Panthers pummel Saints, Colts rally to beat Browns, and all of NFL Week 14˖˖the Monday Morning Realist

Every Monday morning, Section 215’s Akiem Bailum gives an in-depth and unfiltered look at all of the latest sports news in The Monday Morning Realist. You can follow Akiem on Twitter @AkiemBailum.

Dec 7, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) runs from New Orleans Saints defensive end Akiem Hicks (76) during the second half of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Panthers defeated the Saints 41-10. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Oh “NO”!

Last time I remember the New Orleans Saints, they were featured by yours truly in last week’s Realist as they had earned a major victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road at Heinz Field. It had definitely upped their playoff position given that right now all four teams look like they would rather be part of College Football’s playoff instead of the NFL’s postseason.

And, last time we checked, weren’t the Carolina Panthers supposed to be a team with renewed issues concerning their starting their starting quarterback, in the midst of a disappointing season, and off the field issues as well. After all, this was a team that last week was defeated 31˗13 to the Minnesota Vikings of all teams.

So, riddle us this: how is it that results like what happened this Sunday afternoon occur?

Three words: Any. Given. Sunday. At this point, it is one of the most repeated phrases in the American Sporting lexicon and the Panthers must have seen the movie before their game against New Orleans.

One which would start fast for Carolina as their first possession would include a 21 yard QB keeper by Cam Newton. In addition to two other first downs, seven plays, 80 yards, over three minutes, and a 9 yard pass to Kelvin Benjamin for the game’s first touchdown. Add on a Graham Gano extra point and we have a 7˗0 lead early.

The Saints first drive only spanned two plays, the second of which being a Mark Ingram fumble after Josh Norman tackled him and Colin Cole was on the recovery to the New Orleans 25 after 2nd and 9 at the 21. But, Carolina would only add three after only advancing the football six yards to set the scene for a 37 yard field goal by Gano for a 10˗0 score in favor of the Panthers.

New Orleans’ first play of their next possession had the same result as their last: turnover when Brees was looking for Joseph Morgan but instead found Bene Benwikere. He returned it from the Panthers’ 40 the Saints’ 39 but an illegal block above the waist flag on Luke Kuechly moved the football back to the Carolina 40.

No harm no foul for the Panthers as they would gain a pair of first downs including a 1st and 10 play that was a 22 yard run by Newton. He also was responsible for his team’s second touchdown as a two yard run by him gave Carolina a 17˗0 advantage.

The defense then continued pitching their shutout, forcing New Orleans into a three and out before the ensuing Panthers possession. They would gain a first down this time but it was also hampered by a penalty to bring up a punt. The drive for the Saints would last from the first quarter’s end to the start of the second.

The seven play, 34 yard, 3:28 drive would stall at the Panthers’ 19 bringing up a Shayne Graham field goal from 37 yards out to make the game 17˗3.

Carolina only got one first down on its next drive before punting. The Saints got two on its next and moved the football deep in Carolina territory before leaving empty handed as Graham’s 42 yard field goal attempt was no good. This was followed by a long Panthers drive that included three first down gains, 12 plays, 68 yards, and 4:46 ending in a Newton pass to Greg Olsen for 16 yards to make the score 24˗3.

Another Saints three and out then translated into Carolina having the ball one more time prior to the half. They gained a pair of first downs, and got the ball to the Saints side of the field, but penalties continued to move the Panthers back as their last drive prior to the half would result in no points.

New Orleans would have possession again coming out of the half and only mustered a three and out before the next Panthers drive lasted only one play: a 69 yard Jonathan Stewart TD run for a 31˗1 Carolina advantage.

The Saints would only find one first down on their next drive before punting back again. The following Carolina drive would see four first downs, 9 plays, 86 yards, 5:49, and a Newton 26 yard TD pass to Fozzy Whittaker to make the game 38˗3.

Another New Orleans three and out was followed by another long Panthers drive. This one saw three first downs, 11 plays, 38 yards, and over five minutes, but it ended at the 23 of the Saints as Gano was true from 41 yards out to make the score 41˗3.

The Saints moved the ball on their following possession and gained three first downs including one that was a 24 yard pass to Marques Colston on 2nd and 9 from their own 21 to advance the football to the 45. 3rd and 1 from the 16 resulted in a sack of Brees by Mario Addison and the following 4th and 16 play was an incomplete pass to Kenny Stills.

