The Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys both came back from the brink of defeat to win their National Football League games and stay in contention for the playoffs. The Redskins beat the Baltimore Ravens 31-28 in overtime despite losing star rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III to a knee sprain in the final quarter. The Ravens were on the verge of clinching their spot and the AFC North division when they led the Redskins 28-20 with 30 seconds to go and danger man Griffin out of the game. But Redskins backup quarterback Kirk Cousins threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon, then ran for the two-point conversion to force overtime. A 34-yard field goal by Kai Forbath, set up by Richard Crawford's 64-yard punt return, ended the game and ignited the FedEx Field crowd of 81,178 into a frenzy. Griffin's status for next week's trip to Cleveland remained unclear but an MRI revealed a right knee sprain and his X-ray was clear. Mike Shanahan, the Washington coach, will discuss the injury further on Monday, the team said. "They looked at my knee a lot," Griffin said. "They told me that they felt like my ligaments feel good ... They told me my ACL looked good. "I was feeling the positive vibes from them, feeling the positive vibes from the team and just the fact that we won the game makes everyone feel a lot better." The Ravens squandered an opportunity to secure a playoff berth, but still hold a two-game lead over Pittsburgh and Cincinnati in the AFC North. "We all need to do better," said frustrated Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. "We all need to find a way to finish the game better. That's the bottom line." The Dallas Cowboys, still mourning the death of linebacker Jerry Brown Jr, kicked a field goal as time expired to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 20-19 in Ohio. Dan Bailey booted the 40-yard field goal on the final play of the game, after the Cowboys had trailed by nine points at the end of the third quarter. Dallas head coach Jason Garrett said his players were still in a state of shock after hearing about the death of their team mate. "I keep using the word 'numb,' but that's how we all feel," he said. Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent has been released on bail following the fatal car crash that killed Brown. New York Giants rookie David Wilson ran in three touchdowns as the reigning Super Bowl champions cruised to a 57-27 victory over the New Orleans Saints to remain a game ahead of the Redskins and Cowboys in the NFC East. Wilson scored from six yards out and capped a spectacular day with a 52-yard touchdown burst from scrimmage in the fourth quarter that gave him 100 yards rushing, which he celebrated with a backflip in the end zone. Along with four touchdown passes from quarterback Eli Manning, the Giants took their score past 50 points for the first time since the 1986 season. "We did a lot of good things today but we've got a lot more to get done," Giants coach Tom Coughlin told reporters. "We have traditionally done a decent job in certain years when we had no margin for error and our backs were to the wall." The Atlanta Falcons, already assured of their place in the playoffs, suffered a shock 30-20 loss to the struggling Carolina Panthers. The Falcons trailed 23-0 early in the third quarter against the Panthers, whose second year quarterback, Cam Newton, ran 116 yards and passed for 287. Atlanta replied with three touchdowns but it was all too late to prevent the Panthers from recording another upset on a day full of comebacks and surprises. The Indianapolis Colts, once again marshaled by rookie quarterback Andrew Luck, came back from a 13-point deficit to beat the Tennessee Titans 27-23, securing the win with two late field goals from Adam Vinatieri. The Minnesota Vikings beat the Chicago Bears 21-14 in an all NFC North clash, while the Green Bay Packers put themselves within a game of wrapping up the divisional title as they defeated the Detroit Lions 27-20. The Pittsburgh Steelers, despite having Ben Roethlisberger back in action, were beaten 34-24 at home by the San Diego Chargers, harming their chance of making the playoffs. Philip Rivers threw three touchdown passes for the Chargers. The Philadelphia Eagles scored two touchdowns in the last four minutes including one as time expired to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-21 and end their eight-game losing streak. San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick passed for 185 yards and ran for a 50-yard touchdown at Candlestick Park as the 49ers improved to 9-3-1, just ahead of the Seahawks (8-5) in the NFC West. Marshawn Lynch rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns as the Seahawks posted the franchise's biggest win and one of the biggest shutouts in the NFL behind Chicago's record 73-0 win over Washington in 1940. The Cowboys, still mourning the death of linebacker Jerry Brown who was killed in a car crash on Saturday, kicked a field goal as time expired to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 20-19 in Ohio. The Giants, last season's Super Bowl champions, romped up their highest score in more than a quarter of a century to hammer the New Orleans Saints 52-27. The Seattle Seahawks crushed the Arizona Cardinals 58-0, one of the biggest wins in NFL history. Follow us
