Sporting Alert

Updated NCAAF, NCAAB, NFL Scores

Peyton Manning

Week 14 – NFL Schedule, TV Channels, Times on Sunday, Dec. 9

By: Leave a Comment

MIAMI, FL — NFL Week 14 schedule, live television channels, game times and streams on Sunday, December 9, as the tussle for postseason places and division titles continue.

Live television coverage will be on FOX, CBS and NBC, while FoxSportsGo and NBCsports.com will have live online streaming coverage. ESPN.com and NFL.com will both provide live stats and video activities.

Week 14 kicked off at the Nissan Stadium in Nashville where the home side Tennessee dominated in a 30-9 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Embed from Getty Images

Running back Derrick Henry was one of the highlighted players on the night after former Alabama star and 2015 Heisman Trophy winner set a Titans franchise record with 238 yards on 16 rushed, which included a record-tying 99-yard touchdown run.

Henry finished with game with four touchdowns – becoming the first player in the NFL with four rushing TDs in the same game since Jonas Gray of the Patriots in Week 11 in 2014.

Another packed schedule is slated for Sunday and fans can expect more animations.

Embed from Getty Images

As usual, the bulk of the games on Sunday will start at 1:00 pm ET with AFC leaders Kansas City Chiefs (10-2) among the teams in action at that time.

The Patrick Mahomes led attack-minded Chiefs will welcome the Baltimore Ravens to Arrowhead Stadium hoping to build on last week’s victory as they continue to move on without star running Kareem Hunt, who was cut from the squad following an assault report.

Baltimore (7-5) enters this game in a good form, having won three straight and also has the No. 1 defense. This is expected to be an intriguing battle for the neutrals.

Also playing at 1:00 pm are the New Orleans Saints who travel to the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa for a rematch against the Buccaneers.

Embed from Getty Images

Drew Brees and the Saints (10-2) were edged out 48-40 in the season opener by Tampa Bay, but have since recovered to win 10 straight.

The Bucs (5-7) enter this game on a two-game winning streak with an improving defense but even they know another defeat would make it even tougher to play in the postseason.

In other games in Week 14, the Houston Texans (9-3) will put their nine-game winning run on the line when they face-off against the Indianapolis Colts, while at the lower end of the standings, the New York Jets (3-9) aim to snap a six-game losing streak when they go to New Era Field to play follow strugglers the Buffalo Bills (4-8).

Week 14 Sunday Night Football game comes from Soldier Field, as the Chicago Bears (8-4) host the league leaders, the Los Angeles Rams (11-1).

NFL SCHEDULE – WEEK 14
Sunday, December 9
Matchup Time (ET) TV and Live Stream
Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers 1:00pm FOX
Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs 1:00pm CBS
Carolina Panthers at Cleveland Browns 1:00pm FOX
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans 1:00pm CBS
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins 1:00pm CBS
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00pm FOX
New York Giants at Washington Redskins 1:00pm FOX
New York Jets at Buffalo 1:00pm CBS
Cincinnati Bengals at Los Angeles Chargers 4:05pm CBS
Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49ers 4:05pm CBS
Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals 4:25pm FOX
Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys 4:25pm FOX
Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders 4:25pm FOX
Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears 8:20pm NBC

Monday Night Football
Monday, December 10

Minnesota at Seattle 8:15pm ESPN | WatchESPN.com

Thursday, December 6
Tennessee 30, Jacksonville 9 Final Score

Broncos’ Peyton Manning Retiring From NFL

By: Leave a Comment

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, Sporting Alert – Peyton Manning is determined to go out on a high, and after lifting the Super Bowl this year, the veteran Denver Broncos quarterback will retire from the football.

This is according to ESPN and multiple news outlets on Sunday, which reported that after 18 years in the NFL, Manning feels its time to call it a day.

It is understood that the five-time NFL MVP who has won two Super Bowls, will give a statement during a news conference slated for 1 p.m. ET on Monday at the Broncos’ headquarters.

