Published: Monday, December 11, 2006
Steelers two back in wild card
The Bengals and Jaguars lead the AFC wild-card race, pursued by seven teams.
VINDICATOR STAFF/WIRE REPORTS
Before Sunday's NFL games began, five teams were a game-and-a-half ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-7) in the AFC wild-card chase.
The Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets all were 7-5.
Two won — the Bengals defeated the Oakland Raiders, 27-10, and the Jaguars pounded the Indianapolis Colts, 44-17.
Three lost — the Jets fell to the Buffalo Bills, 31-13; the Broncos were walloped by the San Diego Chargers, 48-20; and the Chiefs were defeated by the Ravens, 20-10.
The Ravens' victory gives them a 10-3 record, which means the Steelers cannot overtake them for the AFC North Division title.
Today, the Bengals and Jaguars lead the wild-card race. A game behind are the Chiefs, Broncos and Jets. Another game back (with three to play) are the Steelers, Bills, Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans.
Ravens 20, Chiefs 10
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One big pass play, one big defensive day — and Baltimore is one step closer to the AFC North title.
Steve McNair hooked up with Mark Clayton for an 87-yard score and Ed Reed had two interceptions.
Baltimore (10-3) maintained its two-game division lead over Cincinnati.
Ravens coach Brian Billick raised some eyebrows when he gave his players five days off — almost a second open week — after their 13-7 loss at Cincinnati on Nov. 30. Their fresh legs showed Sunday, though, as Baltimore looked a step faster on both sides of the ball.
The Ravens forced three turnovers and sacked Green four times. Green also lost a fumble after being sacked and stripped of the ball by Terrell Suggs.
The TD throw, which was McNair's longest career pass and Clayton's longest career reception, put the Ravens up 13-0 with just under 6 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.
Clayton had to pull up slightly to catch the pass, but was still 4 yards past cornerback Ty Law when he hauled the ball in at Kansas City's 45. Nobody even got close to him as he sprinted down the center of the field to the end zone.
Kansas City (7-6), which lost only its second December home game since 1995, answered Clayton's catch with Lawrence Tynes' field goal and trailed 13-3 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs failed to convert a turnover on Baltimore's next possession, though, and Jamal Lewis' 1-yard scoring run with just less than 3 minutes to go sealed the Ravens' victory.
Bengals 27, Raiders 10
CINCINNATI — Only a month ago, the Cincinnati Bengals looked like they were on the verge of imploding. The defending AFC North champs were openly pouting and regularly losing.
Look at them now.
Carson Palmer threw for a pair of touchdowns and Rudi Johnson ran for two more on Sunday, setting up a well-rounded victory over the Oakland Raiders that strengthened Cincinnati's playoff chances.
"We're peaking at the right time," receiver Chad Johnson proclaimed.
The Bengals (8-5) have won four in a row, moving to the forefront of the AFC wild card race. At the moment, Cincinnati is positioned for one of the two spots, with pivotal games coming up the next two weeks at Indianapolis and Denver.
It's all coming together for a team that's piling up franchise records on offense and defense these days.
They had a pair of 100-yard receivers and a 100-yard rusher Sunday, a combination they've never had before. And, the defense had another record-setting performance — Cincinnati has given up only 17 points in the last three games, another first.
Jaguars 44, Colts 17
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There was nothing Colts quarterback Peyton Manning could do to prevent this outcome — unless he decided to play defense or special teams.
Rookie Maurice Drew ran for a career-high 166 yards and two touchdowns, had a 93-yard kickoff return for a score, and the Jaguars literally ran the Colts out of town and maybe out of contention for home-field advantage in the AFC.
Drew ran so much he started cramping up in the third quarter and had to get intravenous fluids.
Fred Taylor was equally effective against the league's worst run defense, gaining 131 yards on nine carries before leaving the game with a sore right hamstring.
By then, the Jaguars (8-5) were ahead 34-10 and coasting to their first win against Indianapolis since 2004. The Colts (10-3) had won three in a row in the series and were looking to clinch their fourth consecutive division title.
