This was one of the stranger Sundays of recent memory.
The early portion of the day was dominated by the rumor, conjecture and speculation regarding the potential landing spot for the Giants-Vikings game. When would it be played and where? How would this affect “the streak?” Would the extra day of rest make the returns of Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks more likely?
In addition to questions and Tweets about the ripping of the Metrodome, we handled a mountain of messages and calls related to the blizzard in Chicago. What do I do with Brady, Branch or Welker?
Brady carved apart the Bears after an early three-and-out that included a sack. Logan Mankins and the Patriots’ offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage and allowed Brady to go to work. He passed for 369 yards with two touchdowns passes, including an uncontested 59-yard touchdown strike to Deion Branch that closed out the first half of this train wreck. Seriously, the cornerback should have at least gone down like a soccer player claiming to have an ankle injury or a cramp.
The leading MVP candidate has now completed eight consecutive games without an interception. Do you remember TO sprinting to the Dallas star at midfield? I had several people message me about a wish to see Brady make snow angels at midfield following that touchdown pass to Branch.
Branch caught eight passes for 151 yards, including that back-breaking touchdown reception. He’s averaged 72 receiving yards and 4.9 receptions per game since rejoining the Patriots in Week 6 against Baltimore. He’s scored in three consecutive games (four touchdowns during this streak).
Wes Welker also eclipsed the 100-yard mark in this contest. Welker caught eight passes for 115 yards in the blowout win. Following a dismal five-game streak in the middle of the season, Welker has come alive. He’s averaged 7.2 receptions and 86.4 receiving yards in the past five games with four touchdowns.
Darren McFadden experienced a brief two-game drought in Weeks 11 and 12 against the Steelers and Dolphins. That’s a distant memory after watching him stiff-arm defenders and run over countless would-be tacklers in the shootout loss to Jacksonville. McFadden ran for 123 yards, his fifth 100-yard game of the season, and rumbled for 86 yards on three receptions. He scored three touchdowns to tie Michael Turner for tops among runners in Week 14 (with two games remaining, of course). McFadden needs seven yards to reach 1,000 for the season.
Jason Campbell appeared in the “sleeper” list for Week 14 and delivered once again. Campbell completed 21-of-30 attempts for a season-high 324 yards with two touchdowns and three sacks. He’s accounted for four touchdowns and zero turnovers in the past two weeks.
Louis Murphy scored for the first time since Week 2 in the loss. Murphy caught six passes for 59 yards, his fourth consecutive game with multiple receptions. He’s on the radar for Week 15 against Denver, but likely draws attention from Champ Bailey.
David Garrard didn’t light up the yardage column, but he took advantage of his opportunities and delivered a huge effort as a spot starter. Garrard completed only 50 percent of his attempts (11-of-22) for 159 yards. He threw three touchdown passes while adding 32 rushing yards.
Marcedes Lewis scored his ninth touchdown of the season in that exciting battle between Jacksonville and Oakland. He’s scored only twice in the past five weeks, but remains a consistent target for David Garrard. Lewis has caught multiple passes in every game this season.
Maurice Jones-Drew earned his sixth consecutive 100-yard game and inspired his teammates in a shootout win. Jones closed out the dramatic contest (the best of Sunday) with a 30-yard touchdown sprint. He added three receptions for 19 yards in the victory. Jones-Drew is averaging 121 total yards per game.
I want to see a foot race between Maurice Jones-Drew and backup Rashad Jennings. Jennings sprinted for 109 yards on five attempts, including a 74-yard touchdown.
The Falcons passed from the 4-yard line early in the blowout win over Carolina, a touchdown strike to Tony Gonzalez. Owners of Michael Turner groaned. They would celebrate during the remainder of the contest. Turner rushed for 112 yards on 28 attempts with one reception for 12 yards. He scored three touchdowns to bring his season total to 11. He’s scored 10 of those touchdowns in the past seven games following a slow start.
Don’t blink. You’ll miss the heroics in Philadelphia. Michael Vick scored a rushing touchdown early in Sunday night’s hard-fought win against the Eagles. He then connected with DeSean Jackson on a 91-yard touchdown strike to boost his totals quickly. Vick finished the game with 270 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He rushed for 16 yards with two sacks.
DeSean Jackson made headlines for the flop into the end zone, but you can’t discount his speed and big-play capabilities. Jackson scored his first touchdown since Week 11 and finished this game with a season-high 210 yards on four receptions. He’s now 18 yards shy of 1,000 for the season with a HUGE game against the Giants looming.
LeSean McCoy has speed to spare. McCoy finds a seam and becomes a blur. Does “Shady” become “The Flash?” He rushed for a career-high 149 yards on 16 carries, including a 56-yard sprint. McCoy added three receptions for four yards. McCoy needs 28 yards in the final three weeks to reach 1,000 for the season.
Jon Kitna gave the crowd in Philadelphia a thrill and nearly led them to a comeback win in a big divisional matchup. Kitna completed 24-of-35 attempts for 242 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He added 27 rushing yards to offset one of his turnovers.
Who was the winner in the Dallas receiving corps following Dez Bryant’s injury? Tight end Jason Witten loomed large once again. Witten caught seven passes for 69 yards, including two touchdowns. In the past four weeks, Witten has amassed 26 receptions for 258 yards and three touchdowns.
