Week 5 of the NFL season was filled with exciting come-from-behind victories. If you like comebacks, then week five was your week. Five teams overcame a deficit of at least 10 points last week to win the game. That includes the Cleveland Browns, who erased a 25-point deficit at Tennessee to defeat the Titans 29-28. The 25-point deficit is the largest any road team has ever overcome en route to a victory in NFL history.

“I knew we had it in us to come back,” says Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer, who threw three touchdown passes in the win. “We’ve shown throughout the first four games that we’ll play until the end and I think it was a complete, total team win: offense, defense and special teams.”

The five teams to overcome a 10+ point deficit and win in Week 5:

WINNING TEAM-OPPONENT (LARGEST DEFICIT, FINAL SCORE)
Cleveland-Tennessee (25, 29-28)
Buffalo-Detroit (14, 17-14)
Carolina-Chicago (14, 31-24)
New Orleans-Tampa Bay (11, 37-31 (OT)
New York Giants-Atlanta (10, 30-20)

“What people love about the NFL,” New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees told the Mobile Register, “is that every game, every week, no matter who is playing, anything can happen. So many games come down to that last possession.”

Through the first five weeks of the season, there have been 16 games in which the winning team overcame a deficit of at least 10 points. That is tied for the second-most through Week 5 since the 1970 merger. In five of those games, the winning team overcame a deficit of at least 17 points. That is the second-most such comeback victories through the first five weeks of a season since the 1970 merger.

The five winning teams to overcome a 17+ point deficit this season:

WEEK (WINNING TEAM, OPPONENT)(LARGEST DEFICIT, FINAL SCORE)
5 (Cleveland, Tennessee)(25, 29-28)
3 (Dallas, St. Louis)(21, 34-31)
2 (Green Bay, New York Jets)(18, 31-24)
1 (Philadelphia, Jacksonville)(17, 34-17)
2 (Chicago, San Francisco)(17, 28-20)

CLIMBING BACK: Since the current playoff system (12 teams) was instituted in 1990, 14 teams have rebounded from being at least three games under .500 after the season’s first five weeks or later to qualify for the postseason. That includes six 1-4 teams that won their division.

Since 1990, teams that were three or more games below .500 after Week 5 or later and made the playoffs:

YEAR-TEAM (RECORD, FINAL RECORD; ADVANCED TO)
1990 – New Orleans (2-5, 8-8; NFC Wild Card)
1992 – San Diego (1-4, 11-5, AFC Divisional)
1993 – Houston Oilers (1-4, 12-4; AFC Divisional)
1994 – New England (3-6, 10-6; AFC Wild Card)
1995 – Detroit (2-5, 3-6, 10-6, NFC Wild Card)
1995 – San Diego (4-7, 9-7; AFC Wild Card)
1996 – Jacksonville (3-6, 4-7, 9-7; AFC Championship Game)
2002 – Tennessee (1-4, 11-5; AFC Championship Game)
2002 – New York Jets (1-4, 2-5, 9-7; AFC Divisional)
2004 – Green Bay (1-4, 10-6; NFC Wild Card)
2008 – San Diego Chargers (4-7, 4-8, 5-8, 8-8; AFC Divisional)
2010 – Seattle (6-9, 7-9; NFC Divisional)
2011 – Denver (1-4, 2-5, 8-8; AFC Divisional)
2012 – Washington (3-6, 10-6; NFC Wild Card)

SCORING IN BUNCHES: NFL teams have combined for 3,524 points in 2014. That total equates to 46.37 points per game, the highest points per game average through five weeks in the NFL since 1970.

The seasons with the highest scoring average since the merger:

YEAR-POINTS PER GAME
2013-46.82
2012-45.51
2011-44.36-
2010-44.07
2008-44.06
2014-46.37*
* Through Week 5

SAN DIEGO STREAK: San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers completed 20 of 28 passes (71.4 percent) for 288 yards and three touchdowns with one incerception for a 125.3 passer rating in the Chargers’ 31-0 win over the New York Jets last week. It was the fourth consecutive game in which Rivers had a passer rating of 120 or better, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Johnnny Unitas (1965) and Kurt Warner (2009) for the most such consecutive games in NFL history (minimum 15 attempts). On Sunday against Oakland, Rivers can become the first player to record five consecutive games with a 120+ passer rating in NFL history (minimum 15 attempts).

CONSISTENT QB: Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has thrown seven touchdown passes this season and with three
touchdowns on Sunday, he will have passed for 10 or more touchdowns in each of his first 11 seasons, tying Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly for the fourth-most consecutive seasons with 10 or more touchdown passes to start a career in NFL history.

The most consecutive seasons with 10+ touchdown passes to start a career:
PLAYER-TEAMS (YEARS OF STREAK, NO. OF CONSECUTIVE SEASONS WITH 10+ TDs)
Fran Tarkenton-Minnesota, New York Giants (1961-76, 16)
Peyton Manning-Indianapolis (1998-2010, 13)
Warren Moon-Houston, Minnesota (1984-95, 12)
Jim Kelly-Buffalo (1986-96, 11)
Ben Roethlisberger-Pittsburgh (2004-13, 10)*
Dan Marino-Miami (1983-92, 10)
*Active Streak

TE TOUCHDOWNS: Denver tight end Julius Thomas, who leads all NFL players with seven touchdowns this season, had two touchdown catches in the Broncos’ 41-20 win against Arizona last week. Thomas’ seven touchdowns are the most ever by a tight end through his team’s first four games in a season, surpassing the mark of six previously shared by Antonio Gates (2010) and Jimmy Graham (2013).

Thomas’ seven touchdowns are also already tied with Gates (2010) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka (1963) for the most touchdowns by a tight end through his team’s first five games in a season.

With a touchdown catch on Sunday against the New York Jets, Thomas would have the most touchdowns by a tight end through his team’s first five games.

The tight ends with the most touchdown receptions through his team’s first five games:

PLAYER – TEAM (YEAR, MOST TOUCHDOWN RECEPTIONS THROUGH FIRST 5 GAMES)
Julius Thomas – Denver (2014, 7)*
Antonio Gates – San Diego (2010, 7)
Mike Ditka – Chicago (1963, 7)
Jimmy Graham – New Orleans (2013, 6)
Julius Thomas – Denver (2013, 6)
Wesley Walls – Carolina (1999, 6)
*Through 4 games

KICK CLUB: Indianapolis kicker Adam Vinatieri has scored 896 points since joining the Colts in 2006, the fifth-most of any active player during that span. Vinatieri scored 1,158 points in 10 seasons (1996-2005) with the New England Patriots before joining the Colts.

