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| Authored by Andrew Perna - 6th December, 2005 - 3:26 pm
 This week we saw the Seahawks clinch the NFC North division title, the Bengals assure themselves their first winning season in fifteen years, and the Colts continue to break records as they chase football?s ultimate record.
We also saw Houston continue to be the front runner in the Reggie Bush sweepstakes, the Bills blow a 21-point lead against the Dolphins, and the Jets lose their seventh straight game.
Those were just some of the highlights from week thirteen in the NFL. Here is my complete list of highs and lows.
The Highest of Highs
Colts Already In
The Colts not only moved one step closer to a 16-0 season with their 35-3 dismantling of the Tennessee Titans, but they also clinched a playoff berth. The Colts, the 5th team in NFL history to go 12-0, can clinch the AFC South title and a first-round bye with a win over Jacksonville this weekend. Indianapolis was led by a familiar cast of characters. Peyton Manning threw for 187 yards and three touchdowns, completing 13 passes on just 17 attempts. Edgerrin James added 107 rushing yards and a touchdown, and Marvin Harrison caught four passes for 61 yards and a touchdown - becoming the 12th player in NFL history to top 12,000 receiving yards.
Bengals Make Statement
Over the past two decades the Cincinnati Bengals have been the laughing stock of the NFL However, these Bengals will cause laughter no more. Carson Palmer and the Bengals made a huge statement with a 38-31 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Palmer threw for 227 yards and three scores, while running back Rudi Johnson ran for 98 yards and two touchdowns. Bengal receiver Chad Johnson was held without a touchdown, which meant he was unable to show the Steeler faithful the end zone celebration he had planned, but the statement was made. The victory gave the Bengals a two-game lead over the Steelers with four games remaining in the regular season.
Giants Grab NFC East Lead
The Giants defeated the Cowboys 17-10, and in the process grabbed sole possession of the NFC East. New York opened up a 17-0 lead over Dallas, and was able to hold on after stopping a late drive by Drew Bledsoe. The Giants were led by Tiki Barber, who ran for 115 yards in a defensive battle. Both teams were held below 300 total yards ? Dallas was held to just 206. The New York defense held the Cowboy offense at bay with four sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles ? one of which was returned for a touchdown. New York with face Philadelphia, Kansas City, Washington, and Oakland in the last four weeks as they try to remain atop the NFC East.
Vikings Win 5th Straight
Minnesota, 7-5, has won five straight games and has surged into the NFC playoff race. The Vikings are in a three-way tie with Cowboys and Falcons for the NFC?s wild card spots. Brad Johnson is 5-0 as the Vikings? starting quarterback, and has put some life into a franchise that limped to a 2-5 start. The Vikings will have an opportunity to control their playoff fate in the coming weeks. They face the struggling Rams and Ravens, and the waning Steelers. In their final game of the season the Vikings will welcome the NFC North division leading Bears, who are 9-3 and two games ahead of Minnesota.
Garrard Leads Injured Jaguars
The Browns led the Jaguars 14-3 at halftime. Thirty minutes and seventeen unanswered points later, the Jaguars were able to escape Cleveland with a 20-17 victory. In his fourth career start filling in for Byron Leftwich Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard threw for just 116 yards, but connected with Jaguar receivers for two touchdowns. Fellow back-up Greg Jones, who ran for 103 yards, helped Garrard lead the depleted Jaguars to their fifth straight win. Jacksonville, who leads the AFC Wild Card race, will face the undefeated Colts this week. Following the game against Indianapolis, they will feast on San Francisco, Houston and Tennessee ? who have fewer combined wins (6) than they do (9).
The Lowest of Lows
Houston Futility
The Houston Texans are so bad they made Ravens quarterback Kyle Boller look good. Ahead by two points, Houston was left to rely on their defense with a little over a minute left on the game clock. The porous Texan defense allowed Boller and the Ravens to march into field goal range, and win the game on a 38-yarder by Matt Stover. The kick gave Baltimore a 16-15 victory, and dropped Houston to 1-11 this year. Apparently the Texans want USC tailback Reggie Bush bad. With four games to go Houston will compete with the Jets, 49ers, and Packers, all 2-10, for the NFL?s first overall draft pick in 2006.
Jets Losing Streak
To say that the Jets have struggled as of late would be an understatement. New York lost their seventh consecutive game on Sunday against the New England Patriots, 16-3. The Jets, who have been plagued with injures all season, have only scored one touchdown in their last four games. The Jets have scored the fewest points in the league this season (143, 11.9 per game), and have one of the NFL?s worse run defenses. In Brooks Bollinger?s seven starts this season he has thrown three touchdowns. On Sunday Carson Palmer, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and JP Losman all threw for three scores in their respective games. The Jets, 2-10, will round out the season with games against Oakland, Miami, New England, and Buffalo.
Denver Loses Chance
With just over two minutes remaining in the game the Broncos earned a crucial first down on and fourth-and-1 near mid-field, giving them an opportunity to continue a possible game winning drive. As the officials signaled the first down, Kansas City defenders jumped up and down in protest. After the play was reviewed, the call was reversed and the ball was given to the Chiefs. Kansas City ran the clock down to 3 seconds, and moved within a game of the AFC West-leading Broncos. Denver, who had a chance to take a three-game lead over Kansas City, now must face Baltimore, Buffalo and Oakland, before meeting San Diego in the final game of the regular season. The Chargers are 8-4, also a game behind the Broncos.
Buffalo Blows Lead
Buffalo, who was trying to remain within striking distance in the AFC East, opened up a 21-0 lead over Miami in the first quarter. It appeared as though the Bills would have an easy time defeating the Dolphins. They even led 23-3 in the fourth quarter. But, after JP Losman and Lee Evans hooked up for three touchdowns in the first quarter, the Bills were held scoreless except for a safety in the three quarter. Miami came back with three consecutive touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The game-winning score came with 29 seconds left, when Sage Rosenfels connected with Chris Chambers for a 4-yard touchdown. Buffalo, 4-7, is now 3 games behind the AFC East-leading Patriots.
After Career Day, Season Over
Cleveland rookie receiver Braylon Edwards was having a career day against the Jaguars until the fourth quarter. Edwards, who had only caught one touchdown all season, grabbed two scores from fellow rookie Charlie Frye before he had to be helped off the field in the final period. Edwards will now miss the rest of the regular season with a torn knee ligament suffered when his leg buckled awkwardly following an incompletion. He is the latest in a long line of Browns? first round pick failures, including tight end Kellen Winslow who has played only two games in two seasons. Typically players with this injury require nine to twelve months to heal, but Edwards hopes to be ready for the start of the 2006 season. |
