Aaron Murray threw a touchdown pass to Marlon Brown on the first play of the fourth quarter as Georgia beat Kentucky 19-10 on Saturday to clinch a spot in the SEC championship game. Georgia struggled on offense after losing top rusher Isaiah Crowell to a left ankle injury after only two carries. Crowell's top backup, Carlton Thomas, was not at the game for personal reasons. The team was left with Ken Malcome and Brandon Harton, who rushed for 101 yards, at tailback.

Oakland 24, San Diego 17 Trench Counter: Raiders +16.2, Chargers -16.2 Carson Palmer got on track as the Oakland Raiders (5-4) extended the woes of the rival San Diego Chargers (4-5) at Qualcomm Stadium. Palmer averaged 15.0 yards per pass and finished with 299 yards, two touchdowns and an interception as the Raiders took a 17-3 lead into halftime. With Darren McFadden hurting, Michael Bush rushed 30 times for 157 yards and a touchdown, while Denarius Moore led all receivers with five catches for 123 yards and two scores. The Chargers pulled to within a touchdown twice in the third quarter, but Philip Rivers and the offense couldn’t engineer a comeback at home, dropping their fourth straight contest to fall down the standings in the AFC West. San Diego ran five more offensive plays than Oakland, but had almost 200 fewer yards. The time of possession in the Thursday night game was fairly even with the Raiders holding the ball for more than 32 minutes. New Orleans 26, Atlanta 23 (OT) Trench Counter: Saints -4.5, Falcons +4.5 Mike Smith went for it on fourth-and-short deep in his own territory in overtime as the Atlanta Falcons (5-4) lost to the New Orleans Saints (7-3) at the Georgia Dome. Atlanta scored the final 10 points in regulation to force overtime as they drove down the field with ease to tie the game on a 27-yard field goal by Matt Bryant as time expired. The Falcons had 30 first downs, twelve more than the Saints, and they were 2-for-3 on fourth down. Michael Turner rushed for 96 yards, helping his team average 4.3 yards per carry, while New Orleans managed just 2.6 yards. The Saints leaned heavily on the pass, earning 16 of their 18 first downs through the air. Drew Brees went 30-for-43 with 322 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a wide-open connection with Jimmy Graham and a beautifully placed ball to Robert Meachem in the third quarter. The only turnover of the game came on an interception thrown by Matt Ryan late in the third quarter on Atlanta’s side of the field. Pittsburgh 24, Cincinnati 17 Trench Counter: Steelers +8.7, Bengals -8.7 The Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3) intercepted rookie Andy Dalton late to secure an important win over the Cincinnati Bengals (6-3) on Sunday afternoon. Pittsburgh jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the AFC North battle, but Dalton threw a pair of touchdown passes and kept the Bengals within striking distance over the final three quarters. Cincinnati averaged five yards per play, while Pittsburgh totaled 4.8 per offensive snap. Rashard Mendenhall broke a 17-17 tie with a nine-yard run at the 1:55 mark of the third quarter. It would be the final scoring play of the game. Despite the scoring dash, Mendenhall struggled with just 44 yards on 16 carries (a 2.8 average). As a team, Cincinnati averaged 4.2 yards per rushing attempt. After Mendenhall’s touchdown, Pittsburgh punted on four consecutive possessions. St. Louis 13, Cleveland 12 Trench Counter: Rams -5.5, Browns +5.5 The St. Louis Rams (2-7) earned their second win of the season by beating the Cleveland Browns (3-6) in a game that featured just one touchdown. Josh Brown connected on a 34-yard field goal with 7:42 left in regulation to give St. Louis the win. The Rams committed two turnovers, to Cleveland’s one, but they capitalized on their few extended offensive drives. The Browns had four drives of at least 50 yards, but they were only able to notch nine points on them. The final one ended with Phil Dawson missing a 22-yarder that could have given Cleveland the lead with a little over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Dallas 44, Buffalo 7 Trench Counter: Cowboys +11.4, Bills -11.4 The Buffalo Bills (5-4) committed four turnovers in an embarrassing blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys (5-4). The Cowboys led 21-0 a few minutes into the second quarter and then scored 23 unanswered points after Buffalo’s only touchdown of the afternoon. Dallas went 8-for-12 on third down and averaged 7.1 yards per offensive play. Terence Newman capped off the afternoon with a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown with less than five minutes left in the game. Ryan Fitzpatrick struggled, going 20-for-31 with 146 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. Fred Jackson, who did fumble once, had no problems tearing up the opposing defense with 13 carries for 114 yards. As a team, Buffalo averaged 7.9 yards per rushing attempt. Bills wide receiver David Nelson, who is dating a Cowboys cheerleader, hugged his girlfriend and gave her the ball after his touchdown in the second quarter. Jacksonville 17, Indianapolis 3 Trench Counter: Jaguars +7, Colts -7 The Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6) earned their first road win of the season while the Indianapolis Colts (0-10) remain winless in 2011. The Colts managed just 212 total yards, 13 first downs and they had the ball for less than 25 minutes at home. Curtis Painter had just six incompletions (13-for-19), but two went for interceptions and averaged 4.9 yards per attempt. Jim Caldwell replaced him with Dan Orlovsky late again. After fumbling, Orlovsky led the Colts on their longest drive (68 yards) of the afternoon. Jacksonville had just 39 more total yards than Indianapolis, but they had five more first downs and were able to do so via both the run and pass. Blaine Gabbert went 14-for-21 with 118 yards, a touchdown and an interception, for a 5.6 average. Jacksonville leaned heavily on Maurice Jones-Drew, who ran 25 times for 114 yards and a score. The Colts are 0-10 for the first time since the 1997 and for the third time in the last 25 years. Denver 17, Kansas City 10 Trench Counter: Broncos +4.6, Chiefs -4.6 Tim Tebow completed just two passes, but the Denver Broncos (4-5) were still able to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs (4-5) at Arrowhead Stadium. Tebow was 2-for-8 through the air, but he finished with 69 yards and a touchdown, including a 56-yard connection with Eric Decker in the fourth quarter. Planning to run heavily, the Broncos lost both Willis McGahee and Knowshon Moreno to injuries in the first quarter, but they still rushed for 244 yards on an eye-popping 55 attempts. Kansas City struggled offensively for the second straight week and Matt Cassel was replaced by Tyler Palko in the fourth quarter after the starter was deemed “too banged up” to play. Palko finished 5-for-6 with 47 yards, more efficient than Cassel’s 13-for-28 performance for 93 yards and a score. The Chiefs