Vinatieri surpassed the record, becoming the first player in NFL history to score 900 career points with two different teams.

Vinatieri’s career kicking numbers (going into the Houston game):

TEAM (YEARS) FIELD GOALS MADE/EXTRA POINTS MADE/OTHER (TOTAL POINTS)
New England (1996-2005) 263/367/1 (1,158)*
Indianapolis (2006-Present) 195/311/0 (896)
Total 458/678/0, (2,054)
*Successful two-point conversion

In his 19th season, Vinatieri has 2,054 career points scored, the fifth-most in NFL history. Vinatieri surpassed John Carney (2,062) for the fourth-most points all-time.

The players with the most points in NFL history (as of Thursday night):

PLAYER (YEARS; POINTS)
Morten Andersen (1982-2007; 2,544)
Gary Anderson (1982-2004; 2,434)
Jason Hanson (1992-2012; 2,150)
John Carney (1988-2010; 2,062)
Adam Vinatieri (1996-present; 2,054)*
*Active

MONDAY NIGHT MILESTONE: The Week 6 contest featuring the San Francisco 49ers and the St. Louis Rams will mark the 700th game in the history of Monday Night Football, which debuted in 1970.

San Francisco has a 45-25 record (.643) on Monday Night Football, the most wins of any team in the history of the primetime series.

TEAM-MNF WINS
San Francisco-45
Dallas-43
Miami-40
Pittsburgh-40
Oakland-37

STREAKING SEAHAWKS: The defending Super Bowl champions defeated Washington 27-17, their ninth-consecutive win on Monday Night Football. Their nine-game winning streak on MNF is tied for the second-longest such streak since 1970 (Oakland, 14) and the Seahawks have the the NFL’s highest winning percentage on Monday Night Football with a 21-8 record (.724).

The teams with the most consecutive Monday Night Football wins since 1970:

DATES – TEAM (MOST CONSECUTIVE MNF WINS SINCE 1970)
9/22/1975-12/7/1981 – Oakland (14)
12/5/2005-present – Seattle (9)*
11/24/2008-9/30/2013 – New Orleans (9)
12/2/1996-9/27/1999 – San Francisco (9)
*Active streak

QB MILESTONES: Below is a sampling of the quarterback milestones that were reached in Week 5:

•Denver quarterback Peyton Manning passed for a career-high 479 yards and four touchdowns in the Broncos’ 41-20 win against previously-undefeated Arizona (3-1). Manning (503) joined Brett Farve (508) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history with 500 career touchdown passes.

The performance marked Manning’s 13th career 400-yard passing game, tying Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino for the most in NFL history.

•New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, who has passed for 40,307 yards since joining New Orleans in 2006, became the seventh quarterback in NFL history with 40,000 passing yards with one franchise. Brees accomplished the feat in his 132nd game with the Saints, surpassing DAN MARINO (Miami Dolphins, 153 games) as the fastest quarterback to reach 40,000 passing yards with a team.

•New England quarterback Tom Brady passed for 292 yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots’ 43-17 win against Cincinnati on Sunday Night Football, becoming the sixth player in NFL history to reach 50,000 career passing yards. In 15 seasons, Brady has passed for 50,232 yards.

•Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdowns in the Packers’ 42-10 win over Minnesota on Thursday Night Football. Rodgers, who played in his 99th career game, now has 200 career touchdown passes and became the second-fastest QB in NFL history to reach the milestone (Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino, 89 games).

Rodgers’ 53 career interceptions are the fewest of any quarterback at the time they reached 200 career TD passes (Tom Brady, 88).

TIGHT CONNECTION: In New England’s 43-17 win over Cincinnati, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady connected with tight end Robe Gronkowski for a 16-yard touchdown. Brady and Gronkowski have now combined for 45 career touchdowns, tying Drew Bledsoe and Ben Coates (45) for the second-most QB-TE touchdowns all-time.

In San Diego’s 31-0 win against the New York Jets, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers threw two touchdown passes to tight end Antonio Gates, extending their NFL record for a QB-TE duo to 65.

Week 5 also heard the sounds of champange corks popping from south Florida as the 1973 Dolphins celebrated their unblemished streak staying alive for the 41st year in a row after Arizona and Cincinnati lost on the road within hours of each other (the Cards lost at Denver, while the Bengals lost in New England in prime time). Will someone finally break that streak? Who knows.

As the NFL enters Week 6, 24 teams (75 percent) are currently either in first place or within a game of the top spot in the division. The standings are close and there’s a lot of football left to be played. As for last week, another above .500 week at 10-5, 35-25 for the season. Kansas City and New Orleans have byes this week and return to play next week and the Colts got week six started in Houston as they beat the Texans 33-28. Here are Sunday and Monday’s games for week 6.

Chicago at Atlanta, 4:25 p.m. (FOX and DirecTV 705, Georgia Dome) Both Da Bears and Atlanta enter the late afternoon contest with losses from last week with losing streaks and both have lost two contests in a row.

Atlanta blew a 10-point lead at the half against the Giants in the Meadowlands and came out of Met Life Stadium on the short end of a 30-20 loss to New York. While Ryan did outpace Eli Manning in passing yardage 316-200, they were held to 90 yards rushing and struggled on third down tries, going 2-13 (1 of 2 on fourth down), while holding the ball for 28:19. The Giants, who outscored Atlanta in the second half 20-7, were 9 of 15 as far as third down conversions went and kept the ball for 31:41.

Da Bears lead da series 13-12, have outscored Atlanta 471-434 and won the last meeting against the Falcons in the Windy City 30-12 in 2011. Atlanta’s last win in the series came in the Big Peach in 2009, when Ryan let the Falcons to a 21-14 victory in the Big Peach. The Falcons are a 3-point favorite in the Big Peach and the over/under’s 53. Both teams have dropped two in a row. Both teams look to right their ships. It’ll be a lot closer than 3 points but Atlanta comes away with the win in the Big Peach.

New England (3-2) at Buffalo (3-2), 1 p.m. (CBS and DirecTV 709, Ralph Wilson Stadium) A pair of AFC East rivals met in upstae New York. New England and Tom Brady travel to the shores of Lake Erie to face an old rival for the 107th time.

