The Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, and Carolina Panthers all posted impressive wins against potential NFC playoff foes Sunday as the NFL season turns towards the playoff push.
The Lions (6-3) defeated the Chicago Bears (5-4) for the second time this season, this time 21-19 at Soldier Field, and took their first outright lead in the NFC North Division since October 2005. Superstar Lions wide receiver Calvin “Megatron” Johnson caught six passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns, and the Lions defense stopped Bears running back Matthew Forte from scoring a two-point conversion that would have tied the game with 40 seconds left.
“That’s why he’s called Megatron, he can do everything,” said Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, who threw for 219 yards and two scores against a Bears passing defense ranked third-to-last in the NFL.
The Lions took sole possession of the division lead when the Philadelphia Eagles (5-5) dominated the Green Bay Packers (5-4) 27-13. Quarterback Nick Foles threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns in only 18 attempts, while running back LeSean McCoy piled up a back-breaking 155 yards rushing on 25 carries. Though Packers back-up QB Scott Tolzien threw for 280 yards against an Eagles defense that came into the game ranked last in the league, he also threw two interceptions, while Packers kicker Mason Crosby missed two field goals. With Packers starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers out indefinitely with a broken collarbone, their playoffs hopes dim significantly.
“The Packers had the ball inside the Eagles 20 yard line four times, but failed to score a single touchdown,” explained Eagles beat writer Mike Kern. “Moreover, the Eagles held the ball for nine minutes during a late drive, totally unlike them. That cemented the game.”
The win moved the Eagles into a tie for first place in the NFC East after the Dallas Cowboys (5-5) were obliterated by the New Orleans Saints (7-2) in a shocking 49-17 blowout. Saints QB Drew Brees completed a whopping 34 of 41 passes for 392 yards and four touchdowns. The Saints also rolled up an NFL record 40 first downs and team record 625 total yards against a Cowboys defense that has surrendered 258 points this season, second-worst in the NFL. Saints fans were ebullient about their team’s playoff hopes after yet another lopsided win – “We’re going to the Super Bowl!” boldly predicted Saints super-fan Mary Cracchiola-Spain, as her team maintained its one game NFC South lead over the surging Carolina Panthers. The deadlocked Eagles and Cowboys will lock horns again in the last game of the season, with a playoff spot possibly on the line for both teams.
Meanwhile, the Panthers (6-3) won their fifth consecutive game in a crucial NFC matchup against the San Francisco 49ers (6-3) 10-9, stopping the Niners five game winning streak and giving them a leg up in the NFC wild card race. The Niners jumped out to an early 9-0 lead on three Phil Dawson field goals, but the Panthers defense, on the road, shut out the defending NFC champions the rest of the way. Carolina’s league leading defense overwhelmed Niners wunderkind QB Colin Kaepernick, keeping him to a dismal 46 yards passing on the day.
“A win like this can boost us, a win like this can continue to give us life throughout the season, and make us feel like we’re working for something and we are,” Panthers WR Steve Smith told reporters after the game. Indeed, a grind-it-out, on the road win against a quality opponent will give the Panthers confidence they need to catch the Saints, who they face again in New Orleans in a month’s time, with the division title possibly at stake.
In the AFC, several division races tightened as the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals faltered, while the Denver Broncos continued their dominant season.
After shocking the NFL by beating the previously unbeaten Broncos just two weeks ago, the Indianapolis Colts (6-3) were utterly and inexplicably dismantled by the lowly St. Louis Rams (4-6) 38-8. Colts QB Andrew Luck was intercepted three times and the Colts lost a fumble as the Rams posted the first 38 points of the game. The Rams defense, much maligned for most of the year, held the Colts to just 18 yards rushing in 14 carries and forced a total of five turnovers from a Colts team that usually protects the ball well. The Colts maintained their two-game lead in the AFC South as the Tennessee Titans (4-5) lost to the previously winless Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8) 29-27.
The Cincinnati Bengals (6-4) also saw their division lead dwindle to a single game as their furious rally against the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens fell short. After surrendering the first 17 points of the game, they fell 20-17 in overtime. Ravens kicker Justin Tucker booted a 46-yard field goal with 5:27 left in OT as Baltimore won despite giving up a 51-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass at the end of regulation. The Bengals loss means all four teams in the AFC North are within two games of each other with seven weeks left in the season.
Despite two gimpy ankles, Denver QB Peyton Manning threw for 330 yards and four touchdowns — three to WR Demaryius Thomas as the Broncos (8-1) defeated the San Diego Chargers 28-20. Manning is now a perfect 8-0 against AFC West division rivals, averaging winning scores of 31-14. The loss hurts the 4-5 Chargers playoff hopes significantly, while the Broncos win sets the table for next week’s wild division showdown with the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, whom they play twice in the next three weeks.
The Daily Caller will preview next week’s matchups on Thursday.