NFL RECAP WEEK 10
Browns at Bengals
At the beginning of the year anyone who expected the Browns to win in Cincinnati please raise your hand. The team that has lurked at the bottom of the AFC North for years and years moved into a tie to first place in the division. Andy Dalton threw for a grand total of 86 yards as the Browns won 24-3. “This is a little different Browns team than the rest of the league is used to seeing,” said Haden, who shut down AJ Green to give the Browns their best start in 20 years, they snapped the streak of 17 years without a division road win. “A huge boost for our guys,” coach Mike Pettine said. “Just look at the streaks we ended. Not many people gave us a chance.”
49ers at Saints
Collin Kaepernick completed a 51 yard pass on 4th down to keep the 49ers game tying drive alive, Ahmad Brooks stripped Drew Brees in overtime and Phil Dawson nailed a 35 yarder to win the game for San Francisco. “It was paramount for us to come out with a win,” San Francisco left tackle Joe Staley said. “You don’t like to say must-win, but it was a must-win game. We looked at that game as a playoff game, and we had that mindset coming in.” The Saints had won 11 games straight at home, a streak that had lasted over a year before the 49ers ended it on Sunday.
Dolphins at Lions
For the the 3rd straight week the Lions came back from behind to win. But this was the most dramatic of the three. Matthew Stafford scrambled to his left and threw on the run, and the ball somehow found the hands of Theo Riddick. And the Lions defeated the Dolphins 20-16. “I just love that feeling. It’s a good feeling for a quarterback to have the ball in his hands at the end of the game,” Stafford said. “By no means are we playing perfect, but we’re finding ways to win games.” And for the 2nd time this month the Dolphins lost in the last minute, they lost to the Packers with 3 seconds left a few weeks ago. “We weren’t thinking about the Packers game. We were thinking about this game. We didn’t win, so it didn’t go the way we wanted it to,” cornerback Brent Grimes said. “Matt Stafford, their receivers made plays. I take my hat off to them.”
Bears at Packers
Aaron Rodgers threw 6 touchdowns in the first half and the Packers could basically do no wrong as they led 42-0 at the half and put in all of their backups and still cruised to a 55-14 victory on a cool night in Green Bay. “We just kind of got things going our way,” Rodgers said. “The line did a good job of giving me time to extend plays. If you extend plays, you look down the field and there’s Jordy Nelson. He made some nice catches.” Rodgers was 18 of 27 for 314 yards in his record-setting first half. The Bears got crushed for the 2nd straight week, last week thy got crushed by New England 51-23. “I’m confused, brother. I’m confused. … We’re just not very good right now,” receiver Brandon Marshall said. “It’s a shame to have to say that, but sitting at 3-6, it’s tough. It’s very, very, very disappointing.”
Panthers at Eagles
Mark Sanchez threw for 332 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions as the Eagles took down the Panthers on Monday Night Football, 45-21. The Panthers, who have just three wins compared to six losses and a tie didn’t look like the defending NFC South champions again, worrying signs for Carolina fans. “We’ve got to do things better,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. “I have to coach better, coaches have to coach better, we have to practice better and then go out and play better. And we’re going to do it together as a team.” Sanchez, one day before his birthday fit perfectly with Chip Kelly’s offense in his first start. “After playing for a while, you learn a lot,” he said. “I’ve made plenty of mistakes and hurt the team. The most important thing was taking care of the football, communicating well and executing. If we do that, generally we’ll be successful. There are still plenty of things to clean up though. By no means was this perfect.”