Colts 22, Titans 14
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
So Indy finally caught on to what fantasy owners have noticed for weeks: Donald Brown is out-performing the more touted Trent Richardson. Brown got the start Sunday and finished with 54 rushing yards and a TD on 14 carries and added two catches for 10 yards. T-Rich, meanwhile, continues to muddle along with five rushes for 19 yards.
Extra points: Despite the win, the struggles continued for Andrew Luck, who threw for 200 yards, no TDs and an interception, but was effective on the ground with 42 yards on five rushes. … TE Coby Fleener (3-50) and WR T.Y. Hilton (5-46) were Indy’s leading receivers, but neither did much. … For the Titans, Ryan Fitzpatrick’s quietly solid season reversed course here with four turnovers, including three picks. He only countered with 201 passing yards and a TD. … RB Chris Johnson delivered with 101 total yards and a TD, while WRs Nate Washington (5-81) and Kendall Wright (6-77) paced Tennessee’s pass-catchers. … Titans TE Delanie Walker left with a first-half concussion and finished with one catch for 5 yards.
Eagles 24, Cardinals 21
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
This Nick Foles deal is getting scary. Named Philly’s starter for the rest of the season last week, the second-year QB was 21-of-34 for 237 yards, three TDs and no interceptions Sunday and now has 19 TD tosses with nary a pick this season.
Extra points: The Cards came into the game giving up the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends, and that won’t be changing any time soon after the Eagles’ Zach Ertz (5-68, 2 TDs) and Brent Celek (4-29, TD) torched them Sunday. … For Arizona, RB Andre Ellington (knee) was unable to play, and Rashard Mendenhall finished with 76 yards on 18 carries. … Carson Palmer (302 yards, 3 TDs, 2 ints) topped 300 yards for the third straight game and had his fifth consecutive multi-TD pass contest. … WRs Michael Floyd (5-99) and Larry Fitzgerald (5-72) both had scoring receptions as did unheralded TE Jim Dray (3-26).
Dolphins 23, Jets 3
MetLife Stadium; East Rutherford, N.J.
Geno Smith’s up-and-down season hit the bottom of the elevator shaft Sunday as he was benched at halftime in favor of Matt Simms. Smith was 4-of-10 for 29 yards and an interception in the opening 30 minutes, but Simms was hardly an upgrade, going 9-of-18 for 79 yards, an interception and a fumble in the second half. It added up to a third straight loss for N.Y. and a productive day for the Miami D/special teams (3 turnovers, 4 sacks, 3 PA).
Extra points: Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill (28-of-43, 331 yards, 2 TDs, picks) notched his second straight 300-yard game, while RB Lamar Miller (22-72) broke out out of a serious funk (21-27 over his last 3 games). … For a change, both Miami starting wideouts — Brian Hartline (9-127, TD) and Mike Wallace (7-82, TD) — were productive in the same game. … The Jets? The QB mess is further curtailing the limited fantasy upside of the remainder of the skill players. Chris Ivory (12-61) paced the team in rushing, while WR David Nelson (3-37 on 8 targets) passed for a leading receiver.
Vikings 23, Bears 20 (OT)
Mall of America Field, Minneapolis
The favorable fantasy matchups in this one were definitely what we thought they were — and more. Adrian Peterson shredded the soft Bears for 211 rushing yards on 34 carries, while Chicago’s Josh McCown (355 yards, 2 TDs) and Alshon Jeffery (12-249, 2 TDs) lit up the suspect Minny secondary.
Extra points: Vikings starting QB Christian Ponder (3-of-8, 40 yards) left the game with a concussion late in the second quarter, and Matt Cassel (20-of-33, 243 yards, TD, pick) rallied the troops to an OT win. … WR Greg Jennings (7-78, TD) had his second-best game of the year, but it was likely wasted on most of his fantasy owners’ benches. … Meanwhile rookie wideout Cordarrelle Patterson only had one catch for 4 yards on four targets, but did score on an impressive-looking 33-yard scoring run, taking a handoff from the tailback slot. … Jeffery’s 249 receiving yards broke his own franchise single-game record, while fellow wideout Brandon Marshall (4-45 on 9 targets) had to settle for a distant second fiddle. …Â Â Â Matt Forte (20-123 rushing, 2-31 receiving) topped 100 total yards for the sixth time in seven games but failed to score for the second straight outing.