After weeks of speculations about his future, Manning, according to ESPN, called the Denver Broncos bosses on Saturday night to notify them of his decision to retire.

Manning helped the Denver Broncos win the NFL’s most prestigious team honor this season, following the victory over the Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers.

The 39-year-old will step away from the game, knowing that he’s played four Super Bowl games with a 50-percent win ratio while being the NFL’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns, with 539, passing yards, at 71,940 and one of the quarterbacks with the most wins, at 186, which is tied with Brett Favre.

“When you look at everything Peyton has accomplished as a player and person, it’s easy to see how fortunate we’ve been to have him on our team,” Broncos executive vice president of football operations and general manager John Elway said in a statement.

“Peyton was everything that we thought he was and even more — not only for the football team but in the community.

“I’m very thankful Peyton chose to play for the Denver Broncos, and I congratulate him on his Hall of Fame career.”

Meanwhile, Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said in a statement: “It was a blessing to coach Peyton Manning. Nobody worked harder at the game and nobody prepared harder than Peyton.

“His preparation was the best I’ve ever seen with how he went about his business. There was nothing like his work habits.

“Each and every week, he did everything he could to get ready to play not only against the defense but even against the coordinator.”

Kubiak added “Being with him this season, going through what we went through and accomplishing what we accomplished — that was special.

“He and I battled together and along the way we talked about dreaming that it could end the way it ended. And I’ll be damned, it did.”

Manning, Broncos Beat Patriots In AFC Title Game; Head To Super Bowl

By: Leave a Comment

DENVER, Sporting Alert – Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos are heading to their second Super Bowl in four years.

On Sunday, Manning went 17 of 32 on completed passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns without an interception to lead the Broncos to a 20-18 victory over the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game.

It was the second time in four years Manning and Broncos were going to the Super Bowl after making the trip in 2013 when they were embarrassed 43-8 by the Seattle Seahawks.

Against the Patriots on Sunday, Owen Daniels took two touchdown catches and the Broncos’ (14-4) defense had a key stop on a New England late two-point conversion attempt to punch their ticket to Super Bowl 50.

Denver will face NFC championships title winners the Carolina Panthers for the Super Bowl title on Feb. 7. Cam Newton and Panthers hammered the Arizona Cardinals 49-15 in one-sided contest in Charlotte on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Tom Brady passed for 310 yards on 27 of 56 attempts with one touchdown, but he was under pressure the entire game and was intercepted twice in the defeat for the Patriots.

According to ESPN Stats and Info, it was the first time in his career Brady completed less than half of his passes and threw multiple picks in a game.

Rob Gronkowski had two big-time 4th-down receptions on the last drive, including a 4-yard touchdown to take the score to 20-18, but New England still came up short.

He finished with eight catches for 144 yards for the Patriots.

In looking back, the missed extra point in the first quarter by Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski, came back to haunt the defending champions in the loss.

Gostkowski said after the game: “It’s kind of a cruel reality that it came down to that.

“… I just feel awful about it. It was my fault, 100 percent. I just didn’t hit a good kick.”

Patriots, Cardinals Favorites For Super Bowl 50 Battle: Vegas

By: Leave a Comment

FORT LAUDERDALE, Sporting Alert – New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals start as the early favorites to win their respective conference championship game and advanced to this year’s Super Bowl.

This is according to Westgate Las Vegas Superbook early line.

Tom Brady and defending champions Patriots (12-4) are listed as 3-point favorites to beat Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos (12-4) in the AFC Championship game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Colorado on Sunday.

In the battle for the NFC championship title, the Cardinals (13-3) will enter as 3-point favorites as well to beat one of the Super Bowl favorites, the Carolina Panthers.

Cam Newton and the Panthers (15-1) have been very impressive this season, but there are those who still believe the NFC regular season champions have flaws that will be exploited by the Cardinals on Sunday.

Meanwhile, according to ESPN Stats & Info, If the Patriots hold out until Sunday and stay the choice pick in the AFC, it would be the first time Broncos quarterback Manning will start as a home underdog in playoffs.

