The Athenaeum Forum

One point was enough for the Cincinnati Bengals to create some separation in the AFC North.The Bengals increased their lead in the all-winning division to 1 1-2 games on Sunday by squeezing past Tampa Bay 14-13. Their brethren in the sector all fell: Baltimore blowing a lead late and falling to San Diego 34-33; Pittsburgh bowing to New Orleans 35-31; and Cleveland losing at Buffalo 26-10.Im pleased that we basically overcame ourselves and won the football game, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said.We had, obviously, the turnovers offensively that led to scores, we had penalties on defence that kept drives alive, and those are things we overcame, Lewis added. Theyre going to show up once in a while, but we seemed to have them all today. ... We kind of got in our own way all day.But it turned out far better for the Bengals than for the rest of the division.The holiday weekend began on Thanksgiving, when Detroit improved to 8-4 with a 34-17 victory over Chicago (5-7). Seattle (8-4) defeated NFC West rival San Francisco (7-5), 19-3. Philadelphia (9-3) grabbed first place in the NFC East ahead of Dallas (8-4) with a 33-10 romp over the Cowboys.On Monday night, Miami (6-5) visits the New York Jets (2-9).Bengals 14, Buccaneers 13At Tampa, Andy Dalton ran for one touchdown and threw to A.J. Green for another, helping the Bengals overcome those mistakes.Dalton shrugged off three first-half interceptions, and the Bengals (8-3-1) weathered 10 penalties and an ill-advised onside kick to win on the road for the third consecutive week, a franchise first.Tampa Bay (2-10) threatened in the closing minutes. However, a 21-yard completion that would have put the Bucs in field goal range was overturned after a replay review confirmed the Bucs had 12 men on the field on the play.The ball was moved back to the 46, an additional 14 seconds were added to the clock, and Tampa Bay turned over the ball on downs.Blame the head coach. Bad move on my part, (I) didnt see it, coach Lovie Smith said. We had 12 guys on the field. Cant happen.Chargers 34, Ravens 33At Baltimore, Philip Rivers capped a frantic drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Eddie Royal with 38 seconds to go. The Chargers (8-4) trailed 30-20 with 6:13 remaining and 33-27 with 2:22 left before Rivers brought them back.Following a pass interference call against Anthony Levine in the end zone, Rivers hit Royal to conclude an 80-yard march to the Chargers third straight win.These are the kind of games you got to win to get in (the post-season) and these are the kind of games you got to win if you do get in, Rivers said. Im not saying youre going to win all of them, but if you cant win these, youre not good enough.Rivers went for 34 for 45 for 383 yards and three touchdowns, two to Keenan Allen.Baltimore (7-5) lost at home in November for the first time since 2009. The Ravens were 11-0 at home against West Coast teams.Saints 35, Steelers 32At Pittsburgh, Drew Brees threw five touchdowns for the ninth time in his career.Kenny Stills caught five passes for a career-high 162 yards and a score as the Saints (5-7) ended a three-game losing streak.The Steelers (7-5) kept New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham without a catch, but it hardly mattered. Brees worked over Pittsburghs secondary anyway. Ben Watson, Marques Colston, Erik Lorig and Nick Toon hauled in touchdowns.Ben Roethlisberger passed for 435 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions for the Steelers.Bills 26, Browns 10QB Kyle Orton and defensive end Jerry Hughes scored touchdowns 10 seconds apart in the third quarter for the host Bills (7-5).Orton put the Bills ahead 7-3 with a 3-yard pass to Chris Hogan. Buffalos defence scored on the next play from scrimmage when Hughes stripped the ball from running back Terrence West, and returned the fumble 18 yards.It was too deep of a hole for Browns rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel to dig out of. Taking over with 12:01 left after starter Brian Hoyer threw his second interception, Manziel capped an eight-play, 80-yard drive with a 10-yard run that cut Buffalos lead to 20-10.Cleveland (7-5) lost for only the second time in six games.Packers 26, Patriots 21In what some predict was a Super Bowl preview, the host Packers moved to 9-3. Aaron Rodgers threw for two touchdowns, Eddie Lacy powered for key yards in the fourth