NFL Weekly Recap: Week Thirteen

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

These results wound up being Cam Newton setting a rushing record for QBs, the Dream Team getting crushed by the Seattle Skittle Beast, Miami continuing to surge, Tebow continuing to be unstoppable in the clutch, the Lions being penalty machines, the Chargers finally not sucking, and the Packers being impossible to stop.

Philadelphia Eagles vs Seattle Seahawks Recap - December 01, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Running into a pile of players at the line of scrimmage, and with one defender's hands all over him, Marshawn Lynch somehow escaped. Lynch's bruising 15-yard run in the opening quarter was only the first of four touchdowns scored by the Seattle Seahawks in a 31-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night, but nothing was a better snapshot of the game and the team trying to tackle him. Indeed, as Lynch shifted into "beast mode" at CenturyLink Field, the Eagles showed just how hard it's been for them to escape least mode.

Carolina Panthers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Recap - December 04, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Tampa, FL (Sports Network) - Cam Newton rushed for three touchdowns and threw for a fourth as the Carolina Panthers rolled over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 38-19, at Raymond James Stadium. Newton's three rushing scores gave him 13 on the season, which established a new NFL record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season. The previous record was held by former Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan, who ran for 12 scores in 1976 while playing a 14-game schedule. Newton ended his day with 204 yards and one interception on 12-of-21 passing to go with 54 yards on the ground.

Kansas City Chiefs vs Chicago Bears Recap - December 04, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Dexter McCluster hauled in a 38-yard Hail Mary pass at the end of the first half, and Tyler Palko managed the game by throwing for 157 yards, as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Chicago Bears, 10-3, in a defensive slugfest at Soldier Field. The Chiefs came into the contest ranked last in the NFL with 13 sacks, but Kansas City's pressure got to Chicago quarterback Caleb Hanie seven times, with rookie Justin Houston recording three sacks. McCluster ran for 61 yards on nine carries for the Chiefs (5-7), who snapped a four-game losing skid. Without Matt Forte, who exited the game in the first quarter with a right knee injury, the Bears (7-5) struggled to get anything going offensively as they finished the game with just 181 total yards and went 0-for-11 on third down.

Indianapolis Colts vs New England Patriots Recap - December 04, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Foxboro, MA (Sports Network) - He may be just 22 years young, but Rob Gronkowski is fast becoming the best tight end in the NFL, if he's not already. Gronkowski caught two touchdown passes and ran for another score, as the New England Patriots beat the lowly Indianapolis Colts, 31-24, at Gillette Stadium. The 2010 second-rounder tied Vernon Davis (2009) and Antonio Gates (2004) for the league's single-season record for receiving touchdowns at his position with 13.

Denver Broncos vs Minnesota Vikings Recap - December 04, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - For the second consecutive week, a Matt Prater field goal delivered a victory. And thanks to Tim Tebow, the Broncos keep rolling out inexplicable victories. Prater kicked a 46-yard field goal to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, then booted a 23-yarder with time expiring to give Denver a 35-32 win against the Vikings.

Atlanta Falcons vs Houston Texans Recap - December 04, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Rookie quarterback T.J. Yates and running back Arian Foster led a long-game winning drive, and the Texans' defense turned in a staunch performance to help Houston secure a 17-10 victory over the Falcons and extend its franchise-best winning streak to six games. Yates, a fifth-round draft choice in April, made his first NFL start Sunday and completed 12-of-25 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown, while not throwing an interception. "I tried my best throughout the week to keep my routine the same, not do anything different so I could be comfortable today," Yates said. He was starting in place of Matt Leinart, who had replaced injured regular starter Matt Schaub but suffered a season-ending collarbone injury last week at Jacksonville.

Cincinnati Bengals vs Pittsburgh Steelers Recap - December 04, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Ben Roethlisberger threw a pair of touchdown passes while becoming the Steelers' all-time completions leader in a 35-7 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Roethlisberger completed 15-of-23 passes for 176 yards, giving him 2,026 career completions. Terry Bradshaw owned the previous record with 2,025. Mike Wallace was on the receiving end of both of Roethlisberger's touchdown throws, while Rashard Mendenhall added 60 yards and two scores on 16 carries for Pittsburgh (9-3).