Now, they're trying to regroup from a third loss in four games and wondering whether they've gone from the leading candidate to secure the conference's No. 1 seed to a possible wild-card team.
Indianapolis — which finishes the season against Cincinnati, Houston and Miami — knows what went wrong. The defense hasn't been able to stop the run all season.
The Colts allowed a franchise record 375 yards rushing Sunday. They gave up 251 yards on the ground in the first half — nearly 100 yards more than they averaged giving up in the previous 12 games.
Taylor set the tone with a 76-yard run on Jacksonville's opening play. Drew scored on the next play. It was the start of a team rushing record for the Jaguars, breaking the previous mark of 244 yards rushing set in December 2000 against Cleveland.
Indianapolis' defensive woes overshadowed Marvin Harrison's accomplishment. Harrison became the fourth player in NFL history with 1,000 receptions Sunday, joining Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Cris Carter.
Chargers 48, Broncos 20
SAN DIEGO — Denver (7-6) lost its fourth straight game.
Looking more poised than in his debut a week earlier, Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler threw touchdown passes of 28 and 11 yards to rookie tight end Tony Scheffler in a span of 48 seconds.
The second TD came three plays after Chargers rookie Antonio Cromartie fumbled on a kickoff return after being hit by Patrick Chukwurah, with Denver's Louis Green recovering at the San Diego 27.
Then Jason Elam kicked a 33-yard field goal to make it 28-20.
But the Chargers' defense came up big, with Luis Castillo sacking Cutler and linebacker Shawn Merriman batting down a pass by Cutler on fourth down.
Bills 31, Jets 13
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Three big plays by the Buffalo Bills put a huge crimp in the New York Jets' playoff plans.
Willis McGahee scored on a 57-yard run, Lee Evans had a 77-yard TD catch and Nate Clements returned an interception 58 yards for a score.
McGahee, who playfully told Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma during the week that he couldn't be stopped, had 125 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. He has gained 100 or more yards in each of his last five games against New York.
Monday, December 11, 2006
The Bengals and Jaguars lead the AFC wild-card race, pursued by seven teams.
VINDICATOR STAFF/WIRE REPORTS
Before Sunday's NFL games began, five teams were a game-and-a-half ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-7) in the AFC wild-card chase.
The Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets all were 7-5.
Two won — the Bengals defeated the Oakland Raiders, 27-10, and the Jaguars pounded the Indianapolis Colts, 44-17.
Three lost — the Jets fell to the Buffalo Bills, 31-13; the Broncos were walloped by the San Diego Chargers, 48-20; and the Chiefs were defeated by the Ravens, 20-10.
The Ravens' victory gives them a 10-3 record, which means the Steelers cannot overtake them for the AFC North Division title.
Today, the Bengals and Jaguars lead the wild-card race. A game behind are the Chiefs, Broncos and Jets. Another game back (with three to play) are the Steelers, Bills, Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans.
Ravens 20, Chiefs 10
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One big pass play, one big defensive day — and Baltimore is one step closer to the AFC North title.
Steve McNair hooked up with Mark Clayton for an 87-yard score and Ed Reed had two interceptions.
Baltimore (10-3) maintained its two-game division lead over Cincinnati.
Ravens coach Brian Billick raised some eyebrows when he gave his players five days off — almost a second open week — after their 13-7 loss at Cincinnati on Nov. 30. Their fresh legs showed Sunday, though, as Baltimore looked a step faster on both sides of the ball.
The Ravens forced three turnovers and sacked Green four times. Green also lost a fumble after being sacked and stripped of the ball by Terrell Suggs.
The TD throw, which was McNair's longest career pass and Clayton's longest career reception, put the Ravens up 13-0 with just under 6 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.
Clayton had to pull up slightly to catch the pass, but was still 4 yards past cornerback Ty Law when he hauled the ball in at Kansas City's 45. Nobody even got close to him as he sprinted down the center of the field to the end zone.
