NFL Game Capsules

Published: October 7, 2012 

Reggie Bush ran for a third-quarter touchdown, rookie Ryan Tannehill had 223 passing yards and the visiting Miami Dolphins held on to beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 17-13, at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati kicker Mike Nugent missed a 41-yard field goal with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The Bengals got the ball back with 1:45 to play, but the Dolphins prevailed when Reshad Jones picked off Andy Dalton at midfield. Tannehill completed 17-of-26 throws for the Dolphins (2-3), who were coming off back-to-back overtime losses. Dalton finished with 234 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for Cincinnati (3-2), which had averaged 33 points during a three-game winning streak.

Final Score: Indianapolis 30, Green Bay 27

Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - During a time of crisis for Chuck Pagano, the emotionally-jarred Indianapolis Colts gave him a reason to smile. Reggie Wayne caught 13 passes for a career-high 212 yards, which included the go- ahead touchdown with 35 seconds remaining, and the Colts downed the Green Bay Packers, 30-27, on Sunday. Mason Crosby had a chance to force overtime, but his 51-yard field goal with eight seconds to go hooked wide left. The Colts disclosed head coach Pagano's diagnosis of leukemia on Monday and the first-year head man is expected to be hospitalized six to eight weeks while undergoing treatment. Pagano, who turned 52 on Tuesday, will be treated with chemotherapy and drugs, according to his physician Dr. Larry Cripe. Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2007, will coach Indianapolis for the foreseeable future, although Pagano most likely won't resume his coaching duties this season. Andrew Luck threw for 362 yards on 31-of-55 efficiency with two touchdowns and an interception for Indianapolis (2-2), which trailed 21-3 at the half, but outscored the heavily-favored Packers 27-6 over the final 30 minutes. Aaron Rodgers completed 21-of-33 passes for 243 yards with three scores and an interception for the Packers (2-3), who defeated the New Orleans Saints last Sunday.

Final Score: Baltimore 9, Kansas City 6

Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - It wasn't pretty, but thanks to three field goals from Justin Tucker the Baltimore Ravens took a 9-6 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Ray Rice carried the ball 17 times for 102 yards and added a 16-yard catch while Joe Flacco was a mediocre 13-for-27 with 187 yards and an interception for the Ravens (4-1), who have won three straight after dropping a game in Philadelphia. Anquan Boldin had four catches for 82 yards. Matt Cassel had a tough day, getting picked off twice and losing a fumble before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a head injury for the Chiefs (1-4), who have dropped their past two after an overtime win against New Orleans. Jamaal Charles carried the ball 30 times for 140 yards in the loss.

Final Score: NY Giants 41, Cleveland 27

East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) - Eli Manning and Victor Cruz hooked up for three touchdowns and the New York Giants closed out the first half with 20 consecutive points en route to a 41-27 victory over the still-winless Cleveland Browns at MetLife Stadium. Ahmad Bradshaw contributed a career-best 200 rushing yards and a touchdown on 30 carries to help the defending world champion Giants (3-2) fight back from an early 14-0 deficit and bounce back from a tough loss at NFC East-rival Philadelphia a week prior. New York erupted for 17 unanswered points over the final 2:52 of the second quarter to claim a 27-17 advantage, converting two takeaways by safety Stevie Brown into touchdowns by Bradshaw and Cruz. Manning finished with 259 yards on 25- of-37 passing and was intercepted once in directing a Giants offense that racked up 502 total yards on the afternoon. Cleveland's Brandon Weeden completed 22-of-35 throws for 291 yards and a pair of touchdowns to fellow rookie Josh Gordon, but was intercepted twice as the Browns fell to 0-5 for the first time since losing their first seven tests of 1999. The Browns have now dropped 11 in a row and 14 of their last 15 outings dating back to last season. Trent Richardson accumulated 81 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts for Cleveland, while Jordan Norwood paced the Browns receivers with a nine-catch, 81-yard effort.