punted on all of their first-half possessions aside from a one-play affair at the end of the second quarter. Miami 20, Washington 9 Trench Counter: Dolphins +2.8, Redskins -2.8 The Miami Dolphins (2-7) earned their second win in as many weeks as they topped the Washington Redskins (3-6) at Sun Life Stadium. The Dolphins limited the Redskins to just three field goals and they enjoyed another productive afternoon from Reggie Bush. He rushed 14 times for 47 yards and scored the only two touchdowns of the game. Both clubs were called for six penalties and committed two turnovers, but Miami was 8-for-14 on third down and both of their turnovers came on short drives. Washington started Rex Grossman as the John Beck Experiment lasted just a few weeks. Grossman went 21-for-32 with 215 yards and two interceptions as he targeted nine different receivers. The Redskins made three trips into the red zone, but came away without a single touchdown. Houston 37, Tampa Bay 9 Trench Counter: Texans +35.8, Buccaneers -35.8 The Houston Texans (7-3) dominated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5) in a game that further proved they truly are one of the best teams in the NFL this season. Houston jumped out to a 16-0 lead and scored at least a touchdown in each of the game’s four quarters. They averaged 15.7 yards per pass and had nine more first downs than the Buccaneers, who managed just 231 yards on 57 offensive plays. After throwing a pair of touchdown passes in the first half, Schaub began handing the ball off with great regularity. The Texans finished with 44 rushes for 185 yards and three touchdowns, including one each by Arian Foster, Ben Tate and Derrick Ward. Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman was intercepted three times as he went 15-for-35 with 170 yards against the stiff Houston defense. Tennessee 30, Carolina 3 Trench Counter: Titans +11.1, Panthers -11.1 The Tennessee Titans (5-4) kept themselves in the AFC playoff hunt with a relatively easy win over the Carolina Panthers (2-7) at Bank of America Stadium. The Tennessee defense blanked Carolina in the first half and kept rookie phenom Cam Newton in check. Newton went 23-for-40 with 212 yards and an interception, while rushing seven times for 55 yards. Carolina had two turnovers, against just one for the Titans, and they were penalized 12 times for 96 yards. Marc Mariani returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown a little over a minute into the game to put the Titans up early. Matt Hasselbeck averaged 8.1 yards per passing attempt, finishing 15-for-27 with a touchdown and an interception. In addition to an impressive defensive effort, Tennessee also enjoyed the best effort of the season by Chris Johnson. The struggling back rushed 27 times for 130 yards and a score. It was just his second 100-yard performance and second score of the 2011 season. Arizona 21, Philadelphia 17 Trench Counter: Cardinals +6.3, Eagles -6.3 Just when they thought things couldn’t get any worse, the Philadelphia Eagles (3-6) lost to the Arizona Cardinals (3-6) at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday afternoon. With Kevin Kolb injured, John Skelton stepped in and went 21-for-40 with 315 yards and three touchdowns against the Eagles and their heralded secondary. Arizona had 15 first downs through the air alone, while Philadelphia had 15 first downs total. The Eagles were sloppy yet again, committing 11 penalties for 97 yards. Offensively, Philadelphia scored just 10 points as Asante Samuel returned an interception for a touchdown in the second quarter to give the team a 7-0 lead. With 5:06 left in regulation, the Eagles took a 17-14 lead on a 36-yard field goal by rookie Alex Henery. On the next drive, Philadelphia allowed Skelton to lead Arizona on an 11-play, 87-yard drive over three minutes and 13 seconds. Michael Vick was intercepted with 33 seconds left to effectively end the game. The Eagles deactivated DeSean Jackson for the game after he was late for a special teams meeting. Seattle 22, Baltimore 17 Trench Counter: Seahawks -4.6, Ravens +4.6 The Seattle Seahawks (3-6) led 19-7 at the half and held on to upset the Baltimore Ravens (6-3) at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks had just 16 first downs, averaged only 2.8 yards per carry and were called for 13 penalties, but they had the ball for 35 minutes and gained four yards than the Ravens. Baltimore scored the final 10 points of the game, but Tarvaris Jackson led Seattle on a 13-play drive that went 43 yards and took up the final 5:52 minutes of the game after Joe Flacco and Co. got to within five points. Flacco passed 52 times after Seattle jumped out to a 10-0 lead, completing 29 of those attempts for 225 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Ray Rice, who ran just five times for 27 yards, threw a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ed Dickson in the second period. Thanks to their early advantage, Seattle rushed 42 times against just 12 attempts by Baltimore. David Reed cost the Ravens dearly, fumbling twice on kick returns. San Francisco 27, N.Y. Giants 20 Trench Counter: 49ers +2.4, Giants -2.4 After a first half that included five field goals, the San Francisco 49ers (8-1) and New York Giants (6-3) combined for four touchdowns over the final 18 minutes of the game. The Giants had possession of the football for nine more minutes, five more first downs and they were 7-for-14 on third down, but the 49ers capitalized on miscues with a pair of touchdowns in a 61-second span early in the fourth quarter. After Alex Smith connected with Vernon Davis on a 31-yard touchdown pass to put San Francisco up by seven, Eli Manning was intercepted by Carlos Rogers. One play later, Kendall Hunter ran 17 yards to the left to give the team a 27-13 edge. The Giants scored a touchdown on the ensuing possession and then forced a three-and-out, but they couldn’t convert after reaching the red zone with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. New York failed to gain a single yard after having second-and-2 at San Francisco’s 10-yard line. Chicago 37, Detroit 13 Trench Counter: Bears +7.7, Lions -7.7 The Chicago Bears (6-3) forced six turnovers as they pummeled the Detroit Lions (6-3) and pulled even with their NFC North rival in the standings. Detroit had 10 more first downs than Chicago and totaled 393 total yards, but Chicago scored a touchdown on special teams and another two on defense. Devin Hester returned a punt 82 yards in the second quarter and then Major Wright and Charles Tillman returned interceptions for seven points within two minutes of each other in the third period. Matthew Stafford was intercepted four times and finally found the end zone on a 10-yard pass to Tony Scheffler with five minutes left in the game. He finished 33-for-63 with 329 yards for a 5.2 yard average. His counterpart, Jay Cutler, went 9-for-19 with 123 yards. With the scoring done on defense and special teams, the Bears rushed 35 times for 109 yards and a score.

