Top Week 15 NFL Passing Performances

1. New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees: 29-36, 375 yards, three TD, zero INT
2. Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo: 22-31, 265 yards, three TD, zero INT
3. New York Giants QB Eli Manning: 23-34, 250 yards, three TD, zero INT
4. Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan: 26-37, 310 yards, two TD, one INT
5. Kansas City Chiefs QB Alex Smith: 18-30, 297 yards, two TD, zero INT
6. Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger: 27-35, 360 yards, zero TD, zero INT
7. Miami Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill: 29-47, 346 yards, one TD, two INT
8. New England Patriots QB Tom Brady: 21-35, 287 yards, two TD, one INT
9. Carolina Panthers QB Derek Anderson: 25-40, 277 yards, one TD, zero INT
10. Minnesota Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater: 31-41, 315 yards, one TD, two INT

Honorable Mention: Washington Redskins QB Robert Griffin III, Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning, Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco

Dallas Cowboys 41 - Chicago Bears 28 12/4/14

It was the DeMarco Murray show on Thursday Night Football in Chicago. Murray's excellent performance lifted the Dallas Cowboys to a 41-28 victory over the Chicago Bears. In the game, Murray punched in a one-yard touchdown run to open the second quarter and he continued to pile up touches as the game continued. Murray carried the ball 32 times for 179 yards and one touchdown, while catching nine passes for 49 yards. QB Tony Romo completed 21 of 26 passes for 205 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. WR Dez Bryant caught six passes for 82 yards, while WR Cole Beasley caught three passes for 42 yards and two touchdowns. RB Joseph Randle entered the game when DeMarco walked off to take grass out of his helmet and in the one play that Murray missed, Randle hit the hole for a 17 yard touchdown run. TE Gavin Escobar also caught a six-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. Chicago's offense was headed by QB Jay Cutler who played well by completing 32 of 46 passes for 341 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. However, the biggest blow to the Bears came in the first quarter where their star WR Brandon Marshall suffered two broken ribs and a collapsed lung after suffering a brutal hit. At that point, Marshall grabbed three passes for 61 yards, one of which was a spectacular one-handed catch downfield that went for 42 yards. WR Alshon Jeffery emerged in his absence as he caught six passes for 95 yards and one touchdown, and TE Martellus Bennett caught a team-high twelve passes for 84 yards and one touchdown. RB Matt Forte struggled to get anything going on the ground as he recorded thirteen carries for 26 yards and a fumble, but he caught eight passes for 74 yards. This was a dominant win for the Cowboys as they improve to 9-4 with an impressive 6-0 road record, and it showed the rest of the league that their offense runs through DeMarco Murray whether it is running the ball or throwing it. With the defeat, the Bears fell to 5-8, they are stuck in a two game losing skid, and now they have to deal without star WR Brandon Marshall for the rest of the season. 

#4 Duke Blue Devils 80 - #2 Wisconsin Badgers 70 12/3/14

In a battle of two college basketball powerhouses in Madison, Wisconsin, the #4 Duke Blue Devils shot the lights out and upset the #2 Wisconsin Badgers by a score of 80-70. As a team, Duke made 30 of their 46 field goals (65%) and made 7 of 12 three-pointers (58%). This attack was led by Freshman G Tyus Jones, who scored 22 points (7-11 FG, 2-3 3PT, 6-8 FT), grabbed six rebounds, and piled up four assists. Another Freshman, the highest recruit last season and one of the best players in the nation, C Jahlil Okafor was impressive despite his foul trouble. Okafor scored 13 points (6-8 FG, 1-2 FT) and notched six rebounds, and he continues his high shooting percentage from the field (65%). Duke Guards Quinn Cook scored 13 points and Rasheed Sulaimon added 14 points off the bench. Wisconsin simply had no answer defensively for the powerful Duke offense as the Blue Devils were scoring fairly easily. Wisconsin was led by their centerpiece, F/C Frank Kaminsky who scored 17 points (5-12 FG, 2-4 3PT, 5-8 FT) and grabbed nine rebounds. In terms of scoring, G Traevon Jackson took control of the ball and scored 25 points (7-12 FG, 3-5 3PT, 8-8 FT). Besides field goal percentage, the numbers for both teams were nearly identical as it was an even games in nearly all categories. In my opinion, Frank Kaminsky is the best player in college basketball and he continues to build on an excellent postseason run last season with a spectacular season in 2014. Kaminsky has the ability to score the basketball, grab rebounds, shoot from long range as a big man, and possesses great leadership qualities. 