After a Carolina three and out, New Orleans had the ball again and picked up four first downs, including the first one being a 28 yard pass to Colston from Brees on 3rd and 5 at the Saints 32 to move the ball to the 40 of Carolina. The 12 play, 83 yard, 3:31 drive culminated in Brees connecting with Benjamin Watson for a seven yard touchdown to make the game 41˗10.

The next drive for Carolina would be a three and out. The next one for the Saints would be the last one of the game. They gained four first downs and had 10 plays for 63 yards that lasted over three minutes. But those would be the last three minutes of the game as their drive ended at the Panthers’ 22 with time expiring.

• Newton: 21/33, 226 yards, 3 TDs
• Stewart: 20 carries, 155 yards
• Olsen: 10 receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD

• Brees: 29/49, 235 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
• Ingram: 10 carries, 43 yards
• Colston: 5 receptions, 72 yards

Week 15: NO at CHI, TB at CAR

Cleveland, These Aren’t One Trick Ponies!

Dec 7, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (13) celebrates with guard Jack Mewhort (75) after scoring the game winning touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the fourth quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Cots won 25-24. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports

It’s one thing to mention how the Colts defeated the Washington Redskins last week by a final of 49˗27. It’s another to plug how the Browns were defeated by the Buffalo Bills by a final of 26˗10 a few weeks removed from their Snowpocalypse in Buffalo.

It’s entirely another to mention what the overall theme of this game was: or what it least it should have been.
When will teams recognize that when playing the Indianapolis Colts with #12 Andrew Luck at quarterback that no lead is safe?

The NFL should have picked up the memo last year when the Colts stunned the Kansas City Chiefs at Lucas Oil Stadium during last year’s playoffs after being down 38˗10. This team was down big to the New England Patriots the following week and still managed to make somewhat of a game out of it.

No lead is safe when playing Indy. Maybe this game will help the league get the message.

Cleveland only got one first down on its first drive before Indy was forced into a three and out on its first possession. The Browns also had a three and out on its next drive. So did Indy on its next, but Cleveland’s following possession would begin at the Colts’ 46 after a 37 yard return on a punt by Travis Benjamin.

The second play of the following Browns possession was a Brian Hoyer pass to Jordan Cameron for 20 yards to the 26 yard line of the Colts. They gained one more first before the drive on 2nd and 9 was ended with a Mike Adams pick of Hoyer on a pass intended for Jim Dray. Jerrell Freeman tipped the pass prior to it being picked in the end zone.

The next Colts possession would only see one first down prior to punting back to Cleveland who only mustered a three and out. Indy would go three and out on their next drive as well, but the third was a fumble return by Craig Robertson for a touchdown for Cleveland and a 7˗0 lead.

The Colts and Browns would then trade three and outs again. After another one from Indy, the Browns put together a drive in which they gained three first downs on a drive that lasted 10 plays, 43 yards, and spanned 4:22. The possession would be all for naught as it stalled at the 22 and the ensuing Billy Cundiff 40 yard field goal was no good.

Three first downs would be picked up by Indianapolis on their next drive, including one for 26 yards to Daniel Herron on 1st and 10 at the Browns 39 to move the football to the 13 of Cleveland. The six play, 70 yard, 2:53 drive ended in a 11 yard run by Andrew Luck to even the score at seven after an Adam Vinatieri extra point attempt.

The Browns would gain its first first down of its ensuing drive when Hoyer found Benjamin for 27 yards. After three more first down pickups, the 9 play, 77 yard, 4:43 drive resulted in an Isaiah Cromwell nine yard run for a touchdown to gain those points back for a 14˗7 score.

The last Colts possession of the half would be a three and out prior to Cleveland ending the half with a kneel down.

Cleveland would begin the second half with a three and out themselves before Indianapolis got eh ball again. After gaining one first down, Luck was then picked off on 2nd and 10 at their own 12 by Justin Gilbert. He returned the pick 21 yards the other way for a touchdown and a 21˗7 score.

Indianapolis then responded. Their ensuing possession would last 7 plays for 31 yards and 3:05 after starting at their own 37 on a drive that included three first down gains. It ended with a 51 yard field goal from Vinatieri after the drive stalled at the 32 for a 21˗10 score.

