The Newsroom recaps round 13 of the NFL.
With nothing much left to play for but pride, the San Francisco 49ers snatched a 26-20 victory in Illinois from the Chicago Bears thanks to a touchdown in overtime thrown by quarterback Blaine Gabbert to Torrey Smith. Gabbert threw a 71-yard pass for Smith to take the win away from the Bears. The 49ers and the Bears were extremely even throughout, with the sides going into the break locked at 13-13, and a scoreless third quarter. The Bears managed to steal a seven-point lead in the fourth, but the 49ers persevered, equalising through a touchdown with three minutes remaining to force the overtime.
The Packers fight back in Detroit
It took a sizzling 61-yard pass from quarterback Aaron Rodgers resulting in a Richard Rodgers touchdown to give the Green Bay Packers victory over the Detroit Lions, 27-23. The Lions, going for their fourth consecutive win, led most of the match and held a commanding 17 points to nothing lead at halftime. Quarterbacks Rodgers and Matthew Stafford were outstanding. Rodgers threw two touchdowns and clocked up 273 yards with 24 completed passes. Stafford completed 23 passes for 220 yards in a defiant effort for the losers. The Packers scored 27 points to six in the second half to deny the Lions their fourth.
Big Ben steers the Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers demolished the Indianapolis Colts 45-10 in Pittsburgh thanks to a remarkable effort from their quarterback “Big Ben” Roethlisberger. The giant – he’s almost two metres tall – threw four touchdowns with 364 passing yards. He seems to mesmerise the Colts, recording 886 yards passing and setting up 10 touchdowns in his last two starts against them. The Colts were no match from the get go, falling 11 points behind by half-time (21-10). – Jesse Mullens
Other scores for the round
Buffalo Bills defeated Houston Texans 30-21
Cincinnati Bengals defeated Cleveland Browns 37-3
Miami Dolphins defeated Baltimore Ravens 15-13
Seattle Seahawks defeated Minnesota Vikings 38-7
New York Jets defeated New York Giants 23-20
Arizona Cardinals defeated St Louis Rams 27-3
Tennessee Titans defeated Jacksonville Jaguars 42-39
Kansas City Chiefs defeated Oakland Raiders 34-20
Philadelphia Eagles defeated New England Patriots 35-28
Denver Broncos defeated San Diego Chargers 17-3
Carolina Panthers defeated New Orleans Saints 41-38
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated Atlanta Falcons 23-19
Top photo of Ben Roethlisberger from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Facebook page.
About the author
I am the sports editor for the Macleay Newsroom. I enjoy cooking and watching sport intently.