Final Score: Pittsburgh 16, Philadelphia 14

Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Shaun Suisham kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Pittsburgh Steelers over the Philadelphia Eagles, 16-14, in a close Week 5 intrastate battle. The Steelers (2-2) welcomed back several injured starters Sunday, including running back Rashard Mendenhall, who revitalized a stagnant running game and finished with 101 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Mendenhall picked up 31 yards on a game-winning drive that lasted the final 6:33 after the Eagles had taken a one-point lead on Brent Celek's two-yard touchdown catch. Ben Roethlisberger finished with 207 yards on 21-of-37 passes for Pittsburgh, which used an early bye week to get healthy and recover from a 34-31 loss to the Raiders in Week 3. The Eagles (3-2) have dropped two of their last three after opening the season with two wins.

Final Score: Atlanta 24, Washington 17

Landover, MD (Sports Network) - Michael Turner ran for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:46 left to play and the Atlanta Falcons gutted out a 24-17 victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday at FedEx Field. Turner was bottled up for most of the day, running for just 67 yards on 18 carries, but broke through for a 13-yard sprint to the end zone when it mattered most for the Falcons, who are 5-0 for the first time in franchise history. Matt Ryan threw for 345 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on 34-of-52 efficiency for Atlanta. Tony Gonzalez had a huge day receiving, catching 13 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown, while Julio Jones snagged 10 balls for 94 yards and a score. Robert Griffin III connected on 10-of-15 passes for 91 yards, but left the game after taking a shot to the head from Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon. Kirk Cousins took over under center and threw for 111 yards, one score and two interceptions on 5-of-9 passing for Washington (2-3), which lost at home for the eighth consecutive game. Rookie sixth-round draft pick Alfred Morris ran for 115 yards on 18 carries for the Redskins, while Santana Moss caught two passes for 80 yards and a touchdown in the setback.

Final Score: Seattle 16, Carolina 12

Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Cam Newton fumbled on Carolina's final possession and Seattle recovered, allowing the Seahawks to capture a 16-12 victory over the Panthers on the road. After Newton failed to convert on fourth down from Seattle's 1-yard line late in the fourth quarter, he got another chance. The Seahawks were pinned back on their own side of the field and were forced to punt, but the snap to punter Jon Ryan was high and he opted to take a safety. Trailing 16-12 with less than a minute to play, Newton was sacked by Bruce Irvin, who forced a fumble on the play and Seattle recovered to seal the victory. Russell Wilson, who completed 19- of-25 passes for a career-high 221 yards, overcame two interceptions by throwing the go-ahead touchdown pass to Golden Tate late in the third quarter for Seattle (3-2), which lost to the St. Louis Rams last Sunday. Steven Hauschka converted field goals from 22, 36 and 44 yards in the victory. Newton was 12-of-29 for 141 yards and added 42 yards rushing on seven carries for Carolina (1-4), which has dropped three straight games.

Final Score: Chicago 41, Jacksonville 3

Jacksonville, FL (Sports Network) - Jay Cutler had two touchdown passes and the Chicago defense returned a pair of interceptions into the end zone as the Bears crushed the Jacksonville Jaguars, 41-3. Cutler went 23-for-39 with 292 yards and an interception, while Brandon Marshall had 12 catches for 144 yards and a score for the Bears (4-1), who have won their past three games. Matt Forte finished the game with 107 yards on 22 carries and also had two catches for 20 yards. Blaine Gabbert was 17-for-33 with 142 yards and two interceptions for the Jaguars (1-4), who have dropped their past two games. Maurice Jones-Drew carried the ball 12 times for 56 yards in the loss.

