Colin Kaepernick threw for two touchdowns in his first career start and a smothering San Francisco defense gave the 49ers an emphatic 32-7 win over the Chicago Bears on Monday night. Playing in place of an injured Alex Smith, who is suffering from a concussion he sustained in last week's tie against the Rams, Kaepernick went 16-for-23 for 243 yards and led the 49ers (7-2-1) to scores on their first four possessions. Smith passed the NFL's ImPACT testing protocol and was able to practice in a limited fashion by Thursday. He reportedly planned on playing Monday night, but was ruled out earlier in the day after being evaluated by 49ers medical director Dr. Dan Garza. The San Francisco defense, meanwhile, held the Bears to just 151 yards and pummeled Jason Campbell all game. Second-year linebacker Aldon Smith posted 5 1/2 sacks, and the team finished with six along with two interceptions and a safety in the win. San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh was on the sidelines after being sent to the hospital last Thursday with an irregular heartbeat. He had a cardioversion procedure done on his heart, which is an electric shock that restores the heart's normal rhythm, and was back on the practice field on Friday. Campbell made his first start of the season in place of Jay Cutler, who suffered a concussion due to a helmet-to-helmet hit from Houston linebacker Tim Dobbins in last week's loss to the Texans. Campbell, though, didn't fare nearly as well as his counterpart, as he went just 14-for-22 with 107 yards and a touchdown along with the two picks for the Bears (7-3), who dropped their second straight to fall into a tie with Green Bay for first place in the NFC North.
Sunday, November 18th
Final Score: Atlanta 23, Arizona 19
Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - The Atlanta Falcons turned the ball over six times and Matt Ryan threw a career-high five interceptions, but somehow managed to beat the Arizona Cardinals, 23-19. The Falcons (9-1) took their first lead of the game with under seven minutes to play, when Michael Turner capped a 7-play, 70-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Atlanta's defense helped preserve the 23-19 lead after Ryan threw his fifth pick of the contest. Sam Acho's interception set up Arizona at the 32 of the Falcons, but Larry Fitzgerald was unable to control a pass along the left sideline on 4th-and-2. The Falcons took over at their own 24 with 3:06 remaining. They were able to run out the rest of the clock for the victory. Ryan completed 28-of-46 passes for 301 yards for Atlanta, which bounced back from a 31-27 loss to New Orleans last week. Turner carried the ball 15 times for 46 yards. The Cardinals (4-6) benched quarterback John Skelton after he connected on 2-of-7 passes for six yards in the first quarter. Ryan Lindley, a sixth-round pick in this year's draft, took over and completed 9-of-20 passes for 64 yards. LaRod Stephens-Howling rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries for Arizona, which has lost six in a row since starting the season 4-0.
Final Score: Tampa Bay 27, Carolina 21 (OT)
Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Josh Freeman found Dallas Clark down the left sideline for the deciding touchdown to lift the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 27-21 overtime win against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Freeman finished the game 25-for-46 passing for 248 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Vincent Jackson had six catches for 94 yards and Doug Martin carried the ball 24 times for 138 yards, including 48 yards on the decisive drive for the Bucs (6-4), who have won four straight. Cam Newton was 16-for-29 passing for 252 yards and a touchdown while Brandon LaFell caught five passes for 93 yards and a score for the Panthers (2-8), losers in two straight and seven of their last eight.
Final Score: Dallas 23, Cleveland 20 (OT)
Arlington, TX (Sports Network) - Dan Bailey's 38-yard field goal with 6:13 left in overtime capped a furious comeback that lifted the Dallas Cowboys to a hard-earned -- and much-needed -- 23-20 triumph over the Cleveland Browns at Cowboys Stadium. Dallas (5-5) had to string together a pair of rallies -- first overcoming a 13-0 halftime deficit and later trailing 20-17 in the final minute of regulation -- to notch its second straight victory, a win that closed the Cowboys within one game of the New York Giants for first place in the NFC East. Tony Romo and Dez Bryant sparked the come- from-behind effort, with Romo throwing for 313 yards without an interception on 35-of-50 passing and hooking up with Bryant on a 28-yard fourth-quarter touchdown, part of a 12-catch, 145-yard outburst for the talented wide receiver. Cleveland's Brandon Weeden finished 20-of-35 for 210 yards and tossed two touchdown passes to Benjamin Watson, the last of which gave the Browns a 20-17 edge with 1:07 remaining in regulation. Trent Richardson amassed 144 yards from scrimmage for Cleveland (2-8), which gave the Cowboys all they could handle before eventually suffering a franchise- record 12th consecutive road loss.
