NFL WEEK IN REVIEW - WEEK 12

Week 12 - NFL Week In Review

Week 12 REVIEW - Final Score: Atlanta 27, Detroit 7

Detroit, MI - (MySportsbook.com) - Michael Vick threw for 146 yards with a pair of touchdown passes to Alge Crumpler, as the Atlanta Falcons defeated the Detroit Lions, 27-7, in a Thanksgiving Day game at Ford Field. Vick completed 12-of-22 attempts with the two scores and added another 57 yards rushing for the Falcons (7-4), who snapped a two-game losing skid. Crumpler finished with seven catches for 104 yards. "That was a good win for this football team," Atlanta head coach Jim Mora said. "We had a lot to overcome this week; a short week and two tough home losses to NFC teams. To play on Thursday is not an easy thing to do." Warrick Dunn and T.J. Duckett combined for 188 yards rushing and a touchdown in Atlanta's first-ever appearance in a Thanksgiving Day game.

The Falcons will now travel to Carolina next Sunday for a big NFC South matchup against the Panthers. Jeff Garcia ended 14-of-24 passing for 154 yards with a touchdown and an interception in place of starter Joey Harrington, who was pulled from the game late in the second quarter. Harrington finished with just 61 yards and a pick for the Lions (4-7), who have now lost four of their last five. "He (Mariucci) told me that he wanted to spark a change -- do something different," said Harrington. "That's something I have no control over. He does the decision-making." Mike Williams caught six passes for 84 yards and Scott Vines added six catches for 70 yards in the loss. "You get an important game like this and you get all keyed up and ready to roll and then start the way we started with a couple of turnovers, it goes the other way fast," Detroit head coach Steve Mariucci said. "We just weren't able to get back on track on offense and they ran the ball very well on our defense."

The Falcons outgained the Lions 256-75 on the ground. "I thought it was a really good team effort," Mora added. "We ran the ball efficiently. We threw the ball efficiently." Atlanta opened the game with a nine-play, 77-yard scoring drive that was capped by Todd Peterson's 21-yard field goal less then five minutes into the contest. Vick hit Crumpler for a 30-yard gain through the air on the march's first play and Dunn broke off a 17-yard rush two plays later to move the Falcons to the Detroit 27. Atlanta would get to the Lions three-yard line, but on 3rd- and-2, Vick overthrew Brian Finneran in the right corner of the end zone, forcing the Falcons to settle for the field goal. Dunn ended with 116 yards rushing on 17 attempts. After Kevin Jones' 20-yard rush moved Detroit across midfield on its ensuing possession, Harrington was intercepted by DeAngelo Hall as Roy Williams fell down running his route. The Falcons would punt on the ensuing drive however.

Shawn Bryson's fumble on a screen pass from Harrington accounted for the Lions' second straight turnover, giving Atlanta the ball at the Detroit 42. This time the Falcons capitalized as Duckett's one-yard touchdown plunge capped off the eight-play drive, staking Atlanta to a 10-0 lead with 52 seconds left in the opening frame. Duckett had 72 yards on the ground in the victory. After a Detroit punt early in the second, the Falcons would drive down the field again for a 17-0 edge. Allen Rossum returned Nick Harris' punt 25 yards to his own 40 and Dunn would break off runs of eight and 25 yards to move Atlanta deep into Detroit territory. Three plays later on 3rd-and-10, Vick took the ball for a 19-yard gain off the left end, which set up his six-yard TD pass to Crumpler 4:16 into the second quarter. "80 percent of the time Algie's open," said Vick. "He knows how to create space for himself and he's always there. He's my guy."

The Falcons would later get to the Lions 16-yard line with 14 seconds left in the first half, but Vick was intercepted by Nate Wayne. After Detroit went three-and-out to open up the second half, Vick capped off a quick four-play, 45-yard scoring drive with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Crumpler. The score put Atlanta up 24-0 just over three minutes into the third and another Lions turnover would lead to Peterson's 23-yard field goal with 5:11 remaining in the period. Detroit would finally get on the board midway through the fourth quarter after Roy Williams' 31-yard touchdown reception from Garcia capped the scoring. "There's five games left in the season," Harrington said. "I don't know how far we're behind the Bears, but the reality is we're probably playing for pride now."

