FOOTBALL

It was a wild weekend in the NFL:

First up, Cam Newton has had a spectacular rookie season, but the Panthers have been struggling to put tick marks in the win column.  Everybody knew, it was only a matter of time before everything clicked in Carolina.  Sunday was that day as the Panthers took on a struggling Buccaneers team (donning their creamsicle uniforms from the era in which they weren’t so great).  And this was the game where Cam Newton caught fire.  He threw for 204 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 3 touchdowns.  Newton is turning into the kind of explosive player that will definitely scare teams next season.  Plus, in the past few games, the Panthers have gotten their duel-headed rushing attack going of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.  They’re not going to make the playoffs, but the Panthers could definitely burst the bubbles of some teams that are vying for the post-season.  Carolina 38, Tampa Bay 19.

And, in Houston, with the Colts out of the way this season, the Texans are poised to get a first round bye in the playoffs.  Except… it seems like their whole team is falling apart at the wrong time.  They already lost their starting quarterback Matt Schaub for the year, then their back-up Matt Leinart went down with a collar bone injury.  This… after they lost their top defensive player, Mario Williams, early in the year.  Yet still, they’re 8-3 with a 3rd string rookie quarterback, T.J. Yates, hosting a tough Falcons team.  Fortunately, for the Texans, they’re a run-first team behind Arian Foster and Ben Tate.  Foster had 111 yards on the ground, and T.J. Yates did a good job playing mistake-free football to ensure that the Texans had a chance to win, throwing for 188 yards and a touchdown.  The Texans are now 9-3 and trying to hang on.  Houston 17, Atlanta 10.

Then, in the afternoon, the Packers were looking to defend their 11-0 start.  But, they would have to do it on the road against a New York Giants team looking for revenge after getting punished in New Orleans the week prior.  Plus, the Giants always play better when they’re expected to lose against a good team — that’s when they rise to the occasion.  They got out to a good start, as Eli Manning threw to tight-end Travis Beckum for an early touchdown.  Then, the Packers took off with Aaron Rodgers throwing touchdowns all over the place.  However, the Giants are a never-say-never team and Eli Manning connected with Hakeem Nicks, with a 2-point conversion from running-back Danny Ware to tie the game.  Except, the Giants made a common mistake — they left Aaron Rodgers with more than 1 second on the clock (53 seconds to be exact).  Rodgers took the ball and executed the perfect drive to put the Packers in field goal position.  It would have been about a 45 yard attempt for Packers kicker Mason Crosby, but Rodgers made it easier on him by completing another 20 yard pass.  What a nice favor.  Crosby kicked a basic 31-yard field goal to win the game and keep the Pack a perfect 12-0.  Green Bay 38, NY Giants 35.