The AFC The Buddy Nix Buffalo Rumblings: “The Buffalo Bills’ 27-11 loss to the New York Jets yesterday was a big deal, but there were other games that mattered this weekend. With the loss, Buffalo dropped into a large contingent of AFC teams at 5-3 - including the team from Jersey - but got some help and didn't fall as far as they could have.” The Jeff Ireland The Phinsider: “The team is finally starting to look like...well...a team. The offense was clicking. The defense was clicking. The special teams were clicking. Everything worked on Sunday, and that led to this question. What can the Dolphins do over the last eight weeks of the season?” The Jonathan Kraft The Boston Herald: “The Patriots have had the NFL’s lowest-ranked defense almost all season. Now their offense is struggling, too. The Patriots lost to the New York Giants on Sunday, 24-20, and didn’t score until 5:29 remained in the third quarter. Tom Brady threw inaccurately on several passes. Others that were on target were dropped.” The Mike Tannenbaum Gang Green Nation: “You might have noticed Shonn Greene sitting on the bench in the waning moments of the fourth quarter with Jets staff tending to him. There is some good news on that front.” The Ozzie Newsome Baltimore Beat Down: “I'm concerned about Ray Rice. He is frequently cited as the centerpiece of our offense, our most dynamic offensive weapon, and the defensive coordinator of the Steelers was quoted by the announcers tonight as saying something to the effect of Rice being the beginning and end of their defensive game planning.” The Mike Brown Ryan Harper of Cincy Jungle: “Currently the Bengals are tied for 18th in the league with a conversion rate of 37.2 percent on third downs. Now that's nothing to crack open a bottle of champagne for, but it's nothing to be too embarrassed by. As the season has progressed so has the Bengals ability to convert on third downs. Converting on third down pressure situations is vital for the Bengals chances of winning.” The Tom Heckert Chris Pokorny of Dawgs By Nature: “Browns head coach Pat Shurmur confirmed this morning what was fairly obvious: starting running back Peyton Hillis will miss this Sunday's game against the St. Louis Rams after re-aggravating his hamstring last week” The Kevin Colbert Behind The Steel Curtain: “As much as it hurts me to say this, I think it is. Sunday Night Football was just a great game between two great teams. And it hurts even more to say, that the Ravens played amazingly well. Frankly, that's the way it should be, two very even teams, played a very even game, traded field goals, each scored a TD off a turnover, came up with long drives for another 7s, and the difference materialized only with 8 ticks to go. Seriously, it can't get much better than this.” The Rick Smith Battle Red Blog: “Throughout the 2009 season, there was a huge hullaballoo about the Houston Texans having the best defense in team history. At the time, I argued it was smoke and mirrors: we consistently under-performed against teams that played remotely talented quarterbacks.” The Chris Polian Stampede Blue: “Curtis Painter isn't the worst player in the league. But he's definitely the worst starting quarterback.” The Gene Smith Alfie Crow of Big Cat Country: “Jaguars rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert gets a bit of a break this weekend against the Indianapolis Colts. While he'll still have to deal with Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, outside of those two the Colts defense is a bit "squishy", for lack of a better word. Currently, the Colts rank 24th in the NFL against the pass, giving up 260 passing yards a game and allowing opposing quarterbacks a rating of 112.7.” The Mike Reinfeldt Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean: “Cam Newton is one of the NFL’s biggest surprises in Carolina. Andy Dalton’s slinging it for the Bengals. And in Minnesota and Jacksonville, rookies Christian Ponder and Blaine Gabbert are getting their shot. Titans rookie Jake Locker is going to have to remain patient, however. There are no plans to make him the starter this season, Coach Mike Munchak said on Monday. This is veteran Matt Hasselbeck’s team, he said.” The Brian Xanders Sayre Bedinger of Mile High Report: “We all know that Tim Tebow was a highly regarded recruit in high school, but we might have underestimated to do some recruiting of his own. Orlando Magic center and NBA superstar Dwight Howard recently tweeted this about Tim Tebow.” The Scott Pioli Patrick Allen of Arrowhead Addict: “Todd Haley might be one of the most interesting coaches the Kansas City Chiefs have had since the flamboyant Hank Stram. Haley can come off as gruff, grumpy, surly, angry, hot-headed, sloppy and childish. Yet at the same time, he can be very likable.” The Al Davis Silver And Black Pride: “When Hue Jackson became the coach of the Oakland Raiders after the firing of Tom Cable, many fans were ecstatic. There would be consistency, a fiery leader, a man who really knew football and commanded the locker room. Hue promised to build a bully. He brought promises of being a mean, tough football team. And sure enough, the team jumped out to 4-2 and looked every bit the part. They were hard hitting, never gave up, they ran it down teams' throats, and they imposed their will.” The Dean Spanos John Gennaro of Bolts From The Blue: “Ladies and gentlemen, Vincent Jackson. We wanted a big game from him to justify his desire for top-WR money, we