Buffalo trailed Detroit 14-3 at halftime before scoring 14 unchallenged points against the Lions in the final 30 minutes of play, including a 58 yard field goal by K Dan Carpenter with four seconds left to leave the Motor City with a 17-14 win. Neither club shattered the 100-yard rushing barrier (Buffalo had 49, Detroit 69) and backup QB Kyle Orton was sacked twice. That’s the bad news. The good news? Buffalo’s defense managed to sack Matthew Stafford six times in the contest and forced a pair of turnovers. Buffalo was 5-16 on third down conversions, which was a lot better than Detroit, who was 1 of 11 and the Bills won the time of possession battle, keeping the ball for 32:19 to Detroit’s 27:41.

The Patriots lead the series 65-41-1, which includes contests played when the Pats played in Boston’s Fenway Park, have outscored the Bills 2,352 to 1,975 and have won five of the last six contests in the series, including sweeping the season series last year. The Bills’ last win in the series came in 2011 in Orchard Park by a final of 34-31.

In week one in upstate New York, the Pats needed the leg of K Stephen Gostkowski, who kicked a pair of FGs in the fourth quarter, including the game winner with five seconds left to take a 23-21 win. The Bills led 21-17 after 45 minutes of play before New England rallied to take the win at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Pats RB Shane Vereen ran for 101 of New England’s 158 yards, while the Bills as a team ran for 136 and both Brady and Manuel threw a pair of TDs in the season opener for both clubs. New England was 11-20 on third down conversions (0 of 1 on fourth down) and kept the ball for 37:43, while the Bills were 4-13, holding the ball for 22:17.

New England made it a sweep in week 17 in chilly Foxboro (game time temp was 39, wind chill was 33) and again, it was another close contest but the Pats came out on top 34-20. New England led from start to finish in the second meeting, which closed out the regular season and never looked back. New England’s LeGarrette Blount (189) and Buffalo’s C.J. Spiller (105) each rushed for over 100 yards in the contest (Buffalo ran for 169, while NEw England had 267) and the Pats defense managed to sack backup QB Thad Lewis four times. Both teams were 4 of 13 on third down conversions (Buffalo was 0 of 3 on fourth down) and the Pats were masters of time, keeping the ball for 32:47, while Buffalo held on to the pigskin for 27:13.

New England was a 10-point favorite in the season opener and the over/under was 43. Both teams reached the over/under, scoring 44 points but the Pats’ win by 2 meant that they did not cover the spread. New England did much better odds-wise in the week 17 contest, winning by 14, covering 8 1/2-point spread and both teams supassed the 47 over/under by scoring 54 points. New England’s a 3-point favorite in upstate New York and the over/under is 45. The Bills are much improved since last year so far and with new ownership, they could give Brady and the Pats a hard time… or the Pats could give Buffalo a hard time. Bills may circle the wagons but New England makes it seven in a row with the win in upstate New York and covers the 3.

Pittsburgh (3-2) at Cleveland (2-2), 1 p.m. (CBS and DirecTV 710, FirstEnergy Stadium) Pittsburgh takes the 2 hour and 10 minute trip up I-79 to face the Browns. Both team enter the AFC North contest with impressive wins under their belts.

Pittsburgh bounced back from their loss to Tampa Bay two Sundays ago and took Jacksonville to the woodshed last week in the Sunshine State, coming away with a 17-9 win over the Jaguars. The Steelers led at the half 10-6 and were never threatened by Jacksonville, who rushed for 56 yards on the day. Pittsburgh went 8-16 on third down tries and kept the ball for 35:17, while the winless Jaguars were 3 of 12 (1 of 1 on fourth down) and held the ball for 24:43.

Cleveland pulled off the biggest comeback of 2014 to date when they not only erased a 29-point deficit, they wiped it off the planet by scoring 19 second-half points unchallenged to win 29-28. The Browns trailed 28-10 at half and then produced a rally that had Browns fans watching at home on the edges of their seats, with that rally ending with a 6 yard TD pass from QB Brian Hoyer to WR Travis Benjamin with 1:09 left in the contest, silencing the crowd at LP Stadium. Cleveland outrushed the Titans 175-149 and Hoyer threw for three TDs in the game, including the game-winner. The Browns were 4 of 12 on third down conversions (0 of 2 on fourth) and kept the ball for 29:17, while the Titans were 8 of 14 and 0 of 1 on conversions (third and fourth), keeping the ball for 30:43.

The Steelers lead the series 65-57, have outscored the Browns 2,468-2,347 and have won three of the last four contests, including sweeping the series in 2013. Cleveland’s last win over the Steelers came in 2012 along the shores of Lake Erie by a final of 20-14.

In the first meeting in week 12 in Cleveland, Pittsburgh won 27-11 after taking a 13-3 lead at the half. Neither club broke the 100-yard barrier (Pittsburgh had 85, Cleveland had 55) and the Steeler defense sacked Browns signal callers five times and forcing four turnovers, while Roethlisberger threw a pair of TDs in the win. Pittsburgh was 4 of 14 and 0 of 1 on third and fourth down, keeping the ball for 33:39, while Cleveland went 6 of 17 and 1 of 2, holding the ball for 26:21.

The Steelers made it a clean sweep in the second game of the series, the final game for both teams in week 17 in the Steel City by taking a 20-7 win over the Browns. Pittsburgh led throughout the contest and Cleveland never really threatened, despite scoring its lone points in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh rushed for 120 yards in the game, while keeping Cleveland to 79. Pittsburgh went 5 of 12 on third down and held the ball for 30:17, while the Browns were 6 of 15 (0 of 3 on fourth down), possessing the ball for 29:43.

In the week 12 contest in the Buckeye State, Cleveland was favored by 2 1/2 and the over/under was 40. Pittsburgh covered the spread with the 16-point win but both teams missed the over/under, scoring only 37 points. Pittsburgh was the favorite in the week 17 contest in the Steel City, winning by 13 and covered the 7-point spread. Both teams missed the 44 over/under on the final Sunday of the regular season, coming up way short with only 27 points. The Browns are favored by 2 and the over/under is 47. Both teams are better than their records would indicate. It’s a shame that there can be only one winner. Steelers cover the 2 on the shores of Lake Erie and win on the road in the Buckeye State.

Green Bay (3-2) at Miami (2-2), 1 p.m. (FOX and DirecTV 707, Sun Life Stadium) The Packers leave the tundra of Lambeau Field for the sun and sand of South Beach to take on the Dolphins in Miami Sunday afternoon.

