NFL Weekly Recap: Week Ten

Time for another look at the games from this past weekend, which wound up turning out a  few interesting results.

For me, the most interesting stories wound up being Mike Smith trying and failing to pull a Belichick in overtime, Buffalo continuing to struggle after a good start to their season, Curtis Painter trying his hardest to help the Colts win the #SuckForLuck race, season ending injuries to Matt Schaub and Matt Cassel giving Tyler Palko and Matt Leinart a chance to play, Chris Johnson finally not sucking, Denver stealing the playbook from Georgia Tech now that Tebow is their starter, the Patriots sticking Rex Ryan's foot into his mouth, and the Packers continuing to be insanely good on Offense in a way that is just not fair to the rest of the NFL.

Also, congrats to the NFC West for going 4-0 this week. That NFC Best, just continuing to best it up and annoying the east coast biased media in the process by beating their precious NFC East and AFC North teams in the process.

Oakland Raiders vs San Diego Chargers Recap - November 10, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Michael Bush totaled 242 yards from scrimmage as the Oakland Raiders took a 24-17 victory over the San Diego Chargers in a key AFC West division battle. Bush had 157 yards rushing with a touchdown on 30 carries while adding 85 yards on three catches as the Raiders (5-4) tentatively took possession of first place in the West. Oakland, San Diego and Kansas City entered Week 10 tied for the division lead with 4-4 records. Kansas City will hope to keep pace with the Raiders on Sunday as they face off with the Denver Broncos in another AFC West clash. Carson Palmer threw for 299 yards with two touchdowns and an interception on 14-of-20 passing, and Denarius Moore had five receptions for 123 yards and two scores as the Raiders snapped a two-game slide.

St. Louis Rams vs Cleveland Browns Recap - November 13, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Josh Brown kicked the eventual game-winning field goal midway through the fourth quarter, sending the St. Louis Rams to a 13-12 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Sam Bradford completed 15-of-26 passes for 155 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Rams (2-7). Steven Jackson had a big day on the ground, rushing for 128 yards on 27 carries, while Brandon Lloyd hauled in four balls for 48 yards and a touchdown.

Houston Texans vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Recap - November 13, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Arian Foster totaled 186 yards from scrimmage and scored twice as the Houston Texans won their fourth straight game, routing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 37-9. Without Andre Johnson in their past six games due to a hamstring injury, the Texans have become more run oriented evidenced by their 155.1 rush yards per game average coming into the contest -- which ranked second in the NFL. Foster had 102 yards receiving and 84 yards on the ground for Houston (7-3), which has run for 205.3 yards per game during its four-game winning streak. "(We) didn't run the ball very good in the first half, but we came back in the second half and ran it like a good football team," Houston head coach Gary Kubiak said.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals Recap - November 13, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Rashard Mendenhall scored the go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter and Pittsburgh's defense came up with two interceptions in the fourth to claim a 24-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in a key AFC North battle. Mendenhall carried the ball 16 times for 44 yards and two scores for the Steelers (7-3), who came into the game a half-game behind the Bengals and Ravens in the division. Baltimore's loss to Seattle on Sunday moved Pittsburgh atop the standings. Ben Roethlisberger completed 21-of-33 passes for 245 yards, one touchdown and an interception for Pittsburgh, which bounced back from a tough 23-20 loss to the Ravens last Sunday.

Washington Redskins vs Miami Dolphins Recap - November 13, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- After earning their first win of the season last week, the Miami Dolphins finally gave their home fans something to cheer about on Sunday. Reggie Bush ran for a pair of touchdowns and the Miami defense kept Washington out of the end zone, as the Dolphins snapped a seven-game home losing streak with a 20-9 victory over the skidding Redskins. The Dolphins (2-7) were coming off a 31-3 rout at Kansas City last week, halting a 10-game skid that dated back to last December. Sunday's win was the first for the team in Miami in nearly a full year, as the Dolphins last won at Sun Life Stadium last November 14 against Tennessee.

Tennessee Titans vs Carolina Panthers Recap - November 13, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Chris Johnson gained a season-high 130 yards on 27 carries and ran for a touchdown, as the Tennessee Titans pounded the Carolina Panthers, 30-3, at Bank of America Stadium. Matt Hasselbeck connected on 15-of-27 throws and finished with 219 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Tennessee (5-4), which has won two of its last three games. Rookie Cam Newton was limited to 212 yards on 23-of-40 passing for the Panthers (2-7) in defeat. He also threw one interception. "We just got outplayed today," Newton said.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Indianapolis Colts Recap - November 13, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 114 yards and a touchdown, leading the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 17-3 victory over the still- winless Indianapolis Colts. Blaine Gabbert threw for 118 yards with a score for the Jaguars (3-6), who won on the road for the first time in five games this season. The Colts (0-10), meanwhile, have been unable to win anywhere. The are 0-5 at home and 0-5 on the road heading into their bye week. Indianapolis is winless after 10 games for the first time since the 1997 team also lost its first 10 on the way to a 3-13 record. That was pre-Peyton Manning. With the four-time MVP and Super Bowl champion sidelined by a neck injury, the Colts hardly resemble an NFL team.