got a big game. We wanted a big game against a big time cornerback and got to watch Jackson make Tramon Williams look foolish.” The NFC The Stephen Jones Steven Mullenax of The Landry Hat: “It was third down and goal in Seattle’s red zone. With no visible options, Romo tucked the ball and ran towards the endzone. He was stopped a couple yards short, and the Cowboys were forced to kick a field goal. But as Romo left the field, the home crowd in Arlington began to boo.” The Jerry Reese Ralph Vacchiano of The New York Daily News: “Justin Tuck occasionally looked into the stands at Gillette Stadium on Sunday and saw the signs directed towards Giants quarterback Eli Manning. He read the ones that questioned whether Manning really belonged in a class with Tom Brady and whether he really could be called an “elite” quarterback in the league.” The Howie Roseman Paul Domowitch of The Philadelphia Daily News: “Another blown lead. Another game where their run defense let them down. Another game where turnovers killed them. Get the defibrillator.” The Bruce Allen Parks Smith of Hogs Heaven: “Despite the total despair we all felt yesterday there was one small glimmer of hope in the beat down the 49ers gave us yesterday. For years Skins fans have been looking for a "change of pace" back, and lightning to Clinton Portis’ and now Tim Hightower’s lightning.” The Jerry Angelo Steven Schweickert of Windy City Gridiron: “First thing I noticed was the Bears willingness, and somewhat reliance, on running to the right side of the field early and often. The first four runs were directed to the right side, including the third where he backtracked himself into a wide-open left side for 14 yards. Two runs combined for 39 yards.” The Martin Mayhew Sean Yuille of Pride Of Detroit: “Ever since Jahvid Best suffered his second concussion since August a few weeks ago, speculation has been swirling about when the Lions will get him back. Because concussion issues are nothing new for Best, there have been rumblings that he could miss the rest of the season.” The Mark Murphy Acme Packing Company: “You can point out some times when the cornerbacks have gotten beaten, but the problem isn't that they give up a completion in front of them now and again. That happens to all cornerbacks. But sometimes receivers are left so wide open, it looks like there's some miscommunication going on. And when a coverage is blown, the first players I look to are the safeties.” The Mark Wilf Mark Craig of The Star Tribune: “The announcement came with no ringing endorsement to suggest long-term comfort is warranted, but Vikings cornerback Cedric Griffin did survive the bye week with his starting job intact.” The Thomas Dimitroff Adam Schultz of The Falcoholic: “The Falcons needed to beat the Colts and they did, not bothering to even allow hapless Indy an offensive touchdown. It wasn't perfect but it also wasn't a disaster.” The Marty Hurney James Dator of Cat Scratch Reader: “There are some Carolina players whose nature as a player can be summed up in one moderately-simple polysyllabic word. Steve Smith is our mercurial wide receiver, Cam Newton has become our emblematic quarterback, and Greg Hardy is our eccentric defensive end; but there's one more player who joins this group of Panther nomenclature, and that's our enigmatic cornerback Chris Gamble.” The Mickey Loomis James Varney of The Times-Picayune: “Speaking with reporters Monday after the New Orleans Saints 27-16 victory over Tampa Bay, Coach Sean Payton and safety Malcolm Jenkins stressed that the club is focused on playing its best football in November because that is the month where serious NFL contenders establish themselves.” The Mark Dominik Bucs Nation: Quincy Black was given a huge contract this off season and he has not earned it. I can say that in regards to the seasons he's play before singing it and for this campaign. He's the fastest linebacker on the field with all of the impressive measurables but he's just not a very good player. There are problems in every aspect of his game from coverage to breaking down.” The Rod Graves Seth Pollack of The Desert Dirt: “With about five minutes left in the first half of the Arizona Cardinals game Sunday against the St. Louis Rams a strange thing happened: Rookie CB Patrick Peterson checked in on offense. According to coach Ken Whisenhunt, we will see that again.” The Billy Devaney Ryan Van Bibber of Turf Show Times: “I guess they don't call him "Silent Stan" for nothing. Since his infamous post-game meeting with St. Louis Rams Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo after a disappointing loss to the New York Giants in week 2, there has barely been a mention of Rams owner Stan Kroenke. Without a doubt he's watching the games, watching bad calls and punt return touchdowns chipping away at his investment.” The Trent Baalke David Fucillo of Niners Nation: “One of the random complaints early in Alex Smith's career was the fact that his hands were supposedly too small to effectively grip and throw the football. That always struck me as a little odd, but given his early problems with holding onto the ball, I suppose it is not surprising the complaints came along.” The John Schneider Danny Kelly of SB Nation Seattle: “The Seahawks lost 23-13 on Sunday but managed to stay in the game until into the fourth quarter. They also covered the spread. So I suppose it wasn't all bad. Let's take a look at some of the numbers and what they might mean.”

