NFL Week 11 Best Highlights of the Games 2009

Its time once again for the the NFL weekly highlights. The theme of the games in Week 11 can be called the "Week of The Close Games" for this weeks' highlights will show how the 2009 NFL Season typified the topsy-turvy nature of the world’s best sports league. The week began with a great slug-fest with the start of a Thursday Night football game, and it starts in Charlotte, North Carolina with a game between the Miami Dolphins and the Carolina Panthers.

The NFL continues to be unpredictable. The 3 division leaders who were in last place after Week 10 in 2008 were the New Orleans Saints, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Dallas Cowboys.

Unpredictable is what these games are always all about, and as true to form as anything can be, the NFL always has surprises. And the highlights of week 11 exemplifies that fact, for you will see that the biggest and most exciting game to watch was the Cleveland Browns playing the Detroit Lions!

2009 has already been full of Injuries and concussions and are a huge concern of the week, and the NFL is taking new measures to keep the players off the field when too much head banging is going on. In discussing the new policy about independent neurologists during an NBC appearance on Sunday night, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said: "We want to give players the best medical advice. This is a chance for us to expand that and bring more people into the circle to make sure we're making the best decisions for our players in the long term."

As always, thanks to NFL.com for all the great Photos and Stats.

Miami Dolphins 24

Carolina Panthers 17

Ricky Williams scored all three of Miami's touchdowns, he finished the game with mighty impressive stats -119 yards on 22 carries and added two catches for 19 yards. And then there was Chad Henne (17 of 29 for 172 yards and 1 Touchdown) outplayed Jake Delhomme (completed only 9 of 21 passes) . He held onto the ball, made no mistakes and when the Dolphins really needed him to show what he was made of - he did just that.

In the fourth quarter on third-and-16 he found Davone Bess a catch that went for an 18-yard gain and a first down. The drive was kept alive. And then Williams broke free for a brilliant 46-yard run to score his third touchdown of the night. It came with 3:55 left to play.

For Miami this game had many heroes.

For the Panthers, "There's still a lot of football left and we're still no way in any stretch out of it," Panthers coach John Fox said.

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Indy Vs The Ravens

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Indianapolis Colts 17

Baltimore Ravens 15

Is it better to be lucky than good? The Colts keep winning close ones, but they just keep on keeping on and they continue their 19-game streak. The 19-game winning streak is the second-longest in NFL history behind the New England Patriots 21-game streak from 2006 to 2008. Hmmm and we know who and what happened to the Pats then.

The kicker Billy Cundiff was the only one to score for the Ravens. He kicked five field goals, including two from 46 and 44 yards. It was his 30 yard miss in the third quarter that will haunt him and the Ravens on his loss for many a day to come.

The Ravens were on the move when their nine play drive was destroyed. And the game was over with a big play from Gary Brackett as he jumped in front of Ray Rice to grab the interception deep in Colts territory. It looked like he feigned a blitz, then dropped into coverage at just the right second to snag Joe Flacco’s pass.The Ravens then had one last chance with a lateral attempt by Ed Reed on a punt return which was ruled a fumble and yes it was recovered by the we know how to win games Colts.

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Skins vs. The Boys

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Washington Redskins 6

Dallas Cowboys 7

Who would have thought one of the worst game this week could have been between these two teams.

Tony Romo’s aim was off and his back was sore, but man oh man his feet were fine. Those dancing, quick feet are best part of Romo’s game. Could Dancing With The Stars be in his near future?

There was an interesting spirited discussion on the sideline as Dave Campo and Terrence Newman had a little physical action. Could it have been something about Newman's aversion to proper tackling?

Jason Campbell completed 65 percent of his throws, averaged 6.9 yards per attempt, failed to get a scoring pass … it was a very Campbell-ian performance, and, all things considered, a respectful one. Shutting Dallas out for 55 minutes and giving up only seven points is quite a feat. A wasted feat, sure, but a feat nonetheless.

Bottom line. . . The Redskins are the Deadskins. And the Cowboys are singing "Staying Alive". For as lackadaisical as they played this whole game they really should send Shaun Suisham some roses for missing two field goals in the second half that could have iced the game for the Redskins.

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Cleveland Browns  vs Detroit Lions

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Cleveland Browns 37

Detroit Lions 38

What was being called "The Toilet Bowl" before this game even started, turned out to be one hell of a game with a thrilling finish and definitely gets my prize of the week for "The Best Game in the NFL Week 11"

Rookie Quarterback Matthew Stafford shook off a separated shoulder to throw the game winning score to rookie Brandon Pettigrew on the last play of the game.Janson Hanson's extra point sealed this dramatic win for the Lions.

