Sunday's games are in the books for Week 13. What plays will we remember? Marc Sessler chooses the five runs that defined the action.
Impossible and tragic events in Kansas City made Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers an afterthought. The Chiefs chose to play and rallied for an admirable 27-21 victory. Jamaal Charles led the way for the Chiefs with 127 yards on the ground, but this 2-yard touchdown burst by Peyton Hillis was a signature moment for a team battling its way out of a dark corner.
The Minnesota Vikings fell to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, but it would be a crime to overlook what Adrian Peterson pulled off. The Vikings' star running back rumbled for 210 yards on 21 carries, good enough for a whopping 10 yards per rush. The Vikings are fading in the NFC playoff picture, but what Peterson has accomplished after major knee surgery is nothing short of amazing. Take a look at this 82-yard run to glory.
The Buffalo Bills remain an engaging team on offense primarily because of Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller, arguably the best backfield in football. Coach Chan Gailey has absorbed considerable grief for sitting Spiller too often -- especially on decisive, late-game drives -- but Jackson makes it a tough decision. Freddy had 109 yards on 25 carries in Sunday's 34-18 frolic over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Still, Spiller had the play of the day with this 44-yard touchdown gallop.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis made his way into this column last week, and I'm putting him in again. The Cincinnati Bengals runner has never been one to tear off big gains, but he went off last week and was back at it again with this 41-yard dart in Sunday's victory over the San Diego Chargers. Law Firm's recent uptick in big-chunk runs has turned Cincinnati's backfield -- an issue at times in 2012 -- into a strength for a team that's peaking at the right time.
Last but not least: We travel to Baltimore, where Ray Rice delivered this 34-yard touchdown run in a heavyweight fight ultimately won by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens remain tough to figure out on offense. They boldy unleashed their pass-happy, no-huddle attack this season, but they always seem to return to their heart and soul. Rice is the most consistently dangerous player on a team that will need him at his best for a chance at the Super Bowl.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
