Vikings, Chargers Day's Best Games

Two NFL games featuring divisional-leader matchups highlighted Week 14, as the NFC North’s Minnesota Vikings took out Cincinnati (AFC North) 30‒10 and, in the day’s best game, AFC West leader San Diego hung a 20‒17 defeat on Dallas, which had been tied for the NFC East lead with Philadelphia.

In the Metrodome, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer brought Cincinnati to within three points of the Vikings, with just under four minutes left in the first half, on a touchdown toss to Chad Ochocinco—an interesting misdirection-type play from the slot, in which the Bengals’ wideout headed toward the backfield as if on a reverse, before switching direction and gathering in the 15-yard scoring pass all alone. Minnesota followed up with a clock-eating, 14-play drive that netted a field goal to boost the Vikes to 13‒7 with just 35 seconds till the half. But the Norsemen weren’t done. A untimely fumble by Bengals running back Brian Leonard with just 13 ticks left opened the door for yet another Ryan Longwell field goal, and Minnesota danced into the locker room with the gift three-pointer—and the game—in hand.

In a tight game at the new Cowboys Stadium, the Chargers and Dallas put on an even display of talent and execution—only 10 seconds separated the time of possession between the two. In the end, though, it was just another December defeat for the snake-bitten Cowboys, who got a good performance from quarterback Tony Romo but lost All-World linebacker DeMarcus Ware with a sprained neck on a scary play early in the final period, when Ware’s head slammed into the knee of Chargers’ lineman Brandyn Dombrowski. Ware’s head and neck were immobilized as he was delicately lifted onto a stretcher and taken from the field. The game’s big defensive series took place earlier,just before halftime, when Dallas, with a first and goal at the San Diego 4, ran Marion Barber four straight times into the thick of the Chargers’ front wall. Four times San Diego rebuffed him. It was the Chargers’ eighth win in a row and their NFL-record 16th straight victory in December, dating back to 2005.

ANGLING FOR THE CORNER: Several NFL records were broken during the Denver-Indianapolis game, the biggest mark being the 21-reception performance by Denver wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who eclipsed Terrell Owens’ 20 catches in a single game set in 2000 against Chicago, when the premier wideout was then with San Francisco. Marshall earned his record on Denver’s final offensive play. The Broncos faced fourth and 18 from their own 12, when Marshall grabbed Kyle Orton’s throw short of the first-down marker. The resourceful receiver, who grabbed 21 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns in the 28‒16 loss to the Colts, attempted a hook-and-lateral to trailing lineman Chris Kuper, who tacked on seven more yards but still fell short of the first down. It’s not surprising the pass reception mark fell in this day and age of total passing fancy. Just nine years separate Marshall’s and Owens’ feats. Before Owens, Los Angeles Rams’ Hall of Fame end Tom Fears held the mark (18 catches) for an incredible 50 years, dating back to 1950. Indianapolis made NFL history as well, forging the NFL’s longest win streak ever—now at 22 games and counting, breaking the recent skein of the 2006-07 New England Patriots.

Alan Ross is the author of 32 books, including Away from the Ball: The NFL’s Off-the-Field Heroes. E-mail him at: alanross_sports@yahoo.com
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