NFL - Week Fourteen Review

Last Thursday night, Week Fourteen in the NFL got off to an exciting start as the Dallas Cowboys (9-4) went into Chicago and dismantled the Bears, 41-28 behind three touchdown passes by quarterback Tony Romo and 179 rushing yards and a touchdown by running back DeMarco Murray.
The exciting action continued on Sunday as the Indianapolis Colts (9-4) overcame a 14-point deficit to defeat the host Cleveland Browns, 25-24 as QB Andrew Luck found wide receiver T.Y. Hilton for a one-yard scoring pass with only 32 seconds remaining to win it. The Browns' defense scored twice in the loss as they were held to just 248 yards in offense.
The Arizona Cardinals (10-3) snapped a two-game losing streak with a 17-14 home win against the Kansas City Chiefs as QB Drew Stanton hooked up with WR John Brown for a score and kicker Chandler Catanzaro made three field goals to provide the margin of victory. It was the third straight loss for the Chiefs, despite two touchdowns by RB Jamaal Charles, one a 63-yard run to go with a TD catch.
The Seattle Seahawks (9-4) again served notice they are the defending Super Bowl champions as they limited the host Philadelphia Eagles (9-4) to a paltry 139 yards in total offense en route to a 24-14 victory, their third in a row. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson ran for a score and also passed for two more touchdowns to pace the offense.

Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell scored three TD against the Bengals.

Pittsburgh used a 25-point barrage in the fourth quarter to overwhelm the host Cincinnati Bengals, 42-21 as BIG PLAYS were the reason for the win. Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week Le'Veon Bell ran for 185 yards and scored three touchdowns (two rushing and one receiving) while Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger (350 yards passing) connected with WR Martavis Bryant for a 94-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Bengals QB Andy Dalton ran for a score and had two TD passes in defeat.
The Baltimore Ravens (8-5) kept pace with the Steelers and Bengals in the highly competitive AFC North division with a 28-13 win in Miami as their defense suffocated the Dolphins in the second half, limiting the 'Fins to just a field goal. Running back Justin Forsett and QB Joe Flacco each had rushing touchdowns while Flacco also had two TD passes in the comeback win.
The Detroit Lions throttled the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 34-17 as QB Matthew Stafford had three TD passes to go with 311 passing yards to help the Lions improve to 9-4 in the NFC North.
The Denver Broncos (10-3) continued to emphasize the running game as RB C.J. Anderson had three rushing scores against a tough Buffalo defense in a 24-17 win against the visiting Bills. Broncos QB Peyton Manning passed just 20 times and had less than 200 yards and NO touchdown passes for the first time in four years.
The Sunday Night Football Game went the way of the New England Patriots (10-3) as QB Tom Brady (317 passing yards with two passing TD) hooked up with WR Julian Edelman on a 69-yard scoring pass midway through the final quarter in a 23-14 road win against the San Diego Chargers (8-5), who saw their three-game win streak snapped. The Chargers were shut out in the second half and had just 216 yards in total offense in the game.
The Green Bay Packers (10-3) rode the arm of QB Aaron Rodgers (327 passing yards with three TD) to a big halftime lead and then held on for a 43-37 Monday night home win against the Atlanta Falcons (5-8), who mounted a huge second half come back to make it a close finish. Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson caught two TD passes and had eight grabs for 146 yards as Green Bay finished with 502 yards in total offense.
Falcons QB Matt Ryan had 375 yards passing with four TD and wide receiver Julio Jones had eleven receptions for 259 yards and a score in defeat.

                                 
                                                Elsewhere around the NFL . . . . . . . 

The Oakland Raiders dealt the visiting San Francisco 49ers playoff hopes a serious blow with a 24-13 upset win behind three TD passes by rookie QB Derek Carr and a defense that had two interceptions and held the 'Niners to only 248 yards of offense . . . . .   The Minnesota Vikings beat the New York Jets, 30-24 in OT as QB Teddy Bridgewater threw the game-winning 87-yard scoring pass to WR Jarius Wright . . . . .  The Houston Texans bested the host Jacksonville Jaguars, 27-13 on three scoring runs and a defense that held the Jags to 262 yards in offense . . . . .  The St. Louis Rams won 24-0 at Washington for their second straight shut out, limiting the Redskins to a meager 206 yards in total offense . . . . .  The New York Giants (4-9) ended a seven-game skid with a 36-7 drubbing of the host Tennessee Titans (2-11) as kicker Josh Brown made five field goals and the defense scored as well . . . . .  The Carolina Panthers (4-8-1) won at New Orleans, 41-10 behind a huge day by QB Cam Newton, who had three TD passes and also added a scoring run to help end a six-game losing streak.