A Browns three and out led to an Indy drive that saw one first down pickup. A six play, 54 yard drive lasting under two minutes resulted in T.Y. Hilton on the receiving end of a 42 yard touchdown pass from Luck to bring the game to 21˗16, but the Colts’ two point conversion attempt failed.

After another Cleveland three and out, Indianapolis would get another drive in which they gained three first downs and moved the football to inside the Browns’ red zone. As the fourth quarter began, a drive that stalled at the 15 resulted in a 33 yard Vinatieri field goal for a 21˗19 Browns tally.

Cleveland only got one first down on their next drive before punting again. After two first down gains, a Luck pass intended for Hilton was picked by Jim Leonhard at the Browns’ 43. He returned it to the Colts’ 23 for 34 yards.
The result: only advancing the ball two yards and a Cundiff field goal for 39 yards and a 24˗19 score.

The following possession began promising for the Colts as Luck threw to Hilton for 33 yards to the Cleveland 43 before only moving the football three more yards on their ensuing plays, then punting. The only Browns first down of their next drive would be when Hoyer threw to Andrew Hawkins for 20 yards to the 35 before only advancing three more yards after that.

The Colts then went on the move. The first first down of their next drive was Luck pass to Donte Montcrief for 27 yards. They gained two more, including first and goal at the one. The 11 play, 90 yard, 3:14 drive resulted in Luck finding Hilton for one yard and a TD and a 25˗24 lead for the Colts. The two point conversion attempt failed.

A roughing the passer call aided Cleveland on their next and final possession, but Hoyer was picked by Josh Gordy on their next play. One kneel down later, it sealed an Indianapolis victory.

• Luck: 24/53, 294 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
• Luck: 5 carries, 37 yards, 1 TD
• Hilton: 10 receptions, 150 yards, 2 TDs

• Hoyer: 14/31, 140 yards, 2 INTs
• West: 15 carries, 54 yards
• Cameron: 4 receptions, 41 yards

Week 15: HOU at IND, CIN at CLE

More Boom than Zoom

Dec 7, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) eludes the pass rush of Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Fletcher Cox (91) during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Ahh, don’t you just love potential NFC Championship previews?

And with that sentence, Realists, we just ticked off some Green Bay Packers fans reading this.

Either way, there is no doubt of how anticipated this one was. Seattle heading on the road at 8˗4, Philadelphia at home at 9˗3, a nationally televised game of the week on Fox, Joe Buck on the call…

And with that last sentence, Realists, we just ticked off a few people that may have not been too keen on the Joe Buck bit.

But these are a couple of teams fresh off having their Thanksgiving opponents for dinner. Philadelphia made mincemeat of the Dallas Cowboys 33˗10 while the Seahawks defeated the 49ers 19˗3 in a game that appeared to feature San Francisco having its Thanksgiving goodies before taking the field.

If last week was any indication, the Seahawks ate healthier. If the last few weeks are any indication, the Seahawks are once again Super Bowl threats.

Seattle’s opening possession would see them go 43 yards on a drive that began at their 23. They would gain three first downs including one that saw a certain Marshawn Lynch go 21 yards to the 49 of the Eagles. A 3rd and 5 late in the drive would result in a sack of Wilson by Connor Barwin to bring up a punt.

The two teams then traded first downs, but that of the Seahawks ended when Jon Ryan bobbled a punt and it was recovered by Zach Ertz at the 23 of Philadelphia.

Ertz then took the football to the Seahawks’ 14 yard line. Facing 4th and 1, they went for it, and it paid off when LeSean McCoy gained two yards. Two plays later, Mark Sanchez found Jeremy Maclin from one yard out for the game’s first touchdown. 7˗0 Eagles after a Cody Parkey extra point.

Seattle answered with a drive in which they gained four first downs, the second of which was a Russell Wilson pass to Doug Baldwin for 25 yards. This drive ended when Wilson, on 1st and 10 from the Philadelphia 26, got 26 yards to even the score at 7 after a Steven Hauschka extra point.

Philadelphia gained a pair of first downs on their next drive before it went south and they had to punt. Seattle and Philadelphia then traded three and outs. Four first downs would be gained by the Seahawks on their next drive, including one for 20 yards when Wilson threw again to Baldwin. After a 3rd and 11 at the Eagles’ 32 resulted in intentional grounding, this put the Seahawks out of Hauschka’s field goal range, prompting a punt.

