The Monday Morning Hangover is usually delayed by excessive alcohol consumption. Today it was delayed by technical issues at the cardboard-box world headquarters. We apologize for any inconvenience.

 

This week: Peyton joines an elite pigskin pantheon of gridiron gods, a rookie ruins a hot start to 2009 for the J-Men, San Diego makes its move, we chant for Bruce! Bruce! Bruce! and the Cardinals aim for unprecedented franchise success.

 

Indianapolis 17, Baltimore 15
The Ravens did everything they wanted to against the Colts, Sunday ... except put the ball in the endzone.

 

The Ravens mustered just five field goals in seven trips inside Indy's 30-yard line. They even failed to punch the ball into the endzone after getting a first-and-goal and the Indy 1. Despite forcing Indy into a season high three turnovers, the Ravens were ultimately undone by a turnover of their own. 

 

Joe Flacco threw his eighth pick of the year at the worst possible moment, killing a Baltimore drive inside the 20 with just 2:42 to play.

 

The Colts played sloppy football, but prevailed behind Peyton Manning's fourth consecutive come-from-behind, fourth-quarter drive to win a game. Manning has comeback drives in five of 10 Indy wins this year to go with five more last year.  In fact, of Indy's last 22 wins, Manning has led a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter in 11 of them.

 

Manning now has 33 come from behind fourth-quarter wins, and stands behind only a pantheon of football Gods –

Elway, Marino, and Unitas – on the all-time list.

 

The win propelled the undefeated Colts to their record eighth consecutive 10-win season, and their 10th in 12 years with Manning as quarterback. Prior to Manning's arrival in 1998, the Colts franchise had not posted a 10-win season since 1977, back during the Bert Jones-Baltimore days. – DZ

 

Detroit 38, Cleveland 37
Raise your hand if you predicted nine combined touchdown passes in this game.

 

Okay, Mrs. Stafford and Mrs. Quinn, you can put your hands down.

 

No. 1 overall draft pick Matthew Stafford looked like a combination of John Elway and Willis Reed, as he tossed fived touchdown passes, including one on the final play of the game, despite an injured left shoulder sustained just moments earlier. Stafford became the youngest player in the history of the NFL to throw for five touchdown passes in a game.

 

Brady Quinn hurled three touchdown passes in the first quarter, equaling the total thrown by the entire team in the first nine games of the season and his own career total over his first three years. He added a fourth TD toss in the fourth quarter.

 

The Browns also joines an elite NFL club: Teams Whose Wide Receivers Have Actually Scored a Touchdown This Season. Wideouts Mohamed Massaquoi (the rookie's first), Chansi Stuckey (fifth in four NFL seasons) and Josh Cribbs (the second in five years for the return specialist) all scored through the air. As noted last week, Cleveland had gone more than a year since a wide receiver had reached the end zone.

 

It was a remarkable effort for the awful Browns – and they still lost  – BS

 

Kansas City 27, Pittsburgh 24
In the upset of the season, the Chiefs recorded just their ninth win since the start of the 2007 season and ended a 10-game home losing streak by edging past the Super Bowl champion Steelers in overtime.

 

Pittsburgh dominated in yards (515-282) and first downs (27-13), but lost the all-important turnover battle (–2). The Steelers were also plagued by five more negative pass plays from Ben Roethlisberger (3 sacks, 2 INTs), who was forced to leave the game in overtime with a head injury after going 32 for 42, for 398 yards, with 3 TDs and 2 INTs (109.0 rating). Poor special teams play also continues to plague the defending champs. The Steelers allowed their fourth kickoff-return touchdown in their last five games, a 97-yard return by KC's Jamaal Charles on the game's very first play that proved the difference between victory and defeat.

 

Kansas City's pickup of discarded San Diego wide receiver Chris Chambers, meanwhile, has to go down as one of the shrewdest in-season moves of 2009.

 

Chambers has averaged an eye-popping 24.9 yards per catch on 10 receptions in the three games with the Chiefs. On Sunday, he hauled in four Matt Cassel passes for 119 yards (29.8 YPC), including a 61-yard catch and run in overtime to set up the game-winning field goal.

 

Cassel (15 for 30, 248 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 100.4 rating) suffered five sacks but did not commit a turnover, as he topped the 100 passer rating mark for the second time this season. – TC

 

New England 31, N.Y. Jets 14
There's only one explanation for why the Jets have fallen to 4-6 after a 3-0 start to 2009: naturally, it has to do with the play of the quarterback.

 

In his first three games, rookie QB Mark Sanchez threw 4 TD passes and just 2 interceptions, while recording passer ratings of 81 or better in all three games. In his last seven games, Sanchez has thrown 6 TD passes and 14 interceptions, and has had passer ratings of below 60 on four different occasions.

