NFL Weekly Recap: Week Eleven

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

The main stories to me wound up being the Jets getting Tebowed, the comeback by the Lions against Cam Newton, the Dream Team staying alive, the continued collapse of the Bills as the Dolphins reel off their third win in a row, and the Bears winning but losing Jay Cutler with a broken thumb in the process.

New York Jets vs Denver Broncos Recap - November 17, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Tim Tebow's 20-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the game gave the Denver Broncos a 17-13 comeback victory over the New York Jets. Tebow completed just 9-of-20 passes for 104 yards and added eight rushes for 68 yards, but led a 95-yard drive in the closing minutes for the decisive score. "When we were in the huddle, we were talking about how we want opportunities like this because this is an opportunity for greatness as an offense," Tebow said about the final drive. "We haven't done anything the whole game, but we have an opportunity to do something and let's go out there and do it."

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Cleveland Browns Recap - November 20, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Josh Cribbs scored the game-winning touchdown early in the fourth quarter and the Browns defense stood tall on the final two plays of the game to preserve a 14-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. After Browns kicker Phil Dawson missed a field goal that would have given his team a seven point lead, Jacksonville took over at its 29 and moved the ball down to the Browns' 29, where it was faced with a 3rd-and-10 with under a minute to play. On the play, Blaine Gabbert went over the middle for Jason Hill and Joe Haden was flagged for pass interference, resulting in a 1st-and-10 from the 14. The Jags (3-7) got down to the one-yard line with eight seconds to play. Gabbert tried for Hill in the end zone on second down, but was incomplete, leaving only three seconds remaining. On the final play of the game, Gabbert's pass again fell incomplete as time expired, sealing the win for the Browns (4-6).

Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens Recap - November 20, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- The Ravens intercepted Andy Dalton three times Sunday, turning two into touchdowns, and stopped the rookie quarterback on a final drive to tie Pittsburgh for first place in the AFC North. Ray Rice rushed for two touchdowns and Joe Flacco passed for a pair, leading Baltimore to a hard-fought 31-24 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Dalton's last two interceptions -- one late in the third quarter and another early in the fourth -- both led to Ravens touchdowns on the next play for a 31-14 lead. The Bengals scored 10 unanswered points and had 1st-and-goal on the seven-yard line on their last drive, but Dalton threw incomplete three times -- one was intentional grounding -- and was sacked on fourth down.

Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Redskins Recap - November 20, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Tony Romo threw two fourth quarter touchdowns and Dan Bailey nailed a 39-yard field goal in overtime to give the Dallas Cowboys a 27-24 victory over the Washington Redskins. Romo completed 23-of-37 passes for 292 yards and three scores for Dallas (6-4), which won its third straight game. DeMarco Murray carried the ball 25 times for 73 yards and Jason Witten paced the Cowboys with 85 receiving yards and a score. "In the end we just did enough to win this ball game," Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said. "There were a lot of guys who stepped up in different roles in this game and made plays for us."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Green Bay Packers Recap - November 20, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Aaron Rodgers passed for 299 yards and three touchdowns on 23-of-34 efficiency as Green Bay outlasted Tampa Bay, 35-26, at Lambeau Field to remain perfect on the season. "I'm not going to speak for anybody else but personally I just didn't play my best game, so I've got to look at myself first," said a disappointed Rodgers. "I've got to play better and it probably won't be as close." Jordy Nelson racked up 123 yards and a pair of scores on just six receptions, and Tom Crabtree added a TD catch for the Packers (10-0), who matched the 1962 squad for the best start in franchise history.

Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins Recap - November 20, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Fortunes certainly have changed for the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins continued to erase the memory of an 0-7 start with their third straight win, completely dominating the struggling Bills in a 35-8 rout at Sun Life Stadium. Matt Moore threw for 160 yards with three touchdowns and Reggie Bush ran for a score in the lopsided decision, while the Miami defense kept its opponent out of the end zone for a third straight game. "The defense was amazing today," said Bush. The Dolphins (3-7) hadn't won three straight since capturing their last five games of the 2008 season en route to a surprising division title. That was Tony Sparano's first season at the helm, and despite this resurgence, this very well could be his last year with the team.

