The Indianapolis Colts went on the road to Miami on Sunday and beat the Dolphins in a thrilling game that establishes the Colts as the new favorites in the AFC. Peyton Manning showed rare poise for a young quarterback in leading the Colts downfield in the final minute to set up Mike Vanderjagt's game-winning 53-yarder as time expired.
The St. Louis Rams ended their 10-year playoff drought with a 34-21 win at Carolina that clinched their first division title since 1985.
Green Bay stayed alive in the NFC wild-card hunt with a 35-19 win at Chicago in a cold, driving rainstorm. The Packers avenged their heartbreaking home loss to the Bears last month thanks to rookie De'Mond Parker's fill-in efforts in place of the injured Dorsey Levens.
| Week 13 NFL Recap |
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| Jaguars 20 (11-1), Steelers 6 (5-7) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
466: Yards of total offense by the Jaguars. |
| Player of the Game |
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James Stewart, RB, Jacksonville: Rushed for a career-high 145 yards and one touchdown on 30 carries.
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| Breakdown |
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Jacksonville kept itself in the driver's seat for home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with an easy win over the floundering Steelers. The Jaguars controlled the clock by keeping the ball on the ground with Stewart, but they also went to the air for some big plays from Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell when they needed to. The defense had "only" three sacks, but held Pittsburgh to 235 yards of total offense.
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Rams 34 (10-2), Panthers 21 (5-7)
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| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
480: Yards of total offense by the Rams, well above their league-leading 373.1 average.
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| Player of the Game |
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Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis: Ran for 118 yards on 22 carries, and added six catches for 79 yards. |
| Breakdown |
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St. Louis ended the league's second-longest drought without a playoff appearance at 10 years with the win. The Rams used their usual balanced offensive attack to pick apart and wear down the Panthers. St. Louis will now have to decide whether to rest its starters over the final four games in preparation for the playoffs, or to play them in an attempt to secure home-field advantage in the NFC. With Dick Vermeil's track record as a tough, old-school coach, expect the Rams to make a serious push for making the NFC playoffs go through the TWA Dome in St. Louis.
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Packers 35 (7-5), Bears 19 (5-8)
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| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
188: Rushing yards by the Packers, who were the league's 26th-ranked rushing team entering the game.
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| Player of the Game |
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De'Mond Parker, RB, Green Bay: Rookie running back filled in for the injured Dorsey Levens and responded with 113 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. |
| Breakdown |
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Green Bay kept things interesting in the NFC Central with its third straight win, after dropping three consecutive games prior to that. Brett Favre didn't look nearly as impressive Sunday in the rain in Chicago as he did last Monday night in rainy San Francisco, but the Packers running game was working for a change. Defensive end Keith McKenzie added two more sacks for Green Bay to push his season total to seven. |
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| Lions 33 (8-4), Redskins 17 (7-5) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
14: Penalties committed by the Redskins for 122 yards. |
| Player of the Game |
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Desmond Howard, PR, Detroit: Made an impact with a 68-yard punt return for a touchdown less than 24 hours after signing with the Lions.
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| Breakdown |
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The Lions need to get their running game going before heading into the playoffs, as they managed only 31 yards on 15 carries. Gus Frerotte looked good against his former team, passing for 280 yards and one touchdown, while completing 65.5 percent of his passes. Detroit sacked Brad Johnson five times and forced four turnovers in an impressive defensive effort that limited the Redskins to 333 total yards, nearly 40 fewer than their season average.
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| Bengals 44 (3-10), 49ers 30 (3-9) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
1,018: Total combined yards of offense by the 49ers and Bengals. |
| Player of the Game |
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Jeff Blake, QB, Cincinnati: Passed for 334 yards and four touchdowns against the banged-up secondary of the 49ers.
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| Breakdown |
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San Francisco's offense got back on track against Cincinnati, but its defense couldn't stop the Bengals in an offensive shootout. Jeff Garcia threw for 437 yards and three touchdowns, but Blake's four touchdowns cancelled out Garcia's best game in the NFL. The 49ers' eighth straight loss was the Bengals' first home win of the season.
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| Colts 37 (6-4), Dolphins 34 (3-8) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
8: Number of 100-yard rushing games by Colts rookie Edgerrin James in his 12 career games. |
| Player of the Game |
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Mike Vanderjagt, K, Indianapolis: Kicked three field goals -- all from 44 yards or longer -- including the dramatic game-winning kick to lift the Colts to the huge road win.
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| Breakdown |
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Peyton Manning didn't have his best day statistically with two interceptions against, but he led his team to a tough road win, further solidifying his status in the NFL MVP race. He completed 79.3 percent of his passes, looking much more mature than any second-year quarterback in recent memory. Edgerrin James rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns, pushing his season totals to 1,210 yards rushing and nine touchdowns. Indianapolis gets New England and Washington at home the next two weeks, before closing the season with two straight on the road against Cleveland and Buffalo.
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| Giants 41 (6-6), Jets 28 (4-8) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
35:50: Time of possession for the Giants. |
| Player of the Game |
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Amani Toomer, WR, New York: Caught six passes for career-high 181 yards and three touchdowns.
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| Breakdown |
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The Giants got a 300-yard passing peformance out of their quarterback for the first time in more than six years, as Kerry Collins completed 17-of-29 passes for a career-high 341 yards. Joe Montgomery was impressive in his first start at running back, gaining 111 yards and scoring one touchdown on 38 carries. The Giants defense held Curtis Martin to four yards on six carries, and the Jets team as a whole to 15 yards rushing.
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| Falcons 35 (3-9), Saints 12 (2-10) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
91: Passing yards by the Saints, less than half of their average total of passing yards per game of 212.9. |
| Player of the Game |
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Lester Archambeau, DE, Atlanta: Recorded three sacks on Saints quarterbacks, and added four solo tackles to the effort.
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| Breakdown |
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Atlanta won the battle to stay out of the NFC West basement by pressuring the quarterback successfully. The Falcons recorded seven sacks, and pressured Danny Wuerffel into throwing two interceptions. New Orleans wasted a solid rushing performance from backup running back Wilmont Perry who carried 16 times for 93 yards in place of Ricky Williams.
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| Ravens 41 (5-7), Titans 14 (9-3) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
447: Total yards for the Ravens, surpassing their season average of 272.5 by almost 175 yards. |
| Player of the Game |
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Tony Banks, QB, Baltimore: Threw for a career-high four touchdown passes, completing 18-of-31 passes for 332 yards.
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| Breakdown |
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Baltimore's defense came to play, holding the Titans to 65 yards rushing and forcing two turnovers. Defensive end Michael McCrary recorded three-and-a-half sacks and made six total tackles to lead the Ravens' charge. Rod Woodson returned his ninth career interception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to extend his league-high total in that category among active players.
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| Cardinals 21 (6-6), Eagles 17 (3-10) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
37:56: Time of possession by the Eagles. |
| Player of the Game |
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Jake Plummer, QB, Arizona: Didn't post amazing numbers with only 179 yards passing on 37 attempts, but he led his team on scoring drives in the fourth quarter to pull out the win.
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| Breakdown |
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Arizona has suddenly scrapped its way back into the NFC wild-card picture with four straight wins. The Cardinals are now only one game behind the Redskins in the NFC East, and their 5-2 divisional record will help them win playoff tiebreakers with their division rivals.
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| Chiefs 16 (7-5), Broncos 10 (4-8) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
177: Rushing yards by the Chiefs, helping them control the clock for 33:37 in the game. |
| Player of the Game |
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James Hasty, CB, Kansas City: Continued his stellar season with nine total tackles and one sack.
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| Breakdown |
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Kansas City managed to overcome 11 penalties to pull off the crucial win on the road. Denver was held to 2-of-13 on third-down conversions, while the Chiefs successfully converted 9 of 19. The Chiefs have tough opponents over the last four weeks with Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Seattle and Oakland left on the schedule, but three of the four games are at home where the Chiefs are 4-1 this season.
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| Chargers 23 (5-7), Browns 10 (2-11) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
36:40: Time of possession by the Chargers. |
| Player of the Game |
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Raylee Johnson, DE, San Diego: Made up for missing teammates Junior Seau and Rodney Harrison by recording three sacks, forcing a fumble and recording five solo tackles.
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| Breakdown |
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San Diego returned to the win column with a disciplined offensive attack that grounded out 145 yards on 44 carries. While 3.3 yards per carry is not an impressive average, it allowed the Chargers to keep the ball away from the Browns and hold onto their lead with a solid defensive effort, especially considering that the two best players on the defense were sidelined with injuries.
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| Raiders 30 (6-6) Seahawks 21 (8-4) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
35:55: Time of possession by the Raiders offense, compared to 24:05 for the Seahawks. |
| Player of the Game |
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Tim Brown, WR, Oakland: Rich Gannon's favorite target caught six passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
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| Breakdown |
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Seattle dropped its second straight game by turning the ball over four times. The Seahawks still lead the AFC West by one game over the Chiefs, but Seattle has played poorly in its last two games and no longer looks like a front-runner in the tightly packed AFC. Rich Gannon completed 79.1 percent of his passes, throwing for 253 yards and two touchdowns with only one interception. Oakland used the speed-power combination of Napolean Kaufman and Tyrone Wheatley to perfection, with the two combining for 156 yards on 31 carries.
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| Patriots 13 (7-5), Cowboys 6 (6-6) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
2: Number of players in NFL history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in nine consecutive season, as Emmitt Smith joined Barry Sanders in that exclusive club on Sunday night. |
| Player of the Game |
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Ferric Collons, DE, New England: Led the Patriots defensive effort with six total tackles and one sack.
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| Breakdown |
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New England stopped the bleeding of its three-game losing streak, but the Patriots face a tough road game next Sunday at Indianapolis. The Cowboys hurt their chances for a playoff spot by falling back into a three-way tie for second place in the NFC East at 6-6 behind the 7-5 Redskins. Dallas wasted an excellent defensive game from speedy linebacker Randall Godfrey in the loss, as the fourth-year player finished with 17 total tackles.
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| Buccaneers 24 (8-4), Vikings 17 (7-5) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
149: Yards by which the Vikings (339) outgained the Buccaneers (190) on Monday night. |
| Player of the Game |
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Donnie Abraham, CB, Tampa Bay. Early interception return proved to be the difference, and he also added a second interception, four tackles, and defended five other passes in the game.
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| Breakdown |
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The Bucs got another great game out of the defense, with defensive tackle Brad Culpepper recording two sacks and adding six solo tackles. Shaun King wasn't spectacular in his starting debut, but he threw two touchdown passes and completed more than 50 percent while throwing only one pick. Tampa Bay doesn't have much time to rest, because next week will bring another huge division game to Tampa, as the Detroit Lions will be at Raymond James Stadium for a 4:15 p.m. EST game that will determine first place in the NFC Central. That game could determine the division title, and the winner should at the very least get a home wild-card game in the playoffs.
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