The Giants were firing on all cylinders Sunday night, blowing out the Packers 38-10 after limping into their bye week. Eli Manning threw for 249 yards and three touchdowns, giving him 200 for his career — surpassing Manning's vocal critic, Phil Simms, for first all-time in Giants history. The defense sacked Aaron Rodgers five times, two courtesy of Mathias Kiwanuka. The Giants will need to keep up their team effort down the stretch. Three of their last five games are on the road at Washington (5-6), NFC South-leading Atlanta (10-1) and AFC North-leading Baltimore (9-2).

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Converting a 3rd- or 4th-and-long — and in this case, astoundingly long — is rare. And boy, was this one rare. Down three at San Diego with less than two minutes to go, the Ravens found themselves with a 4th-and-29 at their own 37. Joe Flacco found Ray Rice (pictured) for a short pass that turned into a 29-yard run, a first down, and eventually the game-tying 38-yard field goal by rookie Justin Tucker. The Ravens would win 16-13 in OT and now have a three-game lead in the AFC North. The sliding Chargers, who blew a 10-point lead, have yet to win against a team with a winning record this season and have only a slim chance of earning a wild card berth in the playoffs.

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In the next chapter of what seems like the never-ending QB controversy in San Francisco, Colin Kaepernick took advantage of his second career start, leading the 49ers to a 31-21 road win over the New Orleans Saints, who had won three straight. The second-year player out of Nevada was 16 of 25 for 231 yards, threw a TD and ran for another. The 49ers sacked Drew Brees five times and were helped in the scoring department by Ahmad Brooks and Donte Whitner's pick-sixes. The 49ers are 4-0-1 in their last five games and hold a 2-1/2-game lead over the Seahawks in the NFC West.

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It has been a tumultuous ride for Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins (21). Dismissed from the University of Florida after marijuana-related arrests, Jenkins was suspended for Week 10 by St. Louis for violating team rules. But Jenkins became the first rookie since 1960 and the first Ram to return two interceptions for touchdowns in a game, helping the Rams drop the Cardinals 31-17. Sam Bradford threw two TDs and one interception, but the Rams scored 17 straight points in the second half and beat the Cards for the second time this season. The Cardinals, meanwhile, have lost seven straight.

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OK, they're good. We grant that. But their late-season schedule is soooo bad that we have no real measure of how good. Will they storm into the playoffs as the newest NFL powerhouse? Or will they pop like a balloon at the slightest playoff resistance? The Broncos' 17-9 victory Sunday at Kansas City provided no further clues. Anything in the AFC West below a mile high is in shambles. Denver's game in two weeks at Baltimore might take on more meaning than it really should because it will be our only chance to assess how good the Broncos have become.

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Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is sullen. He almost always says the wrong thing in front of the cameras — and looks like he's constipated when he says it. Which makes it fun to root against him and easy to pile on when things are going bad. But none of that has anything to do with how good a quarterback he is, or a competitor or a teammate. The Cutler we were led to believe is just cashing a paycheck would not have been on the field Sunday after missing a game because of a concussion. Cutler threw for 188 yards and a touchdown while defeating the Vikings 28-10. Several other Bears starters were hurt in the victory (including Devin Hester, Matt Forte and Charles Tillman), which means the Bears will be looking to Cutler to carry them through tough times in the weeks ahead. He gave them reason to think he'll be up to the task.

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It's not just rookie quarterback Andrew Luck who deserves the credit for the Colts' turnaround from the league's worst team to one on the verge of making the playoffs. Indianapolis has unearthed a few playmakers to help. Rookie receiver T.Y. Hilton had the spotlight Sunday as the Colts beat Buffalo 20-13. Hilton scored on a 75-yard punt return (pictured) and an 8-yard reception. He's the first Colts player to score on a punt return and reception in the same game. Not bad for a third-round draft pick. At 7-4, Indianapolis sits at the No. 5 playoff seed, with a full one-game edge in the wild-card hunt.

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Though Reggie Bush has emerged as an everyday back in Miami, the Dolphins hedged their bet last year with a second-round pick spent on Daniel Thomas out of Kansas State. Good thought. He has become a change-of-pace, between-the-tackles runner that serves the Dolphins well. Thomas (pictured leaning through the pile for a 3-yard touchdown) had 60 yards rushing on nine carries Sunday as Miami fought for a 24-21 victory over Seattle, a season-high 6.7-yard average. His touchdown was preceded by a conversion on third-and-1 at the 9-yard line. He doesn't get the yards Bush does, but he gets plenty of tough yards.

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Or figure skaters. Or gymnasts. Or any sport that requires the athletes to pass the eyeball test. Atlanta is 10-1, and nobody can take that away. But the Broncos are the Falcons' only opponent who entered this week with a winning record, and the Falcons haven't given the "wow" factor since Week 3. More concerning is that quarterback Matt Ryan (pictured) followed his five-interception performance of last week with two more turnovers Sunday vs. Tampa Bay (one pick, one fumble). Bottom line: Atlanta won 24-23, and it keeps pulling out wins in weeks it hardly overwhelms the opposition. Talent can slump; toughness doesn't. If the Falcons keep toughing out wins, the talent will come around again eventually.

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Browns fans needed thank you cards instead Sunday. The Steelers were in a giving mood, committing an overwhelming eight turnovers in a 20-14 loss. Third-string quarterback Charlie Batch, forced into action after injuries to Ben Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich, threw three interceptions, but Pittsburgh also lost five fumbles. That allowed Browns fans (pictured celebrating with Joe Haden) to watch a home victory over the rival Steelers for only the second time in the past 12 seasons. Even better, the Browns canceled the scheduled "white flag" giveaway and avoided the inevitable scene of said flags being thrown onto the field all day.

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When Carson Palmer got fed up with the penny-pinching ways of Bengals owner Mike Brown, he tried to force a trade by announcing his retirement. Brown said fine, and let Palmer cool his heels for half a season before the Raiders, at the behest of since-fired coach Hue Jackson, made a crazy offer of a first-round and second-round draft pick for the fading veteran. Palmer (pictured) has not found much success since the trade. The Bengals, meanwhile, made the playoffs last year and have stormed into the postseason picture this year with three straight wins. The last, of course, came at Palmer's expense Sunday. In his first game back in Cincy, Palmer was 19 of 34 for 146 yards and a touchdown in a 34-10 loss. His Bengals replacement, Andy Dalton, was 16 of 30 for 210 yards but with three TDs. Might be Brown's best day since he found a penny in the parking lot.

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. . . for both Chad Henne and Jaguars fans. The fans got to see a home victory for the first time this season. Before a 24-19 victory over Tennessee on Sunday, the Jags had lost each of their five home games this year by at least 17 points and had failed to score more than 14 points at home. Henne, meanwhile, survived seven sacks to earn a win in his first start in 13 months. The displaced Dolphins QB has taken over in Jacksonville with second-year starter Blaine Gabbert on injured reserve. Henne was 17 of 26 passing for 261 yards. As far as Jags fans know, that's Dan Marino stuff.

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