THE NFL STORY: WEEK # 12

So three NFL teams are now 1-10, and they haven't even fired their
coaches. Which is more than can be said for Florida State and Notre Dame.

THE SCORE:
GREEN BAY (7-4) 34
Detroit (2-9) 12
THE STATS: GB QB Aaron Rodgers 28-39-348-0-3 TD, 124.7 rating.
THE STORY: Green Bay halts Detroit's 1 game winning streak.


THE SCORE:
Oakland (3-8) 7
DALLAS (8-3) 24
THE STATS: Dallas defense allowed just 13 points in last 2 games.
THE STORY: Oakland has scored only 115 points this season, which
makes them the suckiest team in a league filled with sucky teams.


THE SCORE:
NY Giants (6-5) 6
DENVER (7-4) 26
THE STATS: Denver defense holds Giants to 57 yards rushing, just
3-12 on 3rd down conversions.
THE STORY: Gotta love the tradition of Thanksgiving football in
Dallas, Detroit, and, uh, Denver.


THE SCORE:
Tampa Bay (1-10) 17
ATLANTA (6-5) 20
THE STATS: TB QB Josh Freeman 20-29-250-0-2 TD, 118.5 rating.
THE STORY: Show of hands from whomever drafted Josh Freeman on their
fantasy team.


THE SCORE:
Miami (5-6) 14
BUFFALO (4-7) 31
THE STATS: Buffalo 24 4th quarter points.
THE STORY: Buffalo is getting $10 million a game to play 5 regular
season and 3 pre-season games in Canada. $10 million? That's almost
the price of a Super Bowl ticket.


THE SCORE:
Cleveland (1-10) 7
CINCINNATI (8-3) 16
THE STATS: CIN RB Larry Johnson 22-107.
THE STORY: 7th time this season that the Browns have scored in
single digits. That's 7 out of 11 games.


THE SCORE:
INDIANAPOLIS (11-0) 35
Houston (5-6) 27
THE STATS: Teams combine for 55 first downs, 10 scores, just 4 punts.
THE STORY: Colts earn the "z" next to their name in the
standings. That is, if you're on NFL.COM. On Sportsline, they got
the "y". Either way, it is a division title.


THE SCORE:
Carolina (4-7) 6
NY JETS (5-6) 17
THE STATS: CAR QB Jake Delhomme 4 interceptions, 0 touchdowns, 12.7
passer rating.
THE STORY: You know you're in trouble when your quarterback throws
almost as many interceptions as points your team scores.


THE SCORE:
Washington (3-8) 24
PHILADELPHIA (7-4) 27
THE STATS: PHL K David Akers 4-4 FG, 1-1 XP, 13 points, game winning
32-yard FG with 1:48 remaining.
THE STORY: Eagles 2nd straight 4th quarter win, but would be more
impressive if the wins were against tougher teams than Chicago and Washington.


THE SCORE:
SEATTLE (4-7) 27
St. Louis (1-10) 17
THE STATS: SEA RB Justin Forsett 22-130-2 TD
THE STORY: I'm not certain the last time the Rams threw for just 95
net yards passing, but I think they were playing on Katella Avenue at
the time. That's in Anaheim.


THE SCORE:
Kansas City (3-8) 14
SAN DIEGO (8-3) 43
THE STATS: SD QB Philip Rivers 21-28-317-0-2 TD, 135.6 rating.
THE STORY: Loved this matchup of all-purpose backs. San Diego's
Darren Sproles had 9-17 rushing, 5-66 receiving, 5-88 kick returns
for 171 all-purpose yards; Kansas City's Jamaal Charles was 17-93-1
TD rushing, 3-54 receiving, 2-61 kick returns, for 208 total
yards. Can I still drop Sproles and pick up Charles?


THE SCORE:
Jacksonville (6-5) 3
SAN FRANCISCO(5-6) 20
THE STATS: SF QB Alex Smith 27-41-232-0-2 TDs, 96.8 rating.
THE STORY: Jacksonville had more first downs (18-15), more yards
rushing (96-52), and more yards passing (261-232). Naturally, they
lost by 17 points.


THE SCORE:
Chicago (4-7) 10
MINNESOTA (10-1) 36
THE STATS: Minnesota 537 total yards to 169 for Chicago.
THE STORY: Brett Favre for MVP, coach Brad Childress Coach of the
Year for bringing in Favre.


THE SCORE:
Arizona (7-4) 17
TENNESSEE (5-6) 20
THE STATS: TEN RB Chris Johnson 18-154-1 TD.
THE STORY: Tennessee has managed to win 5 straight games after
losing their first 6 games, which should be impossible. But this is
the NFL, which, "On any given Sunday, Monday, or Thursday...."


THE SCORE:
Pittsburgh (6-5) 17
BALTIMORE (6-5) 20
THE STATS: PIT QB Dennis Dixon 12-26-145-1-1 TD, 60.6 rating, 3-27-1
TD rushing as replacement for Ben Roethlisberger (concussion).
THE STORY: Pittsburgh goes from division contender to tied for 2nd
wild card. And they just lost a tiebreaker to the Ravens.


THE SCORE:
New England (7-4) 17
NEW ORLEANS (11-0) 38
THE STATS: NO QB Drew Brees 18-23-371-0-5 TDs, 158.3 rating.
THE STORY: The game was going so bad for New England, that Bill
Belichick was considering changing his luck by changing sweatshirts
at halftime.


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