Green Bay outrushed Minnesota 156-111, with RB Eddie Lacy doing most of the work by rushing for 105 yards and a pair of TDs in their 42-10 win over the Vikings last Thursday night in Green Bay. The Packer defense managed to sack Christian Ponder six times and pick him off twice in the contest in the land of cheese and bratwurst. Green Bay scored their 42 points in the first 45 minutes of play unchallenged before the Vikings countered with their 10. The Packers were 4-11 on third down conversions to Minnesota’s 5-15 (Minnesota was 1 of 2 on fourth down) and Green Bay kept the ball for 27:51 to Minnesota’s 32:09.

Miami took the week off after their 38-14 win over Oakland in London two weeks ago. Miami rushed for 157 yards in jolly old England, while holding the Silver and Black to 53 yards and led 38-7 after three quarters of play. Miami was 5 of 11 on third down tries (1 of 2 on fourth) and kept the ball for 30:54 to Oakland’s 29:06, with the Raiders going 6 of 14 and 0 of 1 on third and fourth downs.

The Dolphins lead the series with the Pack 10-3 and have outscored Green Bay 309-229 but the teams have not faced each other since 2010, when Miami needed overtime at Lambeau to win 23-20, while the Pack last beat the Dolphins in Miami in 2006 by a 34-24 final. Green Bay’s favored by 3 1/2 and the over/under’s 45. The week off for Miami may do them in. Pack covers the 3 1/2 and wins at South Beach.

Detroit (3-2) at Minnesota (2-3), 1 p.m. (FOX and DirecTV 708, TCF Bank Stadium) A pair of NFC North (or NFC Norris, as ESPN’s Chris Berman says) meet in the Twin Cities in the great outdoors. Both teams were on the wrong side of the ledger and both are trying to keep the Packers at bay in the division.

It was a bad day in the Motor City as the Tigers were swept by Baltimore in the ALDS at Comerica Park, hours after the first-place Lions blew a 14-3 lead at the half against Buffalo to lose to the Bills 17-14. The Lions were held to 69 yards on the ground, while holding Buffalo to 49 and QB Matthew Stafford found himself being sacked six times, while throwing an interception and TD in the contest. The Lions were 1 for 11 on third down tries at Ford Field last Sunday afternoon, while the Bills winged their way to a 5-16 mark in the same catagory. Buffalo also ruled the clock against the Lions last Sunday, holding the ball for 32:19 to Detroit’s 27:41.

Minnesota returns to the land of 10,000 Lakes after they were all but manhandled by Green Bay 42-10. In the Thursday night contest at Lambeau, Christian Ponder, who was filling in for Teddy Bridgewater, threw a pair of interceptions and was sacked six time. Minnesota, still without Adrian Peterson, did manage to rush for 111 but the Packers’ Eddie Lacy ran for 105 of their 156 yards in the game. The Purple Gang was held in check through the first three quarters of play, with the Packers leading 42-0 before they fnally put a dent in the scoreboard in the fourth. Minnesota was 5 of 15 on third down tries (1 of 2 on fourth) and won the time of possession battle, keeping the pigskin for 32:09, while Green Bay went 4 of 11 on third down, holding the ball for 27:51.

The Purple Gang leads the series 69-34-2 and have outscored the Lions 2,295-1,956. Minnesota and Detroit spilt last year’s series, with both teams winning at home. In the first meeting in the Motor City in week one, the Lions trailed 14-13 at half and then rallied to outscore Minnesota 21-10 in the final 30 minutes of play to win 34-24. The Lions outrushed Minnesota 117-105 and sacked Christian Ponder three times and picked him off three times, while Stafford threw three TD passes for the win. Neither club did anything to write home or tweet about on third down tries in the first meeting (Minnesota was 2-10, Detroit was 5-13) and fourth down tries weren’t much better with the Vikings going 1-2 and Detroit going 0-1. Time of possession in the first meeting? It favored the Lions at 36:19, while the Purple Gang kept the ball for 23:41.

Minnesota got their revenge in the season finale for both teams and the finale for the Metrodome, taking a 14-13 win over Detroit. It wasn’t Peterson that was the leading rusher in the second contest, though. It was Matt Asiata, who ran for 115 of Minnesota’s 174 yards in the win, while Detroit was held to 63. Again, third down tries were a shortcoming for both clubs. Detroit? 5-15, while keeping the ball for 32:37. Minnesota? 3-11 and they held the ball for 27:23.

Minnesota was a 6 1/2-point favorite in week one with a 46 1/2 over/under. Detroit covered the 6 1/2, winning by 10 and both teams managed to cover the 46 1/2 over/under by scoring 58. In week 17 in the Twin Cities, The Vikings were again the favorite by 3 with a 52 over/under. While the Vikings did win, they did not cover the 3, winning by a single point and neither team managed to reach the over/under, tallying only 27 points between them. The Vikings at home in their temporary digs at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities are favored by 1 1/2 and the over/under is 43 1/2. Both teams have been playing some decent football of late and the Lions may not have Megatron (Calvin Johnson) or Reggie Bush Sunday, while the Viking’s Peterson is still dealing with legal problems at home. Still, it’ll be a pretty interesting contest. Vikings cover the 1 1/2 in the Land of 10,000 Lakes and stop the Lions.

Jacksonville (0-5) at Tennessee (1-4), 1 p.m. (CBS and DirecTV 713, LP Field) A pair of struggling teams meet in the Music City as Tennessee hosts Jacksonville in an early Sunday afternoon contest. Both teams are at the bottom of the AFC South and look to move up a bit closer in the division.

The Jaguars struggled against Pittsburgh last Sunday in Jacksonville and fell to the Steelers 17-9. Jacksonville was held to 56 yards rushing and turned the ball over twice (2 Blake Bortles interceptions). The Jaguars trailed 10-6 at the break but could not catch up to Roethlisberger and the Steelers, who threw for 273 yards and a TD. Pittsburgh went 9 of 16 on third down tries, while the Jaguars were 3 of 12 (1 of 1 on fourth down). Time was not on the side of the Jaguars last Sunday, as they kept the ball for only 24:43, while Pittsburgh held on to the pigskin for 35:17.

The Titans also found themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard last week, letting a 28-10 lead at the half slip out of their grasp against Cleveland, allowing the Browns to score 19 uncontested points in the second half to fall 29-28. Cleveland went 4 of 12 on third down tries in the win in Music City (0 of 2 on fourth), while keeping the ball for 29:17. Tennessee held the ball for 30:43 and went 8 of 14 and 0 of 1 on third and fourth down tries.