Although it hasn’t been confirmed that Manning will be the starting quarterback, it is highly unlikely that he will make way for Brock Osweiler, who played a big part in Denver’s 30-24 overtime victory over New England during the regular season.

It is a bit surprising that Arizona starts as the favorite of the Panthers, but it wouldn’t be any great shock if the Cardinals were to end the dream of Newton to play in the Super Bowl.

In the meantime, the game total for the New England Patriots v Denver Broncos AFC Championship game is set at 44.5.

Game time of Sunday is at 3:05 PM ET.

The total for the Carolina Panthers v Arizona Cardinals NFC Championship game is set at 48.

Kick-off from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, is at 6:40 PM.

UPDATED Week 3 NFL Scores and Results: Sep. 29

By: Leave a Comment

TEXAS, Sporting Alert – NFL scores and results on Week 3, following the games that took place on Sunday, September (27).

There were victories for the likes of the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 51, JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 17

Tom Brady was again on cruise mode, as the New England Patriots picked up another one-sided victory in Week 3, after hammering the Jacksonville Jaguars 51-17 on Sunday.

Brady, who came into the game with over 750 passing yards and seven touchdowns, extended his good run in the early season with another impressive performance on his way to becoming the fourth quarterback in NFL history to throw 400 touchdown passes.

The veteran quarterback threw for 358 yards and two touchdowns on 33 of 42 passes for the Patriots (3-0) who tallied 471 total yards on the day.

Stephen Gostkowksi, who was successful at putting away the extra point on all six Patriots touchdowns, extended his streak to an NFL record 425 in a row.

He also had three field goals in the contest.

Classic!

“That takes a lot of games, a lot of snaps to do that. That’s certainly a tribute to both of them, the durability, longevity, consistent production they’ve had,” New England coach Bill Belichick said.

“They had a good day, as they’ve had in many, many days throughout their career. I feel really fortunate to have those guys on my team.”

Meanwhile, Rob Gronkowski caught four of his seven targets for 101 yards, while Julian Edelman caught eight passes for 85 yards.

CAROLINA PANTHERS 27, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 22

At the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, athletic quarterback Cam Newton threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns, while running for a score, and the Carolina Panthers defeated the New Orleans Saints 27-22 to stay undefeated this season.

Newton, who found Greg Olsen on two 11 yard touchdowns, was 20 of 33 on passes, while running for another 33 yards in the win for the Panthers (3-0).

Olsen took eight catches for 134 yards, with Ted Ginn Jr. finishing with four catches for 93 yards for Carolina.

Luke McCown, who started in place of the injured Drew Brees, went 31 of 38 on pass attempts for 310 yards with one interception, but the Saints (0-3) fell to a third defeat in a row.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS 31, SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 14

Adrian Peterson ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns in three quarters and the Minnesota Vikings (2-1) picked up a 31-14 victory over the San Diego Chargers (1-2).

Peterson, who scored his first two touchdowns of the season, led his team on offense on the day and finished the game with 20 carries.

Teddy Bridgewater completed 13 of 24 passes for 121 yards and linebacker Chad Greenway scored on a 91-yard interception return for the Vikings, who have now on two in a row after losing the season opener to the San Francisco 49ers.

Philip Rivers went 21 of 34 on passes for 246 and a touchdown, before he was replaced by Kellen Clemens midway through the fourth quarter.

DENVER BRONCOS 24, DETRIOT LIONS 12

Peyton Manning threw for 324 yards and two touchdowns, including one for 45-yards to Demaryius Thomas on fourth down with 5 seconds left in the first half, and the Broncos beat the Detroit Lions 24-12 to stay undefeated this season.

Manning, who also passed to Owen Daniels for an 11-yard touchdown with 2:28 remaining in the game, was 31 of 42 on passes in the win for Denver (3-0), which starts the season with three straight victories for the first time since the 2013 season when the club made it all the way to the Super Bowl.

Demaryius Thomas caught nine of his 11 targets for 92 yards and his TD, Emmanuel Sanders took six catches for 87 yards, while Ronnie Hillman rushed for one touchdown in the victory for the Broncos.

