| Week 12 NFL Recap |
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Lions 21 (7-4), Bears 17 (5-7)
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| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
38:16 Time of possession by the Lions, compared with 21:44 for the Bears.
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| Player of the Game |
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Gus Frerotte: Lions' quarterback completed 29 of 42 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns. |
| Breakdown |
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The Lions were on fire early, with both the passing and running games clicking. But the key to victory was the Lions defense, which limited Chicago to just 236 total yards, including 184 passing. For the previous two weeks, Jim Miller had averaged almost 400 yards passing.
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Cowboys 20 (6-5), Dolphins 0 (8-3)
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| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
5: Number of interceptions thrown by Miami quarterback Dan Marino.
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| Player of the Game |
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Dexter Coakley, LB, Dallas: The third-year linebacker, the son of a bricklayer, picked off two Marino passes, the first of which he returned 46 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Cowboys lead. |
| Breakdown |
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Jimmy Johnson just can't win in Texas Stadium on Thanksgiving. Exactly six years ago, Miami beat Johnson's Cowboys 16-14 on a last-second field goal after Dallas' Leon Lett dived on a blocked field-goal attempt and fumbled it, giving the Dolphins another chance. This time, Dan Marino was Johnson's undoing. The future Hall of Famer, making his first start in six weeks, tied a career-worst with five interceptions. Marino's counterpart, Troy Aikman, finished 16-of-29 for 232 yards, becoming the 22nd passer to surpass 30,000 career passing yards. |
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| Titans 33 (9-2), Browns 21 (2-10) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
29: Advantage in total yards the Titans (337) had over the Browns (308) in a very even match. |
| Player of the Game |
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Eddie George, RB, Tennessee: Rushed for 113 yards on 26 carries and scored two touchdowns. He also had 21 receiving yards.
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| Breakdown |
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The Tennessee Titans continue to impress as they garnered their ninth victory of the season, but it was not an automatic victory over the Browns as some would have expected. Cleveland's Tim Couch looked good behind center, methodically driving the offense 86 yards in the second quarter to tie the game at 7-7, then completing a 78-yard bomb to Terry Kirby minutes later to go ahead 14-7.
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| Vikings 35 (7-4), Chargers 27 (4-7) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
6: Consecutive games lost by the Chargers, their longest losing streak since an eight-game slide in 1997. |
| Player of the Game |
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Jeff George, QB, Minnesota: Passed for 363 yards and four touchdowns, utilizing seven different receivers.
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| Breakdown |
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Minnesota's Jeff George and San Diego's Jim Harbaugh battled it out in the air as they combined for 767 passing yards and five touchdowns. George's favorite target was once again Chris Carter, who caught 11 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Randy Moss got his share of the action as well. George connected with Moss seven times for 127 yards and a score. 16 different San Diego players recorded tackles in the match.
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| Redskins 20 (6-4), Eagles 17 (3-8) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
2: Number of field goals made by Brett Conway, including the game winner. |
| Player of the Game |
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Brad Johnson, QB, Washington: Johnson completed 25-of-36 passes for 218 yards with one touchdown and an interception.
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| Breakdown |
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The Redskins were in position to win the game at the end of regulation, but Conway missed a 28-yard field goal. In overtime, he got another chance. On third down, he lined up to kick a 19 yarder. Brad Johnson fumbled the snap and covered. So on fourth down, Conway kicked a 27-yarder 4:27 into overtime to secure the win.
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| Jaguars 30 (10-1), Ravens 23 (4-7) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
8-0: Jaguars all-time record against the Ravens. |
| Player of the Game |
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Mark Brunell, QB, Jaguars: Completed 27 of 47 pass attempts for 338 yards and two touchdowns, including one during the fourth-quarter comeback.
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| Breakdown |
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The Jaguars survived a fourth-quarter shootout and continued their dominance of the Ravens. Jacksonville improved its record to a league-best 10-1. Neither team moved the ball well on the ground, but Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell caught 10 and 8 passes respectively to keep the chains moving for the Jaguars.
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| Bengals 27 (2-10), Steelers 20 (5-6) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
4: Number of times the Steelers turned the ball over on downs during their final five possessions. |
| Player of the Game |
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Darnay Scott, WR, Bengals: Caught four passes for 123 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown early in the game.