Tennessee leads the series 21-17 and have outscored the Jaguars 767-709. Both teams spilt the two meetings in 2013 but both teams won in the other’s backyard. In week 10 in Music City, the Jaguars took a 13-7 lead at half and held off Tennessee, taking a 29-27 win. As far as rushing yards went, neither the Jaguars or Titans broke the 100-yard mark (Tennessee had 83, Jacksonville 54) and Chad Henne was sacked three times and threw a pair of interceptions, while Titans QB Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 264 yards and a pair of TDs. The Jaguars were 3-12 on third down tries, while Tennessee was 10-18. Time was on the side of the Titans at 30:36 to Jacksonville’s 29:24.

Tennessee returned the favor at EverBank Field in week 16, taking a 20-16 win back home to the Volunteer State. The Titans trailed 13-6 at the half before outscoring Jacksonville 14-3 in the final 30 minutes of play. Tennessee outrushed the Jaguars 182-63 in the second meeting and once again, both teams struggled on third downs, with Tennessee going 3 of 14 (3 of 4 on fourth down), while Jacksonville was 3 of 11 (1 of 3). The clock favored the Titans, who held the pigskin for 35:39 to Jacksonville’s 24:21.

The Titans were huge favorites in the week 10 contest in the Music City as a 12 and the over/under was 41. Jacksonville won by 2, which meant they missed the spread but both teams managed to cover the over/under, combining for 56 points. Tennessee was favored again, this time by 5 1/2 points with a 45 over/under. Both clubs only scored 36 points, missing the over/under and although the Titans did come away with the win, they missed the spread by winning only by 4. Tennessee’s favored by 5 and the over/under is 43 1/2. Tenneseee’s bad. Jacksonville’s worse. This might be a good time to watch that “Bob’s Burgers” marathon on FXX (unless you’re a fan of either team). The Titans are the lesser evil in this one and win at home, even though Jacksonville will give them a fight in Music City.

Carolina (3-2) at Cincinnati (3-1), 1 p.m. (FOX and DirecTV 706, Paul Brown Stadium) It’s the battle of the cats (part deaux) as the Bengals host Carolina and Cam Newton in the Queen City.

Carolina erased a 21-14 halftime deficit against Da Bears in Charlotte last Sunday and proceeded to outscore Chicago in the second half 17-3 to win 31-24. Carolina rallied in the second half and took the lead for good when Newton and TE Greg Olson connected on a 6-yard TD pass with 2:18 left to play in regulation. The Panthers ran for only 90 yards, which was a lot better than Da Bears, who had 85. Newton managed to throw a pair of TDs in the win, including the game-winner and tallied 255 yards, while the Carolina defense sacked Jay Cutler four times and picked him off twice. Carolina was 5-12 on third down tries, keeping the ball for 27:01, while Chicago kept it for 32:59 and went 5-13 on third down and 0-1 on fourth down.

The Bengals fell out of the ranks of the unbeaten last Sunday in Foxboro against Tom Brady and the Patriots in prime time, falling to New England 43-17. Cincy was outrushed 270-79 under the lights and Brady outpaced Andy Dalton 292-204 last week. Cincy struggled throughout the prime-time contest as they were 0 of 7 on third down and 0 of 1 on fourth down, while the Pats were 6 of 16 and 1 of 1 in the same catagory. Time favored the Pats at 38:56, while the Bengals, who at time of kickoff, were the last unbeaten team, kept it for 21:04.

The participants in the Feline Bowl have met only four times and the series is even at 2-2. Carolina has outscored Cincy 100-71 but the Bengals have won the last two meetings, with the last win coming in 2010 by a 20-7 final. Carolina won the first two meetings in the series and the last Panther win came in the Tar Heel State by a final of 52-31 in 2002. Cincy’s a 6 1/2-point favorite and the over/under’s 43 1/2. Carolina’ll make things interesting but Bengals bounce back at home and win, even though they may not cover the 6 1/2.

Denver (3-1) at New York Jets (1-4), 1 p.m. (CBS and DirecTV 711, MetLife Stadium) Denver travels east to face off against a struggling New York Jets team with their head coach Rex Ryan in the hot seat yet again.

The defending AFC champs bounced Arizona out of the ranks of the unbeaten last Sunday in Denver, taking a 41-20 win and once again, it was Manning taking the Cardinals to task, throwing for 479 yards and four TDs in the win. Denver led 21-13 at the half and then proceeded to turn on the afterburners, outscoring Arizona 20-7 in the second half. As far as running games were concerned, neither the Cards or Broncos breached the 100 yard mark (Denver 92, Arizona 37) and neither did anything great on third down tries (Denver was 7-16, Arizona was 3-16). Time of possession was in the favor of Denver at 35:17 to Arizona’s 24:43.

The J-E-T-s! JETS! JETS! JETS! crashed and burned in San Diego last Sunday, falling to Philip Rivers and the Chargers 31-0. The Jets were held to 91 yards on the ground, turned the ball over twice in the shutout loss. GangGreen was a dismal 1 of 12 on third down conversions (0 of 1 on fourth) and held the ball for all of 21:06, while the Chargers were 12 of 18 on third down, keeping the ball at Quallcom for 38:54.

Denver leads the series 17-15-1 and have outscored GangGreen 800-714. The Broncos won the last meeting with New York in the Mile High City in 2011 by a final of 17-13, while the J-E-T-s! JETS! JETS! JETS! last beat Denver in Denver in 2010 24-20. Denver’s favored by 9 with a 47 1/2 over/under. The spread seems a bit high but the over/under makes some sense. Denver may not cover the 9 but they win in upstate New Jersey.

Baltimore (3-2) at Tampa Bay (1-4), 1 p.m. (CBS and DirecTV 712, Raymond James Stadium) Baltimore travels to the Sunshine State to take on a struggling Tampa Bay team on Florida’s west coast. Both clubs lost on the road last week and both look to make up ground in their respective divisions.

Baltimore was held to 90 yards rushing and Joe Flacco was sacked four times in the 20-13 loss at Indianapolis last Sunday. The Ravens trailed 13-3 after three quarters and then rallied to pull to within seven with under seven minutes left to play but could not come any closer. Baltimore, still without Ray Rice, turned the ball over three times in the loss and went a somewhat dismal 1 of 11 on third down conversions and 1 of 3 on fourth, while the Colts were 7 of 15 and 0 of 1, holding the ball for 21:17 to Indy’s 38:43.