After only gaining one first down on their next drive, the Eagles punted back to Seattle. They gained two first downs on their last drive of the half, including a Wilson pass to Paul Richardson for 20 yards. After 4th and 1 at the 26, with seven seconds left, Hauschka’s 44 yard field goal made the score 10˗7 heading into halftime.

The Eagles had the ball coming out of the half. It lasted only one play that went to Shady, but K.J. Wright forced a fumble and recovered by Earl Thomas at the 19.

Beast Mode can catch too just as well as he can run, and this was on display when Wilson threw to him for 15 yards and a touchdown. This made the score 17˗7. The ensuing kickoff return was returned by Josh Huff to the 46 of the Eagles. Seattle said he was down by contact, but the zebras upheld the call.

One first down, four plays, 54 yards, and 1:54 later, Sanchez found Ertz for 35 yards to bring Philadelphia to within 17˗14. Seattle again said that he was down by contact, but the zebras upheld the call.

The biggest play of the Seahawks ensuing possession would be when Bradley Fletcher was flagged for defensive pass interference for 44 yards that moved the football to the Philadelphia 35 yard line from Seattle’s 21. Four plays later, Wilson found Baldwin for 23 yards and a touchdown to make the score 24˗14.

A three and out by the Eagles was followed by a Seahawks drive that saw only one first down. After another Eagles three and out, the Seahawks gained two first downs on their next drive including one that was a 20 yard pass from Wilson to Jermaine Kearse. It would stall at the 40 yard line of the Eagles.

After another Philadelphia three and out, Seattle notched three first downs in a drive that saw them advance the football to the 36 prior to a 3rd and 15 play at the 36 being a four yard pass to Lynch which he fumbled thanks to Mychal Kendricks and recovered by Malcolm Jenkins (former Seahawk Malcolm Jenkins, former Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Jenkins that is).

The ensuing play which would have been a Sanchez pass to Riley Cooper was picked off by Tharold Simon at the Seattle 30 to the 41. But Simon was ruled down by contact at the 30. A three and out from the Seahawks was followed by a drive in which Philadelphia only had one first down.

Philly then started burning timeouts when Seattle had the ball again, but they converted three plays on their last drive to first downs and couldn’t get the offense of the Seahawks off the field. Two kneel downs later, both teams found themselves at 9˗4.

• Wilson: 22/37, 263 yards, 2 TDs
• Lynch: 23 carries, 86 yards
• Baldwin: 5 receptions, 97 yards, 1 TD

• Sanchez: 10/20, 96 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
• McCoy: 17 carries, 50 yards
• Ertz: 2 receptions, 39 yards, 1 TD

Week 15: SF at SEA, DAL at PHI

First to Ten Wins!

Dec 7, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back Robert Hughes (39) celebrates a fourth quarter first down against the Kansas City Chiefs at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Chiefs 17-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Or second to ten, regarding how you are looking at this one: either from an Arizona Cardinals perspective or a Denver Broncos perspective as they also reached ten wins for the season.

It was only a few short weeks ago where the Kansas City Chiefs were actually tied with those Denver Broncos for the top spot in the AFC West. Tied. As in same record tied.

Ever since then, tying Peyton Manning has seemed to have emitted a curse on Kansas City as they have since struggled and have fallen to third in their division as they were leapfrogged by a surging San Diego Chargers club.

As for the Cardinals, their story is well documented especially when looking at things through the lens of the Carson Palmer injury. Other than that, their costliest loss of the season may be to Seattle. Thanks to that loss, the NFC West looks like it will come down to the final week when they could have put the division away. In addition, the Cardinals lost to the NFC South’s Atlanta Falcons last week 29˗18, a game that got notable mention on last week’s Realist because of the fact that they lost to an NFC South team.

Yep. That happened.

And so did this game this week.

This one also began in auspicious fashion for Arizona. The Cardinals’ opening drive would see a pair of plays converted into first down pickups and stalled at the 26 yard line, but the 8 play, 36 yard, 4:05 drive resulted in a 44 yard field goal from Chandler Catanzaro for an early 3˗0 lead.

One first down and a 63 yard Jamaal Charles run later, the Chiefs answered to gain a 7˗3 lead.