This game was an awesome high scoring affair where both quarterbacks played extremely well. Stafford threw for 26-43, 422 yardds, 5 Touchdowns, 2 interceptions and Brady Quinn threw for 21-33, 304 yards and 4 Touchdowns.

For the Browns Mohamed Massaquoi had his first career touchdown interception on a 59 yard catch early in the game.

The Lions with Matthew Stafford maybe do have their guy of the future, and maybe there is a future for the Lions in Detroit now.

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San Francisco 49ers - Green Pack Packers

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San Francisco 24

Green Bay 30

For Green Bay Aaron Rodgers threw touchdowns to Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson. Ryan Grant rushed for 129 yards and a score. Rodgers completed 32/45 for 344 Yards, threw 2 Touchdowns and had 0 Interceptions.

The Niners started to come back 49ers by scoring two fourth-quarter touchdowns to close the gap to 30-24 but unfortunately it just was not enough. They had10 first downs as compared to the Packers 26. Time of possession a mere 18:21 to GB 41:39. These guys probably are not as good as a lot of people thought they would be and are pretty much out of division and playoff contention now.

As for the Packers, they are playing better than they have all season.

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Buffalo Bills Jacksonville Jaguars

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Buffalo   15

Jacksonville   18

Bud Adams took out an ad in Buffalo News reading, "We wish the Bills and their fans good luck today and for the remainder of the season."

Buffalo played hard for their interim coach less than a week after Dick Jauron was fired, but they couldn’t make the big defensive plays when they had to. They’re just not a very talented team, and this is an organization that probably needs an overhaul. Their attitude seems uninspired and boring, despite the presence of T.O. Yet what have we heard from him this season?  He caught a 98-yard TD pass in this game, but was it one of the major highlights of the week? No. I didn’t hear about until Monday. This is T.O. we’re talking about, someone who can’t do anything quietly.

As for the Jaguars, I think they could be  the most underrated winning team in the league right. No one is talking about them and it makes me wonder, why not?

Most of this game the Jags were floundering. Yet for the second week in a row Quarterback David Garrad put the turnovers and sacks beind him him on the final drive he lead his team to the game winning score. He threw a touchdown pass to Mike Sims-Walker with 56 seconds left.

Defensive end Derrick Harvey and defensive back Reggie Nelson have come under some heat this season for their inconsistent performances. In this game, Harvey had four tackles, one for loss, hurried the quarterback twice, and recovered a fumble. Nelson had four tackles.

There are 6 games left, and considering they have already eclipsed the win total from last years disaster, maybe there is something to be said of how the Jaguars have steered clear of “rebuilding,” saying instead they’ve been revamping. You have to admit they surely are one of the most unexpected members of the AFC playoff contenders conversation.

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Pittsburgh Steelers vs Kansas City Chiefs

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Pittsburgh 24

Kansas City 27

The Kansas City Chiefs ended their 10-game losing streak with a shocking 27-24 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, who did not have QB Ben Roethlisberger in the extra period due to concussion like symptoms. Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop provided the winning points on a 22-yard field goal with 8:28 left in overtime after both Steelers QB’s Roethlisberger and his backup Charlie Batch (wrist) had left the game with injuries.

Turnovers once again lost it for the Steelers for they dominated in nearly every offensive category. Roethlisberger had 2 interceptions.

"I take responsibility for that performance," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said in a candid admission following the 27-24 overtime loss to the Chiefs. "I have to have this football team better prepared. ... We are capable of much more than that, and that is not us. It won't be us."

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Seattle Seahawks vs. Minnesota Vikings

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Seattle Seahawks 9

Minnesota Vikings 35

Brett Favre is completing 70% of his passes The Vikings are most complete team right now, they have balance in their run/pass offense and their stop run/rush passer defense. Looking at Farve he now has 21 Touchdowns and only 3 Interceptions, and he has thrown at least four Touchdowns in a game 22 times that is the best in NFL history and one more than previous record holder, Dan Marino.

Brett Farve has fun playing football.In this game he hit a different receiver on each of his four touchdown passes, Percy Harvin, Bernard Berrian, and Vishante Shiancoe and Sidney Rice. The Vikings offense was helped out all day by a stifling defense that limited the Seahawks to 4 yards rushing. Percy Harvin with 5 Rec 79 Yards 1 Touchdown (Leads all Rookies in Receiving Yards) and Adrian Peterson had 28 Touches for.98 Yards

Yes its true that Seattle was playing against Minnesota's tough front, and the Seahawks fell behind 21-0 in the second quarter en route to this loss. But anytime you can't reach the coveted double-digit mark in yards rushing, there's an issue. Justin Forsett led the way with eight carries for nine yards. With the "effort," Seattle is now worst in the NFL with an 85.4 yards per game rushing average.