The Bucs and New Orleans played each other in the Big Easy and sent the NFC South contest to overtime before leaving Tampa Bay left New Orleans with a 37-31 loss. The Bucs actually led 31-28 late in the contest before the Saints rallied to tie things up at 31-31 late in regulation on a 44-yard field goal by Sean Graham with 2:30 left to play. Tampa Bay then lost the coin toss to start the overtime period and allowed New Orleans to march down the field, with the Saints taking the win on an 18-yard TD run by RB Khiry Robinson with 9:24 left in the extra period. The Saints ran for 140 yards, while holding Tampa Bay to 66 in the contest in the Superdome, even though the Bucs did manage to intercept Drew Brees three times.

As far as third down conversions were concerned, the Bucs were 3-9, while the Saints were 6-13 and time of possession favored New Orleans at 38:32 to Tampa Bay’s 27:04. The series is even at 2-2 and the Bucs have barely outscored the Ravens 57-54. The Ravens, nevermore, have won the last two contests with the Bucs, including a 17-10 win in Baltimore in 2010. Tampa Bay’s last win over Baltimore came in 2002 in Charm City, as the Bucs stopped the Ravens 25-0. The Ravens may be on the road but the oddsmakers like them as a 3-point favorite and the over/under’s 43. Both clubs are better than their records and that’s the good news. The bad news is that only one team can win. Baltimore covers the 3 and wins on the road in the Sunshine State.

San Diego (4-1) at Oakland (0-4), 4:05 p.m. (CBS and DirecTV 714, O.co Coliseum) A pair of old AFL/AFC rivals meet in northern California as the Chargers make the 492-mile, 7 hour drive up I-5 to face a winless Raiders team by the Bay.

While the Bolts are coming off a huge win over the J-E-T-s! JETS! JETS! JETS!, the Raiders will have a new face prowling the sidelines as Dennis Allen was let go after their lopsided loss to Miami two Sundays ago and Tony Sparano was named interim coach for the rest of the season.

San Diego manhandled GangGreen last week at Qualcomm, shutting out New York 31-0. Philip Rivers threw three TD passes in the lopsided win and the Chargers held the Jets to 91 yards on the ground, while sacking Michael Vick (who was taking over for Geno Smith) twice. The Chargers were deadly on third down tries, going 12-18 and held the ball from GangGreen for 38:54. The J-E-T-s! JETS! JETS! JETS!, who suffered their third shutout loss under Rex Ryan’s leadership, were 1 of 12 and 0 of 1 on third and fourth down, possessing the pigskin for 21:06 and turned the ball over twice.

The Raiders could not get on track in merry old England two weeks ago and fell to Miami 38-14. Oakland was held to 53 yards on the ground two Sundays ago at Wembley Stadium and turned the ball over four times on the other side of the pond. The Silver and Black were 6 of 14 on third down and 0 of 1 on fourth down tries, keeping the ball for 29:06, while the ‘Fins were 5 of 11 (1 of 2 on fourth down) on third down and held the ball for 29:06.

The Raiders lead the series, which includes games when both teams were in Los Angeles 58-48-2, outcoring the Chargers 2,374-2,322. Both teams spilt last year’s contests and both teams won in front of their fans at their home fields. The Silver and Black won the first meeting in Oakland in week five 27-17. San Diego was held to 32 yards rushing and Rivers was sacked twice and threw three interceptions. San Diego was 4-11 on third down conversions in the loss (0-1 on fourth down), while the Raiders were 4-12. Time was on the side of the Chargers, in a twist of irony, as the Bolts kept the ball for 30:55 to Oakland’s 29:05.

San Diego broke a 10-10 tie at Qualcomm in the second meeting in week 16, coming away with some revenge and a 26-13 win. This time, it was the Raiders’ turn to be held to under 100 yards on the ground, tallying only 59, while the Bolts had 148. Rivers had a much better day, throwing only one interception and being sacked only once, while throwing for 201 yards and a TD. San Diego improved on third down tries, going 6-11, while the Silver and Black were 4-13 (1-2 on fourth down). The clock again favored San Diego, who kept the ball for 34:42, while Oakland had it for 25:18.

In the first meeting in northern California in week five, Oakland won by 10, even though San Diego was a 5-point favorite with a 44 over/under. Both teams matched the over/under by scoring 44 points. In week 16, San Diego, favored by 10, won by 13 and the over/under was 51 1/2. Both failed to reach the over/under by scoring only 39 points in the contest.

San Diegos’s favored by 7 and the over/under’s 43. Both numbers make sense. Then again, these two teams have been going at it since JFK was in the Oval Office. There’s not a lot of love between these two teams that played their home games in Los Angeles and don’t expect any warm fuzzies here this SUnday. Chargers cover the 7 and win on the road.

Washington (1-4) at Arizona (3-1), 4:25 p.m. (FOX and DirecTV 715, University of Phoenix Stadium) The struggling Redskins travel to Glendale to face an Arizona team with a chip on its shoulder after their loss to Denver last weekend.

The Redskins struggled against the defending Super Bowl champs in Landover in prime time Monday night, losing to Seattle 27-17. Washington, without the services of QB Robert Griffin III, was held to 32 yards rushing, while allowing QB Russell Wilson to run for 122 of Seattle’s 225 yards in the contest. Wilson ran for one TD while throwing for two more in the contest, despite being sacked three times. Washington was 3-12 on third down conversions, while the Seahawks were 5-14 (1-1 on fourth down tries). Seattle held the ball for 34:56, while the Redskins kept it for 25:04

Arizona fell out of the ranks of the unbeaten, falling to Peyton Manning and the Broncos 41-20. The Desert Angry Birds trailed 21-13 at the break but were outscored by Denver 20-7 in the final 30 minutes of play. Arizona was held to 37 yards on the ground, while Denver ran for 92 and Manning threw four TD passes in the contest to ruffle their feathers. The Cards were a somewhat dismal 3-16 on third down tries, while Denver was 7-16, keeping the ball for 24:43, while Denver played king of the mountain, holding the ball for 35:17.

Including contests when the Redskins were in Boston and known as the Braves and the Cardinals played their home games in Chicago, then St. Louis before moving west, the Redskins lead the series 74-44-2, have outscored the Desert Angry Birds 2,667-2,224 and have won the last eight contests, including taking a 22-21 win in 2011 in Landover. Arizona’s last win in the series came in 2000 by a final of 16-15. We’re going with the Desert Angry Birds to win in their nest. The Desert Angry Birds are favored by 3 and the over/under is 46. Both numbers make a lot of sense. The Redskins are trying to find their way out of the NFC East cellar, the Desert Angry Birds are trying to catch Seattle. Arizona covers the 3 and wins in their home nest.