Patriots 34, Texans 31
Reliant Stadium, Houston
Fantasy GMs owning any Patriots might as well wait until the third quarter to start paying attention as Tom Brady (371, 2 TDs, interception), Rob Gronkowski (6-127, TD) and Co. shook off another first-half malaise with 27 second-half points to hand the Texans their 10th straight loss and push them to forefront in the derby for the No. 1 overall draft pick next May.
Extra points: Fumble-prone RB Stevan Ridley was a healthy scratch, and LeGarrette Blount (12-44, TD), Shane Vereen (75 total yards, TD) picked up the fantasy slack. FB James Develin (16 total yards) also scored on a short TD run, while those who banked on Brandon Bolden (4 touches-20 yards) were left disappointed. … WR Julian Edelman (9-101) had his second consecutive nine-catch, 100-plus-yard receiving game, while fellow wideout Danny Amendola (5-54) continues to muddle along. … Those who banished Houston RB Ben Tate to the bench after his seven-carry, 1-yard Week 12 outing missed out on a 22-103, three-TD explosion. … Case Keenum and Andre Johnson hooked up eight times for 121 yards, but neither found the end zone. … Texans’ TE Garrett Graham was targeted a team-high 11 times but only finished with three grabs for 36 yards.
Panthers 27, Buccaneers 6,
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
The surging Bucs were no match for the league’s hottest team as Cam Newton (263 yards, 2 TDs passing; 5-68, TD rushing) and a stifling D (5 sacks, 2 turnovers, 2 field goals allowed) paved the way for the Panthers’ eighth straight victory.
Extra points: With RB DeAngelo Williams (quad) inactive, Mike Tolbert (9-48 rushing, 3-41 receiving) was the biggest beneficiary, while Jonathan Stewart (14-39, 2-3) did little. … TE Greg Olsen (5-85) led Carolina in receiving, but wideouts Ted Ginn (2-47) and Brandon LaFell (3-36) reeled in Newton’s TD passes. … The Mike Glennon bandwagon hit a rough patch as the rookie QB was only 14-of-21 for 180 yards, an interception and a fumble. … He didn’t get much help, either, as Bobby Rainey (17-63) and Vincent Jackson (3-75) were the team’s leading rusher and receiver, respectively.
Jaguars 32, Browns 28
FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland
J’ville got its third win in the last four weeks, but Browns wideout Josh Gordon snares the fantasy headlines here with his 10-261, two-TD explosion — becoming the first player in NFL history to post back-to-back 200-yard receiving outings. And since his return from suspension in Week 3, Gordon has rolled up a league-high 1,249 receiving yards on 64 catches with seven scores — all with three different starting QBs.
Extra points: The Jags’ Chad Henne threw for only 195 yards, but tossed a pair of TD passes. … Speaking of TD passes, Maurice Jones-Drew threw his first career scoring toss on an 8-yard halfback-option pass to TE Marcedes Lewis (3-26) and added 77 rushing yards on 23 carries. … Emerging rookie WR Ace Sanders led the team with eight receptions for 67 yards, but Cecil Shorts (6-64) was on the end of Henne’s late, game-winning TD pass. … The Browns, meanwhile, entered the game with one rushing TD, but Willis McGahee (14-57 rushing, 2-14 receiving) matched that early on, and wound up out-performing Chris Ogbonnaya (7-20, 2-14) for the first time in more than a month. … Cleveland TE Jordan Cameron (4-43) continues to struggle with his fourth straight sub-50-yard game and his fifth straight without a TD.
Falcons 34, Bills 31
Rogers Centre, Toronto
It’s likely going to be filed under Too-Little, Too-Late, but there were Roddy White (10-143) and Steven Jackson (23-84, 2 TDs) sightings north of the border Sunday as the Falcons outlasted the “host” Bills.
Extra points: Atlanta QB Matt Ryan also had his first 300-yard passing game since Week 8, but only had one TD pass and lost a fumble. … RB Antone Smith made his one carry count, scoring on a 38-yard burst, while TE Tony Gonzalez (4-42) also made his way into the end zone. … As for the Bills, rookie QB EJ Manuel (210 passing yards, 3 rushing) threw and ran for scores, while RBs C.J. Spiller (15-149) and Fred Jackson (11-42) both had rushing TDs. Jackson (4-36 receiving) also caught a TD pass. … WR Stevie Johnson returned to action for the Bills, and caught a team-high five passes for 55 yards. … TE Scott Chandler paced Buffalo with 63 receiving yards on four receptions.
