Kings on the road
The holiday weekend was a good time for a road trip.
If winning away from home is a predictor of playoff success, count Pittsburgh, Denver and Carolina among the contenders.
The Steelers and Broncos ignored wicked weather conditions in impressive victories over AFC East foes, while the Panthers pulled out a wild one in Green Bay, 35-31.
There was little home-field advantage Sunday with visiting teams going 10-2. Only Tampa Bay and Minnesota managed to send their fans home happy.
In East Rutherford, N.J., Jay Cutler threw for 357 yards and two touchdowns in the Broncos' 34-17 victory over the New York Jets. Rookie Peyton Hillis rushed for a career-high 129 yards and a score, becoming the first to gain 100 or more yards against New York's third-ranked run defense.
"The thing that really got me going was the ESPN analysis and they were all saying we shouldn't get off the plane," Hillis said. "That really got me fired up."
In wintry conditions at Green Bay, Wis., DeAngelo Williams scored his fourth touchdown of the game with 1:30 left after a big kickoff return by Mark Jones and a catch by Steve Smith on a deep ball from Jake Delhomme. The Panthers remained tied for the NFC South lead with the Buccaneers, who visit Charlotte, N.C. next Monday night.
"It just means we're 9-3," Smith said of Sunday's victory. "It's nothing to go start making T-shirts about. It's just a record. We've got a very good opponent coming in our house Monday night. That's our next focus."
At San Diego, rookie Matt Ryan threw two touchdown passes and Michael Turner ran for 120 yards against his former team. The Falcons (8-4) remained a game behind Tampa Bay and Carolina in the NFC South.
At Minneapolis, with a gutty goal-line stand and one big heave by Gus Frerotte, Minnesota grabbed control of the NFC North and sent Kyle Orton and Chicago home with a humbling defeat.Seconds after the Bears (6-6) were stopped four times at the 1, Bernard Berrian pulled in a 99-yard touchdown pass from Frerotte that carried the Vikings to sole possession of the division lead.
At Oakland, Calif., Tyler Thigpen engineered a 91-yard drive capped by Larry Johnson's 2-yard tiebreaking run early in the fourth quarter to lead the Chiefs to just their second win in their last 21 games. Kansas City had lost seven in a row.
At Cleveland, defensive end Robert Mathis scooped up Derek Anderson's fumble and rumbled 39 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter as the Colts stayed in the thick of the AFC playoff chase by winning their fifth straight.The Colts (8-4) got a 30-yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri and improved to 5-0 in November.The Browns (4-8) lost their fourth straight at home and may have lost quarterback Derek Anderson (knee) and tight end Kellen Winslow (ankle) for an extended period.
At Landover, Md., Eli Manning had his first 300-yard game of the season, Clinton Portis was held to 22 yards rushing, and the Giants put aside the Plaxico Burress mess with another dominating performance.The Giants (11-1) have won seven straight, including six in a row against teams with winning records, and have a three-game lead in the NFC East over the second-place Dallas Cowboys with four to play. They completed a sweep of the Redskins by manhandling them in the major statistical categories, including total yards (404-320) and time of possession (35:44-24:16).
At Tampa, Fla., Jermaine Phillips and Phillip Buchanon intercepted Drew Brees in the closing minutes and Matt Bryant kicked a 37-yard field goal with 1:55 remaining for the Bucs.Brees, on pace to break Dan Marino's single-season yardage record, threw for 296 yards and two touchdowns on a rainy day, but also was picked off three times — once in the end zone — and bothered by the Bucs' pass rush all afternoon.
At Orchard Park, N.Y., linebacker Patrick Willis had 14 tackles and a forced fumble as the Niners all but ended the Bills' dwindling playoff hopes. The win also prevented Arizona from clinching the NFC West and their first playoff berth in 10 years — the longest active playoff drought in the NFL.
At Cincinnati, receiver Mark Clayton threw a touchdown pass on a reverse, then made a spectacular one-handed catch for a 70-yard score as the Ravens (8-4) won their sixth in seven games.The Bengals (1-10-1) managed only six first downs and were held to 155 offensive yards.
At St. Louis, Mo., the Dolphins (7-5) made it into the end zone only once, but relied on stingy play from a defense to secure their fifth victory in six games.