N.Y. Jets 27, Buffalo 11 Trench Counter: Jets +10.9, Bills -10.9 The New York Jets (5-3) used a tremendous defensive effort to record an impressive road win, their first of the season, against the Buffalo Bulls (5-3). The Bills had the ball for just a little over 22 minutes, went 3-for-11 on third down and had just three points before a touchdown with 3:14 left in regulation and the outcome of the game long decided. Buffalo committed turnovers on three of their first eight possessions and punted on four others. Mark Sanchez went 20-for-28 with 230 yards, a touchdown and an interception, which came on New York's first possession. Shonn Greene, LaDainian Tomlinson and Joe McKnight helped the Jets control the clock (33 carries for 121 yards) and Sanchez was productive through the air with an average of 7.9 pass per pass attempt. Dallas 23, Seattle 13 Trench Counter: Cowboys +9.4, Seahawks -9.4 The Dallas Cowboys (4-4) and Seattle Seahawks (2-6) both recorded 18 first downs and they enjoyed roughly the same amount of production on the ground, but turnovers and third-down issues doomed the Seahawks. Seattle was just 2-for-10 on third down and Tarvaris Jackson threw three interceptions in the second half, including a pair in Dallas territory. With the game tied at six apiece after two quarters, the Cowboys scored the first 17 points of the second half. Tony Romo enjoyed a drama-free afternoon, going 19-for-31 with 279 yards and a pair of touchdown strikes. Dallas also received another standout performance from rookie DeMarco Murray, who rushed 22 times for 139 yards at Cowboys Stadium. Houston 30, Cleveland 12 Trench Counter: Texans +17.6, Browns -17.6 The Houston Texans (6-3) jumped out to an early lead and cruised to an easy win against the Cleveland Browns (3-5) even though they were without wide receiver Andre Johnson once again. The Texans led 14-0 midway through the first quarter and took a 24-3 edge into the second half. Cleveland didn’t find the end zone until there were less than five minutes left in regulation when Colt McCoy found Joshua Cribbs for a two-yard touchdown. The Texans had 11 more first downs than the Browns and they were an outstanding 9-for-14 on third down. The Houston defense was stellar as well, holding Cleveland to 172 total yards and sacking McCoy four times. For the second time this season, Arian Foster and Ben Tate both surpassed the 100-yard mark on the ground. Foster had 19 carries for 124 yards and a touchdown and Tate added 12 touches for 115 yards and a score. Atlanta 31, Indianapolis 7 Trench Counter: Falcons +26.4, Colts -26.4 The Atlanta Falcons (5-3) pummeled the Indianapolis Colts (0-9) to keep them winless on the season. The Falcons scored 21 points in the first twenty minutes to put the game out of reach quickly. Indianapolis didn’t have an offensive score as their seven points came on a six-yard interception return by Jerraud Powers in the second quarter. The Colts had just 186 total yards of offense on 56 plays and had possession for just over 22 minutes at Lucas Oil Stadium. Atlanta rookie wide receiver Julio Jones enjoyed a coming out party, catching three passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns. Jones came into the game without a score, but made his first trip to the end zone on a diving 50-yard grab in the first quarter. Matt Ryan averaged 11.2 yards per pass and his interception was the lone blemish on his record. With the Colts struggling offensively, they pulled Curtis Painter in favor of Dan Orlovsky in the fourth quarter. Neither quarterback was very effective. Miami 31, Kansas City 3 Trench Counter: Dolphins +12.4, Chiefs -12.4 The Miami Dolphins (1-7) earned their first win in impressive fashion, dominating the Kansas City Chiefs (4-4) at home on Sunday afternoon. Matt Moore had a great afternoon, going 17-for-23 with 244 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 10.6 yards per pass, nearly double what Matt Cassel (5.8) posted for the Chiefs. Miami and Kansas City were close in total yards (351 to 343) and first downs (17 to 20), but the Chiefs punted five times and turned the ball over on downs on four occasions. Reggie Bush had another productive afternoon for the Dolphins, rushing 13 times for 92 yards and a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 50 yards, second only to Brandon Marshall, who had eight catches for 106 yards and a score. Cassel threw for 253 yards, but Kansas City’s running game didn’t provide much help. Jackie Battle carried the ball 14 times for 40 yards and the team averaged 3.4 yards per carry. New Orleans 27, Tampa Bay 16 Trench Counter: Saints +7.5, Buccaneers -7.5 The New Orleans Saints (6-3) remained perfect at home with a big divisional win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4) at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Buccaneers were held to just six points through the first three quarters, while the Saints ranked up 453 yards of total offense against the Tampa Bay defense. Drew Brees had a good afternoon, going 27-for-36 with 258 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, but it was the ground game that led New Orleans to victory. Chris Ivory, Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles and Brees combined to rush 28 times for 195 yards (a 7.0 average) and a touchdown. The Saints had the game’s only turnover, but the Buccaneers were just 2-for-12 on third down and they turned the ball over on downs on a gutsy call by Raheem Morris in the first quarter. San Francisco 19, Washington 11 Trench Counter: 49ers +8.6, Redskins -8.6 The San Francisco 49ers (7-1) maintained their hot start with a grinding win over the Washington Redskins (3-5) at FedEx Field. Frank Gore rushed 19 times for 107 yards, making him the first running back in franchise history to tally 100 yards in five-straight games. Alex Smith had another very good afternoon, going 17-for-24 with 200 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, John Beck had 254 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 30-for-47 passing for the Redskins. San Francisco’s defense limited