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| Detroit Lions corner back Alphonso Smith (L) and Eric Wright bring down San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Brown during the second half of their NFL football game in Detroit, Michigan on Saturday. (Reuters |
The Giants beat the Jets 29-14 in a pivotal New York showdown on Saturday that gave the winners a direct path to reach the playoffs and imperiled the loser’s chances of advancing.
A safety registered by defensive tackle Chris Canty on Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez effectively ended the game by giving the Giants two points for a 22-14 lead with the Jets punting from their own 20 with just over two minutes left.
After a failed on-side punt by the Jets, Ahmad Bradshaw barged into the end zone from 19 yards out to complete the scoring and turn what had been a tension-packed game into a rout.
The victory improved the Giants to 8-7 and made next week’s regular season finale against the visiting Dallas Cowboys a clash for the NFC East title.
The defeat dropped the Jets to 8-7, derailing their clear run for an AFC wildcard berth. The Jets remained mathematically alive, but need a win in next week’s game in Miami against the Dolphins and help from other teams to qualify for the postseason.
A huge touchdown connection late in the first half from quarterback Eli Manning to wide receiver Victor Cruz turned the tide for the Giants.
Outplayed to that point and trailing 7-3, Manning hit Cruz on a third-and-10 from their own one-yard line and the elusive receiver escaped from three tacklers on his way to a 99-yard touchdown romp that put the Giants ahead 10-7.
The Giants extended their lead to 17-7 on a 14-yard touchdown burst late in the third quarter by Bradshaw, who ran over tackler Brodney Poole on his way into the end zone.The Jets whittled down the Giants’ 20-7 lead on a one-yard run by Sanchez halfway through the fourth quarter that brought them within 20-14, but the Giants’ defense rose up to make that cushion stand.
Newton sets rookie passing record
CHARLOTTE: Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton broke Peyton Manning’s National Football League (NFL) record for the most passing yards in a rookie season on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Newton surpassed Manning’s record of 3,379 yards, set in 1998, in his team’s 48-16 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Charlotte.
Newton started Saturday’s penultimate round of the regular season needing just 18 more yards to eclipse Manning’s mark and wasted little time setting another record, leading the Panthers on an 80-yard touchdown drive on their first possession.
He threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score, extending to 14 his record of rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season.
Newton was earmarked for greatness after winning last season’s Heisman Trophy as the outstanding player in College Football and leading Auburn University to a national championship.
He was selected by the Panthers as the first overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft and celebrated his debut by becoming the first quarterback to throw for 400 yards in his first appearance in the NFL.