Cleveland Browns QB Situation

One of the most popular topics, if not the most popular around the NFL, is the Cleveland Browns quarterback situation. Browns Head Coach Mike Pettine is faced with a difficult decision as he has to choose between QB Brian Hoyer or rookie QB Johnny Manziel to start next Sunday's Week 14 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Brian Hoyer has started every game for the Browns this season and led the team to a 7-5 record. More importantly, he has kept the Browns in contention to fight for their first playoff spot since 2002 where they reached the AFC Wild Card Playoffs. On Sunday the Browns suffered a 26-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills and in the loss, Hoyer completed 18 of 30 passes for 192 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions. Pettine replaced Hoyer with Manziel in the fourth quarter as he felt that "the entire offense could not move the ball,". Manziel answered the call with an impressive eight-play, eighty-yard drive that ended in a Manziel ten-yard rushing touchdown where he displayed his elusiveness and agility to avoid tacklers. Manziel finished the rest of the game and he completed 5 of 8 passes for 63 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions, while rushing twice for 13 yards and a touchdown. Mike Pettine stated that he will announce his starting quarterback on Wednesday and that announcement will be anticipated by many. Hoyer spoke out after the loss saying that he deserves the starting job still and he stated that "you don't go 7-5 in the NFL by getting lucky,". However, Hoyer's play over the past two games (41-70, 514 yards, zero touchdowns, five interceptions) and his ineffectiveness to score open a door for Manziel to take the starting job. In my opinion, I feel that Johnny Manziel should receive his first NFL start next Sunday against Indianapolis because he played pretty well in limited time against the Bills and he was able to move the ball better and more efficiently than Hoyer. In addition, Manziel can run the ball very well, so the Browns may opt to use special packages such as the read option to fool the defense and open up large holes for RB Isaiah Crowell. Even if Manziel does not start, it would not be surprising to see him run certain packages in the game that are designed specifically for him. No matter the choice that is made by Pettine, they have to face a tough Indianapolis team that s one of the highest scoring offenses in the league. 

Top Week 13 NFL Receiving Performances

1. Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins: nine catches, 238 yards, two TD
2. Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones: ten catches, 189 yards, one TD
3. New Orleans Saints WR Kenny Stills: five catches, 162 yards, one TD
4. Pittsburgh Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell: eight catches, 159 yards, zero TD
5. Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson: eleven catches, 146 yards, two TD
6. Indianapolis Colts WR Donte Moncrief: three catches, 134 yards, two TD (79 yard TD catch)
7. Indianapolis Colts TE Coby Fleener: four catches, 127 yards, two TD
8. Tennessee Titans WR Kendall Wright: seven catches, 132 yards, one TD
9. San Diego Chargers WR Keenan Allen: eleven catches, 121 yards, two TD
10. Washington Redskins TE Jordan Reed: nine catches, 123 yards, zero TD

Honorable Mention: Green Bay Packers WR Davante Adams, Pittsburgh Steelers WR Antonio Brown, Atlanta Falcons WR Harry Douglas 