Matthew Stafford completed 31 of 45 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown, but threw two interceptions and finished the game with three turnovers in the defeat for the Lions (0-3).

Calvin Johnson had eight catches for 77 yards and Theo Riddick also caught eight passes for 66 yards for Detroit, which starts the season losing three games in a row and off to their worst start in five-years.

NFL Scores and Results In Week 3
September 27

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 51, JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 17
CAROLINA PANTHERS 27, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 22
INDIANAPOLIS  COLTS 35, TENNESSEE TITANS 33
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 24, NEW YORK JETS 17
CINCINNATI BENGALS 28, BALTIMORE RAVENS 24
OAKLAND RAIDERS 27, CLEVELAND BROWNS 20
HOUSTON TEXANS 19, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 9
PITTSBURGH STEELERS 12, ST. LOUIS RAMS 6
ATLANTA FALCONS 39, DALLAS COWBOYS 28
MINNESOTA VIKINGS 31, SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 14
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 26, CHICAGO BEARS 0
ARIZONA CARDINALS 47, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 7
BUFFALO BILLS 41, MIAMI DOLPHINS 14
DENVER BRONCOS 24, DETRIOT LIONS 12
GREEN BAY PACKERS 38, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 28

Chiefs v Broncos: NFL Preview, Live TV Channels, Scores

By: Leave a Comment

KANSAS CITY, Sporting Alert – NFL Week 2 schedule kicks-off on Monday night with the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium.

Both teams enjoyed opening week victories and will try to build on that foundation in this AFC West battle, as two of the NFL top defenses collide.

LIVE: Watch TV coverage on CBS/NFL, game time is 7:25 CT
Thursday, September 17
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City

In their Week 1 fixtures on Sunday, the Chiefs impressed with a 27-20 victory over the Houston Texans after taking advantage of some early mistakes by the home side in Texas.

Quarterback Alex Smith, who threw for 243 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, and the offense, helped to build a large first-half lead and then the defense held things together down the stretch to secure the win for the visitors.

Sunday’s regular season win was the 5th victory in a row for Kansas City and Andy Reid’s side stayed undefeated after going 4-0 during the preseason fixtures.

Also on Sunday in Week 1, Denver scored a close 19-16 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, as the home side’s defense came up big at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Peyton Manning was 24 of 40 for 175 yards and threw one interception for the Broncos, who opted to keep things short with the veteran quarterback.

In fact, his average 4.7 yards per pass on the day, was Manning’s second-fewest throwing yards per completion since the start of last season, according to ESPN stats.

After Aqib Talib ran a 51 yard interception return for a touchdown with 0:10 left in the third quarter and Brandon McManus was successful with a 33 yard field goal in the fourth quarter, former Baltimore Ravens safety Darian Stewart, who joined the Broncos over the winter, made a huge take away from tight end Crockett Gillmore in the end zone with 28 seconds left to seal the win for the road team.

Meanwhile, Broncos quarterback Manning will be hoping to continue his fruitful run against the Chiefs. He is just one win shy of owning the longest winning streak against Kansas City.

The 39-year-old has an impressive 13-1 record against the Chiefs during regular season fixtures and the playoffs. The last time Manning suffered a defeat against the Chiefs was during the 2004 season while he was playing with the Indianapolis Colts.

Denver heads into Thursday night’s Week 2 contest with a number of injury concerns, although running back C.J. Anderson (ankle, toe), who was limited participant in practice on this week, is expected to feature.

Defensive end Kenny Anunike, who did knee surgery last month, remains out, while fellow DE Derek Wolfe will continue his four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing substances.

Defensive end Malik Jackson (head) was among those listed as questionable, safety Darian Stewart (groin) is also questionable, with Omar Bolden doubtful because of a foot problem.

For the Chiefs, Sean Smith, like Wolfe will be unavailable as he too has been suspended by the NFL for the opening three games of the regular season after pleading guilty earlier this year to a drunken driving charge.