Washington to three points until there were just 70 seconds left in the fourth quarter when Beck connected with Jabar Gaffney on a nine-yard touchdown pass. The Redskins have lost four straight after their bye week, which came after an impressive 3-1 start. Washington was forced to punt on four of their first five possessions in the game. Denver 38, Oakland 24 Trench Counter: Broncos +10.9, Raiders -10.9 The Oakland Raiders (4-4) led 17-7 at halftime, but the Denver Broncos (3-5) scored 31 of the game’s next 38 points to seize control of the game. Both teams had more than 400 yards of total offense, 20 or more first downs and double-digit penalties. Oakland had three turnovers, two of which came on interceptions in the second half. After throwing three interceptions in his second-half debut two weeks ago, Carson Palmer went 19-for-35 with 332 yards, three touchdowns and three more picks. Willis McGahee helped Tim Tebow lead the Broncos to their second comeback win in their last three games. Tebow threw for 124 yards and two touchdowns while also scrambling 12 times for 117 yards. Meanwhile, Willis McGahee thrashed the Raiders defense for 163 yards and two scores on 20 carries. His longest dash, a 60-yarder, came on the game-tying touchdown as time expired in the third quarter. Cincinnati 24, Tennessee 17 Trench Counter: Bengals +2.3, Titans -2.3 The Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) rallied to beat the Tennessee Titans (4-4) and earn their fifth straight victory. Trailing 17-7 after two quarters, rookie quarterback Andy Dalton tossed two touchdown passes and Cincinnati scored the final 17 points of the game. The Titans had nine more total yards than the Bengals and averaged more yards per pass and rush, but they punted five times and lost a fumble in the second half. Dalton finished 22-for-39 with 217 yards and three touchdowns, while Matt Hasselbeck went 24-for-41 with 273 yards and two scores. Chris Johnson had 64 yards on 14 carries with Cincinnati struggling to tackle him in the first half. Jared Cook fumbled after hauling in a nine-yard pass from Hasselbeck with four minutes left and the Titans trailing 21-17. Two minutes later, Mike Nugent kicked a 36-yard field goal to give Cincinnati a seven-point edge. Arizona 19, St. Louis 13 (OT) Trench Counter: Cardinals -0.8, Rams +0.8 Patrick Peterson scored on a 99-yard punt return in overtime to give the Arizona Cardinals (2-6) a thrilling win over the St. Louis Rams (1-7) in Glendale. The Rams had close to 400 total yards and held the Cardinals to just 262, but St. Louis committed the game’s lone turnover on a Sam Bradford interception. The game began with five field goals and two safeties before John Skelton hooked up with Larry Fitzgerald for a 13-yard touchdown with 4:51 left in the fourth quarter. St. Louis scored four points in the third quarter by tackling Skelton in the end zone and then watching the quarterback commit his own safety. The Rams were led by Steven Jackson, who rushed 29 times for 130 yards. Not only did Peterson return the game-winning punt, but his also intercepted Bradford. N.Y. Giants 24, New England 20 Trench Counter: Giants +6.1, Patriots -6.1 After it appeared as though Tom Brady had led the New England Patriots (5-3) on yet another game-winning drive in the fourth quarter, Eli Manning engineered his own thrilling drive to lead the New York Giants (6-2) to victory at Gillette Stadium. After a scoreless first half, the Giants jumped out to a 10-0 lead before the Patriots scored 13 straight points to take a 13-10 lead with 7:08 left in the fourth quarter. With a little over three minutes left, there appeared to be three game-winning drives. Manning hooked up with Mario Manningham on a 10-yard pass with 3:03 left to give New York a 17-13 lead. Brady then connected with Rob Gronkowski on a 14-yard pass to give New England a 20-17 edge with 1:36 left. After a costly pass interference call on the Patriots, Manning found Jake Ballard in the end zone for the actual game-winning score. Each of New York’s final two drives were boosted by pass inference calls. Green Bay 45, San Diego 38 Trench Counter: Packers +10.9, Chargers -10.9 The Green Bay Packers (8-0) led 21-7 after the first quarter, but the San Diego Chargers (4-4) made things difficult for the defending champions in the second half. Two of Green Bay’s first three scores came on interception returns (Charlie Peprah, 40 yards and Tramon Williams, 43 yards) in a matter of three minutes. Philip Rivers finished 26-for-46 with 385 yards, four touchdowns and three picks. Rivers found Vincent Jackson for a pair of scores midway through the fourth quarter to pull San Diego to within a touchdown. After forcing a three-and-out, the Chargers punted in Green Bay territory. The San Diego defense then forced another punt, but Rivers threw his third interception in Packers territory with less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation. The Chargers had seven more first downs and 92 more total yards, but the Packers didn’t commit a turnover. Baltimore 23, Pittsburgh 20 Trench Counter: Ravens +1.7, Steelers -1.7 After taking criticism for his play in the first half of the season, Joe Flacco led the Baltimore Ravens (6-2) to a thrilling comeback win over the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) on Sunday night. With 2:17 left in regulation, Flacco led the offense on a 12-play drive that went for 92 yards and ended with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Torrey Smith for the game-winning score. At the 4:59 mark of the fourth quarter, Ben Roethlisberger found Mike Wallace for a 25-yard score that briefly gave Pittsburgh a 20-16 lead. Baltimore led 9-6 at halftime and took a 16-6 edge in the third quarter on a four-yard run by Ray Rice with less than five minutes left in the period. Three touchdowns were scored in the fourth quarter, beginning with a one-yard run by Rashard Mendenhall just a few seconds into the period. The Ravens were an amazing 14-for-21 on third down, while the Steelers averaged more yards per pass (8.7 to 6.1) and per rush (3.5 to 2.5).