The Cardinals got three to move the chains on their next drive before it stalled at the Chiefs’ 44 yard line bringing up a punt. Kansas City converted a pair of plays into first downs including a 2nd and 4 that was a pass from Alex Smith to Travis Kelce. Despite a penalty on the Chiefs for offensive holding, the play being reviewed reversed what would have been a fumble to the Cardinals. Eventually this drive stalled at the 44 of Arizona.

The majority of the ensuing Cardinals possession lasted until the start of the 2nd quarter, and saw four first down pickups including one to Rob Housler for his only reception of the game as he caught a 20 yard pass from Smith. The 10 play, 65 yard, 8:07 drive that stalled at the 15 despite it advancing to the 5 earlier ended in a Catanzaro 33 yard field goal for a 7˗6 score.

This led to a Chiefs extension of their lead. Including gains of 21 via an Alex Smith run on 3rd and 14 from the Chiefs’ 43 and one for 22 yards as Smith found Dwayne Bowe (3rd and 20 at the Cardinals’ 25), four first downs, 11 plays, 60 yards, and 6:31 later, Smith found Charles for an 18 yard TD. After Cairo Santos’ extra point, the score was 14˗6.

Arizona looked to answer and appeared to be on their way to doing that when they picked up three first downs, including a gain of 22 yards from Drew Stanton to Jaron Brown. The nine play, 64 yard drive lasting 1:06 could have ended in a field goal by Catanzaro from 36 yards out after the drive stalled at the 18, but it was no good. One kneel down later, we were at the half.

The Chiefs started the second half by gaining two first downs before punting back to Arizona. Their only first down pickup of that drive was a Stanton 45 yard pass to Michael Floyd to put the football at the Kansas City 16 yard line. But a penalty only moved them back to the 21 and they would go no further. Catanzaro’s third field goal of the game made the score 14˗9.

Kansas City got two first downs on their next drive and appeared to get a touchdown when Smith found Anthony Fasano for 19 yards to the end zone, but it was nullified by an offensive pass interference call on Fasano. This moved back the ball from the 19 to the 29 of the Cardinals. The next play was intended to be passed to Albert Wilson, but it instead found Alex Okafor, who returned the football to the Chiefs’ 42 yard line.

The ensuing Arizona drive lasted five plays for 42 yards and saw one first down gain. The scoring play was a Stanton pass to Brown for 26 yards on 3rd and 18 to make the score 17˗14 in the Cards’ favor after the two point conversion to John Carlson was good.

The teams then traded three and outs. Kansas City’s first fourth quarter drive saw two first downs before stalling at the 41. The two teams then traded three and outs. The Cardinals next drive also was one as well. The following Chiefs drive would see one first down picked up when Smith threw to Kelce for 29 yards.

Smith then threw to Kelce again for 18 yards before it being ruled a fumble by Kelce and a recovery by Justin Bethel after Deone Bucanon caused the fumble.

The following Arizona drive featured nearly all run plays to Kerwynn Williams as it was all about ball control at this point. They got two first downs, one of which came on a pass from Stanton to Robert Hughes to the Chiefs’ 24 for 36 yards. The Cardinals’ possession stalled at the 16 and they hoped to see it end at least with a 34 yard Catanzaro field goal, but it was no good.

The last drive for the Chiefs this game only saw one first down gain before ending on three straight Smith incompletions, including one on fourth down as he was looking for Jason Avant. One Arizona kneel down later, they won their tenth game this season.

• Stanton: 15/30, 239 yards, 1 TD
• Williams: 19 carries, 100 yards
• Floyd: 4 receptions, 85 yards

• Smith: 26/39, 293 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
• Charles: 10 carries, 91 yards, 1 TD
• Kelce: 7 receptions, 110 yards

Week 15: ARI at STL, OAK at KC

Third to Ten Wins!

Dec 7, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Matthew Slater (18) celebrates making a tackle on a second half kick return against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Along with Denver and Arizona, the 10 win club for 2014 got a new member this season on Sunday Night when the Patriots faced the San Diego Chargers.

Earlier in the season, things looked somewhat bleak for San Diego. Now, they’re in the throes of playoff contention once again and are in 2nd place in their division competing for a Wild Card berth. They defeated the Ravens last week 34˗33. The Pats lost last week at Lambeau to Green Bay 26˗21 in what many billed as a Super Bowl preview.
Lots of Patriots fans hope that is a Super Bowl preview, just with the other team with the 26.