Tennessee Titans vs Buffalo Bills Recap - December 04, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Orchard Park, NY (Sports Network) - Chris Johnson carried the ball 23 times for 153 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Tennessee Titans beat the struggling Buffalo Bills, 23-17. Johnson, who struggled early on this season, now has three 100-yard rushing performances in three of his last four games for the Titans (7-5), who remained two games behind red-hot Houston for first place in the AFC South. Matt Hasselbeck completed 16-of-25 passes for 140 yards for Tennessee, which has won two in a row.

New York Jets vs Washington Redskins Recap - December 04, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Landover, MD (Sports Network) - Shonn Greene carried the ball 22 times for 88 yards and three touchdowns, including two scores late in the fourth quarter, to help the New York Jets beat the Washington Redskins, 34-19. Mark Sanchez completed 19-of-32 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown for the Jets (7-5), who remain two games back of first-place New England in the AFC East.

Oakland Raiders vs Miami Dolphins Recap - December 04, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Matt Moore threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score to back yet another sterling effort by the Miami defense, as the Dolphins continued their resurgence with a 34-14 rout of the Oakland Raiders at Sun Life Stadium. It may be too late for the Dolphins (4-8) to make any kind of playoff run after their disastrous 0-7 start, but they certainly bounced back nicely from a last-second loss on Thanksgiving at Dallas. After a 10-day break following the 20-19 holiday setback, the Dolphins scored the first 34 points on Sunday and won for the fourth time in their last five games while also extending their home winning streak to three.

Baltimore Ravens vs Cleveland Browns Recap - December 04, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Ray Rice ran for a career-high 204 yards with a touchdown as the Baltimore Ravens took a 24-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns. "I have to give it all to my offensive line," Rice said about his performance. "I think it was my first 200-yard game. It felt good to get it against a divisional opponent." The win allowed Baltimore (9-3) to keep pace with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the top spot in the AFC North. With both teams having identical records, Baltimore sits in first place of the division because it holds the tiebreaker over the Steelers with two wins in the head-to-head meetings this year.

St. Louis Rams vs San Francisco 49ers Recap - December 04, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - Frank Gore became San Francisco's all- time leading rusher, and the 49ers clinched their first NFC West title in nine years by shutting out the St. Louis Rams, 26-0. Gore needed just 22 yards to surpass NFL Hall-of-Famer Joe Perry's all-time mark of 7,344 yards, and did so with a simple two-yard run off the right edge in the second quarter. "It's a powerful thing to set that kind of a record," 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said. Gore finished the game with 73 yards rushing on 21 carries for San Francisco (10-2), which last won the NFC West in 2002.

Green Bay Packers vs New York Giants Recap - December 04, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) - The NFC North-champion Packers were pushed to the brink and answered emphatically, as Mason Crosby booted the game-winning 30-yard field goal at the buzzer to keep Green Bay's perfect season alive with a 38-35 victory over the New York Giants. Hakeem Nicks' second touchdown grab brought the Giants within 35-33 with 58 seconds remaining in regulation, and D.J. Ware punched in the two-point conversion on a delayed draw to pull even. But Aaron Rodgers completed four straight passes to cover 68 yards and get in field goal range, allowing Crosby to come in and split the uprights to seal Green Bay's (12-0) franchise-record 18th straight win. The stretch started in Week 16 last season against the Giants, who were seeking to end another run at an undefeated season.

Detroit Lions vs New Orleans Saints Recap - December 04, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - Drew Brees threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns, leading New Orleans to a 31-17 victory over the undisciplined Detroit Lions. Robert Meachem caught three passes for 119 yards and a score for the Saints (9-3), who have won four in a row. They moved two games ahead of Atlanta in the NFC South. The Falcons fell to the Texans earlier Sunday. The Lions (7-5), meanwhile, were playing without defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh due to his Thanksgiving Day stomp of Packers lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith. Detroit proved just as undisciplined without Suh, racking up a devastating 11 penalties for 107 yards.

San Diego Chargers vs Jacksonville Jaguars Recap - December 05, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Jacksonville, FL (Sports Network) - It's December. And that usually means very good things for the San Diego Chargers. Philip Rivers threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns and Ryan Mathews ran for 112 yards and another score, as San Diego started a new month with a very familiar outcome in a 38-14 waxing of Jacksonville. The Chargers improved to 16-2 in December under head coach Norv Turner in the team's first victory since October 9. Rivers improved to 23-2 in December and January, the best winning percentage by any quarterback during those months since the 1950 merger. San Diego (5-7) snapped a six-game losing streak in the process and moved within two games of both Denver and Oakland in a wide-open AFC West race.