Latest From The NFL: McCarthy Calling Plays Again For Pack
The Associated Press
The latest from NFL games on the 14th Sunday of the regular season (all times EST):
5:05 p.m.
The most significant change for the Green Bay Packers against the Dallas Cowboys involved Mike McCarthy.
The offensive-minded coach took back play-calling duties on Sunday from associate head coach Tom Clements.
McCarthy had called his own plays his first nine years on the sideline before handing over the responsibility to Clements before this season. He wanted more time to oversee defense and special teams.
But this year, the offense has been problematic in Green Bay.
Clements was back in the press box on Sunday. McCarthy said he spoke to him about the switch over the weekend.
The coach said he has gone from making suggestions to Clements on play calls the previous four weeks to having Clements making the suggestions.
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4:15 p.m.
Seattle star Russell Wilson is on a roll unlike any quarterback since at least 1960.
Wilson finished with a passer rating of 139.6 in Sunday's 35-6 victory over Baltimore, his fourth straight game with a rating of at least 138.5. He completed 23 of 32 passes for 292 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions.
According to STATS, no quarterback has a rating at least that high in four straight games in records going back to 1960. The Seahawks won all four games after a 4-5 start.
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3:45 p.m.
Peyton Manning donned sneakers, jeans, a hoodie and an orange Broncos baseball cap to watch his teammates warm up before they go for their ninth consecutive victory against the Oakland Raiders.
Manning is dealing with a left foot injury. He hasn't played since midway through the third quarter of Denver's game against Kansas City on Nov. 15.
Brock Osweiler is making his fourth consective start in his place.
Manning returned to the football field this week to begin throwing and going through drills. But he hasn't progressed enough to practice yet.
He's been throwing indoors on his own in front of the strength and conditioning staff and occasionally some coaches.
— Arnie Stapleton reporting from Denver
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3:35 p.m.
Carolina tight end Greg Olsen and running back Jonathan Stewart left Sunday's game against Atlanta with injuries and appeared unlikely to return with the Panthers holding a big lead.
Olsen injured his left knee and Stewart his left ankle. Neither appeared to be seriously injured and both were standing on the sideline in uniform in the third quarter.
Fozzy Whittaker replaced Stewart at running back, while Ed Dickson worked at Olsen's spot. Both Whittaker and Dickson have scored touchdowns for the Panthers.
Olsen twisted his knee awkwardly while trying to catch a pass in the end zone near the end of the first half.
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3:25 p.m.
Trying to spark Tennessee's struggling offense, the Titans called for a wildcat play and ended their shutout against the New York Jets on quarterback Marcus Mariota's first career touchdown catch.
Running back Antonio Andrews took the direct snap — with Mariota lined up wide — and floated a pass down the right sideline. Jets safety Calvin Pryor slipped on the coverage, leaving Mariota completely uncovered.
The rookie quarterback made the catch and cruised into the end zone for a 41-yard touchdown. After a 2-point conversion, the Titans cut their deficit to 27-8 with 4:09 left in the third quarter.
— Dennis Waszak reporting from East Rutherford, New Jersey
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3:05 p.m.
The Denver Broncos are once again juggling their lineup because of injuries.
With safeties T.J. Ward, David Bruton Jr. and Omar Bolden all inactive, Josh Bush is set to start at strong safety alongside Darian Stewart against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.
Bush has been with the team two weeks. His backup is Shiloh Keo, who signed with the team this week. Keo knows the defense well because he played for coach Gary Kubiak and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips for five seasons in Houston.
Also, inside linebacker Danny Trevathan is out with a concussion, so Todd Davis is starting with Brandon Marshall sliding over to Trevathan's weakside spot.
— Arnie Stapleton reporting from Denver
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2:55 p.m.
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton shook off a hand injury to throw his third touchdown pass of the first half against the Atlanta Falcons.
Leading 21-0, Newton appeared to bang his left, non-throwing hand on an opponent's helmet after completing a pass, and was forced to come out of the game for one play.
Derek Anderson stepped in and threw a 24-yard pass to Philly Brown for a first down.
Newton returned and completed the drive with a 4-yard TD pass to Ed Dickson on a slant route, giving the Panthers a 28-0 halftime lead. Newton was enjoying his best half as a pro, completing 12 of 17 passes for 246 yards and three TDs for a QB rating of 152.6.
Newton's top target, Greg Olsen injured his knee late in the first half and the team said his return is questionable. Olsen walked off the field under his own power and appeared to be fine.
Olsen ran out of the tunnel for the second half and had his helmet on and appeared ready to return.
— Steve Reed reporting from Charlotte, North Carolina
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2:35 p.m.
Panthers wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. is adding to what is already a career season.
The nine-year NFL veteran hauled in touchdown receptions of 74 and 46 yards in the first quarter for Carolina, which jumped out to a 21-0 lead against Atlanta.
Ginn has a career-high eight TD receptions, including four in the last five quarters. He has six TD receptions in 13 quarters against NFC South rivals this season.
