Dolphins at Patriots
The Dolphins were undefeated under new head coach Dan Campbell as they traveled to Foxboro to take on the Patriots, who were undefeated on the season. The Dolphins have scored 85 points in the two games that Campbell has been their coach. The Patriots were challenged in Week 7 but were able to hold on to keep their record a perfect 6-0.
The Patriots scored early and often as they handed Dan Campbell his first loss as the Dolphins’ head coach. They started on the opening drive that culminated in a 47-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski. In the second quarter, Ryan Tannehill was not expecting a snap and it went out of the back of the end zone for a safety. The Patriots added a field goal and a 16-yard touchdown pass to Dion Lewis for a 19-0 halftime lead.
The Dolphins opened the second half with a drive that ended with Lamar Miller taking it in from one yard out, and it looked like the Dolphins were going to get back into the game. Unfortunately for them, that was all they could muster. The Patriots added a field goal in the third quarter and a pair of touchdown passes to Julian Edelman in the fourth quarter.
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Lions at Chiefs
The Lions and Chiefs played the third of three games in London this season. The Lions came into this week with the worst record (1-6), second worst point differential (-61), and second most points given up (200). They have not had much to hang their hat on, but they were hoping to change that in Kansas City. The Chiefs snapped a four-game losing streak last week against the Steelers.
Two Lions reached milestones in the first half. Matthew Stafford made his 85th start as the Lions’ quarterback, a new franchise record, and Calvin Johnson topped 11,000 yards receiving in his career. The Lions drove for an opening drive field goal, but it was all Chiefs for the rest of the half. They picked off Stafford twice, leading to 14 points. The Chiefs scored on four of their first five first half possessions to take a 24-3 halftime lead.
The Chiefs opened the second half with another touchdown drive as they continued the beating they started in the first half. The Lions had trouble the whole game protecting Stafford, allowing six sacks. The Lions finally found the end zone in the fourth quarter with a pass to Lance Moore, but the Chiefs answered with another touchdown of their own.
Cardinals at Browns
The Cardinals faced their third straight AFC North opponent, having lost in Pittsburgh and beaten the Ravens at home in the last two weeks. The Cardinals have scored the most points coming into this week and they were hoping to continue that in Cleveland. The Browns, just a couple of weeks ago, looked like they were turning things around. A close, three-point loss to the Broncos and a 24-3 loss to the Rams have sent them toward the cellar.
The Cardinals started the scoring with an 11-play, 82-yard drive that ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer to Troy Niklas. The Browns responded with with three touchdown passes by Josh McCown. The Cardinals scored a field goal at the end of the half to make it 20-10.
Palmer turned it on in the second half. He threw for three more touchdowns and ended up going 23 for 38 for 374 yards and four touchdowns. The defense kept the Browns off the board in the second half, and the Cardinals won easily.
Bengals at Steelers
The Bengals brought their undefeated record into Pittsburgh. The Steelers were 4-3 and hoping to stay in contention for the division title. They had Ben Roethlisberger returning from injury and were hoping that he could get the high flying offense running again.
Roethlisberger surpassed 40,000 career passing yards on the first drive of the game. He hit Antonio Brown for a touchdown on that drive. The Bengals put up a pair of field goals to bring the score to 7-6. The big story of the game happened with about nine minutes to go in the first half when Le’veon Bell went down with a knee injury.
The Bengal defense kept the Steelers down in the second half, while the offense did just enough to win the game. Andy Dalton found AJ Green for a 9-yard touchdown, to take the lead, and then scored a field goal for some insurance. The Bengals picked off Roethlisberger twice in the fourth quarter to make sure the score held up. The Steelers had one last chance, with Roethlisberger throwing to Brown in the back of the end zone with time expiring, but Brown was not able to get his feet in bounds.
Chargers at Ravens
The Chargers and Ravens each entered the game in last place in their divisions. The Chargers started slow last week and were not able to overcome the hole they dug for themselves. The Ravens had a couple of leads early, but the Cardinals scored 19 straight points and the Ravens could not come back.
The Ravens scored two field goals to the Chargers’ one in the first quarter, then the Chargers scored two touchdowns to the Ravens’ one in the second quarter. Philip Rivers threw for 157 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. The Ravens blocked an extra point to keep them within a field goal at halftime.
The Ravens scored that field goal early in the third quarter to tie the game. Rivers threw a 70-yard touchdown for a seven point lead. After the Ravens scored 10 straight points, the Chargers tied the game with a field goal with about two and a half minutes left. Then, on third and 19, Steve Williams was called for pass interference and the ball was placed on the 22 yard line. The Ravens kicked a 39-yard field goal as time expired for the win.
The Ravens lost wide receiver Steve Smith for the season with a torn Achilles.
Titans at Texans
The 1-5 Titans and the 2-5 Texans are still fighting for a division title. They are both chasing the Colts, who are 3-4. The Titans have not won since Week 1 and they have lost three games by a field goal or less. The Texans had Ryan Mallett starting in Week 1, but they made the change to Brian Hoyer and released Mallett this week.
The Titans started the scoring with a field goal, the only score in the first quarter. The Texans scored a touchdown in the second quarter on a 21-yard pass to DeAndre Hopkins. The Texans took a 10-3 lead into halftime.
The second half went much the same way that the first half did, with the Titans scoring a field goal for the first score of the half. Nate Washington scored on a 42-yard touchdown pass to add to the Texans’ lead, and they kicked a field goal to finish the scoring. The Texans are right in the divisional race with their third win of the season.
Jets at Raiders
The Jets are coming off a stinging loss against the Patriots, but they are still 4-2 and in the thick of the playoff race. The Raiders hung on to beat the Chargers last week and have improved to 3-3.
The Jets lost quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick on the first drive of the game with a left thumb injury. Geno Smith came in, but he was not as effective as Fitzpatrick has been. Derek Carr was very effective, throwing three touchdown passes in the first half, leading the Raiders to a 21-6 halftime lead.
Carr continued his great game with another touchdown pass in the third quarter. Smith threw a pair of touchdowns in the second half, but it was not enough. Fitzpatrick came in during their last drive when Smith got the wind knocked out of him, but Smith came back in two plays later. The Jets ended up turning the ball over on downs with 23 seconds left.
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Packers at Broncos
The Packers and Broncos are two of the five (yes, five) undefeated teams left in the NFL. The Packers have been scoring over 27 points per game, second in the NFC. The Broncos have been relying on their defense, as Peyton Manning has not been playing up to the standards that he has set for himself.
The Broncos set the tone early, going up 17-0 halfway through the second quarter. The Packers did score a touchdown with three minutes left in the half to cut the deficit to 10 points at halftime.
The Bronco defense smothered the Packer offense all night long. Aaron Rodgers was sacked three times and he was held to just 77 yards passing, the lowest total of his career in a game that he started and finished. Peyton Manning, on the other hand, threw for 340 yards.
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