NFL Week Thirteen: Scores And Recaps

Week 13 didn't bring out too many surprises, but the biggest one had to be the 13-point underdog Oakland Raiders beating up the Chargers in San Diego 28-13.  The Raiders jumped out to a 21-3 lead in the first half, and never looked back.  Darren McFadden had 97 yards rushing and a TD, and Michael Bush added 95 and a TD.  The Chargers gave up 251 yards rushing, almost doubling the highest amount they allowed in a game this season (140 to the Texans).  Both teams are now 6-6, two games behind the division leading Chiefs, who beat the Broncos 10-6 today in a battle of the other two AFC West teams.  Oakland holds the tie-breaker over the Chargers, as they beat them in both match-ups this season.

In the AFC South, the Jacksonville defense held the Titans to only 220 total yards, and Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 186 yards on 31 carries (6.0 YPC), as the Jaguars beat the Titans 17-6.  The Titans have now gone 13 quarters without an offensive touchdown, dating back to Week 10 against the Dolphins.  The win, coupled with the Colts 38-35 OT loss to the Cowboys, puts the Jaguars into first place all by themselves in the AFC South, with a record of 7-5.

The Sunday night game between the Steelers and Ravens had to be the game of the weekend, however.  Troy Polamalu strip-sacked Joe Flacco with 3:13 remaining in the game, and Lamar Woodley returned the fumble to the Ravens 9-yard line.  Then, after Ben Roethlisberger, who played the entire game with a broken nose, somehow got out of a sack by Terrell Suggs on first down to throw the ball away, he found Isaac Redman for a 9-yard TD pass, which was all effort by Redman to get into the end zone.  The Ravens did drive the ball down the field, but decided to go for a 4th and 2 at the Pittsburgh 31, instead of kicking a long field goal into the wind, and a Flacco pass came up short to Ed Dickson.  The Steelers now have a one-game lead over the Ravens in the AFC North at 9-3.

Other scores from around the league:

• Falcons 28, Buccaneers 24 - A kickoff return by Eric Weems helped kick start a 14-point 4th quarter by the Falcons, the first team in the NFL with 10 wins this season. Brent Grimes intercepted a Josh Freeman pass on the first play after the two-minute warning to seal the victory.
• Saints 34, Bengals 30 - Drew Brees found Marques Colston for a 3-yard TD with 31 seconds to go, improving the Saints to 9-3. The play before, on a Fourth and 2 from the 7, the Bengals jumped offsides, giving the Saints a first down. 
  
• Bears 24, Lions 20 - Brandon Manumaleuna scored the game-winning TD midway through the 4th quarter, lifting the Bears to 9-3, a game in front of the Packers.
• Packers 34, 49ers 16 - Aaron Rodgers found Donald Driver just before halftime on a 61-yard play that saw Driver plow through several defenders and dove into the end zone, giving them a 14-13 lead at the half.  The Packers slowly pulled away in the second half, with Rodgers throwing for 298 yards and 3 TDs.
• Browns 13, Dolphins 10 - The Browns won for the first time in Miami since 1970 after Chad Henne had a pass deflected and intercepted by Mike Adams, and he returned it to the MIA 2-yard line.  Phil Dawson kicked the game-winner with 3 seconds remaining, giving the Browns their 4th win in five games.
• Vikings 38, Bills 14 - Brett Favre was injured on his first pass attempt, and Tavaris Jackson had an interception returned for a TD in the first quarter, but from then on it was all Minnesota.  A combined nine turnovers created a very sloppy game, but Adrian Peterson came back from his ankle injury like nothing was wrong, rushing for 107 yards and three TDs.
• Giants 31, Redskins 7 - The Redskins turned the ball over six times, including three from Donovan McNabb, on their way to a blowout loss to the Giants. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw combined for 200 yards rushing and four TDs to lead the Giants, who keep pace with the Eagles at 8-4.
• Rams 19, Cardinals 6 - The Rams finally have beaten the Cardinals, as they had lost eight in a row to their division rival.  Steven Jackson had 102 yards rushing and a TD, and the Rams defense held the Cardinals without a TD for the second straight week.  The Cardinals have now lost seven in a row, and the Rams stay tied for first place with the Seahawks.
• Seahawks 31, Panthers 14 - Seattle scored the final 31 points of the game after falling behind 14-0, including a 26-yard Lofa Tatupu INT returned for a TD and three TDs from Marshawn Lynch.  The win kept them tied with the Rams for first place in the NFC West at 6-6.