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Atlanta Falcons NY Giants

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Atlanta Falcons 31

NY Giants 34

It all came down to a coin toss and had the coin landed on heads . . . well lets not go there. It wasn't an easy win. It wasn't a pretty win. But it was a win. Eli Manning and his offense bailed out the top rated Giants defense. I keep wondering, is Bill Sheridan over his head.

Facts:

• Eli Manning completed 25-of-39 passes for 384 yards and three touchdowns. He took one sack
• Kevin Boss had five catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns
• Armad Bradshaw had 12 carries for 34 yards
• Mario Manningham had six catches for 126 yards including a 29-yard catch in overtime
• Steve Smith had four catches for 79 yards
• Hakeem Nicks had five catches for 65 yards
• Michael Boley had 10 tackles, 2 assists and a sack Sunday
• Aaron Rouse had seven tackles and two assists Sunday
• Justin Tuck recorded four tackles (three solo) and a sack

This was a big game as far as Wild Card implications go, and the Giants (phew) won the game. The Giants got back on track in this one and still only trail the enigmatic Cowboys (due for their December slump) by a single game and are tied with the Eagles.

The hard charging Falcons led by QB Matt Ryan (26/46, 268 YDS, 2 TD) scored 14 unanswered points on two touchdown passes late in the fourth to force overtime. The Falcons continue to be unable to beat good teams. They don’t lose games they should win which is the sign of a well-coached team, but they lose the games they should, a sign of a team slightly lacking in talent.

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New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay Bucaneers

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New Orleans Saints 38

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7

The Saints and Drew Brees shrugged off a slow start defensively to remain unbeaten. Drew completed 19/29 187 Yards, 3 Touchdowns and had 0 Interceptions.

Robert Meacham caught touchdown passes of 4 and 6 yards in the first half. Mike Bell scored on runs of 3 and 1 yards in the second half when New Orleans gained 147 of its 183 yards rushing.

David Thomas scored on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees on the Saints' opening possession of the second half to put New Orleans up 24-7. Tampa Bay fumbled the ball away to start the second half, and the Saints immediately responded with Thomas' TD to put the game out of reach.

Josh Freeman went for 17/33 126 Yards 1 Touchdown and 3 Interceptions (1 Fumble Lost). Little step back for Josh but he did appear on track for another strong effort in this game. he navigated through traffic well and threw a dart to Michael Clayton in the back corner of the end zone for an 18 yard first quarter TD. But then it was all downhill. Ball security is an issue but all in all I look forward to seeing him play . .I think he has a pretty bright future.

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Arizona Cardinals St. Louis Rams 

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Arizona Cardinals 21

St. Louis Rams 3

A blow to the head kept Kurt Warner on the sidelines with nothing to do but pace back and forth. But before that happened he threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns while building a 21-3 cushion, and though the NFC West leaders had to hang on later in the game, they remain unbeaten on the road.

The Cardinals are 7-3 after 10 games, the same record they had at this point a year ago before losing four of their final six regular-season games. Since being intercepted five times against Carolina, Warner has thrown 89 passes without a pick - the longest current streak among starting quarterbacks.

A tibial plateau fracture in his left leg will keep Marc Bulger out for three to six weeks after suffering The Rams put up a good fight, but ultimately fell. Steve Jackson played his fourth straight 100 yard game. After an awful start the Rams showed some life in the second half. They drove to the 7 late in the game needing a touchdown and a 2 point conversion to tie. Marc Bulger threw a pass to Donnie Avery in the end zone on fourth and 4. But it wasn't meant to be.

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San Diego Chargers Denver Broncos

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San Diego 32

Denver 3

Phillip Rivers and the Chargers dominant defense led the San Diego into sole possession of first place in the AFC West. Rivers completed 17/22, 145 Yards and 1 Touchdown. The Charges rushing was on 43 carries for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Chris Simms started the game as Kyle Orton was unable to practice during the week because of a severely sprained left ankle he suffered the previous Sunday at Washington. Simms was yanked after his third possession ended in a three- and-out. With the Broncos down 13-0 and seemingly emotionally flat, McDaniels couldn't worry about fairness. With 4:19 remaining in the second quarter, he inserted Orton, bum ankle and all. So on this Sunday at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium 74,707 home crowd fans were immediately energized with Orton coming into the game. Orton felt the vibe, and he completed consecutive passes of 22 yards to Brandon Marshall and 38 yards to Jabar Gaffney.

These are miserable times for the Broncos, as difficult now as it was glorious a month ago. The Broncos must somehow stabilize what has been a profoundly emotional season if they hope to make the playoffs.

