Graham Gano’s 43-yard field goal as time expired gave the Panthers a wild 38-35 win over the Giants. New York tied the game after trailing by 28 in the third quarter, but Gano’s boot sent Carolina to 14-and-0. Cam Newton threw for 340 yards and five touchdowns in the win.
Things got extremely chippy between Panthers cornerback Josh Norman and Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham. The pair were involved in several physical altercations, three of which led to personal fouls on Beckham. Neither player was ejected.
Matt Hasselbeck threw for 147 yards and a score, but two costly turnovers in the fourth quarter doomed the Colts in a 16-10 loss to the rival Houston Texans. Donte Moncrief added 51 yards receiving and caught the lone touchdown for Indianapolis, which has lost three straight games and fell to 6-and-8. Charlie Whitehurst made an appearance as Hasselbeck left briefly with a back injury. The Colts now sit a game back of Houston for first place in the AFC South with two remaining.
The Bears were no match for the Vikings in a 38-17 blowout in Minnesota. Jay Cutler threw for 231 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Bears, who dropped to 5-and-9 with their third straight loss. Chicago, which was eliminated from playoff contention, visits Tampa Bay on Sunday.
The Cardinals are NFC West champions. The Cardinals clinched the division crown with a 40-17 rout of the Eagles on “Sunday Night Football”. Arizona has won eight in-a-row to move to 12-and-2 on the season.
The Packers, Seahawks and Bengals are all heading back to the postseason. All three teams clinched playoff spots during yesterday’s action. The AFC-leading Patriots also secured a first-round bye.
Jonathan Toews [[ taves ]] scored 2:21 into overtime to send the Blackhawks to a 4-3 win over the Sharks. Artem Anisimov, Patrick Kane and Andrew Shaw all lit the lamp to help Chicago capture its third straight win. Corey Crawford made 33 saves. The ‘Hawks are at Dallas tomorrow.
Coming up this afternoon on Talk 101 it’s Millikin University Women’s Basketball as the Big Blue play host to Fontbonne University. The Big Blue Pregame Show presented by Pepsi Cola at 1:40pm and the tipoff follows at 2:00pm. Join Scott Busboom and Kevin Hale with the call this afternoon on Talk 101FM. Online listening available at www.decaturradio.com. Go Big Blue!