NFL Week 11 Recap — Cam Newton Played Like An MVP
The Panthers stayed unbeaten, and the Packers seized control of the NFC North. Here’s a recap of all of the action from Week 11 in the NFL:
Cam Newton Is Dancing His Way Into MVP Contention
Cam Newton threw a career-high five touchdown passes, and the Panthers routed the Redskins, 44-16, on Sunday. Newton completed 21 of 34 passes for 246 yards for unbeaten Carolina (10-0), and he continued to merit consideration for the 2015 NFL MVP Award.
Like last week, Newton showcased his ‘dab’ dance, but the celebrations grew redundant against struggling Washington (4-6), which committed five turnovers and trailed by three scores at the half. With the win, the Panthers increased their lead in the NFC South to four games with six to play. If Carolina can clinch home field advantage through the playoffs, Newton should get plenty of MVP votes.
The Cardinals Should Always Play In Primetime; The Bengals Shouldn't
For the second consecutive week, the Cardinals gave up a double-digit lead only to come back and win a thrilling primetime game. Chandler Catanzaro kicked a 32-yard field goal with two seconds to play, and Arizona beat Cincinnati, 34-31. The field goal was much closer than planned because of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty called on Bengals defensive lineman Domata Peko for calling out the Cardinals’ signals. It was just the latest strange turn in an odd but successful season for Arizona (8-2), which squandered a 19-point lead in a 39-32 win over Seattle last Sunday night.
Down 28-14 late in the third quarter, Cincinnati (8-2) rallied to tie the game at 31. However, Cardinals’ quarterback Carson Palmer, who threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns in the game, moved his team into field goal range after the Bengals knotted the score.
Cincy’s Andy Dalton threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns, as the Bengals lost their second primetime game in seven days. They suffered their first loss of the season to the Texans on Monday night.
The Packers Are Still The Team To Beat In The NFC North
Aaron Rodgers passed for 212 yards and two touchdowns, and the Packers clobbered the Vikings, 30-13, on Sunday. Green Bay (7-3) stopped its three-game losing streak and pulled into a tie with Minnesota (7-3) atop the NFC North.
The Vikings had their six-game winning streak stopped by a resilient Packers team that recorded six sacks and held running back Adrian Peterson to just 45 yards in the game. The teams meet again Jan. 3 at Lambeau Field. Until then, the NFC North is the Packers’ division to lose.
Tony Romo Gave The Cowboys Hope
The rainy South Florida weather might have made Tony Romo’s rust worse, but he still threw two touchdown passes in the Cowboys’ 24-14 win over the Dolphins on Sunday. Dallas (3-7) snapped a seven-game losing streak by keeping possession of the ball for nearly two-thirds of the game (39 minutes to 21 minutes).
Romo went 18 for 28 for 227 yards, two interceptions and the two TD passes, including a 16-yard, go-ahead toss to Dez Bryant in the fourth quarter that gave the Cowboys the lead for good. Darren McFadden added 129 yards on the ground for Dallas, which needs to win out to finish with a winning record; however, the Cowboys are now only two games back in the weak NFC East.
Miami (4-6) fell further back in the AFC Wild Card race, as quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw for just 188 yards, two scores and an interception that was returned 12 yards for a touchdown by Rolando McClain.
Maybe The Broncos Can Ride Brock Osweiler To The Playoffs
Brock Osweiler was good enough, and the Denver defense was great. Starting in place of the injured Peyton Manning, Osweiler passed for two touchdowns, and the Broncos beat the Bears, 17-15, on Sunday. Denver (8-2) had to stop Jeremy Langford on a two-point conversion attempt in the final minute to secure the road win.
Osweiler completed 20 of 27 pass attempts for 250 yards against Chicago (4-6), which never had a lead at any point in the game. Former Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler was 18-for-32 passing for 265 yards and an interception. With the victory, Denver stayed three games ahead of Kansas City in the AFC West.
The Ravens Won A Game, But Lost Joe Flacco
One of the very few games the Ravens have won this season was punctuated by a terrible loss on Sunday: Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a torn left ACL knee ligament suffered on the first play of the final drive of his team’s 16-13 win over the Rams on Sunday. Reserve left tackle James Hurst inadvertently rolled into the quarterback, who hobbled through hand-offs and a spike to help set up Justin Tucker's 47-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.
Flacco’s malady was a fitting end to a very ugly game that featured more mistakes than highlights: the teams committed six turnovers and were penalized 16 times. Ravens’ running back Justin Forsett suffered a broken arm early in the game.
St. Louis (4-6) gave the game away when quarterback Case Keenum fumbled to help set up Baltimore (3-7) for the short drive that led to Tucker’s game-winning kick.
Other Scores
Thursday, November 19
Jacksonville 19, Tennessee 13
Sunday, November 22
Indianapolis 24, Atlanta 21
Houston 24, N.Y. Jets 17
Tampa Bay 45, Philadelphia 17
Detroit 18, Oakland 13
Kansas City 33, San Diego 3
Seattle 29, San Francisco 13
Bye Week: Cleveland, New Orleans, N.Y. Giants, Pittsburgh