Game Notes

Jones finished with 32 yards rushing on four carries before leaving with a quadriceps injury. Bryson added 26 yards on the ground...Detroit fell to 33-31-2 on Thanksgiving...Williams hauled in three passes for 55 yards...Dunn recorded his fifth 100-yard rushing game on the season and the 25th of his career. The running back went over 1,000 yards rushing on the season for the second consecutive year...Peterson's two field goals kept him perfect on the season at 16-of-16...Detroit cornerback Dre' Bly, who played with a cast on his right hand, was in action for the first time since October 23.

Week 12 REVIEW - Final Score: Denver 24, Dallas 21 (OT)

Irving, TX - (MySportsbook.com) - Ron Dayne rushed for 98 yards, including a 55- yard burst in overtime to set up the game-winning 24-yard field goal by Jason Elam, as Denver edged Dallas 24-21 in a Thanksgiving Day thriller at Texas Stadium. Dayne, the backup running back who was sharing carries with Mike Anderson because Tatum Bell was sidelined with a chest injury, also scored a touchdown in the win. Jake Plummer went 15-of-24 for 162 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Broncos (9-2), who have won four straight. The pick was the first for Plummer in 230 pass attempts. Drew Bledsoe finished 29-of-44 for 232 yards with a pair of TDs and interceptions, and also ran for a score. Jason Witten caught nine balls for 82 yards with a touchdown, and Keyshawn Johnson hauled in six catches for 59 yards and a score for Dallas (7-4), which fell a half-game behind New York in the NFC East. The Giants play Seattle on Sunday.

Dayne scored his first touchdown in a Bronco uniform to put Denver out front, 21-14, in the third quarter. After Plummer found Jeb Putzier for a nine-yard pickup on third down, Dayne rumbled 16 yards to finish an 11-play, 90-yard march. Anderson would fumble on Denver's next offensive possession, however, and Dallas recovered on their opponent's 10-yard line. Three plays later, Bledsoe zipped a four-yard TD pass to Witten that tied the game at 21-21 early in the fourth quarter. Billy Cundiff had a chance to put Dallas on top with 7:46 remaining, but his 34-yard field goal attempt sailed well to the left. "I missed it. It wasn't a bad hold. It was completely my fault," said Cundiff.

Both defenses held the rest of the way to send the game into overtime. The Broncos won the coin toss, and wasted no time wrapping up the game. On the second play from scrimmage, Dayne took a handoff off the left side, cut back, and scampered 55 yards down to the Cowboys six-yard line. Elam followed with a 24-yard chip shot right down the middle for the win. "I am disappointed with the outcome, but I am not disappointed with the effort," said Dallas head coach Bill Parcells.

Champ Bailey put the Broncos on the board first, returning an interception 65 yards to pay dirt with 8:10 remaining in the opening quarter. Bledsoe's pass to the sideline was off target, allowing Bailey to swoop in and snag it on the edge of the playing field before racing unabated into the end zone. Bledsoe made up for his error quickly, orchestrating a 71-yard drive on the following possession to tie the game at 7-7. He went 5-for-5 on the series, including a 14-yard TD completion to Johnson in the corner of the end zone. Plummer responded with a touchdown strike of his own on the ensuing Broncos' drive, lofting a 20-yard pass to Rod Smith in the left side of the end zone with 14:17 left in the first half. Terence Newman intercepted Plummer's long pass attempt to Ashley Lelie minutes later and returned it to the Dallas 31 to set up the game-tying scoring drive. A 39-yard pass completion from Bledsoe to Terry Glenn sparked the 10-play, 69- yard march, which was capped by a 1-yard Bledsoe quarterback sneak on fourth down to send the game into halftime knotted at 14-14.

Game Notes

Bell was inactive for Sunday's game...This was the seventh Cowboy game this year that has been decided by a touchdown or less...This was the second overtime game on Thanksgiving for Dallas. The last came on November 26, 1987, when the Cowboys fell to Minnesota, 44-38...Johnson's touchdown catch was the 60th of his career.

