passes for the Bengals, but the defense couldn't stop Baltimore when it mattered.
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| Jaguars 41 (9-1), Saints 23 (2-8) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
494: Yards of total offense by the rejuvenated Jacksonville offense. |
| Player of the Game |
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Jimmy Smith, WR, Jacksonville. Caught nine passes for an NFL season-high and personal career-high 220 yards and one touchdown.
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| Breakdown |
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Jacksonville stands alone with the best record in the league at 9-1 after dismantling the Saints in the second half. Jimmy Smith's 220 receiving yards are the second most in team history behind Keenan McCardell's 232-yard game on Oct. 26, 1996 against St. Louis. It was also the highest total in the league since Isaac Bruce caught 10 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns on Nov. 2, 1997.
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| Broncos 27 (4-7), Raiders 21 (5-5) OT |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
6: Combined fumbles in the game by both teams, with four of the six being lost to the opposition. |
| Player of the Game |
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Jason Elam, K, Denver. Hit four field goals on a tough night for kickers, including nailing the game-tying 53-yarder with seven seconds to go in the game.
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| Breakdown |
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The Raiders blew a chance to really help out their playoff cause with a win. Oakland is now 5-5, but its schedule down the stretch is brutal, with its remaining six opponents having a combined record of 36-24. The Broncos showed that they aren't ready to pack in their season with great plays like Trevor Pryce's sack and fumble recovery in overtime that set up Olandis Gary's game-winning run.
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