Packers at Panthers

This was not a game until the very end. The Panthers shut the Packers down for the first half, only allowing them to score 7 points before a furious 2^nd half rally to get them back in the game, which was halted deep in the Panthers redzone, as Aaron Rodgers missed a wide-open Randall Cobb on a 4^th down to end the Packers chances of tying the game. Panthers win 37-29

Patriots at Redskins

The biggest surprise in this game was that the Redskins kept the damage to only a 17 point loss (27-10) with all the issues they’ve had in the secondary this season, and Kirk Cousins only turned the ball over once in 40 pass attempts against a pretty good Pats defense, in Foxborough no less. The Run game was a disaster for the Redskins, only gaining 37 yards on 15 carries. The bad news for the Pats is the loss of Dion Lewis for the rest of the season to an ACL tear.

Titans at Saints

Welcome back Marcus Mariota, he had himself a terrific game against the Saints, throwing 371 yards 4 touchdowns against a struggling secondary. Drew Brees would not be outdone however, throwing for 387 yards and 3 touchdowns, as this game would go to overtime, tied at 28. Delanie Walker had himself a game though, catching 3 tipped passes, including a spectacular catch where the ball was tipped by 2 Saint defenders. Marcus Mariota would throw the game winning touchdown on the first drive of overtime.

Dolphins at Bills

Tyrod Taylor only threw 12 passes in a 33-17 win over the Dolphins, and 8 of those 12 were completed to Sammy Watkins, who turned those 8 catches into 168 yards and a touchdown. As for the Dolphins, they were unable to keep up with the Bills 3 headed rushing attack of Karlos Williams, LeSean McCoy, and Tyrod Taylor. Ryan Tannehill did manage to throw for 309 yards in the loss however.

Rams at Vikings

This was a tightly contested game throughout, no one able to maintain an advantage, no matter how hard one team may have tried to do it… even if it went beyond the rules. The Rams defense cheap shot on Teddy Bridgewater has no place in the NFL, and Gregg Williams, the defensive coordinator for the Rams, has run into trouble with dirty defenses before (see Bounty Gate), but the Rams got their comeuppance as they fell to the Shaun Hill (Yes, he’s still in the league after all of these years) led Vikings 21-18 in overtime. This win for the Vikes tied them with the Packers for first place in the NFC North

Jaguars at Jets

Despite the loss dropping the Jaguars to 2-6, they competed well in this game, and still have a shot at the AFC South, believe it or not. Chris Ivory struggled hugely in this game, rushing for 26 yards on 23 carries, but he did get into the endzone twice, and Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 272 yards and a pair of scores, which gave the Jets just enough points to beat Blake Bortles 381 yards and 2 scores on a day where the Jags had 2 120 yard receivers in Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson.

Raiders at Steelers

Can the Steelers catch a break?…. Okay, maybe that was poor word choice, but the Steelers were dealt a huge blow with Ben Roethlisberger going down with a foot injury in this game, right after getting him back, and after losing Le’Veon Bell to a torn ACL. The good news for the Steelers is that they were able to survive the onslaught of Derek Carr, as Carr raced the Raiders up and down the field for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns on the day. DeAngelo Williams and Antonio Brown won the day for the Steelers, as Williams racked up 170 yards on the ground, while Brown caught 17 passes for 284 yards on the day.

Giants at Buccaneers

This game was close for most of the afternoon, and got even closer at the start of the 4^th quarter, when rookie Jameis Winston scored a rushing touchdown to make the score 20-18, after missing on the 2 point conversion. 2 Giant field goals and a fumble returned for a touchdown put the game out of reach for Tampa Bay as they fell 32-18 at home.

Falcons at 49ers

Despite the football gods giving the Atlanta Falcons the gift of possibly the greatest schedule ever, including the timing of the Andrew Luck injury (details to follow), they got to play Blaine Gabbert and the 49ers. How do they respond? By laying an egg in San Francisco, they appeared to show no fight in this game, as they seemed to think the game would win itself. Dan Quinn’s decision to kick a field goal on 4^th down in the 4^th quarter of a 4 point ballgame proved to be the difference, as they could have gone for the win, rather than playing not to lose. The 49er defense deserves a ton of credit though, holding NFL touchdown leader Devonta Freeman to only 12 rushing yards has proven to be a tough task this year.

Broncos at Colts

This was an all-around well played football game between division leaders (granted, leading the AFC South is about as meaningful as leading the NFC South last season.), and it looked like a game between 2 good teams. Peyton Manning looked good, passing for 281 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, there was a bizzare sequence at the end of the game where Denver cornerback Aqib Talib poked Dwayne Allen, a Colts’ tight end, in the eye. Not only did this lead to a suspension, but it also kept Peyton Manning from getting on the field with a chance to tie or win the game for Denver. Oh, and it kept Peyton from breaking Bret Favre’s passing yardage record… in front of the home crowd that had supported Peyton for most of his career, no big deal Talib, just remember “Ice up, son”

Eagles at Cowboys

For a game being quarterbacked by Sam Bradford and Matt Cassel, this was actually a fun one to watch, as these 2 NFC East rivals went head to head in a back and forth affair where 4 quarters was not enough to decide it, as each team scored 13 points in the final frame to tie the score at 27 apiece before the Eagles won the game in overtime on a beautiful throw to Jordan Matthews that went for a 41 yard touchdown, Sam Bradford’s only one of the game. DeMarco Murray had himself a great game, rumbling for 161 total yards and a touchdown on the ground against his old team. As for the Cowboys, this marks the 6^th straight game they’ve lost, all of them since Tony Romo went down with an injury. Dez Bryant looked like his old self at least… maybe a little too much.