The likes of Husain Abdullah (quadriceps), D.J. Alexander (hamstring), Jeff Allen (knee) and Jason Avant (hip) are listed as probable.

Oddmakers are listing the Kansas City Chiefs as 3 point favourites against the Broncos on the current line, with the total setting a 42.

Best NFL Quarterbacks Heading Into 2015 Season

By: Leave a Comment

The quarterback is the most valuable position in the NFL. A great quarterback doesn’t necessarily guarantee post season success, but bad, or even average quarterback play can doom a team to failure.

There are a lot of good quarterbacks in the NFL heading into 2015, but only an elite few can be considered the best in the league.

The competition for best quarterback heading into the 2015 season is between three players: Aaron Rodgers, Andrew Luck and Tom Brady.

But first, let’s look at some guys that are good quarterbacks, but just outside of the conversation to be the best.

Honourable Mentions:

Peyton Manning: Manning has had a great career and is surely headed to the Hall of Fame. However, age is catching up to him and it seems his body is starting to let him down. Manning struggled to play to his usual high standards towards the end of last season. Manning certainly shouldn’t be written off, but he could well be past his prime.

Tony Romo: Romo had a great year with the Cowboys in 2014, but that was in large part due to the excellent running game. Romo is at his best when he doesn’t have the whole game on his shoulders. With Murray gone from the backfield, Romo is probably going to have to throw more often than he is comfortable with.

Russel Wilson: Wilson is a great young quarterback, he can make all the throws, uses his legs well and makes good decisions. The Seahawks also have a great defence and run game with Lynch. Wilson is a good part of a great team, but he isn’t quite ready to be the greatest quarterback.

The Elite Three:

Aaron Rodgers: Rodgers had an incredible 2014, taking the Packers deep into the post season and just missing out on a Super Bowl appearance. Probably the most talented quarterback in the NFL, there is no throw that Rodgers can’t make. It’s difficult to find anything to criticise with the Packers’ QB.

Andrew Luck: The best young quarterback in the league, Luck is capable of anything. He threw a huge number of touchdowns in 2014 and took the Colts into the post season, also just missing out on a Super Bowl appearance (although the Colts were well beaten in their Championship game). Perhaps the only thing missing for Luck and the Colts is playing their best in the biggest games.

Tom Brady: One of the ultimate winners in football, the Patriots are reigning Super Bowl Champions and Tom Brady is the reigning Super Bowl MVP. Brady started slow in 2014 but eventually led the Patriots to a Super Bowl victory over the Seahawks, who boasted one of the best defences of all time. Brady is the oldest of the top three, but he knows how to win.

So who is the best?

Tom Brady is the best quarterback in the NFL for the 2015 season. Brady wins. He has the most Super Bowl victories, he makes everyone around him better and his competitive attitude is as fierce as anyone’s.

Brady beat the excellent Seahawks defence to win the Super Bowl last season, he beat Roger Goodell by overturning his suspension this offseason and he’ll beat everyone again this year.

All his doubters, all his competitors will fall short. Tom Brady is a winner and therefore the best QB in 2015.

By Niall Doonan For SportingAlert.com

NFL Divisional Playoffs Fixtures and Live TV Channels

By: Leave a Comment

(Sporting Alert) — The road to the Super Bowl continues this weekend as the NFL Divisional Play-offs fixtures resumes on Saturday and Sunday.

Two games are down on Saturday, Jan. 10 in the AFC and NFC, with two more on the schedule for Sunday, Jan. 11.

At 4:35pm from the Gillette Stadium, and live on NBC, the Baltimore Ravens will face the New England Patriots, seeking to build on last week’s Wild-Card upset victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Patriots (12-4) have a very good home record this season, at 7-1, but the Ravens, who were 4-4 on the road this term, have vowed to come out and play, as they embrace the challenge of the divisional top seed.

The matchup will also see a battle between two of the leading quarterbacks, in Tom Brady and Joe Flacco, who has been hailed by his coach as “the best quarterback in football.”

