Week 11 Sunday Scores & Monday Prediction

By TLarner

It’s Monday night, are you ready for some football? Apparently Brad Childress wasn’t, as he was let go by the Minnesota Vikings today.

Game of the Week Results: IND 28, NE 31

The Week 11 Game of the Week between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots was a close battle that came down to the last minute. In the eternal battle between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, Brady once again topped his lifelong foe, and is now tied with Brett Favre with 25 consecutive home wins. The 8-2 Patriots are tied with the Jets for first in the AFC East, while the 6-4 Colts are tied with Jacksonville for first in the AFC South.

New England scored the first points with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Wes Welker. That drive was setup when Manning was intercepted by safety Brandon Meriweather. Brady then found rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez for an eight-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. Manning made it a one possession game with a touchdown pass of his own to Gijon Robinson. The “Law Firm”, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, scored his seventh rushing touchdown of the year, giving the Patriots a 21-7 lead. With less than 10 seconds left before the half, Manning connected with receiver Reggie Wayne on an 11-yard touchdown, taking the momentum into halftime.

Late in the third quarter, Danny Woodhead ran for 36 yards and a touchdown to give his Patriots a 28-14 lead. Manning ended the third quarter with another interception, this time by rookie corner Kyle McCourty. It appeared that he and Pierre Garcon were not on the same page, and Garcon ran a different route than Manning expected. Now in the fourth quarter, cue another Manning comeback. Down 17 points after a Shayne Graham field goal, Blair White caught his first touchdown of the game. Don’t forget his name, because with just under five minutes left in the game, White made a spectacular diving catch on his second touchdown grab. On the New England 24 yard line with 36 seconds remaining, Manning, under pressure, threw his third interception of the game, picked off this time by James Sanders, sealing the deal for the Patriots.

Manning threw for 396 yards with four touchdowns, but nearly doubled his season interception total by throwing three more. Donald Brown carried the load on the ground without Joseph Addai, and Brown ran for 68 yards on 17 attempts. Wayne caught eight passes for 107 yards and a touchdown. Indianapolis had 28 first downs, compared to New England’s 22. Indy converted on 78% of third down attempts, while New England only on 63%. The Colts outgained the Patriots by 121 total yards of offense. Brady only threw for 186 yards with two touchdowns. Green-Ellis ran for 96 yards with a score, while Woodhead added 69 yards on the ground with a touchdown of his own. Deion Branch had a team high seven catches for 70 yards.

Remaining Scores from Sunday:

Baltimore 37, Carolina 13

Buffalo 49, Cincinnati 31

Detroit 19, Dallas 35

Cleveland 20, Jacksonville 24

Arizona 13, Kansas City 31

Green Bay 31, Minnesota 3

Houston 27, New York Jets 30

Oakland 3, Pittsburgh 35

Washington 19, Tennessee 16 (Overtime)

Seattle 19, New Orleans 34

Tampa Bay 21, San Francisco 0

Atlanta 34, St. Louis 17

New York Giants 17, Philadelphia 27

Monday Night Football

Week 11’s Monday night matchup sends the AFC West’s fourth place Denver Broncos to the third place San Diego Chargers. Last week, the Broncos (3-6) beat the AFC West leading Chiefs 49-29. The Chargers are coming off their Week 10 bye, and hope to extend their two-game win streak.

The disappointing Denver Broncos do have one bright spot, they have the third best passing offense in the league (296.6 yards per game). Quarterback Kyle Orton is fourth, right behind San Diego’s Philip Rivers, with 2,806 yards through the air. He has thrown 16 touchdowns and only five interceptions. Orton is tied with Washington’s Donovan McNabb for first in the league with 10 plays of 40 yards or more. His 96.4 passer rating is nearly 10 points higher than last season. Receiver Brandon Lloyd is second in the league with 968 yards. He averages 20.2 yards per catch, and has caught six touchdowns. On the other hand, Denver’s rushing attack is absolutely terrible. They are last in the league with 76.8 yards per game on the ground. In six games, running back Knowshon Moreno has gained 398 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Those two touchdowns came in the first two weeks of the season, and 106 of his yards came in last week’s win in Kansas City. The Broncos’ defense is also rather bad. They are 30th in the league in points allowed per game (28.0) and 26th in yards allowed per game (372.9).

The Chargers are used to making late season runs, and after starting a dismal 2-5, have won two straight games. The San Diego offense is first in the league in yards per game (420.2) and first in passing yards per game (312.4). Quarterback Philip Rivers is an early candidate for league MVP. Rivers is third in the league with 2,944 passing yards. He has 19 touchdown passes and eight interceptions. Running back Mike Tolbert leads the team with 395 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Rookie Ryan Mathews has gained 382 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Tight end Antonio Gates is having another Pro Bowl season. He leads the team with 40 receptions for 663 yards and nine touchdowns. Receiver Vincent Jackson will return from suspension next week, and should boost a decimated group of receivers. The Chargers’ defense is first in yards allowed per game (274.7) and 15th in points allowed (21.9). The team has 27 sacks and eight interceptions so far this season.

Prediction

The Denver Broncos have an explosive passing game with Orton and Lloyd. They did drop 49 points on the division leader, but the Chargers have a significantly better defense. San Diego is making its typical November run toward the playoffs. Rivers is the leader in MVP discussions, and will show why tonight. With receiver Malcom Floyd back from injury to join a crew of unknowns, who have performed well when their names were called. (Can you even pronounce Seyi Ajirotutu?) The Chargers will be one step closer to the division lead with a win over Denver tonight.

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