Week 12 Review - Final Score: Cincinnati 42, Baltimore 29

Cincinnati, OH- (MySportsbook.com) - Carson Palmer went 22-of-30 for 302 yards with three touchdown passes and an interception to lead the Cincinnati Bengals past the Baltimore Ravens, 42-29, at Paul Brown Stadium. T.J. Houshmandzadeh caught nine passes for 147 yards and a touchdown for the Bengals (8-3), who have won three of their last four games. Chad Johnson added 88 yards on five receptions with a touchdown catch, while Rudi Johnson rushed for 114 yards and a pair of scores in the win. "He's understanding what his role and responsibility is," said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis about Palmer. "I think he's confident in those guys wherever the ball goes because they make plays. It's not like we have to go to one guy; I think he's confident in all of the guys." Cincinnati improved to 8-3 for the first time since the 1988 season, when the team advanced to Super Bowl XXIII.

Jamal Lewis rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries for the Ravens (3-8), who lost for the fifth time in six games and failed to respond after their overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. Lewis also had five catches for 36 yards. Kyle Boller finished 18-of-32 for 211 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions for Baltimore, which, despite the loss, scored at least 20 points in a game for the first time this season. "You can't make mistakes like that in the first half," Ravens head coach Brian Billick said of Boller. "I'm happy with how he responded, and we grew. He grew individually, and we grew as a team." Todd Heap had six catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.

Cincinnati ran off 34 straight points through the first three quarters before Baltimore attempted a late comeback. Shayne Graham's 26-yard field goal got the scoring started and came at the end of a 14-play, 91-yard drive with 50 seconds left in the first quarter. Palmer was 7-of-8 passing on the drive for 56 yards, finding Houshmandzadeh three times for 33 yards. Rudi Johnson's six-yard touchdown run midway through the second frame extended the Bengals to a 10-0 lead. Palmer began the six-play, 67-yard march with a 14-yard rush and the quarterback later found Houshmandzadeh for consecutive receptions of 13 and 28 yards. A face masking penalty on Houshmandzadeh's second reception setup Johnson's TD run. Boller was then intercepted by Deltha O'Neal on the Ravens next possession and Palmer found Chad Johnson for a 54-yard touchdown strike on the resulting drive, extending the Bengals to a 17-0 lead with 3:42 remaining in the first half.

Cincinnati wasted no time extending its lead in the second half. Tab Perry took the kickoff 35 yards to the Bengal 40 and a low block penalty by Baltimore moved the ball another 15 yards to the Raven 45. Then, on the third play of the drive, Palmer hit Houshmandzadeh with a 30-yard touchdown pass just 1:10 into the third. Boller was again intercepted on the following drive, and, after Rudi Johnson rushed for no gain, Palmer and Chris Henry connected for a 27-yard TD, pushing the Bengals to a 31-0 lead with less than four minutes gone in the third. Graham made it a 34-point Bengal advantage after his 31-yard field goal conversion with 6:18 remaining in the third.

Baltimore finally got on the scoreboard in the third after Boller's 28-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Mason ended an eight-play, 69-yard drive, making it a 34-7 contest with 1:47 left in the third stanza. The score was the first of three-straight Raven touchdowns to get Baltimore back in the game, with the next two touchdowns coming off of Bengal turnovers. "We were down 34-0, so I had nothing to worry about," said Boller. "I got into a rhythm. That is how I need to play all the time, in that state of mind." Houshmandzadeh fumbled after a 27-yard reception on the Bengal's ensuing possession, which was recovered by Baltimore. The turnover then led to Heap's 34-yard touchdown reception from Boller on the only play of the drive, pulling the Ravens to within 34-14 with 15 seconds remaining in the third.