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| Breakdown |
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The Bengals finally got their second win of the season at the expense of the stumbling Steelers. Kordell Stewart was yanked early in the second quarter after his final pass of the day was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by rookie cornerback Rodney Heath. The Steelers mounted a comeback behind Mike Tomzcak, but the Steelers stiffened and held on for the win.
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| Bills 17 (8-4), Patriots 7 (6-5) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
31: Yards lost by New England attempting to pass. |
| Player of the Game |
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Doug Flutie, QB, Bills: Completed nine of 16 passing attempts for two touchdowns and, just as important, didn't toss any interceptions.
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| Breakdown |
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In this pivotal AFC East matchup, the Bills sacked Drew Bledsoe six times. If not for a hookup with Terry Glenn for a 45-yard touchdown with less than three minutes to play, the Patriots would have been shut out. Doug Flutie connected with Eric Moulds on a 54-yard touchdown play and Sam Gash for 31-yard touchdown, giving the Bills all the scoring they needed.
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| Buccaneers 16 (7-4), Seahawks 3 (8-3) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
16: Number of punts in the game, nine by Tampa Bay's Mark Royals and seven by Seattle's Jeff Feagles. |
| Player of the Game |
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Martin Gramatica, K, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Kicked three field goals from 37, 40, and 42 yards to lead the Buccaneers over the first-place AFC West Seahawks.
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| Breakdown |
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Tampa Bay's defense once again ruled the day, picking off the usually reliable Jon Kitna five times. Kitna also fumbled the ball, and Warren Sapp recovered to set up the game's lone touchdown. The Buccaneers offense managed just 156 yards and nine first downs. The Seahawks and Buccaneers have met just five times; this was the first time the Bucs won.
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| Colts 13 (9-2), Jets 6 (4-7) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
88: Net passing yards by Jets quarterback Ray Lucas. |
| Player of the Game |
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Edgerrin James, RB, Indianapolis Colts: Had 74 yards on 24 carries and 53 yards on seven catches.
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| Breakdown |
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The Colts defense dominated the skies, allowing just 88 net yards passing and effectively neutralizing Payton Manning's big-play ability. They were not quite so tough on the ground, though, as the Jets rushed for 126 net yards. Curtis Enis recorded 83 rushing yards, becoming just the fourth player in NFL history to start his career with five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
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| Chiefs 37 (6-5), Raiders 34 (5-6) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
10: Number of sacks in the game, five for each defense. |
| Player of the Game |
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Pete Stoyanovich, K, Kansas City: Was perfect on the day with four extra points and three field goals, including the game winner as time expired.
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| Breakdown |
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Kansas City cornerback Cris Dishman kept the Chiefs in the game even when it looked like the Raiders were running away with it. Dishman returned an interception 47 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter and a fourth-quarter fumble for a 40-yard game-tying score. Oakland's Rich Gannon had a productive day, tossing the ball for 230 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for a third.
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| Cardinals 34 (5-6), Giants 24 (5-6) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
35:17: Time of possession by the Cardinals offense, compared to 24:43 for the Giants. |
| Player of the Game |
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Jake Plummer, QB, Arizona Cardinals: Replaced Dave Brown in the second half and immediately sparked the offense, completing 12 of 18 passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
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| Breakdown |
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Jake Plummer showed immediate results when inserted into the offense in the second half, connecting with receiver Rob Moore after just 3:10 for a two-yard touchdown completion. Moore recorded 102 yards on the day. A total of five touchdowns were scored by the two teams in the fourth quarter, three of them by Arizona.
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| Rams 43 (9-2), Saints 12 (2-9), |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
113: Receiving yards on nine receptions by Andre Hastings, who has been quiet for most of the season. |
| Player of the Game |
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Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis Rams: Rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.
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| Breakdown |
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Despite getting off to a slow start in the first half, quarterback Kurt Warner continued to show why he is the most dangerous passer in the NFL, passing for 213 yards and two touchdowns. Torry Holt was the receiver of both touchdown passes. With the victory, the Rams have assured themselves of a winning season for the first time since 1989.
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