It's tough to win on the road. It's even more miraculous to do so in road games by the same score in consecutive weeks.
Greatest on the road ...
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
For the second consecutive week, the Bengals won a road game by the score of 27-24 after a game-winning kick by Mike Nugent. Last week, the Bengals topped the Buffalo Bills, 27-24, in overtime. A week later, Nugent's 54-yard field goal with four seconds left lifted the Bengals to a second consecutive road win, besting the Detroit Lions.
The showdown at Ford Field featured two teams entering Week 7 in first place in their respective divisions, and would be highlighted by arguably the two best receivers in the game: Green and Calvin Johnson. Each receiver made monumental plays (Johnson finished with 155 yards receiving and two touchdowns), but Green's 82-yard score set the tone for a big day for the big-play receivers on the Bengals' first possession. The 82-yard touchdown reception was the longest of Green's career. He's also now just three touchdowns short of Isaac Curtis' team record for most receiving touchdowns through the first three NFL seasons (Curtis has 26, while Green is at 23).
A second consecutive hard-fought road win has the Bengals sporting a robust 5-2 record and sitting alone atop the AFC North (and enjoying a comfortable two-game lead after seven games thanks to the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns each falling in their own tough road assignments in Week 7).
Also considered:
Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers' epic road swing that includes games in two different countries over two weeks opened with the team's fourth consecutive victory.
Kaepernick threw for 199 yards and ran for 68 yards and a touchdown to help the 49ers open the two-game road swing with a thorough 31-17 defeat of the Tennessee Titans at Nashville's LP Field. It was Kaepernick's first game without a touchdown pass or interception, but first with a rushing touchdown (he had eight last season, including playoff games).
The 49ers now head to London town for a Week 8 International Series showdown with the winless Jacksonville Jaguars.
Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
Like the Bengals, the Dallas Cowboys are sitting alone atop their division, using a road win to attain that lofty perch.
In an unexpectedly defensive struggle, Romo threw for 317 yards and delivered the decisive blow with a 9-yard touchdown strike to rookie receiver Terrance Williams in the fourth quarter of a 17-3 win at Lincoln Financial Field. Statistical analysis in the aftermath suggests that this could be the Cowboys' year in the NFC East. Following their first back-to-back wins of the season, the Cowboys now sport a 3-0 record against NFC East opponents. The last time the Cowboys started 3-0 against divisional opponents was in 2007, when they finished 13-3 and won the NFC East.
Previous Greatness on the Road winners:
Follow Jim Reineking on Twitter @jimreineking.