quarter, and the Green Bay defence stood firm late in the game.Rodgers bested Tom Brady in the first meeting between the star quarterbacks as starters. Rodgers connected with Richard Rodgers and Jordy Nelson for long touchdowns and hasnt thrown an interception in an NFL-record 360 passes at home, which includes 31 touchdown tosses.We have some big goals, and were getting into December football now with a chance with everything right in front of us, Rodgers said.Brady finished with two touchdown passes to Brandon LaFell for New England (9-3), which had its seven-game winning streak snapped.Broncos 29, Chiefs 16At Kansas City, C.J. Anderson rushed for 168 yards and caught a 15-yard touchdown pass, and Demaryius Thomas also had a TD reception from Peyton Manning to help the Broncos (9-3) beat Kansas City for the sixth straight time.New kicker Connor Barth was perfect on five field-goal attempts, and the Broncos stayed one game in front of San Diego in the AFC West.Alex Smith threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns for the Chiefs (7-5), the second to Jamaal Charles to make it 26-16 early in the fourth quarter. But Smiths pass on the 2-point try fell incomplete, and the Broncos added another field goal to put the game away.Colts 49, Redskins 27At Indianapolis, Andrew Luck threw a career-high five touchdown passes and topped the 300-yard mark for a franchise-record 10th time this season.Luck was 19 of 27 for 370 yards and had TD passes of 30, 3, 48, 73 and 79 yards. He broke Peyton Mannings mark for most 300-yard games in one season and joined Manning and Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks to top 4,000 yards in two of their first three seasons.He did all that while Washingtons Robert Griffin III, the No. 2 overall pick behind Luck in 2012, watched from the sideline. Griffins replacement, Colt McCoy, was 31 of 47 for a career-best 392 yards and three TDs, also a career high.Indy is 8-4. Washington (3-9) has lost four straight.Falcons 29, Cardinals 18At Atlanta, Julio Jones had a career day with 10 receptions for 189 yards and a touchdown to keep the Falcons in first place in the NFC South via a tiebreaker over New Orleans.Arizona (9-3) still leads the NFC West after its second straight loss, one game in front of defending Super Bowl champion Seattle.Jones hauled in a 32-yard scoring pass, and Matt Bryant kicked a career-best five field goals for the Falcons (5-7).The Cardinals went more than 11 quarters without an offensive touchdown until a meaningless score with just over a minute remaining.Texans 45, Titans 21At Houston, Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for a franchise-record six touchdowns, and DeAndre Hopkins had a career-best 238 yards receiving and two scores. Fitzpatrick returned to the lineup after being benched for two games for Ryan Mallett, who sustained a season-ending chest injury last week.I didnt know if Id ever have a chance to play again, Fitzpatrick said. It was eye-opening for me not to take it for granted and to embrace it.J.J. Watt helped out with his third touchdown reception, two sacks, and he forced and recovered a fumble for Houston (6-6).Tennessees Zach Mettenberger injured his right shoulder playing behind a makeshift offensive line that was missing three starters. Jake Locker took over in the third quarter and threw for 91 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for the Titans (2-10), who have lost six straight.Rams 52, Raiders 0At St. Louis, Tre Mason scored two long touchdowns, and Shaun Hill accounted for three TDs in the rout. St. Louis had an out-of-nowhere 38-point first half that tied for the second biggest in franchise history.Mason had 113 yards rushing on six carries in the half with an 89-yard score, plus a 35-yard jaunt on a screen pass. Hill was 12 for 15 for 178 yards and two TDs and ran for a 2-yard score.The Rams (5-7) scored touchdowns on their first five possessions, and through the second quarter had 38 points to top their previous best scoring total for any game this season. The 38-point halftime lead was the largest in franchise history.The Raiders (1-11) committed five turnovers.Vikings 31, Panthers 13At Minneapolis, Adam Thielen and Everson Griffen each returned blocked punts for touchdowns, the fifth time in NFL history one team had two in the same game.Teddy Bridgewater threw for two scores without a turnover, and Griffen had two of the