Mattie T’s Week 12 NFL Recaps

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Star Player of the Game: Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who completed 21 of 27 passes for 341 yards while throwing for 4 touchdowns.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on the team’s 2nd half explosion:

“When you outscore a team 35-7 in the second half, a lot of things have to go right.”

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Star Player of the Game: Saints running back Chris Ivory, who rushed 7 times for 38 yards & scored 2 touchdowns.

Cowboys wide receiver Roy Williams on his criticial 4th quarter fumble that could have sealed the win:

“I lost the ball game. I let my teammates down. I need to fall down. We run the clock down and win the game. I was trying to make a play and they did a good job. It’s late in the game. That’s the nail in the coffin. We had the momentum going our way. We were there. That was a W. I get tackled, we get in the end zone and we win. I fall down and we win.”

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Star Player of the Game: Jets wide receiver Brad Smith, who rushed 3 times for 55 yards & scored 1 touchdown. Smith also returned an 89-yard punt for a touchdown.

Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson on the much-anticipated Week 13 showdown with the Patriots:

“We have our work cut out for us, but I think this team will respond. They took care of their business and got to 9-2 and we had to take care of our business.”

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Star Player of the Game: Falcons running back Michael Turner, who rushed 23 times for 110 yards & scored 1 touchdown.

Falcons kicker Matt Bryant on his game-winning 47-yard field goal:

“Pressure is what you feel when you’re not prepared. I’ve been preparing for that since I was 6 years old. Was there a little bit of pressure? Yeah. But I was prepared.”

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Star Player of the Game: Texans running back Arian Foster, who rushed 30 times for 143 yards & caught 9 receptions for 75 yards.

Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson on his fight with Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan:

“He kept doing little things and I told him: ‘Just because you’re frustrated, you need to stop what you’re doing. I guess he thought it was funny.”

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Star Player of the Game: Vikings running back Toby Gerhart, who rushed 22 times for 76 yards & scored 1 touchdown.

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson on interim coach Leslie Frazier’s first win in his team debut:

“He’s well-respected. It felt like when he talks, guys’ ears are pinned up; they listen to everything that’s coming out of his mouth. It’s just a feeling that I really can’t explain, a feeling of just being sure about the words that are coming out of his mouth and trusting them.”

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Star Player of the Game: Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who completed 14 of 24 passes for 226 yards while throwing for 2 touchdowns.

Giants defensive end Justin Tuck on his halftime rant, which sparked a 2nd half comeback:

“I talked about how you allow somebody to come into your house and take over. At that point, they were doing just about whatever they wanted to do. We couldn’t allow ourselves not to be on the same page. I told them I was playing like garbage. I told them we were playing like garbage. In the second half, we’ve got to pick it up. I just tried to create a spark, and it worked.”

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Star Player of the Game: Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, who rushed 36 times for 151 yards & scored 1 touchdown.

Bills wide receiver Steve Johnson on his dropped touchdown reception in overtime that would have won the game:

“I had the game in my hands and I dropped it. Humbled. Humbled.”

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Star Player of the Game: Browns running back Peyton Hillis, who rushed 26 times for 131 yards & scored 3 touchdowns.

Browns kicker John Kasay on his potential game-winning 42-yard field goal that missed in the game’s final seconds:

“I was the one who failed. This is one of those days where they did everything they needed to do to win. I was the one who let them down. There’s no other way to cut it.”

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Star Player of the Game: Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, who caught 13 receptions for 170 yards & scored 3 touchdowns.

Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel on playing his first game against former college coach Pete Carroll on Sunday:

“I knew that this was a big game for the Kansas City Chiefs and this by no means was about Coach Carroll and myself. I played for him six years ago, I’ve had some time to move on from there. At this point, I’m just really proud of how our team came out and played today.”

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Star Player of the Game: Dolphins running back Ricky Williams, who rushed 20 times for 95 yards & scored 1 touchdown.

Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano on Chad Henne’s outing, which was his best game since Week 2:

“I want somebody to go out there and make me wrong. That’s good. I have no problem with that. But Chad was really positive, and he knew all along here, that as we got on in this thing, that we we’re going to be counting on him.”

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Star Player of the Game: Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, who completed 14 of 21 passes for 247 yards while throwing for 4 touchdowns.

Bears safety Chris Harris on the team’s 8-3 record despite many experts picking them to miss the playoffs:

“The doubters aren’t in this locker room playing football. We believe in ourselves. We know we have a good football team.”

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Star Player of the Game: Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who completed 25 of 35 passes for 289 yards while throwing for 2 touchdowns & 1 interception.

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis on his team’s highly-anticipated Week 13 matchup with the Steelers:

“The message is simple for us: We haven’t lost at home, so let’s defend that. We take care of that, everything else take care of itself. From our side and their side, there is no talking that has to be done. We’ve been playing each other a long time and now it comes down to one of those showdown games.”

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Star Player of the Game: Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, who completed 22 of 37 passes for 308 yards & threw for 3 touchdowns.

Bradford on the team’s first road win of the season:

“This was a huge step for this team, taking it to the next level. It’s obviously something we’ve struggled with earlier in the year. But to finally clear that hurdle, I feel like only things can get better now.”

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Star Player of the Game: Chargers running back Mike Tolbert, who rushed 26 times for 103 yards & scored 1 touchdown.

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers on the team intercepting Peyton Manning 4 times:

“The defense was awesome. Getting two defensive touchdowns was obviously huge, and they played well all night.”

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Star Player of the Game: 49ers running back Brian Westbrook, who rushed 23 times for 136 yards & scored 1 touchdown.

Westbrook on his first 100-yard game in nearly 2 years:

“I think we have a lot of young guys, some of them have seen some of the things I’ve been able to do over the course of my career, some of them just don’t know. They just see a guy running around the practice field. For me it meant a lot to have an opportunity to go out there and play and have an opportunity to have success.”