Final Score: Green Bay 24, Detroit 20
Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Aaron Rodgers had two touchdown passes, including the game-winner to Randall Cobb late in the fourth quarter as the Green Bay Packers took a 24-20 win over the Detroit Lions in an NFC North battle at Ford Field. Rodgers passed for 236 yards and an interception on 19-of-27 attempts with Cobb and Jermichael Finley each catching a score for the Packers (7-3), who have won five straight. James Starks had 25 carries for 74 yards while Mason Crosby missed two field goals, but did make one late for Green Bay, which is 2-0 in division play this season. Matthew Stafford had a rough day as he went just 17-for-39 with 266 yards and a touchdown along with two interceptions and a lost fumble for the Lions (4-6), who have dropped two straight and fell to 0-4 in division play this season. Calvin Johnson caught five passes for 143 yards and a touchdown.
Final Score: Houston 43, Jacksonville 37 (OT)
Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Andre Johnson went 48 yards with a screen pass for the winning touchdown late in overtime, as the Houston Texans avoided a major scare and came away with a 43-37 win over Jacksonville in a thriller at Reliant Stadium. After Houston's Shayne Graham kicked a 25-yard field goal to end the first overtime possession, Josh Scobee countered with a 33-yard kick for Jacksonville to keep the game going. The Jaguars, who blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, then had a chance to win it when Derek Cox picked off Matt Schaub and returned the interception to the Houston 47. Jacksonville was unable to move the ball and, with just over 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the extra period, played for the win by not punting on 4th- and-10. Chad Henne's pass fell incomplete and the Texans took over. It took Schaub just two plays to finally end it, as Johnson took the quick pass in the right flat, used his blockers and raced down the sideline for the winning score with just over two minutes to play. Johnson finished with 14 catches for 273 yards, while Schaub threw for a career-high 527 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions in the victory. The Texans (9-1) have won four in a row and were perhaps, looking past the one-win Jaguars with a Thanksgiving Day date in Detroit on the immediate horizon. Henne was nearly as good for the Jaguars (1-9), who have lost seven in a row. He replaced an injured Blaine Gabbert in the first quarter and finished with 354 yards and four touchdowns in defeat.
Final Score: Cincinnati 28, Kansas City 6
Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Andy Dalton threw a pair of touchdown passes and rushed for another score on Sunday, as the Cincinnati Bengals downed the Kansas City Chiefs, 28-6, at Arrowhead Stadium. Dalton completed 18-of-29 passes for 230 yards, while BenJarvus Green-Ellis carried the ball 25 times for 101 yards and a touchdown for the Bengals (5-5), who have won two straight on the heels of a four-game skid. A.J. Green hauled in six passes for 91 yards and a touchdown, marking the ninth straight game the second- year standout has had at least one touchdown grab. It's the longest single- season touchdown streak in franchise history. Matt Cassel completed half of his 16 passes for 93 yards in the first half before being replaced by Brady Quinn to start the third quarter. Quinn didn't fare much better, as he finished 9-of-14 for 95 yards for the Chiefs (1-9), who have lost their last seven games. Jamaal Charles carried the ball 17 times for 87 yards in the setback.
Final Score: NY Jets 27, St. Louis 13
St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Bilal Powell had the most effective day of his career, rushing for two touchdowns and helping the New York Jets to a much needed 27-13 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. Powell rushed for just 42 yards on 11 carries, but scored twice in the fourth quarter to help secure the win for New York (4-6), which got an outstanding effort out of its defense. Despite early offensive miscues, the Jets' defense stayed resilient. For the game, they forced five punts and three turnovers, which led to 14 offensive points, while holding the Rams (3-6-1) to just 281 yards of offense. After a rough game last week in Seattle, Mark Sanchez managed the game well on Sunday. He completed 15-of-20 throws for 178 yards and threw a touchdown pass to Chaz Schilens, who led the team with four catches for 48 yards. Shonn Greene paced the rushing attack with 64 yards on 18 carries for the Jets, who will have a short week to prepare for the New England Patriots on Thanksgiving night.