And, oh yeah, many that were on hand for this game (including a few media) had to be glad it was in San Diego and not Foxboro given how much they fetishize over a San Diego Super Bowl. I don’t know why, but they do.

The Patriots won the toss but deferred to the Chargers. They gained a pair of first downs on their opening possession, but the seven play, 27 yard drive lasting 3:49 resulted in a punt.

The first New England possession lasted 17 plays, six first downs, 89 yards, and over seven minutes. It looked like it would be all for naught when a Stephen Gostkowski attempt at a field goal was blocked and Brandon Flowers took the football 80 yards the other way for a touchdown. Shareece Wright was booked for a defensive offsides penalty. No Touchdown.

Instead, Gostkowski redeemed himself with a 22 yarder through the uprights for a 3˗0 lead.

The following Chargers drive would see four first downs gained, 11 plays, 80 yards lasting nearly five minutes, but ending in a Philip Rivers pass to Malcom Floyd for 15 yards and a touchdown. After Nick Novak’s extra point it was 7˗3 San Diego.

The Chargers would also score on the next Patriots’ offensive series. After gaining a first down earlier, Tom Brady threw to Brandon LaFell for a pair of yards before fumbling. Jahleel Addae caused the turnover and Darrell Stuckey returned it 53 yards the other way for a touchdown and a 14˗3 Chargers lead.

New England gained four first downs on their next possession, including one in which Brady threw to Rob Gronkowski for 35 yards on 2nd and 2 from the 34 to bring up a first down at the Chargers’ 31. Despite advancing the football to the San Diego four yard line, the Patriots had to settle for a 22 yard field goal from the cleats of Gostkowski to make the score 14˗6.

After a blocked punt off a Chargers three and out, the Patriots had the ball again. The short field resulted in a first down gain and a touchdown gain for 14 yards as Brady found Gronk. Make that 14˗13.

San Diego only had two first downs on their next drive before punting back to the Patriots who gained a couple of firsts on their next drive. But 2nd and 10 at the Chargers’ 18 was picked by Manti Te’o on a pass intended for Gronkowski at the Chargers’ 4 yard line. A kneel down by San Diego concluded the 2nd quarter.

Both teams began the second half with two three and outs each. New England would have another before the Chargers got the football back again. The first play was a Rivers pass intended for Ladarius Green that was picked off by Devin McCourty for a touchdown, but it was nullified by a Brandon Browner unnecessary roughness penalty.

Only one other first down would be gained by San Diego before punting again. A Patriots three and out was followed by a drive in which San Diego gained one first down off a Rivers pass to Floyd for 28 yards on 2nd and 10 at the 10 of the Chargers.

The Patriots gained three first downs on their next drive along with 10 plays, 55 yards, and milked 5:04 off the clock. A drive that stalled at the San Diego 20 resulted in a Gostkowski field goal for 38 yards and a 16˗14 lead.

A Chargers three and out would be followed up by a New England drive lasting only one play when Brady threw to Julian Edelman for 69 yards and a touchdown to bring the score to 23˗14. Another Chargers three and out would be followed by another Patriots drive. This time, they got three more first downs, including when LeGarrette Blount gained one for 23 yards on 1st and 10 at the Pats’ 28 to the 49 of the Chargers.

Only two minutes were left on the clock and the last Chargers’ possession of the game resulted in a three and out that included a trio of incompletions by Rivers. A pair of Patriots kneel downs later, this one was as good as over as the Pats joined Arizona and Denver with double digit victories in 2014.

• Brady: 28/44, 317 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
• Blount: 20 carries, 66 yards
• Edelman: 8 receptions, 141 yards, 1 TD

• Rivers: 20/33, 189 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
• Mathews: 11 carries, 44 yards,
• Floyd: 3 receptions, 54 yards, 1 TD

Week 15: MIA at NE, DEN at SD

Other Games

Nov 27, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detailed view of the NFL shield logo at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Cowboys defeat Bears 41˗28

Steelers defeat Bengals 42˗21

Rams defeat Redskins 24˗0

Giants defeat Titans 36˗7

Vikings defeat Jets 30˗24 (OT)

Ravens defeat Dolphins 28˗13

Lions defeat Buccaneers 34˗17

Broncos defeat Bills 24˗17

Raiders defeat 49ers 24˗13

Falcons at Packers (8:30 Monday Night Football)