NFL Weekly Recap: Week Nine

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

To me, the top stories were Eli bringing out some of his Super Bowl 42 magic to beat Brady again, the Dolphins failing to #SuckForLuck by beating the Chiefs, the Colts continuing to look completely inept without Peyton, a bounce back performance by Tebow, Flacco out-clutching Big Ben, and another loss by the Eagles who have probably shed that "Dream Team" label by now.

New York Jets vs Buffalo Bills Recap - November 06, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Orchard Park, NY (Sports Network) - Mark Sanchez threw for 230 yards and a touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes as the New York Jets shut down Buffalo, 27-11, in an AFC East clash at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Sanchez finished 20-of-28 with an interception for the Jets (5-3), who have won three in a row in advance of their final regular-season meeting with the Patriots next Sunday night.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New Orleans Saints Recap - November 06, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - One week after looking so out-of-sorts against a winless team, Drew Brees was at his methodical best to beat a pesky division opponent. Brees passed for 258 yards and two touchdowns Sunday, and the New Orleans Saints rushed for 195 yards to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for only the second time in their last five meetings, 27-16. Throwing touchdown passes to Lance Moore and Darren Sproles in the first two quarters, Brees led the Saints (6-3) to a 17-3 halftime lead and was 27- of-36 in the game. He has a touchdown pass in 36 straight games, tying Brett Favre for second place on the all-time NFL list, and also extended his NFL record to 29 games in a row with at least 20 completions.

San Francisco 49ers vs Washington Redskins Recap - November 06, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Landover, MD (Sports Network) - Alex Smith threw for 200 yards and a touchdown and Frank Gore ran for 107 yards, as the San Francisco 49ers earned a 19-11 victory over the Washington Redskins. Gore became the first player in San Francisco franchise history to record five consecutive 100-yard rushing performances and David Akers hit four field goals for the 49ers (7-1), who have won six straight for the first time since winning 11 in a row back in 1997. "We're playing really good football," said 49ers' first-year coach Jim Harbaugh. "We're playing unselfish football."

Cleveland Browns vs Houston Texans Recap - November 06, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Arian Foster and Ben Tate combined to run for 239 yards as the Houston Texans won their third consecutive game without star receiver Andre Johnson, routing the Cleveland Browns, 30-12. Foster had 19 carries for 124 yards and a score, while Tate added 115 yards and a touchdown on 12 rushes for Houston (6-3), which is three games over .500 for the first time in franchise history. Johnson missed his fifth consecutive game since suffering a right hamstring injury during the Texans' Week 4 game against Pittsburgh.

Seattle Seahawks vs Dallas Cowboys Recap - November 06, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Arlington, TX (Sports Network) - Tony Romo threw two touchdown passes and the Dallas Cowboys bounced back from a rough loss to take a 23-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Dallas was trounced in Philadelphia last week, 34-7, but improved to 5-1 under Jason Garrett after a loss thanks to Romo and three interceptions by the defense. Romo finished the game 19-of-31 for 279 yards while DeMarco Murray ran for 139 yards on 22 carries for the Cowboys (4-4), who will host the resurgent Buffalo Bills next Sunday.

Miami Dolphins vs Kansas City Chiefs Recap - November 06, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Behind three touchdown passes by Matt Moore and a stellar defensive effort, the Miami Dolphins got their first win of the season -- a 31-3 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Moore threw for 244 yards while Reggie Bush ran for 92 yards and a score for the Dolphins (1-7), who were off to their worst start since going 0-13 to open the 2007 season. Miami recorded its first victory since December 12 of last year, when it earned a 10-6 win against the Jets.

Atlanta Falcons vs Indianapolis Colts Recap - November 06, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Matt Ryan threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns, including two long strikes to Julio Jones, leading the Atlanta Falcons to a 31-7 thumping of the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Ryan was 14-for-24 with an interception, but had touchdown passes of 50 and 80 yards to Jones that gave the Falcons a 21-0 lead in the first half. "That was a good win for our football team," Ryan said. "I thought all three phases played well today. We did it for 60 minutes, which is something that we have been trying to do throughout the year." Jones, who had missed the previous two games with a hamstring injury, caught three passes for 131 yards and scored the first two touchdowns of his NFL career.

