The Sunday Blitz, Week 14
Here are some notes, stats and observations from today's matchups:
Baltimore Ravens 24, Indianapolis Colts 10
- Ravens running back Ray Rice finished with 26 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown in addition to six receptions for 46 yards. In his past four games, Rice has 20-plus carries every game and has three 100-yard performances including his career-high 204 rushing yards in Week 13.
- Wide receiver Torrey Smith had five receptions (on a team-high nine targets) for 48 yards and a score. It was the third game in which he has scored and finished with double-digit fantasy points in his past six games. In each of the other three games, Smith has had three fantasy points or less.
- Tight end Dennis Pitta caught one of Joe Flacco's two touchdown passes. Pitta has now caught a touchdown in two of his past three games.
- Linebacker Terrell Suggs finished the game with three sacks and now has a career-high 13 sacks this season.
- Colts receiver Pierre Garcon led the game with 12 targets, but he finished with only five receptions for 46 yards (both team highs).
- After scoring touchdowns in back-to-back games, Colts running back Donald Brown finished with only 28 rushing yards and minus six receiving yards and no scores.
Atlanta Falcons 31, Carolina Panthers 23
- Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 320 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions today. In his past six games, Ryan has three 300-yard games and a 14:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
- Receiver Julio Jones had only three receptions, but two of them went for touchdowns and Jones finished with 104 yards. It was the fourth time this season that Jones has reached 100 receiving yards.
- Running back Michael Turner finished with 21 carries for 76 yards and no touchdowns. While it wasn't a horrible performance, he was much less productive than he was in their first matchup (139 rushing yards and two touchdowns). Turner, who has five 100-yard games and eight rushing touchdowns, has been held to 76 yards or less and no touchdowns in three straight games.
- Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams had seven carries for 87 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was a 74-yard run so that means his other six carries went for only 13 yards.
- Carolina quarterback Cam Newton threw for two touchdowns and two interceptions, but he did not rush for a touchdown for the first time in three games. On the season, he now has 15 passing touchdowns, 16 interceptions and 13 rushing touchdowns.
Houston Texans 20, Cincinnati Bengals 19
- Texans quarterback T.J. Yates, their fifth-round pick this year, threw his first-ever 300-yard game, two touchdowns and one interception as the Texans clinched the AFC South title in the process. Yates added 36 rushing yards on five carries as well.
- Tight end Owen Daniels had a breakout game with a game-high 100 yards (after four straight games in the 30's). Meanwhile, Joel Dreessen continued to catch touchdown passes. Dreessen scored in his third straight game and caught his sixth touchdown since Week 5.
- Running back Arian Foster carried the ball 15 times for only 41 yards and had four receptions for 33 yards. It ended a six-game streak of games with at least one touchdown for Foster.
- Bengals rookie quarterback Andy Dalton threw for less than 200 yards for the second straight game and for only one touchdown in his fourth straight game. After this five-game stretch against the league's best pass defenses, Dalton gets two easier matchups in Weeks 15 (St. Louis) and 16 (Arizona).
- Running back Cedric Benson rushed for 21 times for 92 yards, both game highs. It was only the fourth game this season that Benson had more than 78 rushing yards.
Detroit Lions 34, Minnesota Vikings 28
- After benching Christian Ponder, who was/is dealing with a hip pointer, the Vikings put in Joe Webb, who threw for a score and ran for another. Webb was 12-of-23 for only 84 yards, but he ran seven times for 109 yards including his 65-yard touchdown.
- Vikings running back Toby Gerhart had 19 carries for 90 yards and caught three passes for 19 yards and a score. Unfortunately for Gerhart owners, there is a decent chance that Adrian Peterson returns in Week 15.
- Receiver Percy Harvin finished with a game-high 10 receptions (on 15 targets) for 69 yards and a touchdown and ran four times for 40 yards. Harvin has at least 94 yards from scrimmage and has scored in each of his past four games.
- With Kevin Smith inactive, Lions running back Keiland Williams led the team in carries (12) and rushing yards (43). Maurice Morris had only four carries for 13 yards.
