The Vikings and Rams both returned to their winning ways with easy victories against conferences foes on Sunday.
The two teams are tied atop the NFC with 8-2 records, but the battle for home-field advantage in the playoffs will likely come down to one game.
Circle your calendar now for the marquee game in Week 15: Minnesota at St. Louis at 1 p.m. EST on Dec. 10.
The Giants blew a golden opportunity to throw themselves into the mix for this NFC home-field battle by losing to Rams at the Meadowlands on Sunday. But New York still holds a one-half game lead on the Eagles and a two-game lead on the Redskins in the NFC East.
Playoff chatter will begin to heat up in the next week or so as teams begin to sort out their positioning for a run at one of the 12 slots on the road to Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa.
| Week 11 NFL Recap |
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| Vikings 31 (8-2), Cardinals 14 (3-7) |
Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
211: Advantage in total offense for the Vikings (460) over the Cardinals (249). |
| Player of the Game |
| Cris Carter, WR, Minnesota: Caught 11 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, his 100th scoring grab as a Viking. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Vikings used a perfectly balanced offensive attack to easily down the Cardinals and get back into the win column. Daunte Culpepper (78 percent completion rate) was efficient at quarterback, and Carter, Randy Moss (seven catches for 104 yards and one touchdown) and Robert Smith (169 total yards) all pitched in with their usual efforts. Minnesota kept the ball for 34:08 and totaled 29 first downs. |
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| Ravens 24 (7-4), Titans 23 (8-2) |
Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
52.6: Ravens' third-down conversion percentage (10-of-19), compared to 41.7 (5-of-12) for the Titans. |
| Player of the Game |
| Trent Dilfer, QB, Baltimore: Completed 23 of 36 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The miracles ceased. The Ravens got another adequate performance from their offense, including an impressive final-minute scoring drive to become the first visiting team to win at Adelphia Coliseum. Ravens rookie running back Jamal Lewis carried 23 times for 99 yards and a touchdown while his defensive teammates held Titans running back Eddie George to 28 yards on 12 carries. Steve McNair played a decent game (21-of-34 for 221 yards and two touchdowns) but Al Del Greco's missed extra point with 2 1/2 minutes to play cost Tennessee a chance to extend its home winning streak to 13. |
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| Cowboys 23 (4-6), Bengals 6 (2-8) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
210: Advantage in total yards for the Cowboys (405) against the Bengals (195). |
| Player of the Game |
| James McKnight, WR, Dallas: Caught eight passes for a career-high 164 yards and a touchdown. |
CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Just when you think the Bengals might be getting a little better... The Cowboys played their most complete game of the season, while the Bengals reverted to their pre- Dick Le Beau ways and looked downright awful. Bengals quarterback Akili Smith had another in a long line of miserable performances, completing only 10 of 25 passes for 68 yards and one interception. Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman threw for a season-high 308 yards and a touchdown and should silence the doubters for at least a week after finally looking like the Hall of Famer that he is. |
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| Lions 13 (6-4), Falcons 10 (3-8) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
19: Combined penalties by the Falcons (10 for 82 yards) and Lions (nine for 70 yards). |
| Player of the Game |
| Robert Porcher, DE, Detroit: Had a breakout game after struggling this season, recording four total tackles and two sacks of Falcons quarterback Danny Kanell. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Gary Moeller era began much more impressively than the Bobby Ross era ended. The Lions responded to their new head coach with a sluggish, but effective, team performance that kept them in NFC playoff contention. The teams combined for only 440 total yards and 29 first downs and the quarterbacks completed only 42.6 percent of their passes, but defenses have carried both teams all season. Porcher's best game of the season and 10 total tackles from Lions middle linebacker Stephen Boyd highlighted the defensive effort for Detroit. |
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| Eagles 26 (7-4), Steelers 23 (5-5) OT |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
.465: Combined completion percentage for Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb (26-of-55) and Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart (14-of-31). |
| Player of the Game |
| David Akers, K, Philadelphia: Booted a pair of 42-yarders -- one at the final gun to tie it and one 4:16 into overtime to win it. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Battle of Pennsylvania was a battle of aggressive defenses. Neither team found its rhythm, but penalties can be blamed for that. The officials threw 22 flags in the game, catching Philadelphia nine times for 61 yards and Pittsburgh 13 times for 141. Another sign of the ugliness of this one was each team's inability to move the chains on third-down plays, as the Eagles converted only five of 17 chances and the Steelers made only four of 15. One of few bright spots for Pittsburgh was the play of "The Bus," as Jerome Bettis ran 30 times for a season-high 134 yards and a touchdown. |
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| Seahawks 28 (4-7), Jaguars 21 (3-7) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
5: Sacks allowed by the Jaguars' offensive line, extending their league-worst total to 43. |
| Player of the Game |
| Jon Kitna, QB, Seattle: Seahawks' enigmatic signal-caller was 22-of-33 for 231 yards and three touchdowns, his first game since Week 4 without an interception and with at least one touchdown pass. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Things have gotten so bad for the Jaguars that they can't even beat a three-win team at home. Jacksonville outgained Seattle 437-326, but seven penalties, one turnover and a poor coaching decision by Tom Coughlin all contributed to the Jaguars dropping their seventh game of the season. To put things in perspective, Jacksonville lost only seven games in its previous 32 regular-season games but has now dropped seven in 10 games this season. Ricky Watters ran 24 times for 80 yards and Sean Dawkins caught six passes for 92 yards for Seattle. |
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| Saints 20 (7-3), Panthers 10 (4-6) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
1,299: Total yards for Saints running back Ricky Williams in 10 games this season, 243 more than in 12 games his rookie season. |
| Player of the Game |
| Keith Mitchell, LB, New Orleans: Made five total tackles, sacked Panthers quarterback Steve Beuerlein once and recovered two fumbles, including one that he took back 90 yards for a touchdown. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Another win for the Saints, but this one is a bit more costly than the previous six. Williams hit the 1,000-yard mark, but then broke his ankle and will miss six to eight weeks. Saints quarterback Jeff Blake is the team's second leading rusher with 243 yards, so rookie Chad Morton will have to pick up the slack while Williams is out. Morton carried six times for 33 yards in his first significant action, though he has been impressive as a punt and kickoff returner. Beuerlein was sacked eight times, with Saints defensive end Joe Johnson getting three of them and defensive tackle La'Roi Glover recording his 13th of the season. |
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| Bills 20 (6-4), Bears 3 (2-8) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
971: Passing yards for Bills quarterback Doug Flutie in six games this season, while Rob Johnson has 1,431 in seven. |
| Player of the Game |
| Sam Cowart, LB, Buffalo: Led the Bills' defensive charge with 12 total tackles and one sack.
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| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Make up your mind, Wade. Although as long as the quarterback rotation keeps producing wins, maybe the Bills won't bother to name a starter. Buffalo was helped by a miserable performance by Shane Matthews (11-of-24 for 106 yards and three interceptions), who was playing after Jim Miller ruptured his Achilles' tendon in the second quarter. The Bills ran for only 105 yards, but their stellar defense held the Bears to only 234 total yards. Neither team played well in clutch situations with Chicago converting only four of 13 third-down situations and Buffalo converting only 3-of-15. |
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| Browns 19 (3-8), Patriots 11 (2-8) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
.474: Third-down conversion percentage by the Browns (9-of-19). |
| Player of the Game |
| Travis Prentice, RB, Cleveland: Rookie helped the Browns control the clock for 34:24 by carrying 19 times for 84 yards. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| After scoring only 16 points in their previous four games, Cleveland "exploded" for 19 against lowly New England. The Patriots suffered their fourth consecutive loss largely because of their inability to hold onto the football. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe lost three fumbles and threw one interception, making it easier for the Browns to beat former head coach Bill Belichick despite their own mediocre effort. Browns kicker Phil Dawson made field goals of 39, 43, 35 and 35 yards to help Cleveland surpass its win total from last season. |
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| 49ers 21 (3-8), Chiefs 7 (5-5) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
1: Numbers of games this season that 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia hadn't thrown a touchdown pass. |
| Player of the Game |
| Jeff Garcia, QB, San Francisco: Completed 20 of 25 passes for 244 yards and also rushed eight times for 37 yards and two touchdowns. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Chiefs fared as well in their second trip to the Bay Area in two weeks as they did in their first. Last week's loss at Oakland was probably less painful, even though it was to their archrival. The 49ers dominated the Chiefs in the first half, rolling up 21 second-quarter points to take a three-touchdown lead into the half. Kansas City was limited to 50 rushing yards while San Francisco racked up 149 on the ground. Charlie Garner continued his impressive play with 102 yards rushing and one touchdown, along with five catches for 39 yards. Kansas City finished up a merciless stretch of three West Coast games in a row and heads home to play Buffalo next Sunday. But the Chiefs go back on the road for two consecutive games in Weeks 13 and 14. |
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| Dolphins 17 (8-2), Chargers 7 (0-10) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
7.7: Dolphins' third-down conversion percentage (1-of-13), compared to 40 (6-of-15) for the Chargers. |
| Player of the Game |