Stats gurus have also outlined that the Ravens’ playmaker has 166 straight passes without an INT in the playoffs, which is the fourth longest streak. Flacco, who is coming off an impressive performance against the Steelers, has thrown for 3986 yards and 27 touchdowns this campaign.

Patriots’ Brady, who has the most playoff wins (18) in league history, enters the contest passing for 4109 yards and 33 touchdowns on the term.

Flacco also comes into the clash with very productive playoff figures — throwing 17 TDs with 1 INT in his last 7 playoff outing.

Besides the Brady vs. Flacco battle, it should also be interesting to see the matchup between the Ravens’ strong defense, led by Daryl Smith and Elvis Dumervil, against and New England’s offense.

It is notable that Brady and the Patriots are 1-2 in home playoff games against the Ravens since 2001 and have a PPG difference of -10.3, even though they are 11-1 against all other teams with a PPG of +13.4.

In the day’s other playoff game, Cam Newton will lead the Carolina Panthers against defending champions Seattle Seahawks, who are ready to play after their bye week.

Some of the best teams in league history have managed to build their success around strong defense and the Seahawks (12-4) are no different.

The champs are holding teams to just 15.9 points per game and allowing 267 total yards, but the Panthers, who were very solid last week in the Wild-Card win over the Arizona Cardinals, are also confident of stopping teams.

Carolina (8-8-1), who is on a four game winning streak, held Arizona to just 78 total yards in their last game, the fewest ever allowed in the playoffs — and Newton gave them the thumps up.

“When those guys play like that, it makes it easier on us on our part,” Newton said after last week’s game.

“Those guys did everything, turnovers, they stopped them. That is championship football right there and we’ve got to do our part offensively to put points up on the board.”

In the meantime, the playoff schedule for Sunday is just as exciting for fans to watch.

The fixtures open up with Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts taking on Peyton Manning and the Denver Bronocs (12-4) at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Luck led the Colts (11-5) to a 26-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the playoff round game a week ago, while Manning used his bye week to prepare for this battle against his former team.

Most of the focus will undoubtedly be on the two quarterbacks, but Luck believes there will be more to the battle than just the playmakers, who will never be on the field at the same time.

“It’s not the quarterback versus quarterback thing,” said Luck, who led the league with a career-high 40 touchdown passes. “We’re not on the field at the same time.

“I have a lot of respect for (Manning), what he does, what he still does is amazing.

“He’s a stud. I’ll worry about the Denver defense, that’s what I worry about.”

Indianapolis, according to reports, will be hoping to put pressure on Manning to continue making errors and perhaps force the Broncos into focusing more again on running the ball, rather than throwing it.

Manning has thrown 39 touchdowns passes this season, but has been struggling lately with turnovers, with 12 of his 15 total interceptions coming since Week 9.

Elsewhere on Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys — coming off the controversial highlighted win over the Detroit Lions, will take on the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

Divisional Playoffs Fixtures

Saturday January 10

AFC: 4:35pm Baltimore at New England

NFC: 8:15pm Carolina at Seattle

Sunday January 11

NFC: 1:05pm Dallas at Green Bay

AFC: 4:40pm Indianapolis at Denver

Wild Card Weekend Results and Scores

Saturday January 3 

NFC: Arizona 16-27 Carolina

AFC: Baltimore 30-17 Pittsburgh

Sunday January 4

AFC: Cincinnati 10-26 Indianapolis

NFC: Detroit 20-24 Dallas

Week 15 NFL Results and Box Scores on Dec. 14

By: Leave a Comment

NEW YORK (Sporting Alert, Box Score) — Results and Box Scores from the NFL games that took place in Week 15 on Sunday, December 14.

Action on the day saw the New England Patriots clinching their sixth successive AFC East title after thrashing the Miami Dolphins 41-13 at Gillette Stadium.

Tom Brady threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns as the Patriots (11-3) pulled away in the second half for their seventh win in a row at home and ninth in the last 10 games overall.

