Monday Afternoon Hangover: stats and nuggets from Week 14

San Diego 20, Dallas 17
This was a tight matchup of two teams going the opposite direction in the month of December. But on the field in Dallas on this Sunday, they were near equals: the Chargers and Cowboys were separated by just six yards of offense, 10 seconds of possession time, one first down and, ultimately, just three points.
 
San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers proved the great difference maker in this, perhaps the most quietly outstanding season in history. In a clutch fourth quarter, he completed 7 of 8 passes for 114 yards, one TD and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. 

 

The Chargers were bolstered by the reemergence of Vincent Jackson in the passing game: his 7 catches for 120 yards almost equaled his total output over his past four games combined (9 for 147). The Rivers-Jackson combination has helped make the Chargers the highest scoring team in the AFC (362 points).

 

The Cowboys, meanwhile, have only themselves to blame for the loss: The Cowboys failed to score a touchdown on three straight rush attempts from the San Diego 1 yard line in the second quarter, turning the ball over on downs. The Cowboys quickly grabbed a pick from Rivers. But on their next possession, Nick Folk missed a 42-yard field goal wide left. – DZ
 

Indianapolis 28, Denver 16
Denver is a Top 10 team in Defensive Passer Rating and ranks No. 2 in passing yards allowed (183.3 YPG).

 

That defensive unit dominated Peyton Manning for much of this game on Sunday: the Indy quarterback threw three picks, completed just 47.6 percent of his passes, averaged 5.3 YPA and posted a 65.6 passer rating – his worst performance of the year in every category. During one stretch, Manning completed just 2 of 14 passes for 15 yards.

 

But Indy also scored 28 points and won. The question is, "How?"

 

The answer is that not matter how well the Denver D performed on first and second downs, they couldn't contain Manning on third and fourth downs.

 

Indy converted 10 of 17 (59%) third and fourth downs, while Manning completed 8 of 14 for 95 yards and three TDs on third down, with a rating of 117.6.

 

The Colts have been the most clutch team in football this year – and this win over Denver was another example. They simply made the plays they needed to make to win, even on a day when their quarterback was not at his best at all times.

 

Denver receiver Brandon Marshall set an NFL record with 21 catches (for 200 yards). But Indy defenders kept the star from making the big play – as evidenced by his meager average of 9.5 yards per reception.

 

Indy's "bend but don't break" philosophy (the Colts lead the NFL in Bendability) was on full display. They Colts allowed Denver into their territory nine times, but surrendered only16 points in the process. – DZ

New England 20, Carolina 10
Tom Brady should insist to his supermodel wife that the name "Wes" or "Welker" must appear somewhere in their newborn son's name.

 

Welker hauled in 10 Brady passes for 105 yards in poor weather conditions and in an otherwise ugly win for New England. Welker leads the NFL with 105 receptions and joins Marvin Harrison, Jerry Rice, and Herman Moore as the only players in NFL history with three consecutive 100-catch seasons. (Harrison did it four times in a row.)

 

Even more amazing is the fact that Welker has caught those 105 passes in just 11 games after missing two starts early in the season. Other than Welker's great effort, New England's offense was sluggish and mistake-prone (three first-half turnovers). However, an uncharacteristically strong running attack (40 carries, 185 yards, 4.6 YPA) helped the Patriots scratch out enough points to earn the win.

 

Carolina's fourth-ranked rushing attack ripped off 5.2 YPA against the New England defense (24 carries, 126 yards), but as always, the team's inability to move the ball effectively through the air doomed them.

 

Matt Moore (15 for 30, 197 yards, 6.6 YPA, 1 TD, 0 INT, 82.2 rating) avoided the ball-breaking interceptions that have typified Jake Delhomme's season, but he completed  only 50 percent of his passes while the Panthers converted just 3 of 13 third down attempts.

 

Carolina also nullified their +3 advantage in the turnover department by committing 9 penalties – some of them momentum-changing killers – for 92 yards. – TC

Washington 34, Oakland 13
The Redskins had a breakout game all around against the embarrassment called the Raiders: They scored their most points since Week 5 of 2007, snapping a nine-game road losing streak in the process. The Redskins have now scored at least 30 points in consecutive games for the first time in three years.

 

Defensively, the Redskins held Oakland quarterbacks Bruce Gradkowski and JaMarcus Russell to just 4.8 yards per pass and recorded eight sacks, their most since 1990. – BS

Houston 34, Seattle 7
Seattle is two different teams at home and on the road. They're 4-2 at home this season (and 31-15 since 2004), but just 1-6 on the road, with the lone win against the lowly Rams.

 

The trip to Houston this week was another disaster: the Seahawks surrendered 24 points and 364 yards in the first half alone. It also marked the fourth time in seven road games that a Seattle opponent has racked up at least 400 yards (450 this week) and more than 30 points.

 

Seattle surrenders 14.8 PPG and 294.0 YPG at home this year. Those numbers spike to 411.4 YPG and 30.3 PPG on the road. – MS