- The last time Calvin Johnson faced Minnesota, he had seven receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns. This week, he had three receptions for 29 yards, which tie his season lows, but he did not score. He now has only one touchdown in his past five games.
Jacksonville Jaguars 41, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14
- As noted earlier, Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew scored four touchdowns (two rushing and two receiving) today. He now has a total of 10 touchdowns on the season and has rushed for 80-plus yards in all but one of his 13 games this season.
- Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert threw for 217 yards and two touchdowns (both caught by MJD, as mentioned above). It was only four yards shy of Gabbert's career high set in Week 5 and only the second time he threw for two touchdowns (although that has happened in back-to-back games).
- Although he rushed for a touchdown, Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman threw for only 181 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. He now has only 12 (passing) touchdowns and 18 interceptions on the season.
- LeGarrette Blount rushed for 74 yards and a touchdown after last week's 19-yard performance. Blount has double-digit fantasy points in three of his past four games.
- Tight end Kellen Winslow led the Buccaneers with 38 receiving yards. After three games with more than 80 receiving yards, receiver Mike Williams had only three receptions for 35 yards.
Philadelphia Eagles 26, Miami Dolphins 10
- Although LeSean McCoy rushed 27 times for only 38 yards, he scored two touchdowns and added 33 receiving yards. McCoy now has a total of 17 touchdowns (14 rushing and three receiving) and has scored in all but one game this year.
- Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson had four receptions for 59 yards and a score. It was the first time he scored since Week 5 against Buffalo.
- Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore left the game with a concussion and threw for only 95 yards. Moore threw a touchdown and an interception and now has a 9:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his past six games.
- For a second straight week, Miami running back Reggie Bush rushed for 100-plus yards. Bush had 14 carries for 103 yards and he had five receptions for 27 yards.
New York Jets 37, Kansas City Chiefs 10
- Coming off last week's three-touchdown performance, Jets running back Shonn Greene scored another touchdown and led the team in both rushing and receiving. Greene carried the ball 24 times for 129 yards and caught three passes for 58 yards. It was only the fourth 100-yard game of his career and the 58 receiving yards was a career high.
- Jets quarterback only completed three of his 13 passes to receivers, but Sanchez scored four touchdowns in this game. He threw for two scores and ran for two more. Sanchez now has five rushing touchdowns on the season and has had at least three in each of his three seasons in the league.
- Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe had a respectable six receptions for 69 yards, but he extended his scoreless streak to eight games. Bowe has at least 60 receiving yards in 10 of 13 games this season.
- Running back Jackie Battle led the team in rushing with 33 yards on 10 carries. Dexter McCluster had four carries for only one yard and no receptions.
New Orleans Saints 22, Tennessee Titans 17
- As noted earlier today, Saints quarterback Drew Brees extended his streak of games with touchdowns to 40 games. He is only the second player in NFL history to throw a touchdown in at least 40 games. Brees extended his streak of 300-yard games to four and now has 10 of them on the season.
- Saints receiver Marques Colston finished with seven receptions for 105 yards and caught both of Brees' two touchdown passes. Colston has at least 50 yards in nine straight games.
- With Mark Ingram out, Christorpher Ivory led the team in rushing attempts (13) and yards (53).
- Titans running back Chris Johnson finished with only 23 rushing yards on 11 carries. He added five receptions for 43 yards. Johnson has a favorable matchup against the Colts next week, but he had only 34 rushing yards the first time he faced them this season.
- Rookie Jake Locker replaced Matt Hasselbeck, who will have an MRI on his calf on Monday, and threw for 282 yards and a touchdown in addition to rushing for another score.
- Titans receiver Nate Washington had six receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown. It was his second game with 100-plus yards in the past four weeks.
New England Patriots 34, Washington Redskins 27
- Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski had six receptions for a career-high 160 yards and two touchdowns. Gronkowski has scored in seven straight games and he set the NFL record for most receiving touchdowns (15) by a tight end in a season.
- Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis finished with less than 20 rushing yards for a second straight week, however, this week he did not find the endzone. It was the fourth time in seven games and the fifth time this season that The Law Firm had less than 20 rushing yards.