Kansas City (7-6), which lost only its second December home game since 1995, answered Clayton's catch with Lawrence Tynes' field goal and trailed 13-3 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs failed to convert a turnover on Baltimore's next possession, though, and Jamal Lewis' 1-yard scoring run with just less than 3 minutes to go sealed the Ravens' victory.
Bengals 27, Raiders 10
CINCINNATI — Only a month ago, the Cincinnati Bengals looked like they were on the verge of imploding. The defending AFC North champs were openly pouting and regularly losing.
Look at them now.
Carson Palmer threw for a pair of touchdowns and Rudi Johnson ran for two more on Sunday, setting up a well-rounded victory over the Oakland Raiders that strengthened Cincinnati's playoff chances.
"We're peaking at the right time," receiver Chad Johnson proclaimed.
The Bengals (8-5) have won four in a row, moving to the forefront of the AFC wild card race. At the moment, Cincinnati is positioned for one of the two spots, with pivotal games coming up the next two weeks at Indianapolis and Denver.
It's all coming together for a team that's piling up franchise records on offense and defense these days.
They had a pair of 100-yard receivers and a 100-yard rusher Sunday, a combination they've never had before. And, the defense had another record-setting performance — Cincinnati has given up only 17 points in the last three games, another first.
Jaguars 44, Colts 17
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There was nothing Colts quarterback Peyton Manning could do to prevent this outcome — unless he decided to play defense or special teams.
Rookie Maurice Drew ran for a career-high 166 yards and two touchdowns, had a 93-yard kickoff return for a score, and the Jaguars literally ran the Colts out of town and maybe out of contention for home-field advantage in the AFC.
Drew ran so much he started cramping up in the third quarter and had to get intravenous fluids.
Fred Taylor was equally effective against the league's worst run defense, gaining 131 yards on nine carries before leaving the game with a sore right hamstring.
By then, the Jaguars (8-5) were ahead 34-10 and coasting to their first win against Indianapolis since 2004. The Colts (10-3) had won three in a row in the series and were looking to clinch their fourth consecutive division title.
Now, they're trying to regroup from a third loss in four games and wondering whether they've gone from the leading candidate to secure the conference's No. 1 seed to a possible wild-card team.
Indianapolis — which finishes the season against Cincinnati, Houston and Miami — knows what went wrong. The defense hasn't been able to stop the run all season.
The Colts allowed a franchise record 375 yards rushing Sunday. They gave up 251 yards on the ground in the first half — nearly 100 yards more than they averaged giving up in the previous 12 games.
Taylor set the tone with a 76-yard run on Jacksonville's opening play. Drew scored on the next play. It was the start of a team rushing record for the Jaguars, breaking the previous mark of 244 yards rushing set in December 2000 against Cleveland.
Indianapolis' defensive woes overshadowed Marvin Harrison's accomplishment. Harrison became the fourth player in NFL history with 1,000 receptions Sunday, joining Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Cris Carter.
Chargers 48, Broncos 20
SAN DIEGO — Denver (7-6) lost its fourth straight game.
Looking more poised than in his debut a week earlier, Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler threw touchdown passes of 28 and 11 yards to rookie tight end Tony Scheffler in a span of 48 seconds.
The second TD came three plays after Chargers rookie Antonio Cromartie fumbled on a kickoff return after being hit by Patrick Chukwurah, with Denver's Louis Green recovering at the San Diego 27.
Then Jason Elam kicked a 33-yard field goal to make it 28-20.
But the Chargers' defense came up big, with Luis Castillo sacking Cutler and linebacker Shawn Merriman batting down a pass by Cutler on fourth down.
Bills 31, Jets 13
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Three big plays by the Buffalo Bills put a huge crimp in the New York Jets' playoff plans.
Willis McGahee scored on a 57-yard run, Lee Evans had a 77-yard TD catch and Nate Clements returned an interception 58 yards for a score.
McGahee, who playfully told Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma during the week that he couldn't be stopped, had 125 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. He has gained 100 or more yards in each of his last five games against New York.
Monday, December 11, 2006
the Bengals defeated the Oakland Raiders, 27-10, and the Jaguars pounded the Indianapolis Colts, 44-17.
Three lost...
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