 

Faux-football sophisticates can dabble in minutiae all they want, but wins and losses in the NFL almost always come down to quarterback play.

 

Sanchez (8 for 21, 136 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT, 37.1 rating) was picked off four more times against the Patriots on Sunday, including a pick-six by Lee Bodden. He also lost a fumble.

 

Bodden totaled three interceptions on the day, and now has five for the 2009 season—that makes one more interception for Bodden in 2009 than his former team, the Lions, had during the entire 2008 season (4).

 

Oh yeah, New England's offense showed up for this game too. Wes Welker caught 15 passes – the most by any receiver this year – for 192 yards. Welker has caught 79 passes this year, tops in football, and appears on track for a third-consecutive season with more than 110 catches and a third consecutive year among the leaders in receptions. 

 

The Patriots still have not lost back-to-back games since November 2006, and their 48 straight games without consecutive losses is the longest active streak in the NFL. – TC

 

N.Y. Giants 34, Atlanta 31
The Giants snapped a four-game losing streak by edging the Falcons in overtime and keeping ground in the NFC wild-card hunt. This was the first time in 13 meetings between the Falcons and the Giants that the road team won, dating back to 1979.

 

Matt Ryan and the Falcons overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to tie the game on an 11-yard touchdown strike to Tony Gonzalez with 28 seconds remaining.

 

However, Lawrence Tynes played hero in overtime, nailing a 36-yard field goal to give the Giants their first victory in 42 days. It was Tynes' first regular-season overtime goal and the second of his career. He kicked a 36-yarder to defeat the Packers in the NFC championship in 2007. He also scored the first points of New York's shocking Super Bowl upset over the Patriots two years ago ... a field goal that ultimately proved the difference in a 17-14 Giants victory. – BS

 

Jacksonville 18, Buffalo 15
Jacksonville's unlikely run to playoff contention continues to roll along. The Jags this year have beaten the Rams, Chiefs, Jets and Bills (teams that are a combined 11-29) by just 11 total points and they have just one Quality Win But it could be worse ... mighty New England has zero Quality Wins right now.

 

But a win is a win and Jacksonville has six of them and the team is firmly entrenched in the AFC wildcard race.

This time, young wideout Mike Sims-Walker hauled in a 3-yard pass from David Garrard with 56 seconds left to lift the Jaguars to victory. The second-year receiver has had a breakout campaign.

 

Sims-Walker produced 91 yards receiving Sunday and, with 47 catches for 694 yards, is on pace to become just the third Jacksonville player to post 1,000 yards receiving in a season, and the first since Jimmy Smith in 2005.

 

The Bills fell to 1-3 in games decided by a field goal or less, and managed to waste a massive game by Terrell Owens, who had a career-long 98-yard TD catch. It was the longest touchdown from scrimmage in Bills history. 

 

But how disappointing has the T.O. era been in Buffalo? The receiver's 197-yard day represents 35 percent of his total output for the season. He's caught just two touchdown passes for the moribund Bills – DZ

 

Dallas 7, Washington 6
Jason Campbell and Tony Romo combined to complete 12 of 17 passes for 150 yards on third down.

 

Washington quarterback Campbell was spectacular on third downs, completing 12 of 12 passes for 150 yards. Dallas QB Tony Romo was inept on third downs, connecting on 0 of 5 attempts.

 

But with the game on the line, Romo delivered, tossing a 10-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Crayton with under three minutes remaining. It was the second straight game that the Dallas offense was shut out for the first 57 minutes of the game.

 

The Redskins played without their top two running backs, Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts, and without tight end Chris Cooley. One hundred million dollar man Albert Haynesworth missed the game due to injury and guard Chad Rinehart suffered a season-ending injury. Other than that, it was a good day for the Snyder 11. – BS

 

Green Bay 30, San Francisco 24
The Packers moved to 6-4 this week, but continue to struggle starting the second half.

 

San Francisco blanked Green Bay in the third quarter Sunday, as the Packers have scored just 22 third-quarter points this season, the fourth lowest total in the league ahead of only NFL low-lives Cleveland (22 points), St. Louis (12 points), Tampa (10 points) and Oakland (9 points).

 

Despite the poor showings in the third-quarter, the Packers remain firmly in the playoff hunt, tied with the 6-4 Eagles and Giants in the race for the two wildcard spots.

 

Vernon Davis was a bright spot for San Francisco. Coming into this season, Davis had been mooned by his head coach more times than he had eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark. This week, he set a career-high with 108-receiving yards, his second 100-yard receiving day of this season. Davis is the fourth tight end to post two 100-yard games this season joining Dallas Clark, Brent Celek and Kellen Winslow Jr. – MS

 

Minnesota 35, Seattle 9
It was a day of highs and lows in Minneapolis for two teams headed in opposite directions.

