NFL Monday Memo

Our best and worst from NFL Week 11:

Game of the week: Cowboys 27, Redskins 24. In what turned out to be a thriller between these two longstanding NFC East rivals, the Redskins gave Dallas all it could handle before succumbing in the extra session.

Game of the weak: Browns 14, Jaguars 7. Did the Jaguars really beat the Ravens last month on Monday Night Football? Did the Browns really score two touchdowns? Yes and yes.

Offensive player of the week: Matthew Stafford, QB, Lions. In what turned into a 49-35 shootout win over the Panthers, Stafford threw five TD passes to give Detroit the much-needed win heading into its Thanksgiving Day matchup against the unbeaten Packers.

Defensive player of the week: Chris Clemons, DE, Seahawks. He sacked Sam Bradford three times and forced two fumbles in Seattle’s 24-7 road win over the Rams. Maybe not the biggest matchup of the week, but Clemons’ performance shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Special teams player of the week: DeSean Jackson, PR, Eagles. Back to the future for Jackson, who crushed the Giants’ playoff hopes last season with a 65-yard punt return TD on the final play. It wasn’t quite as dramatic this time, but his 51-yard return set up a second-quarter touchdown to jump-start the Eagles’ 17-10 win on Sunday night.

Key injury: Bears QB Jay Cutler suffered a broken thumb on his throwing hand and is out for several weeks, perhaps the rest of the season. Welcome to the starting lineup, Caleb Hanie. Bears in good shape at 7-3, but with only a wild card left to fight for, it’s now dicey.

Stat stuff: Since signing a $59 million contract extension last month, Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has four TDs and eight INTs. The Bills are 1-3 in that span.

More stat stuff: Browns running back Chris Ogbonnaya scored a second-quarter touchdown that ended a home TD drought that extended for more than 158 minutes. Uh, that’s more than 2 ½ games.

Rookie of the week: Torrey Smith, WR, Ravens. Two weeks ago, he scored the game-winner against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. In another critical AFC North win yesterday, he had six catches for 165 yard, including a 38-yard touchdown that proved to be the decisive score in a 31-24 win over Cincy.

Sigh of relief of the week, Part I: Green Bay keeps its unbeaten season intact at 10-0, but not before surviving a scare against the Bucs at home. The Packers led by only two points while trying to keep the Bucs from coming all the way back in the fourth quarter. But Aaron Rodgers sealed it with his 40-yard TD pass to Jordy Nelson with 2:55 left. Can’t wait for that Thanksgiving Day feast against the Lions.

Sigh of relief of the week, Part II: Oakland barely survived against the Vikings on the road in a 27-21 win. The Vikings made a fourth-quarter comeback, but had to do it without Adrian Peterson, who didn’t return from an ankle injury.

Play of the week: Tim Tebow’s 20-yard touchdown run off a scramble stunned the Jets in a 17-13 loss to the Broncos in Denver. Almost as stunning as the final result was the Jets deciding to blitz on the play against a quarterback who might be the best runner in the game.

Heart award: The Dolphins started off 0-7 and could easily have quit on the season and on coach Tony Sparano. They have done neither. Yesterday, they stomped the Bills 35-8 at home behind three Matt Moore TD passes for their third straight win. The Dolphins have outscored their last three opponents by a combined 86-20.

Still surging: The 49ers, easily the surprise team of the season, have now won eight straight and can actually clinch the NFC West this week with a win over the Ravens on Thanksgiving or a Seattle loss against the Redskins next Sunday. Incredible.

He’s still the guy: Titans rookie quarterback Jake Locker threw two TD passes in relief of an injured Matt Hasselbeck in a 23-17 loss to the Falcons. But Tennessee coach Mike Munchak says Hasselbeck is still the starter when his sprained elbow heals. Hmm. We’ll see how long that lasts in a league where the QB hook is quicker than ever.

Jet of the week: Sione Pouha, DT. Led the Jets with seven tackles, although neither he nor any other Jets’ defenders did enough on the Broncos’ 95-yard drive to win it in the end.

Giant of the week: Victor Cruz, WR. In an otherwise miserable offensive performance by the Giants, Cruz stood out with six catches for 128 yards and a touchdown. His 47-yard reception late in the fourth quarter gave the Giants a chance at the tying score, but Eli Manning’s fumble on the next play ended the Giants’ hopes.