NFL scores, news and highlights: What happened Sunday in Week 12

Tony Romo thumbed his nose at those that would question his ability to make big plays late in games, leading the Cowboys on a seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to give the Cowboys a huge win on the road against the Giants. Romo was helped out by absurdly excellent pass protection on the final few plays of that drive, and after standing in the pocket for what seemed like five minutes (it was a long time), he found Dez Bryant drifting toward the back corner of the end zone for the go-ahead score with slightly more than a minute to play.

With Dallas' defeat of the reeling Giants (now losers of six in a row), the Cowboys keep pace with the Eagles and Packers for second-best record in the NFC behind only Arizona. The win sets up a great race to the finish, especially in the NFC East. The Cowboys are now set to face off against the division rival Eagles twice in the next three weeks and the outcomes of those games will obviously have a huge impact on seeding in the NFC playoffs.

What Dallas does during the next few weeks will rest solidly on the shoulders of three key players on that offense: DeMarco Murray, Romo and Bryant. Murray continued on his ridiculous pace, picking up another 121 yards at 5.0 yards per carry in this one to move to 1,354 total yards on the year. Romo remains efficient in the passing game, and he carved up the Giants to the tune of 275 yards and four touchdowns on an efficient 18-of-26 passing. His favorite target, Bryant, picked up seven more catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Dallas' offensive triumvirate is as potent as any in the NFL right now -- and the Cowboys will need them to keep balling out down the stretch.

2. As Brian Hoyer goes, so go the Browns

The Browns quarterback had an up-and-down game against the Atlanta Falcons, but he ended up leading his team to a win on a last-minute, 61-yard drive.

Hoyer was aided by the return of the best player on his team: Josh Gordon. His presence makes the Browns offense look just a little different, but it functions much better. The superstar put up eight catches for 120 yards in his return from a 10-game suspension, but more importantly he drew a lot of attention and left single coverage for Andrew Hawkins and Miles Austin to catch five and six balls respectively.

Atlanta's passing attack looked promising at times, but the Falcons' four-year struggle to find anything resembling a consistent running game continues. They managed managed only 63 yards at a snail's pace of 2.7 yards per carry. Despite their futile ground game they very nearly walked away with an unlikely victory. After grabbing an interception with 55 seconds left, Matt Ryan put together a drive that ended with a 53-yard Matt Bryant field goal and the Falcons had a one-point lead with 44 seconds left.

That proved to be too much time for Hoyer who led the Browns on a seven-play, 61-yard drive, completing passes to Austin, Gordon and Gary Barnidge. They spiked the ball with just enough time for Billy Cundiff to kick a 37-yard field goal as time expired, keeping Cleveland within a half-game of the AFC North-leading Bengals.

Hoyer has once again done just enough to keep the Browns' unlikely run going. As long as they're in contention that will likely be enough to keep Johnny Manziel on the bench, no matter what the rookie's girlfriend might think.

Cincinnati's season has been marked by peaks and valleys, but after dispatching the Texans at their place, the Bengals move to 7-3-1, still in control of first place in the wild AFC North.

Andy Dalton smartly fed A.J. Green all day. Cincy's stud receiver racked up 12 catches for 121 yards. Mohamed Sanu added five catches for 45 yards and a touchdown as a complement and Cincinnati gave Houston a taste of their own medicine by rushing the ball 43 times for 139 yards. The Bengals wore down a tough Houston defense with a "thunder-and-lightning" combination of Jeremy Hill and Gio Bernard. On defense, Cincinnati stymied Ryan Mallett in his second pro start. If Cincinnati's defense can continue to regain some of the dominating from it showed early in the year, this could be an interesting squad to watch in December.

The Bengals have set themselves up in one of the toughest divisions in football -- one where every team still has a winning record -- but will be put through the ringer during the final five weeks. After facing the Bucs next week, they'll get the Browns, Steelers, Broncos, and Steelers again to finish the year. Hold on to your butts, Bengals fans.