There was the extreme high of a 6-0 start.

And that has been followed by the depressing low of an 0-4 rut.

And for the Broncos can it be a Thanksgiving Day against the Giants. ..

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New York Jets New England Patrots

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New York   14

New England   31

Another ho-hum game, though the Jets sort of tried to come back late. The Patriots are just a better team, and it’s obvious that the Jets’ 3-0 start was just a mirage now that they’ve lost 6 of 7 games.

When the Patriots played the Jets 2 months ago, the Jets were the big, bad bullies of the AFC East, ready to smack people in the mouth with their trash talking and ferocious defense and much cuter and sexier quarterback.

But boy, what a difference 8 weeks makes.

Brady is now confident in his knee, Wes Welker is once again part of the equation.. and they made sure they reminded the Jets who the REAL bullies of the East were. Two words: Total Domination.

While Darrelle Revis did shut down Randy Moss 5 catches for 31 yards and a touchdown, Wes Welker carved up the Jets with a career best 15 catches for 192 yards.

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Cincinnati Bengals Oakland Raiders

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Cincinnati 17

Oakland 20

In Oakland, Nnamdi Asomugha intercepted Carson Palmer's desperation pass. This was the play that was the ending of a wild finish with the Raiders coming back from 17-10 with a minute to go. Bruce Gradkowski then threw a 29 yard pass to Louis Murphy with 41 seconds left and with 15 seconds to play, Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 33 yard field goal after Andre Caldwell fumbled the ensuing kickoff to give the Raiders a huge upset.

Bruce Gradkowski is no world-beater and probably one of the worst starters in the NFL, all things considered, but how sad is it that he’s clearly the better choice than JaMarcus Russell. Gradkowski went for 17-34, 183 yards, 2 Touchdowns and 1 Interception.  The Raiders defense,  won a hard fought home win.

Did the Bengals lose this game because they are getting a bit cocky and overconfident? Giving up 10 answered points in the final 33 seconds of the game, was that a shock or what?  You have to believe the Bengals long flight back to Cincy was very quiet especially for  Andre Caldwell, that  fumble in the game’s closing moments will probably be replayed in his head forever.

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Philadelphia Eagles    Chicago Bears

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Philadelphia 24

Chicago 20

A must-win for both teams to stay in playoff contention, and the Eagles come up with the big plays to win the game.

Donovan McNabb threw for 244 yards against his hometown team. LeSean McCoy scored the go ahead touchdown on a 10 yard run following Antonio Dixion's field goal block.

The Bears were trailing 24-20 and Jay Cutler threw his one and only interception of the game. Sean Jones picked off a deflected pass from Cutler at the 50-yard line with 52 seconds left in the game.

At the end of this game the opposing quarterbacks Donovan McNabb and Jay Cutler (who leads the NFL in interceptions with a total of18) embraced in a man-hug for quite some time after the game for some “QB Talk”. McNabb was mum on the subject in his postgame comments. “It stays between me and Jay,” McNabb said to NBC. “That’s just kind of the fraternity that we have, the quarterbacks. Just continue to have your confidence, keep strong and keep working hard. Things will work out well.”

One has to believe that McNabb, who has been through the wringer at times in Philly, told Cutler, to develop some tough skin because he will need it. After being acquired in April from Denver and being named the Bears first Super Star at quarterback since Jim McMahon in the 1980’s, Cutler has clearly struggled and the press is calling him "A Bust". Looking at pictures of him coming off the field evey week .. you gotta feel for him.

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Tennessee Titans - Houston Texans

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Tennessee 20

Texans 17

NFL games are won and loss sometimes on a kick. And in this game, the Texans kicker Kris Brown missed a potential game-tying kick at the end for the second time in three weeks (the last against Indy). This attempt sailed wide left with 1 second remaining. Less than a minute before Brown's miss, Titans kicker Rob Bironas nailed a 53-yard field goal to give the Titans the lead.

Vince Young looks good, comfortable, and ready to lead this team for years. Remember, it wasn’t bad play last year that got him on the bench. It was injury, then Kerry Collins winning every game for awhile, and Vince had a little bad attitude after that. He’s won 2/3 of his NFL starts, and he’s playing under control now. I wouldn’t count the Titans out for a playoff spot just yet, though I wouldn’t bet on them either. The Texans are now back to 5-5, maybe on their way to yet another 8-8 season where many expected them to be slightly better.

Matt Schaub is playing well and Andre Johnson is one of the best receiver in the league. So what is wrong with the Texans. Is it that extra urge to win or something. The Texans are choking away the close games and big games. This one was on Monday night in front of the nation, and while they played well, the rejuvenated Titans played a little better.