The AFC The Buddy Nix Brian Galliford of Buffalo Rumblings: "Every time an opponent of the Buffalo Bills forgets about Scott Chandler, the fifth-year tight end makes them pay. In fairness, it's not difficult to forget about Chandler. Buffalo's a tough team to generate pressure against. They have two good receivers (currently playing), a couple of underrated decoys in C.J. Spiller and Brad Smith, and arguably the NFL's best running back this season in Fred Jackson. Bills opponents have plenty to keep track of on game days." The Jeff Ireland Omar Kelly of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Each week Tony Sparano, the fiery coach placed on a smoldering seat as the leader of a winless Miami Dolphins team, is filled with optimism and hope." The Jonathan Kraft Richard Hill of Pats Pulpit: "Despite the close score, it never felt as if the Patriots' defense was in the game against the Steelers. The Patriots have dropped back down to 30th in the league in 3rd down defense and it's important to see why in order to fix those issues. I went through the game tape and took quick notes based upon what I saw. It's apparent what the weakness of the defense is, although the answer might surprise you." The Mike Tannenbaum Filip Bondy of The New York Daily News: "They are one game behind two teams — New England and Buffalo — and have three conference defeats already. They play five of their last nine games on the road. They have to win in cold climates such as Buffalo and Denver. They have to win in Philadelphia. And even after Pittsburgh helped their cause on Sunday by beating the Pats, the Jets may be the only ones around here who actually think they'll actually win the division crown." The Ozzie Newsome Bruce Raffel of Baltimore Beat Down: "The Baltimore Ravens and Arizona Cardinals were not only playing each other yesterday, they were also competing against the referees, who called 23 penalties between the two teams in the Ravens 30-27 victory. After a relatively calm first half with seven penalties total on both Baltimore and Arizona, the referees went to work in the second half." The Mike Brown The Cincy Jungle: "Seattle Seahawks rookie cornerback Richard Sherman made his first start on Sunday, and covered Bengals rookie wide receiver A.J. Green for most of the game. The fifth-round corner made an impact in the game by picking off a pass intended for Green. And for the most part had an overall solid day as a rookie corner covering a top-five draft pick from the same year." The Tom Heckert Chris Pokorny of Dawgs By Nature: “When Cleveland Browns head coach Pat Shurmur talked with the media following Sunday's loss to the San Francisco 49ers, he again admitted that the offense has little room for error. "I think our margin for error right now on offense is very small," said Shurmur. "That's not an excuse. That's the reality. We've gotta hit on everything. We just do." The margin of error is indeed small, and the issue is that the problems are coming from different directions.” The Kevin Colbert Rebecca Rollett of Behind The Steel Curtain: “And this brings me to the real point of my article, which is my speculations on whether there has to be sort of a "tipping point" in a team or a unit before it can substantially change and improve.” The Rick Smith Battle Red Blog: “Someone bust out the shrimp and gumbo because Louisiana's own Jacoby Jones takes home the honors this week for his significant, unsung contributions. The maddening Twitter laureate showed up when necessary - despite his modest stat line of three catches for 59 yards and five punt returns for 56 yards.” The Chris Polian Stampede Blue: “[Bill] Polian said the fear of playing Peyton [Manning] in games mostly revolves around the current state of the Colts offensive line. Apparently, the Colts don't want to just throw Peyton out there and have him play behind a patchwork of nobody is blocking in front of him.” The Gene Smith Adam Stites of Big Cat Country: “There's a phrase that is sometimes tossed around when rookies quarterbacks are put in as starters: "Set up for failure." It's used when a player is put in a situation where their chances at success are minimal and the most likely scenario for them is to fail as a quarterback. If Blaine Gabbert is not a player that was set up for failure in 2011, then I don't know who is.” The Mike Reinfeldt August West of Music City Miracles: “Yesterday's win might not have been the most inspiring, but it was a great chance for the Titans to snap a nearly month-long trend of terrible performances. After getting waxed by the Texans and Steelers, the Titans took advantage of one of the worst teams in the NFL at home. Javon Ringer was able to get the running game out of the sewer and at least into a cozy gutter” The Brian Xanders Sayre Bedinger of Mile High Report: “The Denver Broncos got absolutely hammered on their home field against the Detroit Lions, and as expected, Tim Tebow is receiving much of the blame for it. Everyone who said he would fail in this league is taking this opportunity to puff their chest and let everyone know they were right, and everyone who says he can succeed is trying to find some reason to believe he can still do it.” The Scott Pioli Patrick Allen of Arrowhead Addict: “The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Diego Chargers 23-20 in overtime last night in what is being called the Monday Night Miracle. After the game, the KC defense got into the Halloween spirit and busted out their costumes.” The Al Davis Rich Langford of Silver and Black Pride: “Darren McFadden is probably going to miss the Broncos game and maybe more. The Raiders haven't said anything of the sort, but -- as Steve Corkran tells us -- the Raiders worked out two running backs on Wednesday. They would not do this unless they were worried about Darren McFadden's chances of playing in their next game.” The Dean Spanos Chris Jenkins of The San Diego Union-Tribune: “Just about the most solid center-quarterback connection in the National Football League — Nick Hardwick to Philip Rivers, Pro Bowler to Pro Bowler — misconnected at the absolute worst time in a game the Chargers needed in the worst way. Fifteen yards away from the goal line, merely needing to kill some time before a game-winning field goal by semi-automatic Nick Novak, the snap from Hardwick thudded off Rivers’ fingers.” The NFC The Stephen Jones Blogging The Boys: “I have never quit watching a Cowboys game prior to the final whistle, but Sunday night I came close. It