“We didn’t play very well in the first half,” New England coach Bill Belichick told reporters after the game.

“We just took some not very good football and made it worse and then were able to do things a lot better in the second half.”

At the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Andrew Luck and the Colts (10-4) beat the Houston Texans (7-7), 17-10 to clinched their second-straight AFC South division title.

Luck went 18 of 34 on completed passes for 187 yards and two touchdown for Indianapolis, which according to the stats gurus, improved to 13-0 all-time at home against the Houston Texans, which had a two game win streak snapped.

Houston’s quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was carted off the field early in the second quarter with a reported broken left leg and he will be out for the rest of the season.

Also sealing a division title on Sunday were the Denver Broncos (11-3).

Star quarterback Peyton Manning battled through a thigh problem and flu-like symptoms to complete 14 of 20 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Broncos to a 22-10 victory over the San Diego Chargers (8-6) and win the AFC West title for the fourth straight year.

Green Bay (10-4) had its five game winning streak snapped after the Bills (8-6) upset the Packers 21-13, on a day when quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw two interception that went to Bacarri Rambo in the defeat.

Rodgers went 17 for 42 passes for 185 yards and no touchdowns in the game for Green Bay at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

It was also a disappointing night for the San Francisco 49ers (7-7), who were eliminated from playoff contention after losing 17-7 at the Seattle Seahawks.

Defeat to the Seahawks on Sunday and Detroit Lions’ (10-4) 16-14 win over Minnesota, meant that Jim Harbaugh’s 49ers, who reached the NFC title games three successive years, missed out at playing in the postseason this term.

Elsewhere on Sunday Kansas City (8-4) defeated Oakland Raiders 31-13 to stay second in the AFC West, while the Carolina Panthers (5-8-1), playing without star QB Cam Newton, who was in an accident during the week, edged the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-12), 19-17.

Newton’s replacement at quarterback, Derek Anderson threw for 277 yards and a touchdown in the victory.

NFL Results and Box Scores in Week 15

NFL: Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5) 27, Atlanta Falcons (5-9) 20 – Box Score
New York Giants (5-9) 24, Washington Redskins (3-11) 13 – Box Score
New England Patriots 41 (11-3), Miami Dolphins (7-7) 13 – Box Score
Indianapolis Colts (10-4) 17, Houston Texans 10 (7-7) 10 – Box Score
Baltimore Ravens (9-5) 20, Jacksonville Jaguars 12 (2-12) 12 – Box Score
Buffalo Bills (8-6) 21, Green Bay Packers 13 (10-4) 13 – Box Score
Carolina Panthers (5-8-1) 19, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17 (2-12) 17 – Box Score
Cincinnati Bengals (9-4-1) 30, Cleveland Browns 0 (7-7) 0 – Box Score
Kansas City Chiefs (8-6) 31, Oakland Raiders (2-12) 13 – Box Score
Denver Broncos (11-3) 22, Diego Chargers (8-6) 10 – Box Score
Detroit Lions (10-4) 16, Minnesota Vikings (6-8) 14 – Box Score
New York Jets (3-11) 16, Tennessee Titans (2-12) 11 – Box Score
Seattle Seahawks (10-4) 17, San Francisco 49ers (7-7) 7 – Box Score

NFL Week 14 Results and Box Scores on Dec. 7

By: Leave a Comment

PHILADELPHIA (Sporting Alert) — Defending champions Seattle Seahawks used its strong defense to stifle the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense as they continued their improving late season run with another victory in the NFL Week 14 fixture on Sunday.

The Seahawks (9-4) defense held the Eagles’ (9-4) powerful offense to 139 total yards on their way to a 24-14 victory at Lincoln Financial Field.

Russell Wilson went 22 for 37 for 263 yards and threw two touchdown passes.

The quarterback also had 10 carries for 48 yards and another score in the win for Seattle, who secured its third successive win and sixth in the last seven games.

“I think our identity is showing up and there’s a lot more to prove,” Wilson told reporters after the win.

“We’re high on confidence because of what we do on a daily basis.”

