Ten crucial mistakes in Week 12

SI Staff | Nov 27, 2007

Ten crucial mistakes in Week 12

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Even a casual NFL fan knows you don't kick it down the middle of the field to the Bears' Devin Hester. The Broncos did, and it cost them the game. Hester returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns in Chicago's stunning 37-34 overtime win.

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Eagles quarterback A.J. Feeley had a brilliant night in Foxboro, but his interception late in the fourth quarter was a huge mistake. The Philly quarterback had plenty of time, but went for the big score even with dangerous Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel lurking in the defensive backfield.

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Late in a close game, Chiefs coach Herman Edwards opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Oakland 23 instead of kicking a game-tying field goal. K.C. couldn't convert and it never got the ball again in a 20-17 loss.

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Arizona's Neil Rackers split the uprights from 27 yards with 7:05 remaining in overtime to lift his team to an apparent divisional victory over the 49ers -- until a delay-of-game penalty wiped out the score. The normally reliable kicker's second try from 32 yards missed the mark and gave San Francisco second life.

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On Arizona's first possession following the critical Rackers miss, the Cardinals found themselves pinned on their own three-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Kurt Warner fumbled after taking a hit and San Francisco's Tully Banta-Cain pounced on the ball for a game-clinching touchdown. The 49ers moved to 2-0 against the Cardinals -- and 1-8 against everybody else.

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After watching a 19-7 halftime lead fritter away to a 24-19 deficit, the Rams still had a chance to salvage their third-consecutive victory in the final minute on fourth-and-goal from the Seattle 1. But backup quarterback Gus Frerotte fumbled the snap and lost four yards on the play to complete a devastating St. Louis collapse.

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David Carr's ill-advised first interception led to a deluge of boos from the Bank of America Stadium crowd. But the Carolina quarterback's second pick at the start of the fourth quarter led to his benching in favor of rookie signal-caller Matt Moore.

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The reeling Redskins suffered their third-consecutive loss thanks to a maddening sequence which included four fumbles in a span of 16 offensive plays. But a pair of drive-killing Jason Campbell interceptions -- including Brian Kelly's pick in the end zone with 17 seconds remaining -- allowed the NFC South-leading Buccaneers to escape with a 19-13 victory.

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Despite getting thoroughly outplayed for three-and-a-half quarters, Buffalo hung tough with the Jaguars and trailed 22-14 with just minutes remaining. But when the Bills put eight men in the box to try and stuff the run, David Garrard exploited the Buffalo secondary and found Reggie Williams down the middle for a 59-yard touchdown. A Maurice Jones-Drew score just minutes later put the finishing touches on a 36-14 rout.

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Giants quarterback Eli Manning had a terrible day, and it all started on a misread when he inadvertently tossed it to the Vikings' Darren Sharper who returned it for a touchdown. Manning threw four picks in total, three of which were returned for scores.