Sunday's games are in the books for Week 11. What plays will we remember? Marc Sessler chooses the five runs that defined this weekend's action.
The Carolina Panthers neutralized Doug Martin early, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie turned it on late in Sunday's 27-21 overtime win. Martin has been a revelation. He grows stronger as the game progresses, and his downhill style is the engine behind Tampa Bay's upstart 6-4 mark in the middle of November. Check out this 27-yard rumble against Carolina.
The New Orleans Saints have rushed for 541 yards in the three games Darren Sproles has missed with a broken left hand. Of those yards, 153 came in Sunday's 38-17 lashing of the Oakland Raiders. Mark Ingram's 27-yard touchdown gallop was the cherry on top. This looks like the team we saw gashing opponents on the ground in August, before the 0-4 start. The Saints love to use Sproles in the air attack, but they must find a way to keep the running game in focus upon his return.
Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner sometimes is a forgotten man in his team's pass-obsessed offense. Not on Sunday, when he busted out this 1-yard touchdown run late in the game to seal a 23-19 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Let's revisit what C.J. Spiller did in the Buffalo Bills' 19-14 win over the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night. The Bills running back churned out 91 yards on 22 carries -- including this 20-yard dart below -- and hauled in three passes for another 39 yards through the air. It was maddening to see him repeatedly pulled for Tashard Choice, but Bills coach Chan Gailey is hell-bent on multiple backs splitting carries. More than a few would like to see Spiller set free to build rhythm and pace in this offense.
The New England Patriots dug deep into their bag of tricks in Sunday's 59-24 whipping of the Indianapolis Colts. With the game well in hand, Bill Belichick dialed up receiver/returner/sometimes defensive back Julian Edelman on this 47-yard reverse that set up Stevan Ridley's fourth-quarter, 1-yard touchdown run. It was New England's final score in a game that finally -- mercifully -- ended for Indianapolis.
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