NFL Recap: Week 9

Peyton Manning proved once again why, in a matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, he’ll always come out on top; and Atlanta remains undefeated after facing one of the most inconsistent teams in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Giants couldn’t pull out a much-needed win for New Jersey. All of this and more is in this look at the best games in the NFL this week.

Atlanta Falcons 19, Dallas Cowboys 13
The Falcons made some mistakes during this game, and the Cowboys made some too. One difference is that the Falcons know how to come back from theirs to stay in the game. The bigger difference between these two teams is that while Atlanta remains undefeated, the Cowboys lost their fourth matchup in their last five games. The fact that the Falcons were able to run out the clock at the end of the game was a result of a cumulative team effort. Michael Turner broke the tie score with a 3-yard TD in the last quarter; and Matt Bryant contributed four field goals in the overall score. For the Cowboys, Tony Romo didn’t play as terribly as he has in the past; but he certainly didn’t play good either.

Denver Broncos 31, Cincinnati Bengals 23
On Sunday, Peyton Manning proved why he’s one of the best. You could see the frustration on his face in the last quarter after giving up two interceptions, the last of which put the Bengals up 20 — 17. But “don’t panic” is Peyton’s motto, and he proved that he keeps true to it. Just minutes after giving up the last interception, Manning threw a 1-yard TD to Joel Dreessen that got Denver back up on the scoreboard. That, combined with the two holding penalties the Bengals received in the final minutes, won this game for the Broncos.

Pittsburgh Steelers 24, New York Giants 20
Going into this game it seemed that if the Giants didn’t win New Jersey, New York, and the whole Northeast would suffer even more greatly. As it turned out, all they needed was to watch some really great football for a few hours. That’s just what the Giants and the Steelers gave them. This one was neck-in-neck for four quarters, and it came right down to the final minutes. That was when Isaac Redman, seemingly alone with quarterback Ben Rothenberg on offense, scored a 1-yard touchdown that was all Pittsburgh needed to win. Having just flown into New Jersey hours before the game, most expected them to be tired and bedraggled. They may have shown it during periods throughout the game, but not enough to give New York fans the game they so desperately wanted to take.

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