Top Week 13 NFL Rushing Performances

1. Philadelphia Eagles RB LeSean McCoy: 25 carries, 159 yards, one TD
2. Denver Broncos RB C.J. Anderson: 32 carries, 168 yards, zero TD
3. St. Louis Rams RB Tre Mason: 14 carries, 117 yards, two TD (one for 89 yard score)
4. New Orleans Saints RB Mark Ingram: 23 carries, 122 yards, zero TD
5. New York Jets RB Chris Johnson: 17 carries, 105 yards, zero TD
6. Baltimore Ravens RB Justin Forsett: 24 carries, 106 yards, zero TD
7. Atlanta Falcons RB Steven Jackson: 18 carries, 101 yards, zero TD
8. Seattle Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch: 20 carries, 104 yards, zero TD
9. Detroit Lions RB Joique Bell: 23 carries, 91 yards, two TD
10. New York Giants RB Rashad Jennings: 26 carries, 91 yards, two TD

Honorable Mention: Green Bay Packers RB Eddie Lacy, Pittsburgh Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell, Indianapolis Colts RB Dan Herron

Top Week 13 NFL Passing Performances

1. Houston Texans QB Ryan Fitzpatrick: 24-33, 358 yards, six TD, zero INT
2. Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck: 19-27, 370 yards, five TD, one INT
3. New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees: 19-27, 257 yards, five TD, zero INT
4. Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford: 34-45, 390 yards, two TD, zero INT
5. San Diego Chargers QB Philip Rivers: 34-45, 383 yards, three TD, one INT
6. Washington Redskins QB Colt McCoy: 31-47, 392 yards, three TD, zero INT
7. Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers: 24-38, 368 yards, two TD, zero INT
8. Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan: 30-41, 361 yards, two TD, one INT
9. Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger: 32-58, 435 yards, two TD, two INT
10. Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler: 31-48, 280 yards, two TD, two INT

Honorable Mention: Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, Arizona Cardinals QB Drew Stanton, New England Patriots QB Tom Brady

New York Giants 24 - Jacksonville Jaguars 25 11/30/14

This matchup between two teams that are both severely struggling this season ended in a Jacksonville Jaguar 25-24 victory over the New York Giants. These two teams have faced their fair share of injuries and the season has been extremely frustrating. The Giants started off strong out of the gates by scoring three touchdowns in the second quarter (two by RB Rashad Jennings and one by WR Preston Parker) and entering halftime with a 21-3 lead. The momentum then swung rapidly in favor of the Jaguars as J.T. Thomas recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown (a play where Manning and Jennings were able to recover the ball, but failed miserably) and an excellent aerial strike from QB Blake Bortles to WR Marqise Lee for a 30-yard touchdown. This was encouraging for the Jaguars to see the rookie-rookie chemistry between their two 2014 draft picks. The Jaguars took the lead for the first time in the fourth quarter when TE Larry Donnell lost a costly fumble that was returned 41 yards to the house by Aaron Colvin. Josh Brown kicked a 33 yard field goal to give the Giants a two point lead with 3:26 in the fourth quarter. With 28 seconds remaining in the game, Josh Scobee drilled a 43 yard field goal to win the game for the Jaguars. In the game, Giants QB Eli Manning completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards, one touchdown, zero interceptions, and two huge fumbles. RB Rashad Jennnings improved his impressive year by rushing 26 times for 91 yards and two touchdowns. WR Odell Beckham Jr. recorded team highs in catches (seven) and receiving yards (90), while TE Larry Donnell caught five passes for 55 yards and a fumble lost. The Giants defense played very well as they sacked QB Blake Bortles seven times for 54 yards lost, nine tackles for loss, and forced three fumbles although they did not recover any. Jaguars QB Blake Bortles completed 21 of 35 passes for 194 yards, one touchdowns, and zero interceptions as well as rushing for 68 yards. The run game for the Jaguars was horrible as Blake Bortles was the top rusher with five carries for 68 yards and RB Denard Robinson recorded eleven carries for 44 yards. WR Marqise Lee was the only contributor in the passing game as he caught six passes for 75 yards and one touchdown. This loss made Giants Head Coach, Tom Coughlin the only coach in the NFL to lose three games while leading by 18  points at halftime. With both teams spiraling downward and playoff hopes slimming, the teams may continue to lose to ensure a high selection in next year's draft. The Jaguars improve to 2-10 with the win, while the Giants fell to 3-9 with a miserable 1-5 road record. 