- Since not throwing a touchdown in Week 17 of the 2009 season, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has thrown at least one touchdown in every game since then. This season, he has thrown two or more touchdowns in 12 of 13 games.
- Redskins running back Roy Helu rushed 27 times for 126 yards. He became the first Redskins rookie to rush for 100-plus yards in three consecutive games and he has had 23-plus carries in each of those games.
- Three Redskins receivers finished with 80-plus yards: Donte' Stallworth (96), Jabar Gaffney (92) and Santana Moss (81). Both Gaffney and Moss caught touchdown passes as well.
Arizona Cardinals 21, San Francisco 49ers 19
- Although the 49ers were without linebacker Patrick Willis, Cardinals running back Beanie Wells rushed for only 27 yards on 15 carries. This season, the 49ers have yet to allow a running back gain more than 64 rushing yards (Cedric Benson).
- Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald finished with seven receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown. Fitzgerald now has 62 receptions for 1,092 yards, his fifth consecutive season with at least 1,000 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns.
- 49ers running back Frank Gore rushed for a touchdown, but he had only 10 carries and finished with 72 rushing yards. Teammate Kendall Hunter had eight carries for 20 yards.
- Receiver Michael Crabtree led the Niners in receiving with seven receptions for 63 yards. Crabtree has 24 receptions for 333 yards and a touchdown in his past four games.
Denver Broncos 13, Chicago Bears 10 (OT)
- Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow got off to a slow start (in part due to several dropped passes), but he finished strong, as usual. Tebow threw 40 passes for 236 yards, both season highs, and led the team in rushing with 49 yards.
- After back-to-back 100-yard games, Willis McGahee rushed for only 34 yards on 17 carries. In his past six games, McGahee has been boom (three 100-yard games) or bust (three games with 34 yards or less).
- While Marion Barber had a great fantasy game, he had a game he'd like to forget with some key mistakes late (not going out of bounds, a fumble, etc.). That said, Barber finished with 27 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown in addition to two receptions for 32 yards.
- Bears receiver Johnny Knox led the team in receiving again, but he had only three receptions for 37 yards. Before today's game, Knox had 97, 145 and 53 yards in his previous three games.
Green Bay Packers 46, Oakland Raiders 15
- First the bad news for the Packers: Greg Jennings left the game with what is reported to be a torn MCL.
- The Packers have now scored the most points (466) in a season in franchise history and have now won 19 games in a row going back to last season.
- Running back Ryan Grant rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. With the exception of Week 3 when he rushed for 92 yards, Grant had 40 rushing yards or less in every other game this season. His two scores were his first two of the season.
- Raiders running back Michael Bush rushed 23 times for 78 yards and a touchdown. He has now scored in four of five games.
- Quarterback Carson Palmer threw for 245 yards and one touchdown but also threw four interceptions. In his past five games, Palmer had a 6:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
San Diego Chargers 37, Buffalo Bills 10
- Running back Ryan Mathews rushed for 114 yards on 20 carries and had six receptions for 34 yards. It was Mathews' third consecutive game with at least 100 rushing yards.
- Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers threw three touchdowns and no interceptions for the second straight game. In his past three games, Rivers has thrown 97 pass attempts and has a 7:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
- On the other hand, Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick completed only 13 of 34 passes for 176 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Fitzpatrick now has a career-high 16 interceptions.
- Receiver Stevie Johnson had four receptions for a season-high 116 yards. It was his first 100-yard game of the season.
New York Giants 37, Dallas Cowboys 34
- Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray suffered a broken ankle in tonight's game. With Murray out for the rest of the year, Felix Jones should be added, if available, in your fantasy league with two favorable matchups coming up against the Bucs and Eagles. Jones finished tonight's game with 16 carries for 106 yards and six receptions for 31 yards.
- The trio of Cowboys receivers (Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson) all scored touchdowns tonight as did backup tight end John Phillips. Robinson led the team in receiving with 137 yards.
- After sitting the first half for disciplinary reasons, Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw gained only 12 yards on eight carries. Meanwhile, teammate Brandon Jacobs rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.
- Hakeem Nicks had seven receptions for a game-high 154 yards. Nicks has 21 receptions for 329 yards and two touchdowns in his past three games.