Buffalo Bills vs Dallas Cowboys Recap - November 13, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Tony Romo was nearly flawless in the first half and the Dallas Cowboys welcomed Chan Gailey back with a 44-7 dismantling of the Buffalo Bills. Romo completed his first 13 passes of the game and finished 23-for-26 with 270 yards and three touchdowns for the Cowboys (5-4), who have won two straight after being humiliated by Philadelphia in Week 8. "It was a pretty good game out there today," said Romo. "A lot of this is the guys in front of me and if they give you that extra second, it makes things much more easier for me." DeMarco Murray had 135 yards and a score on 20 carries while Laurent Robinson caught two scores and Dez Bryant also caught a touchdown pass for Dallas, which has won three straight over Buffalo.

New Orleans Saints vs Atlanta Falcons Recap - November 13, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Head coaches are paid to make the big decisions in big games, and the one that Mike Smith made on Sunday cost Atlanta dearly. Facing 4th-and-inches at the Atlanta 30 in overtime, Smith opted to go for the first down, but the Falcons offensive line got no push and Michael Turner was stuffed, giving New Orleans the ball already in long field goal range. "I take full responsibility, it was my decision and my decision solely," said Smith. "First we were going to punt the football, but it was only half a yard and I didn't want to give the ball back to the Saints. It's not something you do haphazardly, we felt like it was the best play for us to run and unfortunately it didn't work out for us." After reaching the Atlanta eight-yard line, John Kasay connected from 26 yards away to give New Orleans a 26-23 victory over its division rival in a battle for first place in the NFC South.

Denver Broncos vs Kansas City Chiefs Recap - November 13, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Tim Tebow ran for a score in the first quarter and threw a long touchdown to Eric Decker in the fourth, helping the Broncos overcome injuries to beat the Chiefs, 17-10, at Arrowhead Stadium. Tebow completed just 2-of-8 passes and rushed nine times for 43 yards, but his two key plays led the Broncos (4-5) to their third win in four games. He has been the Denver's starting quarterback for each of those contests. "You're on a team to win games and that's it, however you can do that," Tebow said. "I'm a football player first before quarterback." Tebow's performance was especially crucial Sunday because the Broncos lost Willis McGahee, their leading rusher, to a hamstring injury. Fellow running back Knowshon Moreno suffered a knee injury.

Baltimore Ravens vs Seattle Seahawks Recap - November 13, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Marshawn Lynch ran for 109 yards and a score, and picked up three critical first downs in the final five minutes to lift the Seattle Seahawks to a 22-17 win over the Baltimore Ravens. The Seahawks ran the final 5:52 off the clock against the vaunted Baltimore defense to pull off the upset. Lynch also added 58 yards receiving for the Seahawks (3-6), who snapped a three-game losing skid. "What a nice day to celebrate veterans day. What a good day to play physical, tough and exciting football," Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said.

New York Giants vs San Francisco 49ers Recap - November 13, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Defensive end Justin Smith batted down Eli Manning's fourth-down pass late in the fourth quarter to preserve the San Francisco 49ers' 27-20 victory over the New York Giants. The Giants used a 32-yard Hakeem Nicks touchdown reception to get within seven, 27-20, midway through the final period. The visitors then forced the 49ers to punt before marching down the field. Faced with a 4th-and-2 from the 10 with 37 seconds to play, Smith put his arms up to knock down Manning's pass. Alex Smith took a few kneel downs to seal San Francisco's seventh straight victory, the club's best run since it ripped off 11 straight victories during the 1997 season. "We talked about it during the week, with (Troy) Aikman and (Joe) Buck doing the game and we want to keep climbing and be on that national stage," Smith said.

New England Patriots vs New York Jets Recap - November 13, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Tom Brady and the New England Patriots staked their claim -- once again -- as the favorite in the AFC East after dismantling the New York Jets, 37-16. Brady tossed for 329 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to Rob Gronkowski, who caught eight passes for 113 yards in the rout. The win also moved Brady and Bill Belichick past Hall of Famers Dan Marino and Don Shula for most wins by a quarterback-head coach duo in the Super Bowl era with 117. Andre Carter recorded a franchise record 4 1/2 sacks and Rob Ninkovich picked off Mark Sanchez twice, returning one 12 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to highlight New England's defensive effort.

Minnesota Vikings vs Green Bay Packers Recap - November 14, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers had little trouble staying perfect with a 45-7 drubbing of the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. Rodgers spread the ball to 10 different receivers, hitting 23-of-30 passes for 250 yards and four touchdowns for Green Bay (9-0), which has won 15 straight including last season's Super Bowl run. "We needed a significant win, and I was proud of the way we accomplished that tonight," Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said. "It was our best win because of the final margin and the fact we won all three phases of the game."