Would you believe that Felix Jones’ touchdown run against the Eagles marked his first touchdown of the year? Jones rushed for 41 yards on 13 carries, adding 42 yards on four receptions. He may not find the end zone, but Jones has averaged 101.8 total yards in the Cowboys’ past five games.
Donovan McNabb completed a pass to Santana Moss to bring the Redskins within one point of the Buccaneers. Fantasy owners assumed the Graham Gano would convert the PAT attempt and that they’d potentially get some overtime bonus points. Instead, the game ended when Hunter Smith failed to handle the snap. McNabb finished the game with 228 passing yards and two touchdowns. This was only his second multi-touchdown game of the year and ended a 10-game streak in which McNabb had thrown at least one interception.
Santana Moss caught seven passes for 82 yards and scored his fourth touchdown of the year in the heartbreaking loss to Tampa Bay. He has caught five or more passes in 10 games this season.
We knew that Ryan Torain was set to return to the field this weekend. The question was whether you trust Mike Shanahan and his treatment of the backfield. Before you blinked, Torain had already rushed for more than 100 yards against the Buccaneers. He finished the game with 172 yards on 24 carries with two receptions for 10 yards. Torain has rushed for at least 100 yards in each of the past three games that he’s finished.
Fred Jackson rushed for 112 yards in Sunday’s win over Cleveland, his third 100-yard game in his past five starts. Alas, he couldn’t get to the edge and find the end zone, but we’ll take the high yardage count.
Jonathan Stewart continued his late-season surge with a strong 133-yard performance on 18 carries in what was an otherwise forgettable game for the Panthers. He did lose a fumble, but we should make note of this powerhouse finish. Stewart has rushed for at least 92 yards in the three games since he returned to action (6.3 yards per carry).
Backfield mate Mike Goodson’s workload was in question because of a shoulder injury. He battled through the pain and found the end zone for the Panthers’ lone touchdown of the day. Goodson has scored in three consecutive games and has averaged 113 total yards in his past five appearances. He rushed for 70 yards on nine carries in Sunday’s loss, adding one reception for six yards.
Alex Smith returned to the lineup and dominated the Seattle secondary. Smith passed for 255 yards and three touchdowns, including an early strike to Vernon Davis (five receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown). Smith absorbed two sacks and rushed for 12 yards. Most importantly, he did not turn the ball over.
One of Smith’s touchdown passes was caught by running back Brian Westbrook, who sprinted 62 yards to the end zone. He caught six passes for 87 yards overall, adding 23 yards on nine carries.
Drew Brees started the rout early and finished with his 10th multi-touchdown performance of the season. Brees completed 25-of-40 attempts for 221 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. I’m moderately concerned about the fact that Brees has thrown at least one interception in nine consecutive games, but the touchdown total continues to rise as well. He’s averaging 296.5 passing yards per game.
Marques Colston caught five passes for 46 yards with two touchdowns in the Saints’ blowout win. He’s caught all seven of his touchdowns this season in the Saints’ past seven games.
Lance Moore also caught his seventh touchdown pass of the season in the Saints victory. He finished with five receptions for 70 yards. Moore has caught three or more passes in seven consecutive games.
John Skelton didn’t post a huge game statistically, but he didn’t make mistakes and executed the two-step to Tim Hightower beautifully. Hightower led the way for Arizona on Sunday, producing 148 yards on 18 carries with two touchdowns.
Knowshon Moreno and the Broncos are swirling down the drain, but he’s producing big individual numbers. Moreno rushed for 81 yards on 19 carries, including a late touchdown. He added five receptions for 32 yards. He’s scored in four of the past five games while averaging 136.4 total yards per game.
Philip Rivers rebounded from a short two week mini-funk with a 226-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Chiefs. Rivers completed 18-of-24 attempts, lost a fumble, threw one interception and absorbed two sacks. He’s thrown multiple touchdown passes in nine games this season.
Malcom Floyd returned to the field and corralled both of Rivers’ touchdown strikes. He finished the game with four receptions for 51 yards. Floyd has caught nine passes for 123 yards in the past two weeks since returning from his injury.
Ryan Mathews returned to action to muddy the backfield situation for the fantasy playoffs. He carried the ball 16 times for 65 yards and scored for the first time since Week 8.
Backfield mate Mike Tolbert scored once again. He matched Mathews’ carry count with 16 and finished with 66 rushing yards. He added one reception for 13 yards, but his value is obviously generated by his goal-line brilliance. Tolbert has scored a total of 10 touchdowns this season. Alas, owners now have to contend with Mathews eating into his workload.
I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge the efforts of Arizona kicker Jay Feely and the Pittsburgh Steelers defense.
Feely helped to open up the scoring barrage against the Broncos with a touchdown sprint on a fake field goal (the team’s first touchdown in nine quarters). He also converted five field goals (two from 40-plus and one from 50-plus) and four PATs. That’s a point total worthy of “Legend” status.
The Pittsburgh defense harassed and battered Carson Palmer during Sunday’s victory. Two of Palmer’s three interceptions were returned for touchdowns.
