SAN FRANCISCO 49ers @ Dallas Cowboys
DALLAS - The Dallas Cowboys played themselves into the NFC East lead with a 24-21 win over the San Francisco 49ers. The storyline coming into this one was the matchup between Teddy Bridgewater and Marcus Mariota. There is quite a history with these quarterbacks. Both were on New England last season after GM CD traded for Mariota mid-season following a poor start by Bridgewater. Mariota ended up taking the Patriots all the way to the AFC Championship game. When the team moved out west with CD this offseason, coach Kyle Shanahan named Bridgewater the starter, prompting the team to trade Mariota to the Cowboys.
Mariota was asked before the game if this one had any extra meaning. "Yes and no I guess. I mean I was disappointed they gave up on me, but I'm really just focused on getting this team to the playoffs." Mariota said.
Whether or not there was extra meaning, Mariota had the last word, driving the Cowboys (7-7) down the field and taking it in for the score on a 21 yard scramble.
The score left San Francisco (9-4-1) shell-shocked after Teddy Bridgewater led his own scoring drive seconds earlier to give the Niners the lead. "Wasn't good enough today. Need to complete more passes." Bridgewater said after the game.
Things are getting interesting for San Francisco as they hold a 1.5 game division lead over both the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks with two games left on their schedule. Their next two opponents? Arizona and Seattle.
Carolina Panthers @ GREEN BAY PACKERS
GREEN BAY - Aaron Rodgers continued his torrid play of late as the Packers beat the visiting Carolina Panthers 48-26. Green Bay (9-4-1) moved the ball with ease on offense all afternoon. Actually, Rodgers and JuJu Smith-Schuster moved the ball with ease. Smith-Shuster was dynamic all afternoon and accounted for the majority of the offense, racking up 191 yards on 11 catches and three touchdowns.
"Happy to be a part of this team. Just want to quietly go about my business and get the job done. I'm not going to be flashy and dance on Instaface or TikTweet before a game or anything like that." Smith-Schuster said after the game.
Green Bay is all of a sudden within striking distance of their division and the number one seed after loses by New Orleans, Minnesota, and San Francisco. All four teams now have four loses and if the Packers finish strong they could be looking at a division championship and playoff bye. A lot still has to go right as the Pack do not control their own destiny, but things have changed dramatically in a week. Green Bay will try to keep rolling next week against the Tennessee Titans at Lambeau field on Sunday Night Football.
HOUSTON TEXANS @ Indianapolis Colts
INDIANAPOLIS - Three weeks removed from a top draft pick, the Houston Texans suddenly find themselves less concerned with who they will draft and more concerned with a potential playoff spot after their third win in a row. Houston (5-9, 3-2 AFC South) used a late 4th quarter score to down the Indianapolis Colts 27-20 and keep their slim hopes alive.
The Colts (6-8, 1-4) looked unstoppable most of the game as Philip Rivers completed his first 27 attempts and the Texans defense struggled to get off the field. However, they did just enough to give their offense a chance.
Combined with a Jacksonville Jaguars loss, the Texans now find themselves only one game out of the division lead with two games to go. "To quote Herm Edwards, 'You play to win the game.'" Coach David Shaw said, "I'm not concerned with draft picks in April, I'm concerned with wins in December."
Houston will look to make it four in a row next week as they take on the Cincinnati Bengals.