| Lamar Smith, RB, Miami: Carried 27 times to 69 yards and two touchdowns. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Dolphins were miserable on third downs, but not miserable enough to lose to the terrible Chargers. In a lackluster offensive game, Dolphins defensive end Trace Armstrong was one of the stars after setting his career-high with 12 1/2 sacks for the season. Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler had his usual boring, but mistake-free game, completing 13-of-20 for 160 yards. San Diego suffered the embarrassing distinction of having all three quarterbacks throw interceptions. The total damage was 20-of-47 for 178 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions. Think Chargers head coach Mike Riley wishes he was back at Oregon State right about now? |
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| Buccaneers 20 (6-4), Packers 15 (4-6) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
135: Consecutive games started streak for Packers quarterback Brett Favre, a string in jeopardy after he was injured by Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp on a third-quarter sack. |
| Player of the Game |
| Martin Gramatica, K, Tampa Bay: Overcame the embarrassment of getting injured on an onside kick attempt to boot two 50-plus yard field goals that were the difference in the game. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| Gramatica and Packers kicker Ryan Longwell engaged in a kicking duel, with Gramatica coming away with the win, but Longwell emerging from the game as the most accurate kicker in NFL history. Longwell was short on attempts to qualify for the record, but he now leads Dolphins kicker Olindo Mare after going 3-for-4 against the Bucs. Sapp tracked down his good friend Favre, and the Packers quarterback is likely to miss a few weeks with an injured foot as a result. Matt Hasselbeck played decently, but unspectacularly in relief, completing 9 of 18 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. Bucs quarterback Shaun King has thrown for more than 200 yards in only four games this season, but he upped his record as the Bucs' starter to 11-6, making people not named Keyshawn Johnson forget about the mediocre passing numbers. |
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| Rams 38 (8-2), Giants 24 (7-3) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
14: Advantage in first downs for the Rams (28) against the Giants (14). |
| Player of the Game |
| Trent Green, QB, St. Louis: Did his best Kurt Warner imitation, going 27-of-45 for 272 yards and four touchdowns. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Giants fell behind 28-7 at halftime and lost the threat of their running game as a result. Giants running backs Tiki Barber and Ron Dayne combined for 18 carries for 127 yards and a touchdowns, but the deficit forced New York to turn to Kerry Collins and the aerial attack. Giants wide receiver Ike Hilliard was the beneficiary of New York having to go to the air, catching five passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Rams wide receiver Torry Holt caught eight passes for 86 yards and a score to lead St. Louis, but Green spread his four touchdowns around to four different receivers. Marshall Faulk's fill-in, Justin Watson, carried 17 times for 62 yards, improving on his terrible performance in last week's game, but still not providing the breakaway threat or offensive versatility that Faulk does. |
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| Colts 23 (7-3), Jets 15 (6-4) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
220: Carries needed by Colts running back Edgerrin James this season to gain 1,000 yards, pushing him past that mark one carry faster than former Colt Eric Dickerson did in 1987 and 1988. |
| Player of the Game |
| Edgerrin James, RB, Indianapolis: Carried 31 times for 131 yards and one touchdown, putting him on pace for a monstrous season of 396 carries for 1,792 yards and 16 touchdowns. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Colts' penchant for fast starts and the Jets' tendency for great comebacks shaped up as an interesting matchup. So when the Colts took a 17-0 halftime lead, you can be sure that neither team thought the game was over. New York made a valiant effort in the second half, but the Colts buckled down defensively when they needed to and held on for the win. Indianapolis improved to 14-1 when James tops the 100-yard mark. James has gained 2,673 yards in 26 career games (an average of 102.8 per game), putting him on pace to break Walter Payton's career rushing record of 16,726 in approximately 8 1/2 more seasons. |
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| Broncos 27 (6-4), Raiders 24 (8-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
91.7: Mike Shanahan's career winning percentage (11-1) against the Raiders. |
| Player of the Game |
| Brian Griese, QB, Denver: Overcame a separated shoulder to complete 67.6 percent of his passes for 262 yards and one touchdown. |
| CNNSI.com's Breakdown |
| The Broncos appear to be the thorn in the Raiders' side, much like the Titans owned the otherwise perfect Jaguars last season. Oakland still has a two-game cushion on Denver in the AFC West, but should the Raiders collapse down the stretch the Broncos now hold the tiebreaker by virtue of their season sweep of the Silver & Black. Oakland wide receivers Tim Brown and Andre Rison combined for 16 catches for 239 yards, but the Raiders never got it going on the ground with Tyrone Wheatley out of the lineup. The Broncos didn't get any big-gainers on the ground either, but Mike Shanahan was stubborn in trying to run, and Terrell Davis ended up with 68 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Jason Elam's game-winning kick reaffirmed his status as one of the most clutch kickers in the game, despite the harsh winter conditions in Denver on Monday night. |