Dallas (4-1) at Seattle (3-1), 4:25 p.m. (FOX and DirecTV 716, CenturyLink Field) A pair of future Hall of Fame QBs meet in the land of grunge, salmon and Starbucks as Dallas travels to the Pacific Northwest to face the defending Super Bowl champs at a somewhat noisy CenturyLink Field.

The Cowboys needed overtime last week against their instate rivals Houston and used the feet of RB DeMarco Murray and the arm of QB Tony Romo to come away with a 20-17 win over the Texans. Murray ran for 136 yards (Dallas wound up with 140, while Texans RB Adrian Foster ran for 157 of Houston’s 176 yards) and Romo passed for 324 and a pair of TDs despite being sacked and throwing an interception.

The Cowboys have won four in a row and are tied with Philadelphia and San Diego for the best record in the NFL at 4-1. Last week, Dallas notched a 20-17 overtime victory over in-state rival Houston. Running back De Marco Murray, who leads the league with 670 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns, rushed for 136 yards in the win over the Texans. Murray joined Pro Football Hall of Famers Jim Brown (1958) and O.J. Simpson (1973, 1975) as the only players in NFL history to rush for at least 100 yards in each of his team’s first five games.

“Your record is what it is,” Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo told the Dallas Morning News about the team’s 4-1 start. “You want to put yourself in the best position at the end of the year. Being 4-1 is great but we have a long way to go.”

The defending Super Bowl champs have won 19 of their past 20 games at home (including the playoffs), outscoring opponents 584-273 (15.6 points per game differential). In those 20 home contests, quarterback Russell Wilson has thrown 36 touchdowns and only eight interceptions for a 109.6 passer rating. Last week in the team’s 27-17 win at Washington, Wilson passed for 201 yards with two touchdowns and ran for a career-best 122 yards with a score to become the only player with at least 200 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in a Monday Night Football game. The Seahawks held Washington to 32 yards rushing in the contest and went 5-14 on third down tries (1-1 on fourth down), keeping the ball for 34:56, while the Redskins were 3-12 on third down tries, holding the ball for 25:04.

“Russell had a phenomenal game,” says Seattle head coach Pete Carroll about his quarterback’s performance against the Redskins. “He was everywhere. He did everything we could have asked of him.” The Cowboys hold a series lead of 9-5 and they may have outscored Seattle 357-247 but Seattle won the last meeting in 2012 27-7 in Seattle, while Dallas’ last win was the year before in Arlington by a 23-13 final.

The oddsmakers in Vegas like the defending Super Bowl champs this week, making Seattle an 8 1/2-point favorite with a 47 over/under. Romo. Wilson. This one’s “Drill Worthy.” Having said that… (For those of you that know what The Drill is, you are excused. Everyone else, pay attention. We don’t want any rookie mistakes here, k?)

After you go to the 9:30 mass on Sunday (the 4:30 vigil mass on Saturday counts as a mass attended, people! Don’t make us send the nuns after you!), head to your favorite store (a trip to Wal Mart, Target, K-Mart or Costco counts) and get the vittles and the beverages (soda, beer, wine, coffee, et al… if you live in a state that allows the purchase of the items in question) and invite the co-workers, the neighbors (including that really cute kindergarden teacher that knows what to do with a cover-2 defense) and your cousin Connie (remember her? She’s the one that’s been married twice that’s 56 and dates a 41-year old ex-Marine, who’s now a football coach at the high school in your town. She’s also the one that ate an entire Oreo cheesecake, two bags of Cool Ranch Doritos, two bacon cheeseburgers with blue cheese and chugged two 2-liter Cokes at your Super Bowl party last year and didn’t gain a pound. You look at her and say to yourself, “what the hell?”

Romo returns to the place where his playoff nightmares began and while it’s not Elm Street, the noise factor could come into play and help the home team. Seattle wins this one in the land of grunge, salmon and Starbucks, even though they may not cover the 8 1/2.

New York Giants (3-2) at Philadelphia (4-1), 8:30 p.m. (NBC, Lincoln Financial Field). A pair of NFC East foes meet in the City of Brotherly Love in prime time as the Giants travel up I-95 to face the Eagles. It’s New York Style Pizza vs. Cheesesteak, round 1.

New York finally found themselves over the .500 mark for the first time since 2012 with their win over Atlanta in the Meadowlands by a 30-20 final. The Giants erased a 13-10 halftime deficit against the Falcons at Met Life and proceeded to outscore the Falcons in the final 30 minutes of action, while holding their guests to 90 yards rushing. The Giants were 9 of 15 on third down conversions, while the Falcons were 2 of 13 and 1 of 2 on fourth down. The clock was the ally of New York, holding the ball for 31:41 to Atlanta’s 28:19.

After an 0-2 start, the Giants have won three in a row and sit just one game behind Philadelphia and Dallas in the NFC East. In the past three games, New York has scored 105 points (35 per game). While veteran quarterback Eli ManningG recorded his third consecutive game with a 100+ passer rating (104.9), rookies Andre Williams (three-yard run) and Odell Beckham, Jr. (15-yard catch) each scored a touchdown – the first time since 1985 that the Giants got both a rushing touchdown and receiving touchdown from rookies in the same game.

“Every game is the most important game of the season,” says Giants head coach Tom Coughlin. “This is a divisional game. Philadelphia is playing very, very well. It is a game within the division and we’re just excited about the opportunity.”

Offense, defense and special teams. The Eagles are scoring touchdowns in all three phases of the game and their 4-1 record is tied for the best in the league. The Eagles bounced back in a big way after their loss to San Francisco on the West Coast two Sundays ago. It was more of the same last week in Philadelphia’s 34-28 win over St. Louis. On offense, quarterback Nick Foles threw two touchdown passes. Defensively, linebacker Trent Cole’s sack and forced fumble resulted in defensive end Cedric Thornton’s fumble-recovery touchdown. And on special teams, tight end James Casey blocked a punt and safety Chris Maragos picked up the ball and ran 10 yards for a score. The Eagles were 8-15 on third down tries, while the Rams were 7-14 (0-1 on fourth down) in the win on the East Coast and the clock was the ally of St. Louis, who kept the ball for 32:59 to Philly’s 27:01.

The Eagles have scored seven return touchdowns this season, tied with the 1920 Buffalo All-Americans for the most return touchdowns in the first five games of a season.