Final Score: Minnesota 30, Tennessee 7

Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Percy Harvin caught eight passes for 108 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for a score as the Minnesota Vikings steamrolled the Tennessee Titans, 30-7, on Sunday. Christian Ponder went 25- for-35 through the air for 258 yards and two touchdowns and Adrian Peterson carried the ball 17 times for 88 yards for the Vikings (4-1), who have already surpassed their win total from 2011. Minnesota has won its last three contests and are tied with the Chicago Bears atop the NFC North standings. The last time the Vikings finished in first place in the division was 2009. Matt Hasselbeck, who started in place of an injured Jake Locker, was 26-for-43 passing for 200 yards and a touchdown. Chris Johnson had another poor performance for the Titans (1-4), who are 1-7 all-time in Minnesota. Johnson picked up just 24 yards on 15 carries and fumbled once.

Final Score: New England 31, Denver 21

Foxboro, MA (Sports Network) - In a matchup of two of the game's marquee quarterbacks, the New England Patriots' ground attack proved to be the difference-maker. Second-year running back Stevan Ridley rushed for a career- high 151 yards and one touchdown, helping New England beat the Denver Broncos, 31-21, at Gillette Stadium. A hiccup for Ridley on Sunday was a fumble he lost with 5:19 to play in the fourth quarter. Denver quarterback Peyton Manning, who threw three touchdown passes to Tom Brady's one score through the air and outgained his New England counterpart, 345-223, led his club into the red zone, looking to make it a one-possession game. On 2nd-and-10 from the 14-yard line, Manning handed the ball off to Willis McGahee and New England's Rob Ninkovich forced his second fumble of the game to hinder the rally. Brady then completed a 9-yard pass to Wes Welker, the last of his game-high 13 receptions, on 3rd-and-3, and the Patriots ran out the clock. Welker finished with 104 receiving yards and caught a TD pass for New England (3-2), which has won two in a row after a two-game-skid. The losing streak begin with a setback in its home opener to Arizona. The Patriots followed up a loss at Baltimore by routing Buffalo last week. The last time the Patriots dropped consecutive home games came in 2008, when they lost in overtime to the New York Jets on Nov. 13 and then Pittsburgh on Nov. 30. Even though Mannings' stats were more gaudy for fantasy owners, the win upped Brady's record in the head-to-head meetings to 9-4.

Final Score: San Francisco 45, Buffalo 3

San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - Alex Smith was nearly perfect through the air, Frank Gore had his way on the ground and the San Francisco 49ers defense again kept the opposition out of the end zone in a 45-3 shellacking of the Buffalo Bills. Smith connected on 18-of-24 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns, while Gore ran for 106 yards and a score on 14 carries for the 49ers (4-1), who gained a franchise-record 621 yards in their second straight blowout victory. San Francisco beat the Jets in New York, 34-0, in Week 4 and scored the final 42 points Sunday to win going away. Michael Crabtree caught six passes for 113 yards and a TD, and Vernon Davis added 106 yards on five receptions in the rout. Ryan Fitzpatrick finished with just 126 yards and an interception for Buffalo (2-3), which came in with an NFL- high 16 touchdowns but gained just 10 first downs in its second straight debilitating setback.

Final Score: New Orleans 31, San Diego 24

New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - Drew Brees broke a 52-year-old record in the first quarter and then orchestrated a 10-point comeback in the second half as the New Orleans Saints downed the San Diego Chargers, 31-24, on Sunday. Brees completed 29-of-45 passes for 370 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. He has now thrown a touchdown pass in 48 straight games, snapping Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas' mark of 47 that had held since 1960. Marques Colston caught nine balls for 131 yards and three scores, while Devery Henderson had eight receptions for 123 yards and a score for the Saints (1-4), who avoided their first 0-5 start in 16 years. Philip Rivers went 27-for-42 through the air for 354 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for San Diego (3-2), which was looking to go 3-0 on the road this season. Ryan Mathews carried the ball 12 times for 80 yards and a score, and added 59 yards on six receptions in defeat.

Order Reprint Back to Top

Top Jobs

View All Top Jobs

Find a Home

$875,000 Anchorage
8 bed, 4 full bath. Bootleggers Cove townhouse style duplex...

Find a Car

Search New Cars
Ads by Yahoo!