It's tough to win on the road. It's even more difficult to do so in a foreign country that is 5,000-plus miles away.
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Greatest on the road ...
Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
Four NFL teams made the trek across the pond to London town for International Series games this season. No team traveled farther than the 49ers, whose 5,000-plus-mile trip through eight time zones could have thrown a serious jet lag monkeywrench into the streaking team. Instead, cool-as-a-cucumber Kaepernick led a 42-10 charge through the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium.
Displaying a liberal dose of the pistol offense, the 49ers unleashed Kaepernick's dynamic abilities on the woeful Jaguars. Kaepernick ran for two touchdowns, threw for one more and ultimately conquered an overwhelmed opponent on the iconic Wembley grounds. The 49ers' first four offensive drives resulted in touchdowns, building a hefty 28-0 lead on a team that has averaged 10.8 points a game. The win was the 49ers' second in London, matching the New England Patriots for most victories in International Series games.
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Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
A three-game winning streak has placed the Panthers at 4-3 and over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2008 season (that was a streak of 70 games at .500 or below; the Jacksonville Jaguars, unsurprisingly, now own the longest streak of games since last time they were above .500 at 39).
Newton's play has been a big part of the Panthers' rise to prominence this season (he's posted a 130.3 passer rating during the win streak). In the Panthers' overwhelming 31-13 win over the reeling Tampa Bay Buccaneers on "Thursday Night Football", Newton was an efficient 23-for-32 passing with two touchdowns via the forward pass and one on a run. He became the first player to have 50-plus passing touchdowns (52) and 25 or more rushing touchdowns (25) over any three-season span.
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Once upon a time, the Metrodome was a house of horrors for the Packers. That's not exactly the case now. Rodgers made the Metrodome his own personal playground in the Packers' final game at the not-exactly hallowed ground. In a 44-31 win, Rodgers was 24-for-29 passing for 285 yards and two touchdowns, good for a 130.6 passer rating.
Since 2011, Rodgers has been very successful against NFC North opponents. He has won 12 of 13 games, throwing 31 touchdowns with just four interceptions. Green Bay will need him to maintain that level of excellence, as it plays division opponents in three of its next five games in a crucial month of November.
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Follow Jim Reineking on Twitter @jimreineking.