Meanwhile, in Houston, Mallett struggled with accuracy, missing receivers high and behind in several key spots. He finished 21-of-45 for 189 yards and a pick. Worse, he may have played his last snaps for the season if reports that he has a torn pectoral muscle are accurate. While there were a lot of things to feel good about for Houston fans following his first start, this game will certainly temper some of that optimism. Houston falls to 5-6. Indianapolis improved to 7-4 with a win over the Jaguars -- making the playoff division title race in the AFC South a little less interesting, at least for now.

4. Seahawks show some fight with their backs against the wall

The Seahawks came into the game against the first-place Arizona Cardinals in a make or break situation, needing a win to help preserve their aspirations for a Super Bowl title defense. Seattle came out and put together a dominating performance to keep its playoff hopes alive, suffocating Arizona's offense as the Cardinals finished with three points on a season-low 204 yards. Quarterback Drew Stanton was 14-for-26 for 149 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. The run game was even less effective, gaining only 64 yards on 20 carries.

On the offensive side of the ball, Russell Wilson picked things up a little as well, and despite suffering through seven sacks, finished with 211 yards on an efficient 17-of-22 passing, one touchdown and no picks. He also added 74 yards on the ground and the Seahawks finished with 124 yards rushing against a Cardinals team that was giving up an average of 80 per game.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals come back to earth after beating a tough Lions team last week. Suddenly they look vulnerable going into the final five weeks of the season.

The defense remains ridiculously good. Todd Bowles did an excellent job of designing pressure to keep Wilson guessing, but the offense with Stanton at the helm will have to get better for the Cardinals to make noise once the playoffs roll around. Arizona was without Larry Fitzgerald for the first time since 2007 in this one too. Michael Floyd wasn't able to pick up any of the slack, finishing with no catches on two targets. The run game struggled, and rookie John Brown was the only player on the offense to pick up the slack, finishing with three catches for 61 yards -- two of those catches being impressive sideline toe-touch grabs.

The Cards still have the NFC West in hand at 9-2, but with the Falcons, Chiefs, Rams, Seahawks and 49ers on their slate to finish the year, they will need to get more out of their offense to avoid a slump at the absolute worst time of year.

Speaking of slumping at the wrong time, the Lions' offense has disappeared during the past few weeks and they lost their second straight game, this week to the Patriots. New England, probably the hottest team in the NFL right now (really during the past four weeks), dismantled Detroit, and the Lions were kept out of the end zone for the second straight game -- after avoiding that ignominious feat since 2009.

Matthew Stafford finished an astonishing 18-of-44 with 264 yards and a pick. The run game was anemic once again, but coach Jim Caldwell shot down the idea that Detroit would make a change away from coordinator Joe Lombardi. "I'm not one of those coaches who makes rash decisions right after a game," he said. "When everyone's disappointed. You can make some huge mistakes that way."

Still, something needs to change -- whether it be the scheme or the focus. The Lions have maybe the best wide receiver duo in the NFL in Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate, talent at the running back position with Joique Bell and Reggie Bush (who has been out with an injury), and a strong-armed signal caller in Stafford. They added Eric Ebron to a group of tight ends that already included Brandon Pettigrew and Joseph Fauria, so these struggles are head-scratching. So much playmaking talent on paper, but during the last few weeks, things aren't adding up.

Here's the good news if you're a Lions fan: Detroit has a fairly soft schedule during the next four weeks, getting matchups against the defensively challenged Bears twice, the mid-level defense of the Vikings once, and the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers to round things out before facing off against the Packers to end the regular season. It's a lineup that gives Detroit the opportunity to regain some confidence and rhythm on that side of the ball as they go down the stretch and look to make the playoffs. Right now, they're on the bubble -- needing to make a comeback in the NFC North to catch the Packers or hold off the Seahawks, Niners and Cowboys for a wild card spot.

Indianapolis Colts 23, Jacksonville Jaguars 3 (Final)

Philadelphia Eagles 43, Tennessee Titans 24 (Final)

St. Louis Rams 24, San Diego Chargers 27 (Final)

Miami Dolphins 36, Denver Broncos 39 (Final) | Recap