Mark Sanchez threw for 96 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the defeat for Philadelphia, which had its two game winning streak snapped.

Chip Kelly’s team was also dropping its first game at home this season.

“If you don’t get as many opportunities, you have to make the ones you get count and we didn’t do that,” Sanchez said.

“We expected to do a lot of things better.”

Next up for the Eagles is a clash with the Dallas Cowboys at home next Sunday. Philadelphia ran away 33-10 winners when the pair met on Thanksgiving Day.

The Seahawks, who improved to 4-3 on the road this season, will next host the San Francisco 49ers, a replay of the Thanksgiving fixture, which they won 19-3 on the road.

In the shocking result on the day, San Francisco (7-6) suffered a major setback in their push for a playoff place after the NFC West third-place team was beaten 24-13 by AFC West strugglers Raiders (2-11).

The win was the second of the season for Oakland, which also beat Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 20.

Derek Carr passed for 254 yards and threw touchdown passes to Mychal Rivera, Marcel Reece and Donald Penn without an interception for the Raiders, which scored the final 14 points of the game to cut down a 13-10 deficit.

“We said last night in the meeting that somebody had to step up and make a couple of plays,” Oakland interim coach Tony Sparano told reporters after winning two of his three games in charge.

“Today I felt a bunch of guys stepped up.”

In other NFL Week 14 results, AFC West leaders Denver Broncos (10-3) picked up a 24-17 victory over the Buffalo Bills 24-17 for their third consecutive win.

However, Denver veteran quarterback Peyton Manning had his 51 game streak with at least one touchdown pass snapped after he failed to throw for a score and was intercepted twice.

But Manning didn’t seem too interested about losing the streak, noting that the victory was more important to him.

“I’m comfortable with winning,” he said. “That’s what I’m comfortable with.”

Running back C.J. Anderson ran for three touchdowns to lead the way for Denver, who again played without star tight end Julius Thomas, who continues to recover from an ankle injury.

“Today was tough and a struggle, but at the end the day we got the `W,’ and he’s proud about that and we’re proud about that,” Anderson said.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Ben Roethlisberger threw three touchdown passes, including a 94 yard pass to Martavis Bryant in the fourth quarter, and the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5) hammered the Cincinnati Bengals (8-4), 42-21.

Le’Veon Bell also finished with three touchdowns as Pittsburgh (8-5) scored 25 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for the victory as things heated up in the AFC North.

“We have a great opportunity in front of us, so I’m going to embrace it,” Bell told reporters. “This is the part of the year where things get a little tight, they get more exciting.

“Everybody in the locker room is excited about this last couple of weeks.”

In Sunday Night Football action, the New England Patriots beat fellow AFC rivals San Diego Chargers 23-14.

Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes, including a 69-yarder to Julian Edelman with 8:41 left in the fourth quarter as the Patriots (10-3) rebounded from their 26-21 defeat to the Green Bay Packers last week.

At the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, quarterback Cam Newton threw three touchdowns passes to lead Carolina to a 41-10 victory over the Saints as Panthers tight end Brandon Williams was ejected for punching a player in an action packed first quarter.

NFL Week 14 Results and ESPN Box Scores

Thursday December 4

Dallas 41, Chicago 28 – Box Score

Sunday December 7

Denver 24, Buffalo 17 – Box Score
New England 23, San Diego 14 – Box Score
Seattle 24, Philadelphia 14 – Box Score
Indianapolis 25, Cleveland 24 – Box Score
Pittsburgh 42, Cincinnati 21 – Box Score
NY Giants 36, Tennessee 7 – Box Score
Carolina 41, New Orleans 10 – Box Score
St. Louis 24, Washington 0 – Box Score
Baltimore 28, Miami 13 – Box Score
Houston 27, Jacksonville 13 – Box Score
Arizona 17, Kansas City 14 – Box Score
Detroit 34, Tampa Bay 17 – Box Score
Oakland 24, San Francisco 13 – Box Score
Minnesota 30, NY Jets 24 (OT) – Box Score