was a brutal and embarrassing display by our beloved team. The bad news: The "..." Eagles have found new life and could use the dominant victory against the Cowboys to springboard them from the division basement to playoff contention. The good news: For those who fought through the pain until the bitter end, at least we saw a team that didn't quit before the final whistle.” The Jerry Reese Ed Valentine of Big Blue View: “Here we are again with coach Tom Coughlin and the New York Giants. At 5-2 after seven games, where the Giants always are. Under Coughlin, the Giants have been 5-2 in seven of his eight seasons. The other year? They were 6-1. Why not just start the season after seven games? The Giants are always in the same place, record and respect-wise.” The Howie Roseman Bleeding Green Nation: “A lot of NFL pundits are somewhat confused by how to see the Eagles right now. They dominated the Cowboys last night in what was probably their first complete game of the year, but in reality they've shown flashes of that ability all year. We know they have the talent to play the way they did... So how do you treat them?” The Bruce Allen Mike Jones of The Washington Post: “All season long, Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan have talked about their desire – and need – for a balanced attack that features a blend of the pass and run.” The Jerry Angelo Sam Householder of Windy City Gridiron: “The Bears' offensive line has been one of the weakest spots on the team, we know this. The fact of the matter is, though, that they have gotten exponentially better since the right side has been solidified with Spencer/Louis. We spent a first round pick on Gabe Carimi and when he played, he played very well and was getting the job done but there is no reason to insert him back into the line up next week.” The Martin Mayhew Sean Yuille of Pride of Detroit: “Almost four years ago exactly, I listened to a discussion on 97.1 The Ticket about if Detroit Lions fans could finally start throwing the word "playoffs" around. The conversation came after the Lions dismantled the Denver Broncos in a 44-7 victory that included both a fumble return for a touchdown and a pick-six. The win gave the Lions a 6-2 record, and talking about the Lions and the playoffs no longer resulted in being viewed as a crazy person. Sounds familiar, right?” The Mark Murphy Acme Packing Company: “My current answer to whether the Green Bay Packers should place the franchise tag on TE Jermichael Finley is maybe. This is not a decision that needs to be made anytime soon anyway. But one reason I've thought the Packers should not use the franchise tag on him is that it would make him unhappy, as it does with many players. Players usually want a long-term deal, or the opportunity to talk to other teams and get a better deal. So his recent comments on whether he'd want to be tagged surprised me.” The Mark Wilf Ted Glover of The Daily Norseman: “What's the best way to determine how good a quarterback is compared to another? Sure, wins are one measuring stick, as are any number of comparative statistics, like completion percentage, QB rating, yards, TD's, etc. If you're into an in-depth breakdown that has some awesome stats, check out Arif Hasan's fanpost on the QB mid-season review, it's a great read.” The Thomas Dimitroff Dave Choate of The Falcoholic: “The Falcons started off the season with what could be described as an explosion of pass rushing. They had four sacks against a porous Chicago Bears offensive line in the first week, which they followed up by....not doing much. Let's be frank. The three weeks after that, the Falcons got no sacks. They barely got any pressure. It's not a total coincidence in my mind that Atlanta managed to go just 1-2 over that stretch. But they've gotten nine sacks in the three weeks since then, and that could be the start of something beautiful.” The Marty Hurney Cat Scratch Reader: “Commenting after Carolina's loss, Vikings defensive end Jared Allen (1 sack, a forced fumble, & a fumble recovery) was quite critical, and sounded unimpressed of Cam Newton's performance Sunday.” The Mickey Loomis John DeShazier of The Times-Picayune: “Good teams -- great teams, even -- aren't immune from a dog day. Everything can look fabulous on paper and then after teams actually line up and begin to bang on one another, the storyline can change. The game has to be played, regardless of what the betting line says in Las Vegas, and a winner can't be determined until it is.” The Mark Dominik Stephen Holder of St. Petersburg Times: “With the Bucs headed to New Orleans on Sunday for a game against the Saints, the Bucs can take possession of first place in the NFC South. This didn't seem likely prior to the Saints' upset loss to the Rams on Sunday, but that surprising 31-21 defeat against previously winless St. Louis has given the Bucs a big opportunity.” The Rod Graves Jesse Reynolds of Revenge of the Birds: “Beanie Wells showed his grit: At one point the team thought Beanie was lost for the season. Most of us thought he wouldn't play. Well Beanie did play and he played hard dishing out several huge hits on DB's. He also scored his 7th rushing TD.” The Billy Devaney Katheen Nelson of St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Although Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo and former Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa have known each other less than three years, they've developed a bond. LaRussa has invited Spagnuolo to spring training, and they chat frequently. Yet like most of LaRussa's coaching brethren, Spagnuolo was caught off-guard by LaRussa's retirement.” The Trent Baalke David Fucillo of Niners Nation: “On Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, Braylon Edwards had four receptions for 42 yards, and more importantly he made it through the game unscathed. He was targeted on seven passes and was in the game a lot more than the ten to fifteen snaps I was thinking he might see. That would seem to bode well for his use moving forward.” The John Schneider Danny O’Neil of The Seattle Times: “The latest defeat left coach Pete Carroll at a loss. "I'm not used to this," he said after Sunday's game. Winning seven Pac-10 titles in nine years at USC made him used to running a powerhouse, not building one. But on Sunday the coach who left so many college opponents scratching their heads was instead kicking himself after loss pock-marked with penalties, dropped passes and headstrong coaching decisions.”