Oakland Raiders vs Minnesota Vikings Recap - November 20, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Carson Palmer threw for a touchdown and ran for another during a big second quarter, which the Oakland Raiders used to hold off the Minnesota Vikings, 27-21, at the Metrodome. Palmer passed for 164 yards and Michael Bush ran for 109 with a touchdown for the AFC West-leading Raiders (6-4), who have won their last two games. "You don't win anything a little bit past midseason," said Oakland defensive tackle Richard Seymour. "Still a lot of football left to be played." The Raiders also intercepted Minnesota quarterback Christian Ponder three times, including once in the end zone.

Carolina Panthers vs Detroit Lions Recap - November 20, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Matthew Stafford threw for five touchdowns, including the game-winner with less than three minutes in regulation, as Detroit took a 49-35 decision over Carolina. Stafford rallied from two early interceptions to complete 28-of-36 passes for 335 yards in Detroit's (7-3) second win in three games. "We really moved the ball well in the first half. We just killed ourselves with turnovers," Stafford said. "I just knew if we could keep the ball in our hands on those drives in the second half we could get some points." Kevin Smith, who was signed on November 11 after running back Jahvid Best suffered a concussion, ran for a career-high 140 yards with two touchdowns and added 61 yards and a score on four receptions for the Lions.

Seattle Seahawks vs St. Louis Rams Recap - November 20, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett ran for touchdowns in the second half as the Seattle Seahawks dropped the St. Louis Rams, 24-7, at Edward Jones Dome. Tarvaris Jackson completed 14-of-24 passes for 148 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions for the Seahawks (4-6), who have won two straight after dropping three in a row.

Tennessee Titans vs Atlanta Falcons Recap - November 20, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Matt Ryan threw for 316 yards and a touchdown, as the Atlanta Falcons withstood a late charge from the Tennessee Titans to secure a 23-17 bounce-back win. Michael Turner rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries for the Falcons (6-4), who were coming off a deflating 26-23 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints. Roddy White had 147 receiving yards in the win, while Tony Gonzalez finished with five catches for 74 yards and a score. "We came into the game looking to get back on track," said Falcons coach Mike Smith. "That was our number one objective and we got that accomplished." Jake Locker, the eighth overall pick in this year's draft, replaced an injured Matt Hasselbeck late in the third quarter and threw a pair of touchdown passes for the Titans (5-5). He received little help from the maligned Chris Johnson, who ran for 13 yards on 12 carries.

San Diego Chargers vs Chicago Bears Recap - November 20, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Jay Cutler threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for another score as Chicago took down San Diego, 31-20, at Soldier Field. But it appears Cutler's season could be over. The Chicago Tribune reported Sunday night that Cutler broke his right thumb and will miss six-to-eight weeks. Chicago head coach Lovie Smith made no mention of the injury. "Some bumps and bruises, but we came out of the game in pretty good shape," Smith said.

Philadelphia Eagles vs New York Giants Recap - November 20, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- Vince Young, the backup quarterback who dubbed Philadelphia the "Dream Team," let his play do the talking Sunday night, leading the Eagles to a 17-10 victory over the Giants. The Eagles (4-6) threatened to squander another fourth-quarter lead, as Eli Manning hit Victor Cruz for a 24-yard, game-tying touchdown with 11:36 remaining. But Young, playing in place of injured starter Michael Vick, engineered an 18- play, 80-yard drive, hitting Riley Cooper in the back of the end zone for the winning touchdown. "We just knew we had to dig deep," said Cooper. "We knew we had to dig deep and put the ball in the end zone. We pieced that drive together in the run game and pass game." The Giants (6-4) received the ball back with 2:45 remaining, but the Philadelphia defense, largely culpable in five fourth-quarter collapses this season, delivered the decisive blow, as Manning fumbled the ball away on a Jason Babin sack.

Kansas City Chiefs vs New England Patriots Recap - November 21, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
- The last time these teams met, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady suffered a left knee injury that sent him to the operating table. On Monday night, Brady was far from surgical but he did throw a pair of touchdown passes to standout tight end Rob Gronkowski in a 34-3 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in their first meeting since the 2008 season opener. Brady finished with a season-low 15 completions (on 27 attempts) and 234 yards for New England, which sits atop the AFC East with a 7-3 record, two games ahead of both the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills. "We got great contributions from our offense, our defense, our special teams. It was a solid team victory," said New England head coach Bill Belichick.