“We’re not happy with our performance but the most important thing was to get to 4-1, which we did,” says Philadelphia wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. “The bigger picture is wins and right now we’re 4-1. We will learn from this and move on to the Giants.”

It’s a series that began back in 1933, during FDR’s first term in office and the Giants lead the series 82-74-2, which includes contests that the Giants played in old Yankee Stadium and the Yale Bowl in Connecticut. New York has outscored the Eagles 3,043-2,919. In last year’s series, each team spilt the two contests but each came out winners in the other team’s stadium. In week five in the Meadowlands, the Eagles took a 19-6 halftime lead against Big Blue, coming away with a 36-21 win. New York was held to 53 yards on the ground and Manning was picked off three times, while Philly ran for 140 and played turnover-free football. As far as third down tries, Philly was 9-19 and New York was 5-13. The clock was the ally of the Eagles, who kept the ball for 32:07 to New York’s 27:53.

The G-Men avoided being swept by the Eagles in the second meeting in week eight, taking a 15-7 win, thanks in part to five Jason Brown field goals (his longest in the contest was 46 yards). New York led 12-0 at half before Philly dented the scoreboard late in the contest. Neither team cracked the 100-yard barrier at Lincoln Financial Field (New York had 88, Philly 48) and neither club did anything to write home about on third or fourth down conversions (New York was 8-19, 0-1; Philadelphia was 3-12, 0-2) and time of possession favored the Giants, who held the ball for 38:05, while the Eagles kept it for 21:55.

The Giants were favored by 2 1/2 and the over/under was 55 in the first contest in week five. Philadelphia covered the spread with their 15-point win on the road and both teams barely covered the over/under with 57 points. In week eight in the City of Brotherly Love, the Giants were 5 1/2 point favorites, winning by 9. The bad news? Neither team reached the over/under of 51 1/2, as only 22 points were scored in the contest. The Eagles in the Sunday night affair are favored by 3 and the over/under is 50. Both numbers make a lot of sense. Both offenses can score points when they need to. Cheesesteak beats New York style. Eagles take it to the limit in the long run and wins at home, covering the 3 like cheese on a really good cheesesteak.

San Francisco (3-2) at St. Louis (1-3), 8:30 p.m. Monday (ESPN, Edward Jones Dome) History will be made in St. Louis as the NFL plays its 700th Monday Night game in the league’s history and it’s San Francisco taking on St. Louis.

After a 1-2 start, the 49ers have won two in a row. Running back Frank Gore has posted consecutive games with 100 rushing yards, including 107 yards in last week’s 22-17 win over Kansas City. The 49ers have won six consecutive Monday-night games, outscoring opponents 164-49. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick hasn’t lost a Monday start, compiling a 3-0 record and 126.8 passer rating.

The Rams nearly erased a 27-point deficit last week, scoring 21 unanswered points before falling short at Philadelphia 34-28. Quarterback Austin Davis passed for 375 yards and three touchdowns, his second consecutive start with at least 300 yards and three touchdowns. Rams wide receiver Brian Quick had a career-best two touchdown catches last week and now has three TDs in his past two games.

“I think we’re a good football team,” says Davis. “The record is what it is. But we’re a couple plays here and there from being where we want to be. We’ve got to stay the course. I think we’re headed in the right direction.” The Week 6 contest featuring San Francisco and St. Louis will mark the 700th game in the history of Monday Night Football, which debuted in 1970.

The 49ers led Kansas City 13-10 at the half at Levis Stadium last Sunday afternoon and then depended on the leg of K Phil Dawson, who nailed three second-half field goals, including the one that iced the game away to take a 22-17 win. San Francisco held the Chiefs, led by former 49ers signal caller Alex Smith, to 90 yards rushing, while the home team tallied 171. Kansas City did well on third down conversions, going 6-11 and keeping the ball for 23:56, while the 49ers were 6-16 (1-1 on fourth down tries) and held the ball for 36:04.

St. Louis could never get off the ground in the City of Brotherly Love against the Eagles last Sunday on the East Coast, falling to Philadelphia 34-28. The Eagles led 20-7 at the break, although St. Louis did outscore their hosts in the second half 21-14. Both teams managed to break the 100-yard barrier (St. Louis with 125, Philly 145) and Rams QB Austin Davis, taking over for Sam Bradford (knee) threw for 375 yards and three TDs, even though he was sacked four times. St. Louis was 7-14 on third down conversions and 0-1 on fourth down, while the Eagles were 8-15. Time was on the side of the Rams (ironically), as they kept the ball for 32:59 to Philly’s 27:01.

Including contests played when the Rams were in Los Angeles, they lead the series with San Francisco 63-62-3. However… the 49ers have outscored the Rams 2,857-2,743 and have won the last two contests, including a series sweep last year. The Rams’ last win in the series came in 2012, when St. Louis needed overtime to win 16-13.

The first meeting in 2013 came in week four in the Gateway City and San Francisco came out on top 35-11. Gore ran for 153 of the 49ers’ 219 and Kaepernick threw for 167 yards and a pair of TDs, while St. Louis was held to 18 yards and Stafford was sacked five times and picked off once. San Francisco was 6-15 on third down conversions in the great indoors (1-1 on fourth down) and kept the ball for 31:45 to St. Louis’ 28:15 (the Rams on third down were 3-17).

San Francisco made it a clean sweep of the Rams in 2013, taking a 23-13 week 13 win at Candlestick Park. This time, it was St. Louis’ turn to hold the 49ers to under 100 yards rushing (83), while they rushed for 114. Kaepernick was sacked four times but managed to throw a TD in the 10-point win over St. Louis. Neither team wowed the fans on third down tries in the second meeting (St. Lous was 4-13, 0-2 on fourth down; San Francisco was 4-12) and the clock was the BFF of San Francisco at 33:04, while the Rams clung to it for 26:56.

In the week four contest in St. Louis, San Francisco won by 24 after being favored by 3 and the teams surpassed the 42 over/under, scoring a total of 46. In the week 13 matchup in Candlestick’s Farewell Tour, the 49ers won by 10, covering the  8 1/2-point spread but both teams combined for only 36 points, barely missing the over/under of 42. San Francisco may be on the road but they are favored by 3 1/2 and the over/under’s 43 1/2. The numbers do make sense. St. Louis is better than their 1-3 record but it’s a given fact that they’re in the NFC West, one of the tougher divisions in football. San Francisco’s been hot of late and after their loss to Chicago a few weeks ago, they’ve got something to prove. 49ers cover the 3 1/2 in St. Louis and take the win.