Cincinnati Bengals vs Tennessee Titans Recap - November 06, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - Andy Dalton threw for 217 yards and three scores, leading the Bengals to their first five-game winning streak in 23 years, as Cincinnati defeated the Tennessee Titans, 24-17. The Bengals (6-2) dominated the second half, outscoring Tennessee 17-0, and limiting the Titans to just 95 yards. "We couldn't get first downs in the second half, too many three-and-outs," Titans guard Jake Scott said.

Denver Broncos vs Oakland Raiders Recap - November 06, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Eddie Royal's 85-yard punt return for a touchdown with under six minutes to play helped the Denver Broncos rally past the Oakland Raiders, 38-24, in an AFC West affair. Royal also caught two passes for 25 yards and a score for the Broncos (3-5), who have won two of three. Willis McGahee, who missed last week's 45-10 loss to the Lions with a broken hand, carried the ball 20 times for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Tim Tebow completed 10-of-21 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns. The Florida product also carried the ball 12 times for 117 yards. "Honestly it doesn't necessarily matter too much how you drew it up as long as you get this feeling at the end, because it was pretty special," Tebow said.

Green Bay Packers vs San Diego Chargers Recap - November 06, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
San Diego, CA (Sports Network) - Aaron Rodgers outdueled Philip Rivers, and the Green Bay Packers escaped rainy San Diego with a wild 45-38 victory over the Chargers to remain perfect this season. Rodgers finished 21-of-26 for 247 yards and four touchdowns, while Rivers also threw for four scores and 385 yards on 26-of-46 efficiency but was intercepted three times. Jordy Nelson racked up 105 yards and a score on five receptions for the Packers (8-0), who have won a season's first eight games for the first time since going 10-0 to start off the 1962 campaign. "I don't think we're ever satisfied," Rodgers said. "We've got a coaching staff that is definitely going to pick out the mistakes we've made. Not being able to finish the game with the ball is something that we're frustrated with."

(Their defense forces some big turnovers, but they also give up a ton of yards. I don't know if Rodgers can keep being perfect like he is right now)

New York Giants vs New England Patriots Recap - November 06, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Foxboro, MA (Sports Network) - It wasn't the Super Bowl, but the result was the same. Eli Manning threw a touchdown pass in the final minute and the New York Giants delivered another super-sized blow to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Manning hit tight end Jake Ballard in the left side of the end zone with 15 seconds remaining Sunday, lifting the Giants to a 24-20 win over the Patriots in their first meeting since Super Bowl XLII. The 80-yard drive was aided by a 20-yard pass interference penalty that moved the Giants (6-2) to the one-yard line, and the score came just 81 seconds after Brady found Rob Gronkowski in the front of the end zone for a 20-17 lead. Manning was MVP of New York's Super Bowl win over the Patriots in 2008 after leading his team on a game-winning drive, and he passed for 250 yards and two touchdowns for the Giants (6-2) in this one.

Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers Recap - November 06, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Torrey Smith went from goat to hero in a matter of seconds. Smith, a rookie wide receiver from Maryland, caught Joe Flacco's 26-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds left in regulation to give the Ravens a thrilling 23-20 victory over the rival Steelers in a classic AFC North tilt. Flacco engineered a game-winning 92-yard drive despite several drops from his receivers. Smith short-armed a sure touchdown with 35 seconds left and Anquan Boldin let one slip through his hands at the 10-yard line a little later. On the play after Boldin's drop though, Smith beat William Gay down the right sideline and corralled Flacco's floater, sealing Baltimore's season sweep. The pass was one of 14 third-down conversions by the Ravens (6-2) in 21 chances.

Chicago Bears vs Philadelphia Eagles Recap - November 07, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Jay Cutler threw two touchdowns, including the game-winning score to Earl Bennett early in the fourth quarter to carry the Chicago Bears over the Philadelphia Eagles, 30-24. Cutler completed 18-of-32 passes for 208 yards during the seesaw battle, while Bennett, who had missed the previous five games with a chest injury, caught five passes for 95 yards. Matt Forte amassed 150 yards from scrimmage but lost two fumbles for Chicago (5-3), which overcame the mistakes to extend its winning streak to three. The Eagles (3-5) failed to build off a convincing win over the Cowboys. They squandered a scoring chance in Bears territory with under two minutes left in regulation, as Michael Vick threw high to Jeremy Maclin, who caught the 4th- and-10 pass but couldn't gain his feet in time to reach the first-down marker.