NFL round-up: Red-hot Aaron Rodgers outshines Tom Brady in quarterback showdown

Peyton Manning threw two touchdown passes and Connor Barth was perfect on five field-goal attempts for the Broncos as Andy Dalton ran for one touchdown and threw to A.J. Green for another, helping the Bengals overcome numerous mistakes.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, left, and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers come together after the final play in the second half of their American Football game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA, 30 November 2014. The Packers defeated the Patriots. EPA/TANNEN MAURY
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GREEN BAY, United States // Quarterback Aaron Rodgers delivered a precision passing game as the Green Bay Packers remained perfect at home with a 26-21 victory over Tom Brady’s New England Patriots on Sunday.

Rodgers was 24-of-38 for 368 yards, threw two touchdown passes and kept two NFL record streaks alive in front of a rowdy crowd of 78,431 at Lambeau Field.

The 30-year-old has thrown 360 consecutive passes with 31 touchdowns since his last interception at home, extending both records.

“We got big goals and we are going into December right now with a chance and everything right in front of us,” Rodgers said.

Green Bay improved to 6-0 at home this season, tying the NFL’s best mark shared by New England and three other teams. They are now 9-3 on the season.

The Patriots had a seven-game winning streak halted as they suffered their first loss in more than two months.

Eddie Lacy ran 21 times for 98 yards and caught two passes for another 17 yards, extending his Packers running back record to four consecutive games with at least 100 yards.

Receiver Davante Adams hauled in six passes for 121 yards and Randall Cobb made seven catches for 85 yards.

“We’ve been great at home,” said Rodgers. “The fans have been excellent with the noise and we’ve got a good advantage with it. We’ve just got to keep rolling.”

Brady was 22-of-35 for 245 yards and two touchdown passes to Brandon LaFell in the loss, which was the Patriot’s first defeat since losing 41-14 to Kansas City in September.

“I just wish we won this one. I think we put a lot into it,” said Brady. “It was a great test for us and I think the guys knew how important it was for our season.”

The Packers seized a 13-0 lead in the first quarter and hung on down the stretch after Brady threw his second touchdown pass to LaFell to cut the Packers lead to 23-21 early in the fourth quarter.

Mason Crosby then kicked his fourth field goal of the game for Green Bay to make it 26-21 with 8:41 remaining.

The Packers earned their final first down when Rodgers hit Cobb for a seven-yard gain. The Patriots were left without any timeouts and Rodgers kneeled out the remaining two minutes.

Broncos 29, Chiefs 16

Peyton Manning threw two touchdown passes and Connor Barth was perfect on five field-goal attempts. C.J. Anderson added 168 yards rushing and caught a 15-yard touchdown pass, and Demaryius Thomas also had a TD grab to help the Broncos (9-3) beat Kansas City for the sixth straight time. Alex Smith threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns for the Chiefs (7-5), the second of them to Jamaal Charles to make it 26-16 early in the fourth quarter.

Bengals 14, Buccaneers 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.

Chargers 34, Ravens 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.

Saints 35, Steelers 32

Drew Brees threw five touchdowns for the ninth time in his career as the Saints dominated the sloppy Steelers. Kenny Stills caught five passes for a career-high 162 yards and a score as the Saints (5-7) ended a three-game losing streak by restoring a little bit of respectability and a sense of order to the NFC South.

Bills 26, Browns 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.

Falcons 29, Cardinals 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.

Texans 45, Titans 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).

Rams 52, Raiders 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.

Colts 49, Redskins 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. Luck was 19 of 27 for 370 yards and had TD passes of 30, 3, 48, 73 and 79 yards. He broke Peyton Manning’s mark for most 300-yard games in one season and joined Manning and Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks to top 4,000 yards in two of their first three seasons.

Vikings 31, Panthers 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.

Jaguars 25, 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.

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