Palmer was then intercepted by Deion Sanders, giving the Ravens the ball at the Bengals 29. Baltimore would face 3rd-and-11 on the drive, but Boller's 14- yard pass to Heap extended the march and Lewis found the end zone from five yards out three plays later, making it 34-21 3:02 into the fourth. However, Rudi Johnson ended the hopes of a Raven comeback after his three-yard touchdown run capped a nine-play, 61-yard sequence and the Bengals converted on the two-point try for a 42-21 advantage with 6:03 remaining. Heap's 17-yard touchdown catch with 1:57 left in the game capped the scoring in the contest.

Game Notes

Chad Johnson's seven-yard reception in the first quarter put the wide receiver over 1,000 yards receiving for the fourth consecutive season...Mason finished with three catches for 58 yards...Henry hauled in three passes for 53 yards...Baltimore head coach Brian Billick failed to pick up his 10th win in his career against Cincinnati, instead falling to 9-5 against the Bengals...Lewis has rushed for 100 yards or more in five career games against Cincinnati...Palmer has multi-touchdown passes in nine of his last 11 games.

Week 12 Review - Final Score: Carolina 13, Buffalo 9

Orchard Park, NY - (MySportsbook.com) - Jake Delhomme completed 20-of-27 passes for 191 yards with a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, as the Carolina Panthers came back to beat the Buffalo Bills, 13-9, at Ralph Wilson Stadium. With the victory and Tampa Bay's 13-10 loss to the Chicago Bears, Carolina (8-3) has opened a one-game lead over the Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons for first place in the NFC South. The Panthers and Falcons meet for the first time this season next Sunday in Charlotte. With the Bills leading 9-6, Delhomme hit tight end Michael Gaines in the end zone from three yards out to give the Panthers a 13-9 lead with 2:16 remaining. The drive took 14 plays and 68 yards and nearly eight minutes off the clock.

"That drive was a great drive," said Delhomme. "We went all the way down the field and it was a great play call. Gaines did a great job of selling a little nod route." The Bills had a chance late, but J.P. Losman's pass that was intended for rookie wide receiver Roscoe Parrish was picked off by Chris Gamble at the Carolina 34-yard line. DeShaun Foster rushed for 77 yards on 23 carries and added four catches for 24 yards in the victory for Carolina, which bounced back from last week's 13-3 loss to Chicago to win for the seventh time in its last eight games. "This has been a resilient bunch," said Carolina head coach John Fox. "Anytime you can find a way to win, that's important and luckily we were able to bounce back from last week and find a way to do that today."

Losman was 16-of-29 for 197 yards with no touchdowns and one interception for the Bills (4-7). Eric Moulds caught seven passes for 84 yards in the loss, Buffalo's fourth in its last five games. Rian Lindell kicked three field goals to account for the Bills' points. "I still think we have a shot at the postseason," said Moulds. "We have to go out and play well these last five games. We are going to have to take it one game at a time. I think we are going to need a little help, but we have to go out there and play hard." After a scoreless opening period, Carolina made it a 3-0 game when John Kasay hit a 25-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter. The three points capped a 16-play, 74-yard drive that lasted over 11 minutes. The Bills tied things up at 3-3 after Lindell connected on a 31-yard field goal with 2:03 remaining in the first half.

Buffalo forced a turnover on the ensuing drive in Carolina's territory. Aaron Schobel came around the right end and hit Delhomme's hand, whacking the ball loose, and Chris Kelsay pounced on the fumble at the Carolina 34-yard line. The Bills capitalized off the turnover, taking a 6-3 lead into halftime as Lindell split the uprights with a 45-yard kick as time expired. Losman was effective in the first half, completing 8-of-13 passes for 125 yards and Moulds was his primary target, hauling in four of those passes for 57 yards. "He [Losman] did a great job today running the offense," said Moulds. "One of the things he does well is run the no-huddle offense because he likes to call his own plays." On Carolina's initial second-half possession, the Panthers marched down the field to the Buffalo 28-yard line, but Kasay hooked a 45-yard field goal attempt wide right with 4:41 to play in the third quarter.

	The Panthers did tie the game at 6-6 after Kasay chipped through a 25-yarder at the end of third. Steve Smith had two catches for 46 yards on the drive after having only one catch for nine yards in the first half. Lindell put the Bills ahead 9-6 with a 33-yard field goal with 10:04 to play in the fourth quarter.
Game Notes Carolina defeated Buffalo for the first time in team history. The Bills were 3-0 against the Panthers coming into the game...Gamble's interception was his fifth of the season...Schobel's sack was his eighth of the year...Gaines' touchdown reception was the second of his career.