49ers 23, Rams 13
Candlestick Park, San Francisco
WR Michael Crabtree made his season debut for the Niners, and as expected, he was only targeted only four times. Crabtree, however, made his limited opportunities count with a 60-yard gain on one of his two receptions.
Extra points: As for the rest of the Niners, TE Vernon Davis (4-42) caught his 10th TD pass — trailing only the Saints’ Jimmy Graham (11) among TEs — while RB Frank Gore (15-42) found the end zone for the first time since Week 8. … QB Colin Kaepernick had a workman-like 275 passing yards, one TD and 4-21 rushing performance and WR Anquan Boldin (9-98) led San Fran in catches and yards. … The Rams, meanwhile, were largely held in check as RB Zac Stacy (19-72) paced the team in rushing, TE Jared Cook (3-49) posted the most receiving yards and WR Brian Quick (3-41) scored the squad’s only TD.
Broncos 35, Chiefs 28
Arrowhead Stadium; Kansas City, Mo.
So there’s Eric Decker. The Denver wideout has largely been left behind by his pass-catching teammates, but he made up a lot of ground Sunday with eight receptions, a career-high 174 yards and a franchise single-game record four TD grabs. He had three TD receptions coming into the game.
Extra points: Ho hum: Five more TD passes and another 400-yard game (403) for Peyton Manning, who rebounded rather nicely from his season-low 150 passing yards a week ago. … Despite a shoulder-injury scare on his first catch of the day, WR Demaryius Thomas topped 100 yards (106) on only three catches, making up for inactive TE Julius Thomas (knee) and ineffective slot man Wes Welker (3-38) who now has gone four straight games without a TD grab. … RB Knowshon Moreno started, scored and had 90 total yards (18 rushing), but it was rookie RB Montee Ball who led the Broncos in rushing with a career-high 117 on 13 carries. … K.C., meanwhile, dropped its third straight game but don’t keep overlooking QB Alex Smith, who threw for 293 yards and two scores and added 46 yards on four rushes. … Jamaal Charles (120 and a TD on 21 touches) broke the total-yard century mark for the 10th game this season, while WR Junior Hemingway (3-42) and TE Anthony Fasano (3-28) caught TD passes. Fasano, however, couldn’t finish the game due to a suspected concussion.
Bengals 17, Chargers 10
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego
Andy Dalton had another down day with 190 yards and only one TD, but that didn’t effect WR A.J. Green (5-83), who caught that lone scoring pass.
Extra points: After playing second fiddle to rookie teammate Giovanni Bernard (15 touches-66 yards) most of the season, BenJarvus Green-Ellis was top Bengal back here with 95 total yards and a TD on 21 touches. … There also was a rare Andrew Hawkins sighting for Cincy as he had three catches for 65 yards. … It was largely a rough fantasy day for the home team as Philip Rivers (252, TD, interception), RB Danny Woodhead (9 touches-35 yards) and TE Antonio Gates (5-41) all were held in check. … RB Ryan Mathews led the Bolts in scrimmage yards (92 on 19 touches), while WR Keenan Allen (8-86) led the squad in receiving and emerging TE Ladarius Green (2-45) had the team’s lone TD.
Giants 24, Redskins 17
FedEx Field, Landover, Md.
Two struggling NFC East foes and QBs met in the Sunday nighter, and while Eli Manning (22-of-28, 235 yards, TD, pick) and the Giants got the best of the Skins, Robert Griffin III (24-of-32, 207 yards, TD; season-high 88 rushing yards) had his moments.
Extra points: N.Y. RB Andre Brown only had 35 yards on 14 carries, but continues to display a nose for the end zone, rushing for two more TDs, giving him 11 over his last 12 games. … With the in-and-out Brandon Jacobs out again, Peyton Hillis played and actually led the Giants in rushing with 45 yards on six carries. … WR Victor Cruz (6-80) led N.Y. in receiving, but it was TE Brandon Myers (5-61) who scored for the second straight game. … WRs Hakeem Nicks (2-34) and Rueben Randle (3-20) were hardly heard from. … Washington RB Alfred Morris (11-26) dipped to a season rushing-yardage low, but scored for the first time since Week 9. … As for RGIII’s pass-catchers, TE Jordan Reed, who was expected to return after one-game concussion absence, was declared a inactive after being hit with a pre-game headache. That left WR Pierre Garcon (9-61 on 12 targets) as the QB’s leading man once again, while TE Logan Paulsen (3-41) came through with his second TD catch of the season.