— Steve Reed reporting from Charlotte, North Carolina
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2:20 p.m.
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton is back on the sideline with his right hand in a black cast. He hurt his thumb while making a tackle on an interception return.
It's his first injury since he missed half of the first game in his 2011 rookie season with an injured wrist.
The Bengals have been one of the least-injured teams in the league, but they've also lost tight end Tyler Eifert, who's being examined for a concussion and won't return. He leads the league in TD catches.
— Joe Kay reporting from Cincinnati
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2:15 p.m.
St. Louis' seven-quarter slump without a touchdown has ended. It just took the defense to do it.
Cornerback Trumaine Johnson returned an interception 58 yards for a touchdown, stepping in front of Detroit's Calvin Johnson on a pass thrown by Matthew Stafford. The play gave the Rams a 7-0 lead in the second quarter.
It was Johnson's team-leading fifth interception of the season. He missed the past two games with a thigh injury.
— R.B. Fallstrom reporting from St. Louis
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2:10 p.m.
Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith had his franchise-record streak of 312 consecutive passes without an interception snapped in the second quarter Sunday by Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett.
Smith had not thrown a pick since Sept. 28 in Green Bay. He was 6 of 7 against the Chargers before lofting a pass down the sideline that Wilson caught as he slid across the soggy turf.
The interception was confirmed after a video review.
Smith passed the streak of Bernie Kosar (308) earlier in the game, making his the second-longest in NFL history. Tom Brady went 358 passes without an interception in 2010-11.
— Dave Skretta reporting from Kansas City, Mo.
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2:05 p.m.
Jimmy Clausen has finally produced some points against the Seattle Seahawks.
Clausen and the Chicago Bears were blanked 26-0 by the Seahawks in September. Now a member of the Baltimore Ravens, Clausen went 2 for 2 for 33 yards in a drive that produced a second-quarter field goal.
Clausen is the sixth quarterback since 1950 to start at quarterback for two different teams against the same opponent.
Signed off waivers last month, Clausen started Sunday in place of the injured Matt Schaub.
— David Ginsburg reporting from Baltimore
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2:00 p.m.
Sammy Watkins is the first Bills receiver with a 40-yard catch in three straight games since Terrell Owens in 2009.
Watkins' latest big play was a 47-yard TD reception in the first quarter against Philadelphia. He caught Tyrod Taylor's deep pass down the right sideline, eluded a tackle and ran into the end zone.
Watkins had 267 yards receiving and three TDs in Buffalo's previous two games.
— Rob Maaddi reporting from Philadelphia
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1:50 p.m.
Seattle rookie running back Thomas Rawls hurt his left ankle in the first quarter of a game against the Ravens and will not return.
The injury occurred during the Seahawks' opening drive Sunday. Rawls was hit behind the line and dropped for a 3-yard loss on a play with 5:36 remaining.
Rawls gained 44 yards on six carries before leaving the game.
Rawls was getting extended playing time as the replacement for the injured Marshawn Lynch. The rookie came into the game with 786 yards rushing on 141 carries.
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1:40 p.m.
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has been ruled out for the game against Pittsburgh after injuring his right thumb while making a tackle on an interception return in the first quarter.
Dalton tried to make a shovel pass to running back Giovani Bernard, but defensive end Stephon Tuitt picked it off at the 7-yard line. Dalton helped bring him down, came to the sideline and was seen by a trainer. AJ McCarron started warming up.
It's Dalton's first injury since his first game as a rookie, when he missed half a game against Cleveland with an injured right wrist. He led the NFL in passer rating heading into the game.
— Joe Kay reporting from Cincinnati
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1:30 p.m.
Phil Dawson has been welcomed back by Browns fans he thrilled for 14 seasons.
The steady kicker returned to Cleveland as an opposing player for the first time since he signed as a free agent with San Francisco in 2013.
Dawson, who is second on the Browns' career scoring list, received a standing ovation after a video tribute of his time in Cleveland was shown on the stadium scoreboards.
Dawson waved to the crowd and touched his hand to his chest in appreciation.
The 40-year-old made 305 field goals with the Browns, who elected not to re-sign him.
— Tom Withers reporting from Cleveland
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12:55 p.m.
Terrelle Pryor's finally getting the chance to show off his receiving skills.
The former Oakland and Ohio State quarterback, who changed positions to prolong his NFL career, is active for Sunday's game against San Francisco and the Browns are expected to play Pryor as they try to snap a seven-game losing streak.
Pryor spent training camp with Cleveland but was one of the team's final cuts. The Browns have long been intrigued by his size and athleticism and they re-signed the 6-foot-4, 233-pound Pryor on Dec. 2.
It's possible the Browns will give Pryor a few snaps at quarterback. Johnny Manziel is back in the starting lineup after being benched two games for bad behavior.
The Browns are thin at receiver with Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel both sidelined with concussions. Also, wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, who signed a two-year contract with $9 million guaranteed during the offseason, was inactive for the eighth time — seven as a healthy scratch.
— Tom Withers reporting from Cleveland
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