San Diego Chargers 34 - Baltimore Ravens 33 11/30/14

These excellent AFC teams squared off in a duel in Baltimore on Sunday afternoon where the San Diego Chargers were able to defeat the Baltimore Ravens 34-33 on a last-minute touchdown pass. Led by QB Philip Rivers, the Chargers played an excellent second half by outscoring the Ravens 21-10 in the fourth quarter to fuel them to victory. Rivers completed 34 of 45 passes for 383 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, including a one-yard touchdown pass to WR Eddie Royal with 38 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. RB Ryan Matthews ran 12 times for 40 yards and one touchdown. WR Keenan Allen had a day by catching eleven passes, 121 yards, and two touchdowns, while Malcom Floyd caught three passes for 85 yards and reliable TE Antonio Gates caught seven passes for 83 yards. A crucial turnover for the Chargers was on a catch-and-run where he had the ball jarred out of his hands by his own LT D.J. Fluker. Baltimore played a solid game all around as they ended with zero turnovers, but they could not finish when it mattered. Ravens QB Joe Flacco continued his solid play by completing 19 of 31 passes for 225 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. RB Justin Forsett played very well again as he rushed 24 times for 106 yards, and although he did not find the end zone, he continued his streak of three straight games where he surpassed 100 rushing yards. WR Torrey Smith recorded team highs in all receiving categories with six catches, 65 yards, and two touchdowns, while fellow WR Steve Smith ended with one catch for two yards. Baltimore closed all of the running lanes as they usually do defensively, but they were burned by Rivers, especially on third down as the Chargers converted nine of eleven times on third down. Rivers looks to build off this great outing as he struggled in his previous two prior to this. Baltimore's offense now looks to run through Justin Forsett and Torrey Smith, and it heavily relies on the play of Joe Flacco. With the win, San DIego advanced to 8-4, while Baltimore fell to 7-5 and lost a crucial game in the tight AFC North standings. 

#15 Auburn Tigers 44 - #1 Alabama Crimson Tide 55 11/29/14

The 2014 Iron Bowl was one for the ages. The Auburn Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide were battling until the nation's top team prevailed by winning 55-44. This back and forth matchup was a very high scoring one as a new Iron Bowl record 99 points were scored between two of the top SEC teams. Auburn had the lead for the majority of the game, until the fourth quarter where Alabama really put their foot on the gas pedal and pulled away from the Tigers. Auburn QB Nick Marshall had a career day as he completed 27 of 43 for 456 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception) and he ran for 49 yards as well. Auburn WR Sammie Coates had a great day receiving as he caught five passes for 206 yards and tow touchdowns, while the team's leading receiver D'haquille WIlliams recorded seven catches for 121 yards. Auburn logged 172 yards rushing as RB Cameron Artis-Payne rushed 25 times for 77 yards and Corey Grant found the end zone. Auburn DBs Johnathan Ford, Jermaine Whitehead, and Jonathan Jones each picked off Blake Sims in the game. Alabama's offense was very balanced throughout the game as they were able to throw and run the ball successfully. QB Blake Sims completed 20 of 27 passes for 312 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions. Alabama scored four of their eight touchdowns on the ground. T.J. Yeldon carried the ball 19 times for 127 yards and two touchdowns, while Blake Sims and Derrick Henry added rushing scores. Save the best for last, there are no words to describe Alabama WR Amari Cooper's performance as he set the Iron Bowl record for receiving yards. The Heisman hopeful boosted his campaign by dominating the Auburn defense for thirteen catches, 224 yards, and three touchdowns. It was an unbelievable game for Cooper and the offense definitely ran threw him. Alabama improves to 11-1 and advanced to the SEC championship game against Missouri next Saturday, while Auburn fell to 8-4 and ruined their playoff chances.