Week 12 Review - Final Score: Chicago 13, Tampa Bay 10

Tampa, FL - (MySportsbook.com) - Robbie Gould booted a pair of field goals for Chicago and Tampa Bay's Matt Bryant missed a chip shot that would have tied the game late in the fourth quarter, as the Bears held on for a 13-10 victory over the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Kyle Orton threw a touchdown pass after a Tampa Bay turnover early in the first quarter, as the Bears (8-3) won their seventh straight game to remain in command of the NFC North. It is the club's longest winning streak since 1986. The Chicago defense played extremely well again, despite allowing a touchdown for the first time in 38 opponent possessions. The Bears limited Tampa Bay to 107 rushing yards, sacked quarterback Chris Simms four times and forced a fumble that led to the game's first score. "If you don't let a team score you have a heck of a chance of winning," said Bears head coach Lovie Smith. "I know that is simple, but that is how it is."

Simms completed 19-of-30 passes for 202 yards in defeat. The Buccaneers (7-4) had won their previous two games by a total of four points, but Sunday's loss dropped them one game behind first-place Carolina in the NFC South. The Bucs trailed by 10 points early in the fourth quarter before Mike Alstott capped a 50-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run to make it a 13-10 game with 7:00 remaining. The Bears managed to take just under two minutes off the clock before punting the ball away and the Bucs marched from their own 31 into scoring range.

Passes of 30 and 16 yards to Joey Galloway keyed the quick drive and gave Tampa Bay a first down at the Chicago 19. Two plays then netted eight yards and a third-down pass fell incomplete to set up a 29-yard field goal try, but Bryant pushed it wide right with 2:47 remaining. "He just pushed it," said Bucs head coach Jon Gruden. "That's unfortunate, but that's just the way it goes. That was just one play among many that could have turned the tide." Bryant had kicked the winning 45-yard field goal in last week's 30-27 win over Atlanta in the final minute. "I missed it, that's it," said Bryant. "It was one of those days where something like that shouldn't happen. But it happened, so you have to move on."

Chicago punted it back to Tampa Bay with under 20 seconds left and Simms was sacked on the final play of the game. "That was a tough one," added Gruden. "I'd like to congratulate the Bears. They're a very good football team. I'm proud of our team. They played hard and put us in a position to win." Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye each had two sacks for the Chicago defense, which came up with the first big play of the game early in the first quarter. Brown was credited with a sack when he stripped Simms of the ball inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line on the Bucs' first series. The Bears recovered and Orton followed with a one-yard touchdown pass to John Gilmore on the next play for a 7-0 lead.

A series of punts ensued and the field position battle gave Tampa Bay a first down at its own 45-yard line. A 39-yard pass to Galloway on third down put the Bucs at the Chicago 11, but the drive stalled and Bryant kicked a 27-yard field goal to make it 7-3 with 2:12 remaining in the opening quarter. The second quarter featured nothing but punts until Brian Kelly picked off an overthrown Orton pass at the Tampa Bay six-yard line with just under two minutes left in the half. The Bucs went three and out and the Bears got the ball back after the punt at the Tampa Bay 47-yard line. Orton quickly moved the Chicago offense into scoring range and Gould booted a 25-yard field goal with 17 seconds remaining to give the Bears a 10-3 advantage heading to the break.

Gould added a 36-yard field goal with 3:47 left in the third quarter for a 10- point margin. The Bears were outgained 275-239. Thomas Jones led Chicago's ground game with 72 yards on 25 carries. Orton completed 14-of-28 passes for 134 yards. Carnell Williams rushed for 84 yards to lead Tampa Bay.

Game Notes

Galloway finished with 138 yards receiving on seven catches, notching his fourth career 1,000-yard season and first since 1998...Simms completed passes to nine different receivers...Alstott has at least one touchdown in each of his last four games.

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