Nov 30, 2014 6 min read

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Aaron Rodgers threw for two touchdowns, Eddie Lacy powered for key yards in the fourth quarter and the Green Bay Packers fended off the New England Patriots 26-21 Sunday in a high-profile matchup between Super Bowl contenders.

Rodgers bested Tom Brady in the first meeting between the star quarterbacks as starters. Rodgers connected with Richard Rodgers and Jordy Nelson for long touchdowns.

Leading by five, the defense held firm late for the Packers (9-3). Mike Daniels and Mike Neal combined to sack Brady on third down for a 9-yard loss, and kicker Stephen Gostkowkski pushed a 47-yard field-goal attempt wide right with 2:40 left.

The Packers sealed it after Rodgers converted to Cobb on third-and-4 with the Patriots out of timeouts.

Brady finished with two touchdown passes to Brandon LaFell for New England (9-3), which had its seven-game winning streak snapped. The second score came from 15 yards early in the fourth quarter to get within 23-21.

The lead could have been wider for the Packers if not for some hiccups in the red zone.

Green Bay settled for four field goals from Mason Crosby of 35 yards or less, including a 28-yarder to make it a five-point lead with 8:41 left. That kick came after rookie Davante Adams dropped a potential touchdown pass on third-and-5 from the New England 10.

Cincinnati 14, Tampa Bay 13: Andy Dalton ran for one touchdown and threw to A.J. Green for another, helping the Bengals overcome numerous mistakes.

Dalton shrugged off three first-half interceptions, and the Bengals (8-3-1) weathered 10 penalties and an ill-advised onside kick that cost them momentum after taking the lead in the second half to win on the road for the third consecutive week. That’s a franchise first that seemed improbable following a lopsided home loss to Cleveland a month ago.

San Diego 34, Baltimore 33: Philip Rivers capped a frantic drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Eddie Royal with 38 seconds to go. The Chargers (8-4) trailed 30-20 with 6:13 remaining and 33-27 with 2:22 left before Rivers brought them back.

Following a pass interference call against Anthony Levine in the end zone, Rivers hit Royal to conclude an 80-yard march to the Chargers’ third straight win.

Buffalo 26, Cleveland 10: Quarterback Kyle Orton and defensive end Jerry Hughes scored touchdowns 10 seconds apart in the third quarter.

Orton put the Bills ahead 7-3 with a 3-yard pass to Chris Hogan. Buffalo’s defense scored on the next play from scrimmage when Hughes stripped the ball from running back Terrence West, and returned the fumble 18 yards.

Atlanta 29, Arizona 18: Julio Jones had a career day, catching 10 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown to keep the Falcons in first place in the NFC South.

Arizona (9-3) still leads the NFC West after its second straight loss, but its lead over defending Super Bowl champion Seattle dwindled to a single game.

Houston 45, Tennessee 21: Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for a franchise-record six touchdowns and DeAndre Hopkins had a career-best 238 yards receiving and two scores. Fitzpatrick returned to the lineup after being benched for two games for Ryan Mallett, who suffered a season-ending chest injury last week.

J.J. Watt helped out in the win, too. He had his third touchdown reception, two sacks, forced and recovered a fumble for Houston (6-6).

St. Louis 52, Oakland 0: Tre Mason scored two long touchdowns and Shaun Hill accounted for three TDs in the rout. St. Louis had an out-of-nowhere 38-point first half that tied for second biggest in franchise history.

Mason had 113 yards rushing on six carries in the half with an 89-yard score, plus a 35-yard jaunt on a screen pass that opened the scoring. Hill was 12 for 15 for 178 yards and two TDs and ran for a 2-yard score.

Indianapolis 49, Washington 27: Andrew Luck threw a career-high five touchdown passes and topped the 300-yard mark for a franchise-record 10th time this season.

Indianapolis (8-4) won for the eighth time in 10 games since starting 0-2.

Minnesota 31, Carolina 13: Adam Thielen and Everson Griffen each returned blocked punts by Minnesota for touchdowns, the fifth time in league history one team had two in the same game.

Teddy Bridgewater threw for two scores without a turnover, and Griffen had two of the four sacks by the Vikings (5-7) against Cam Newton.

Jacksonville 25, New York Giants 24: Josh Scobee kicked a 43-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining, and the Jaguars rallied from a 21-point deficit.

The Jaguars (2-10) ended a four-game losing streak and dealt the Giants (3-9) a seventh consecutive loss that could raise more questions about coach Tom Coughlin’s future.