 

Minnesota's BrettFavre set a new career-high in completion percentage by completing 22 of 25 (88%) passes. Since 1960, only four quarterbacks have had a better completion percentage while attempting at least 25 passes.

 

Seattle, meanwhile, set a new franchise low with four rushing yards. Seattle ranks last in the NFL with 84.4 YPA on the ground, while their average of 3.65 YPA ranks 29th.

 

Seattle is now 7-18 in their last 25 regular season games, their worst stretch of 25 games since they went 4-21 during a span from 1991-1993. – MS

 

New Orleans 38, Tampa Bay 7
The undefeated Saints continue to dominate games on both sides of the ball. They've sat atop our Scoreability Index, Passing Yards Per Attempt list, Defensive Passer Rating and Passer Rating Differential charts all year.

 

The Bucs actually scored first, becoming just the fourth team to take a lead on New Orleans this year.  But after that it was all over: the New Orleans defense harried promising rookie quarterback Josh Freeman all day, limiting him to 126 yards on 33 attempts (3.8 YPA) with three picks.

 

Now the countdown's on for perhaps the biggest regular-season game in Saints history: a Monday night visit from  Tom Brady and the Patriots, the only club in history to go 16-0 in a season and a team that will try to prevent New Orleans from becoming the second. – MS

 

San Diego 32, Denver 3
San Diego entered the game No. 4 in Passing Yards Per Attempt. But they won this AFC West battle the old fashioned way, pounding out 43 attempts for 203 yards on the ground (4.7 YPA) and forcing three Denver turnovers. The Chargers also played great red zone defense: Denver was 0 for 4, with two turnovers and a failed fourth down attempt, inside the San Diego 20.

 

These two teams clearly are headed in opposite directions right now. After starting the season at 6-0, the Broncos have dropped four straight—all by wide margins—as the defense which helped carry them to perfection in the first six weeks has allowed 117 points during the four-game losing streak.

 

San Diego, on the other hand, has ripped off five wins in a row. After trailing the Broncos by three full games in the AFC West standings just four weeks ago, the Chargers suddenly find themselves in first place, and also are tied with the Patriots and Bengals for the second best record in the AFC as December approaches.

 

As we pointed out in our Real and Spectacular Week 11 picks, the Chargers have never lost in December under Norv Turner (9-0). So their chances of picking up the No. 2 seed in the AFC behind the Colts would seem to be pretty good at this point. – TC

 

Oakland 20, Cincinnati 17
Bruce! Bruce! Bruce!

 

The Bruce Gradkowski Era in Oakland yielded instant results, namely in the form of 10 fourth-quarter points that lifted the Raiders from a 17-10 deficit to victory over the surging Bengals.

 

Gradkowski had difficulty getting the ball down field. But his average of 5.4 yards per attempt (34 attempts, 183 yards) was downright spectacular compared to the production we had seen out of JaMarcus Russell. Oakland's original starter had averaged just 5.2 YPA through the first nine games. - KJB

 

Arizona 21, St. Louis 13
Consecutive playoff appearances are few and far between for the Cardinals organization, one of the NFL's two original franchises.

 

In fact, it's happened just twice – 1947-48 and 1974-1975. It looks like 2008-09 will soon be added to the short list for the defending NFC champs. It also looks like the 2009 Cardinals will become the franchise's first team in 33 years to enjoy double-digit victories in one season.

 

The Cardinals (7-3) already have a three-game lead in the NFC West and will likely capture the division crown with their Dec. 14 visit to San Francisco. The best sign for Arizona? They're undefeated on the road this year – which could bode well for their repeat chances: one way or the other, the NFC title will go through Minnesota or New Orleans.

 

St. Louis, meanwhile, provided further proof of the futility of running the ball. Steven Jackson (24 carries, 116 yards) is one of the lone bright spots for the organization in recent years. In fact, on Sunday, he became the first Rams ball carrier in history to top 1,000 yards rushing in five straight seasons (215 attempts, 1,031 yards, 4.8 YPA, 3 TD). That's no small feat for an organization that's boasted the likes of Wendell Tyler, Lawrence McCutcheon and Eric Dickerson, not to mention a slew of early legends like Dan Towler.

 

What do the Rams have to show for Jackson's five straight millennium efforts? A 20-54 record (.270). - KJB

 

Philadelphia 24, Chicago 20
The Eagles don't do well in close games.

 

They were 1-8-1 in their last 10 games decided by one score or less. But they pulled out a fourth-quarter victory against the Bears in a back-and-forth game that featured five lead changes.

 

The Eagles should give some of the credit to Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, who proved his value as one of the biggest busts of the season. Not only did he fail to produce throughout the game (43 attempts resulted in just 171 yards, 3.98 YPA), but he threw his league-leading 18th pick in the final minutes. It's the second straight week that

Cutler killed a potential game-winning drive with a late pick. – BS