This meant two things.
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Minnesota came into the Georgia Dome hoping to get back on track after getting lashed by Green Bay last week.
After dropping a pair of prime-time games, the Bengals (9-2) were back in sync against a team that struggles to score.
I have noticed that Ryan no longer changes the play to get the offense out of bad run calls when the defense crowds the line.
In the end it was a conservative, methodical, grind-it-out win. 7-0 purple and gold.
Tevin Coleman rushed for 110 yards on 18 carries.
“It is always more hard when you feel like you do it to yourself”. It could decide whether one of them ends up making or missing the playoffs. He followed that up Sunday with an interception in the Vikings’ end zone. Birds back in business at their own 20 after the touchback on the pick.
Ryan’s porous showing came against a banged-up Minnesota secondary that was without starting safety Harrison Smith.
COLTS 25, BUCCANEERS 12 – Matt Hasselbeck threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns and Adam Vinatieri made four more field goals for the Colts.
Bridgewater didn’t break out of his shell offensively, but that wasn’t for lack of trying.
That missed opportunity was punished by the Vikings, but once again only three points were added to the score as Walsh converted a 29-yard kick before nudging his side 10 points ahead with a 39-yard effort in the fourth.
Three points by the Falcons at home!
BALL SECURITY: Atlanta’s slump can largely be attributed to sloppiness with the ball. He’s thrown five interceptions the last two weeks, and the second one Sunday was especially devastating. He spun the ball in front of a defender and it cost his team 15 yards-and it could have cost more. It was a league-leading seventh red zone turnover of the season by the Falcons.
The Vikings face Football Outsiders’ fourth-toughest remaining schedule, so it remains to be determined if bettors will stay the course with them. Maclin caught nine passes for 160 yards and a touchdown. The Vikings managed to hold Julio Jones to just 56 yards on five receptions. 13-3 Vikes in Atlanta’s house.
In the second quarter with the Falcons trailing 7-3 and on the move, Ryan was intercepted by Minnesota’s Captain Munnerlyn. Peterson now sits on 99 touchdowns for his career. The Falcons did get a late touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to Nick Williams to make it 20-10, but it was too little, too late. Both are 5-6.
Adrian Peterson ran for 158 yards for the Vikings (8-3).
Atlanta can not get a sack. Hopefully, they will not continue to seem so. That was a major reason Atlanta managed only 52 yards over its final seven drives, with as many turnovers as first downs (three each). This marks the first time he’s amassed 100 rushing yards in the NFL.
The first half was all about the combination of quarterback Tyron Taylor and wide receiver Sammy Watkins for the Bills (5-6).
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Ben Roethlisberger threw for 456 yards – the most ever against the Seahawks – but was pulled with 2 minutes left and taken to the locker room for concussion protocol.