Final Score: Washington 31, Philadelphia 6
Landover, MD (Sports Network) - Robert Griffin III threw for 200 yards and a career-high four touchdowns on 14-of-15 efficiency while rushing for 84 more, as the Washington Redskins dispatched the reeling Philadelphia Eagles by a 31-6 count in an NFC East clash. Santana Moss, Aldrick Robinson, Logan Paulsen and Darrel Young each had a TD reception for the Redskins (4-6), who snapped a three-game slide heading into a traditional matchup in Dallas on Thanksgiving and also picked up their first home win over Philadelphia since 2008. Starting in place of the concussed Michael Vick, Nick Foles finished 21-of-46 for 204 yards and two interceptions for the Eagles (3-7), who have lost six in a row for the first time under Andy Reid and the first time since dropping seven straight to end the 1994 campaign. Rich Kotite presided over that luckless streak, which dropped the Birds from the lead in the NFC Wild Card race to 7-9 and out of postseason consideration. Alex Henery's pair of field goals accounted for all of Philadelphia's offense. LeSean McCoy registered 67 yards on six receptions and 45 rushing yards on 15 carries before leaving late after absorbing a hit to the helmet.
Final Score: New Orleans 38, Oakland 17
Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Drew Brees tossed three touchdown passes and the New Orleans Saints stayed red-hot, easily defeating the Oakland Raiders, 38-17, to reach the .500 mark for the first time all season. After losing their first four games, the Saints (5-5) have reeled off three straight victories and have won five of six to get back into the NFC playoff race. Brees threw for 219 yards on 20-of-27 efficiency and connected twice with Lance Moore for touchdowns. Jimmy Graham caught a team-high six passes for 29 yards and a score, while Mark Ingram rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown for the Saints, who will host San Francisco next week. Carson Palmer completed 22- of-40 throws for 312 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but threw two interceptions for the Raiders (3-7), who dropped their third straight game.
Final Score: Denver 30, San Diego 23
Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Peyton Manning threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Denver Broncos to a 30-23 decision over the San Diego Chargers in an AFC West matchup. Manning finished with 25-of-42 efficiency and an interception returned for a score by Eric Weddle for the Broncos (7-3), who have won five consecutive outings. Brandon Stokley totaled four receptions for 55 yards and one touchdown, Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker added TD catches, and Willis McGahee ended with 55 yards on seven carries. Philip Rivers went 24-of-40 for 258 yards, two TDs to Danario Alexander and as many interceptions for the Chargers (4-6), who slid to their fifth defeat in their last six.
Final Score: New England 59, Indianapolis 24
Foxboro, MA (Sports Network) - The New England Patriots blew out the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. But the 59-24 victory was overshadowed by reports of Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski having suffered a broken forearm. Tom Brady threw two of his three touchdown passes to Gronkowski as New England cooled off the Colts. Brady completed 24-of-35 passes for 331 yards, while Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen each rushed for fourth-quarter scores in the lopsided win, the fourth in a row for New England (7-3). Andrew Luck, meanwhile, did amass 334 passing yards and connected on two touchdowns with T.Y. Hilton. However, the Indianapolis rookie threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns, and lost a fumble that led to another score. The Colts (6-4) were aiming for their fifth straight win.
Final Score: Baltimore 13, Pittsburgh 10
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Jacoby Jones returned a punt 63 yards for a touchdown, and the Baltimore Ravens emerged with a 13-10 victory over the Ben Roethlisberger-less Pittsburgh Steelers in a key AFC North clash at Heinz Field. Joe Flacco had 164 yards on 20-of-32 passing for the Ravens (8-2), who have won 12 straight games against divisional opponents. Byron Leftwich filled in for Roethlisberger, who was sidelined with shoulder and rib injuries, but couldn't lead the Steelers (6-4) to a fifth consecutive win, one that would have given them control of the AFC North.
Thursday, November 15th
Final Score: Buffalo 19, Miami 14
Orchard Park, NY (Sports Network) - Leodis McKelvin returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown, Rian Lindell kicked four field goals and the Buffalo Bills posted a 19-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins in a battle between AFC East rivals at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Ryan Fitzpatrick had 168 passing yards and C.J. Spiller totaled 91 yards on 22 carries for the Bills (4-6), who snapped a three-game losing streak and notched their first win against a division opponent in four tries this season. Miami rookie Ryan Tannehill threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Davone Bess, but was picked off twice in the game's final two minutes, sealing the Dolphins' (4-6) third straight loss.
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