Josh McDaniels says he’s not worried that the Denver Broncos’ embarrassing issues both on and off the field might cost him his job because the decision is out of his hands. The Broncos’ second-year coach said his only focus is on fixing what’s gone wrong during a 3-8 season sullied by a videotaping scandal that cost him and the team $50,000 each and resulted in a subordinate’s…

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Peyton Manning blamed himself for the Colts’ mistakes. The Chargers took credit for forcing him into them. Either way, it was the same lousy result for Indianapolis’ suddenly struggling quarterback. San Diego intercepted him four times, returning two for scores, and handed Indianapolis its worst home loss of the Manning era, 36-14, on Sunday.

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Six years later, Matt Cassel got a chance to show Pete Carroll firsthand how good he can be as a starter. With the help of Dwayne Bowe and Kansas City’s run game, Cassel and the Chiefs made it look easy. Cassel tied his career high with four touchdown passes, three of them to Bowe and the Chiefs stayed on top of the AFC West with an impressive 42-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

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Still doubting the Chicago Bears? They’re making it tougher. Jay Cutler tied a career high with four touchdown passes and the Bears beat Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles 31-26 to take sole possession of the NFC North lead Sunday. “It was a big game for us,” Cutler said. “We talked about it in there.

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The Baltimore Ravens took care of business in workmanlike fashion against a team they hadn’t played in years. By doing so, the Ravens put themselves in perfect position for an emotional matchup against a team they know all too well. Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes, and Baltimore beat Tampa Bay 17-10 Sunday in their first meeting since 2006.

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Bills receiver Stevie Johnson was inconsolable for letting a victory slip through his hands. The Pittsburgh Steelers weren’t going to let him or Buffalo get a second chance. With his head down at the end of the bench, Johnson couldn’t watch as Shaun Suisham hit a 41-yard field goal with 2:14 left in overtime to secure the Steelers’ 19-16 victory Sunday.

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With his team trailing by 11 points and the season on the brink, coach Tom Coughlin wasn’t the only voice in the New York Giants’ locker room at halftime. The one that stood out was Justin Tuck, and his message was simple: Stop playing like garbage. The Giants (7-4) got the message and maybe saved their season with five games to go.

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Brett Favre’s voice was a raspy whisper and he rattled a lozenge around in his mouth as he spoke about the 10-yard scramble his creaky legs managed to carve out Sunday, helping seal his Minnesota Vikings’ 17-13 victory over the Washington Redskins. “Did I expect to run for a first down? I haven’t expected to run for a first down in quite a while,” Favre said, smiling.

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Andre Johnson politely asked Cortland Finnegan to stop it. By the fourth quarter, Houston’s star receiver had simply had it with the Tennessee cornerback’s antagonistic antics. Their feisty duel exploded into a full-blown fistfight late in the Texans’ 20-0 win over the Titans on Sunday. Both players were ejected, and the ugly incident could lead to further discipline from the NFL.

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Don’t even mention a third straight winning season to the Atlanta Falcons. Their goals are so much bigger than that. The Falcons stayed atop the NFC when Matt Bryant kicked a 47-yard field goal with 9 seconds remaining Sunday for a 20-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers, one of the teams trying to chase down Atlanta in the conference standings.

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