four sacks by the Vikings (5-7) against Cam Newton.The Panthers (3-8-1) again stumbled out of their bye. They are 0-4 under coach Ron Rivera following the annual in-season week off, and have lost six in a row overall this season.It was the seventh-coldest game in Vikings history, with a kickoff temperature of 12 degrees. They are playing outside this year for the first time since 1981.Jaguars 25, Giants 24At Jacksonville, Josh Scobee kicked a 43-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining, and the Jaguars rallied from a 21-point deficit, their biggest comeback victory ever.Jacksonville (2-10) ended a four-game losing streak and dealt New York (3-9) a seventh consecutive loss that could raise more questions about coach Tom Coughlins future.The Giants scored 21 points in the second quarter and looked like they would earn their first victory since early October.But after the break, Geno Hayes forced Eli Manning to fumble, and teammate J.T. Thomas recovered the ball in the end zone. Rookie Aaron Colvin returned a fumble 41 yards for a touchdown in the fourth period. It was the first time in franchise history Jacksonville scored two defensive touchdowns in a game.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL Trae Waynes Jersey . - The Baltimore Ravens have hired Steve Spagnuolo to be their secondary coach and assistant head coach. Shamar Stephen Jersey .com) - Darius Carter and Ron Baker scored 18 points apiece to help 13th-ranked Wichita State beat Evansville 61-41 on Saturday. http://www.vikingsauthenticshoponline.c ... ersey/.com) - Edmonton Oilers forward Taylor Hall left Saturdays game against the Senators in the second period with a left knee injury. Linval Joseph Jersey . Reimer is winless (0-2-1) since returning from a six-week absence due to concussion-like symptoms. The Maple Leafs dropped a 4-2 decision to the hosting Washington Capitals on Friday. Nick Easton Jersey .Y. -- In a span of three days, Shabazz Napier and Connecticut knocked out both Philadelphia schools in the NCAA tournament.Toto Wolff is relishing the prospect of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fighting over a single vacancy at Mercedes and has opened up on the options F1s world champions could have at their disposal in the 2018 transfer market. Hamilton and Rosberg will remain as team-mates for at least another two years after the German signed a new two-year deal ahead of the Hungarian GP.But with the pairs respective contracts expiring at the end of 2018, it raises the possibility of the duo having to fight it out for a single seat in 2019 if Mercedes seek a younger driver. Rosbergs new deal: What does it mean for the driver market?Sky Sports F1 pundit Paul di Resta described the scenario in which both the contracts of both Hamilton and Rosberg would expire at the same time as a strange stance.Its a reaction which Wolff admits he first echoed before being persuaded the advantages outweighed the potential for more discord. That was my first thought - its better that theyre not in sync, Wolff told Sky F1. But then I found out that maybe its an interesting option, maybe theyll have more momentum in the last year. Hamilton and Rosberg will be aged 33 when their current deals expire. Although neither driiver will be necessarily past their sell-by date, their joint longevity may persuade Mercedes to look to the future in 2019 - and Wolff is confident he will not be short of youthful options.dddddddddddd Its an interesting time because theres a new generation coming up which is difficult to judge, he said. [Esteban] Ocon, [Pascal] Wehrlein, [Stoffel]Vandoorne - all these guys and then there are some contracts running out: Vettel, Ricciardo. It leaves a lot of options.In partnership since 2013, Hamilton and Rosberg will have completed the most races as team-mates in the history of F1 if they remain together until the close of 2018. They have already proved to be one of the most successful pairings in the sport after combining to win two successive title doubles with another poised to follow this year. So while its conceivable that Mercedes will look for a younger option in 2019, its far from certain. If it continues in our team as it is now I see no reason to change, acknowledged Wolff, but its better to have options than not. Also See: 2016 schedule and TV times WATCH: Hamilton and Rosberg disagree Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '