NFL 2011 Season – Week 13 Recap
The Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers clinched division titles and playoff berths on Sunday, while the chase for the final AFC wild card spot became a four-team race. Here are all the NFL scores and action from Week 13:
Green Bay 38 – N.Y. Giants 35
Aaron Rodgers led a 68-yard drive that set up Mason Crosby’s game-winning, 31-yard field goal as time expired, as the Green Bay Packers beat the New York Giants 38-35 to remain undefeated. The Packers’ march downfield came after New York (6-6) tied the game on the preceding drive after Eli Manning threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Hakeem Nicks, and D.J. Ware ran for the two-point conversion. Green Bay (12-0) clinched a playoff spot earlier in the day when Chicago lost. The Packers won the NFC North after Detroit fell to New Orleans on Sunday night. Rodgers completed 28 of his 46 passes for 369 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Green Bay’s Greg Jennings caught seven passes for 94 yards and a score, while Donald Driver had four catches for 34 yards and two touchdowns. Manning passed for 347 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, which was returned 38 yards for a touchdown by Clay Matthews in the second quarter. Victor Cruz led the Giants with 119 yards receiving on seven catches. Nicks caught seven passes for 88 yards and two scores for New York. Brandon Jacobs carried eight times for 59 yards and a touchdown for the Giants, who lost their fourth game in a row.
San Francisco 26 – St. Louis 0
Alex Smith threw two second-half touchdown passes of 50-plus yards and David Akers kicked four field goals, as the San Francisco 49ers shut out the St. Louis Rams 26-0 to clinch the NFC West title and their playoff appearance since 2002. Frank Gore ran for 73 yards for San Francisco (10-2), which vaulted him past late Hall of Famer Joe Perry as the franchise’s all-time leading rusher. Smith passed for 274 yards and the two scores, as the 49ers were never threatened by the Rams. Michael Crabtree led San Francisco with 96 receiving yards on four catches, including a 52-yard touchdown grab. St. Louis (2-10) managed only 157 total net yards of offense on the game. Rams quarterback A.J. Feeley, subbing for the injured Sam Bradford, threw for 156 yards. He was intercepted once and sacked four times. Steven Jackson managed just 19 yards rushing for St. Louis.
Arizona 19 – Dallas 13 (OT)
LaRod Stephens-Howling turned a short pass from Kevin Kolb into a 52-yard touchdown in overtime, and the Arizona Cardinals beat the Dallas Cowboys 19-13. Dallas (7-5) had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but Dan Bailey missed a 49-yard field goal as time expired. Bailey made the field goal on his first attempt, but Cowboys’ coach Jason Garrett had called timeout prior to the kick. Kolb completed 16 of 25 passes for 247 yards and the winning touchdown for Arizona (5-7). The Cardinals’ Beanie Wells ran for 67 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 13 with 13:08 to play. Andre Roberts caught six passes for 111 yards for Arizona. Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo passed for 299 yards and a touchdown to Dez Bryant, who caught eight passes for 86 yards. Rookie running back DeMarco Murray was held to just 38 yards rushing on 12 carries for Dallas. Each team recorded five sacks of the opposing quarterback.
Denver 35 – Minnesota 32
Matt Prater kicked a 23-yard field goal as time expired, and the Denver Broncos beat the Minnesota Vikings 35-32. Prater’s game-winning kick was set up when Andre Goodman intercepted Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder at the Minnesota 20-yard line with 1:25 left in the game. Prater tied the game with a 46-yard field goal just two plays earlier. Denver (7-5) moved into first place in the AFC West as result of the win, its fifth in a row and sixth with Tim Tebow starting at quarterback. Tebow completed 10 of 15 passes for 202 yards and threw two touchdowns to Demaryius Thomas, who caught four passes for 144 yards. Willis McGahee ran for 111 yards and a touchdown for the Broncos. Minnesota (2-10) lost its fourth game in a row. Toby Gerhart carried 21 times for 91 yards while starting in place of injured Adrian Peterson for the Vikings. Ponder finished with 381 passing yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions and a fumble. Percy Harvin caught eight passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns for Minnesota.
Tennessee 23 – Buffalo 17
Chris Johnson ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns, and the Tennessee Titans beat the Buffalo Bills 23-17. The game marked Johnson’s second consecutive 100-yard rushing performance and his third in four weeks. Tennessee (7-5) received offensive balance from Matt Hasselbeck, who threw for 140 yards and had no turnovers. C.J. Spiller, starting in place of the injured Fred Jackson, ran for 83 yards and a score for Buffalo (5-7). Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick passed for 288 yards and a touchdown. Brad Smith led Buffalo with seven catches for 72 yards.
Houston 17 – Atlanta 10
Rookie quarterback T.J. Yates passed for 188 yards and a touchdown in his first NFL start and Arian Foster rushed for 111 yards and a score, as the Houston Texans beat the Atlanta Falcons 17-10. The win was the sixth straight for Houston (9-3), a franchise-record. Atlanta (7-5), which had trouble with the Texans’ top-ranked defense all game, was unable to score a game-tying touchdown from the Houston 25-yard line in the final minute. Texans’ star wide receiver Andre Johnson caught four passes for 97 yards before injuring his left hamstring in the third quarter. Johnson sat out six games after injuring his right hamstring in Week 4. The Falcons were led by Matt Ryan’s 267 passing yards and a touchdown. Ryan also threw two interceptions. Tony Gonzalez caught seven passes for 100 yards for Atlanta.
Miami 34 – Oakland 14
Reggie Bush ran for 100 yards and a touchdown, and the Miami Dolphins routed the Oakland Raiders 34-14. Miami (4-8) finished with 209 yards rushing to the Raiders’ 46 yards on the ground. Leading 13-0 at halftime, the Dolphins used a 21-point third quarter to build a 34-0 edge heading into the final period. Daniel Thomas added 73 yards on 13 carries for the Dolphins, while Miami quarterback Matt Moore passed for 162 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score. Oakland (7-5) did very little on offense until the fourth quarter. Quarterback Carson Palmer threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns, but he had an interception returned 34 yards for a touchdown by Kevin Burnett. Michael Bush had just 18 yards rushing for the Raiders.
Kansas City 10 – Chicago 3
Tyler Palko threw for 157 yards and an improbable touchdown, and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Chicago Bears 10-3. Palko, who was briefly removed for Kyle Orton after one quarter due to ineffectiveness, re-entered the game after Orton hurt his finger on his first play. On the final play of the first half, Palko heaved a desperation pass that was deflected to the Chiefs’ Dexter McCluster in the end zone for a 38-yard TD reception. The touchdown was the first in three games for Kansas City (5-7). McCluster led the Chiefs in rushing with 61 yards. Already playing without starting quarterback Jay Cutler, Chicago (7-5) lost running back Matt Forte to a right knee injury early in the game. The Bears were only able to gain 181 total yards on offense. Bears quarterback Caleb Hanie struggled again, throwing for just 133 yards and three interceptions, while being sacked seven times.
N.Y. Jets 34 – Washington 19
Mark Sanchez threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 4:49 to play to put New York ahead to stay as the Jets beat the Washington Redskins 34-19. New York (7-5) used two touchdown runs from Shonn Greene in the fourth quarter to stave off any potential Redskins’ comeback attempt. Greene carried 22 times for 88 yards and three scores on the game. Sanchez finished with 165 passing yards and a touchdown. Washington (4-8) held the Jets to 168 yards and 13 points before collapsing in the fourth quarter. Rex Grossman completed just 19 of 46 passed for 221 yards and an interception for the Redskins. Tight end Fred Davis caught six passes for 99 yards for Washington, which had rookie running back Roy Helu run for 100 yards and a touchdown.
New England 31 – Indianapolis 24
Tom Brady passed for 289 yards and two touchdowns to Rob Gronkowski, who also ran for another score, as the New England Patriots beat the Indianapolis Colts 31-24. New England (9-3) dominated the game, leading 31-3 after three quarters before its defense allowed the Colts to score three touchdowns in the final quarter. Indianapolis (0-12) remained winless despite the efforts of quarterback Dan Orlovsky, who completed 30 of 37 passes for 353 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Pierre Garcon caught nine passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns for the Colts. Wes Welker led the Patriots with 11 receptions for 110 yards. Gronkowksi finished with five catches for 64 yards, including the two touchdowns for New England.
Pittsburgh 35 – Cincinnati 7
Ben Roethlisberger passed for 176 yards and two touchdowns and the Pittsburgh Steelers thumped the Cincinnati Bengals 35-7. Pittsburgh (9-3) swept the season series from Cincinnati (7-5) by scoring 28 points in the second quarter, including a 60-yard punt return score by Antonio Brown and two rushing touchdowns by Rashard Mendenhall, who ran for 60 yards on the game. Wide receiver Mike Wallace caught three passes for 38 yards and two touchdowns for the Steelers. Cincinnati rookie quarterback Andy Dalton passed for 135 yards and a touchdown to A.J. Green, who caught six passes for 87 yards. With the final outcome all but decided, Dalton was pulled from the game by the Bengals in the fourth quarter.
Carolina 38 – Tampa Bay 19
Cam Newton passed for 204 yards and a touchdown and ran for three more scores, and the Carolina Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-19. Newton now holds the NFL single-season record for rushing TDs by a quarterback with 13 scores. He had 54 yards rushing for the game. Carolina (4-8) led 24-12 at the half and was never threatened by Tampa Bay (4-8), which lost its sixth straight game. Jonathan Stewart ran for 80 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers. Buccaneers quarterback Josh Johnson, starting in place of injured Josh Freeman, passed for 229 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also ran for 45 yards. Mike Williams caught five passes for 93 yards for Tampa Bay.
Baltimore 24 – Cleveland 10
Ray Rice ran for a career-high 204 yards, and the Baltimore Ravens drubbed the Cleveland Browns 24-10. Baltimore (9-3) ran for 290 yards against the Browns’ defense, getting touchdowns from Rice and Ricky Williams, who ran for 76 yards on the game. Lardarius Webb added a 68-yard punt return for a score for the Ravens. Quarterback Joe Flacco completed just 10 of 23 pass attempts for 158 yards and no touchdowns for Baltimore. He also fumbled. Cleveland (4-8) had just 59 net yards rushing, with Peyton Hillis carrying 12 times for 45 yards. Browns quarterback Colt McCoy passed for 192 yards, a touchdown and an interception, as the Cleveland offense struggled against the Baltimore defense.
New Orleans 31 – Detroit 17
Drew Brees passed for 342 yards and three touchdowns, and the New Orleans Saints beat the Detroit Lions 31-17 on Sunday night. New Orleans (9-3) rolled to first-half leads of 17-0 and 24-7, before the Lions rallied. Detroit (7-5) pulled to within 24-17 when Matthew Stafford connected with Maurice Morris on a 9-yard score with 43 seconds left in the third quarter. A 6-yard touchdown pass from Brees to Darren Sproles with 9:44 to play gave the Saints their final margin of victory. Robert Meachem caught three passes for 119 yards and a touchdown for New Orleans. Mark Ingram ran for 54 yards and a score for the Saints. Stafford finished with 408 yards passing, a touchdown and an interception for the Lions. Nate Burleson caught five passes for 93 yards for Detroit.
Thursday, Dec. 1