ugly in the fourth and the redskins continue their roll in the wrong direction. >> yeah, i mean, at least they started well. >> yeah, they did! >> that's the positive way to look at it. but unfortunately, i have this not so fun fact for you. for the 26th game in a row, the redskins turned the football game over, and subsequently, they turned the game over. the jets scored 21 fourth quarter points, embarrassing the redskins at home. here's how it went down. rookie running back roy helu coming off a career day last week. first play of the game, the toss goes to the helu and helu is

helusive. break off a 15-yard gainer, gets things started. grossman drops back, throws to a fred davis. a 42-yard pick up. redskins in business. here we go on second and goal. the pitch goes to helu and he powers his way in for the touchdown. he had 23 carriers for 100 yards, back-to-back rushing game for a rookie. ensuing jets possession, a strike right back. sean green gets the handoff, punches in from a yard out. game tide at 7. late fourth quarter, reds up 16-13. pump fakes and connects with santonio holmes. 30-yard touchdown, new york takes the lead, 20-17. sanchez is clutch. very next redskins drive, on third and ten, grossman back to pass, but look out for number 51. sacks grossman, forces a fumble, calvin pace recovers, second

fumble in the game by the redskins. rex grossman none too pleased. so the jets have the ball, and on second and goal, the direct snap to sean green. works his way into the end zone. it's 27-16, new york. green's second touchdown of the game and, well, he's not done yet. green gets the handoff here. breaks through the redskins' defense and cruises in for a 25-yard touchdown. green finishes 113 all-purpose yards and three tds. the jets down the redskins 34-19. so the redskins now drop to 4-8. for more, we go live to fedex field to join dan hellie. >> the news only got worse for the redskins after the game. the team found out that fred davis and trent williams are expected to be notified by the nfl that they will be suspended for the remainder of the season for violating the league's substance abuse policy. each player has tested positive

more than three times, including two times since the lockout for recreational drug use. most of the reports are saying that it's likely marijuana. now, get this number. trent williams going to lose $1.85 million for missing those final the hour games. fred davis, $141,000. neither player talked after the game, instead, leaving their teammates to answer those questions. >> we're just playing football. and trent's a good player. so, you know, that's really all i -- i don't know the details of the situation, you know? i don't -- that's not my business, really. i can't really worry about what goes on with that. so i'm too caught up with the task at hand, too caught up with this loss here. i'm going to look at this tape and try to win games. you know, whoever's here is here, and whoever's not, we've got to move on. >> these are two significant players on our team, you know, big play guys. fred davis having a pro bowl kind of year. it's definitely going to hurt us, if what you're saying is

true. because those guys are stand-up guys on our team. tre trent's a captain and a leader, so it's going to definitely hurt us. >> just won't have those guys available to go out there and play. we're going to have to figure out a way to play without them, you know? and we'll go to work and we'll keep fighting. >> with everything going on right now -- like i said, i don't know nothing about it, so i don't want to comment on it, but it's a tough loss and hopefully we can put it behind us and keep fighting through these last four games. >> there's trent williams right there, number 71. he's going to lose almost $2 million. fred davis in a contract year. and how do you play the rest of the season, he was on pace to shatter the redskins' receiving record for tight ends. already he's in second place on that career list behind chris cooley. >> just a bad situation all around there. we're going to move on now, dan. we'll check on what's going on at pittsburgh today.

big ben and the steeler hosting the bengals. let's take the highlights. big ben nursing a broken thumb, but it was thumbs up this afternoon. second quarter, taking on the bengals. third quarter, roethlisberger finds mike wallace. pittsburgh in front, 21-0. strike a pose. end of the half, cincinnati punting it away. antonio brown gets it, room to run, making a play. 60-yard punt return for a touchdown. the steelers crush the bengals, 35-7. pittsburgh is now 9-3. they look good, the steelers. they always do, i guess. >> a lot better than we are, right? >> the redskins are just -- >> thanks. that's news for now. "nightly news" is heading your way next. we'll be back here at 11:00 right after the game. have a good night, everybody. [ baby coughing ]

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but if congress frees up more wireless spectrum... we can empower more people to innovate... putting momentum behind our economy. and we can reduce the deficit... with more than thirty billion dollars paid by america's wireless companies. it's simple -- more spectrum means more freedom. for everyone. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. with a month to go until the iowa caucuses, the shifting sands of the race for the republican presidential nomination appear to be firming up tonight. with the latest breakout candidate, newt gingrich capitalizing on his recent surge, and now ron paul becoming a candidate to watch as we draw

closer to primary season. the latest nbc news marist poll of two key early voting states conducted before herman cain's abrupt departure from the race yesterday, is framing a contest far different than what we were looking at only a few weeks ago. nbc's mike viqueira has the numbers and more. >> reporter: newt gingrich this weekend, campaigning with the confidence of a front-runner. >> i represent the world that works. obama is the world that fails. >> reporter: with less than a month before the iowa caucus, gingrich now sits atop a new nbc marist poll, surging 21 points since october. mitt romney is down 8 to 18. ron paul is a major factor at 17%. and in new hampshire, romney still leads but gingrich had surged there too, up 19 to 23%, followed by paul and jon huntsman. the move comes a day after herman cain, appearing with wife glor gloria, effectively ended his

run. >> i am suspending my presidential campaign because of the continued distraction, the continued hurt caused on me and my family. >> reporter: as the cain controversy took its toll on the former front-runner, gingrich was building steam. >> in many ways the anybody but romney sentiment has really coalesced around the gingrich candidacy. >> reporter: today gingrich rivals called his business and personal conduct into question. >> we want someone who is actually going to fight washington, not someone who has been paid over $100 million in one year alone to influence it. >> i think character is definitely an issue. you know, i think they have to make a decision based upon the person's entire record. and certainly character counts. >> reporter: mitt romney campaigned door to door in new hampshire this weekend, and though his nomination is by no means clear, today he was the main target of the obama

campaign. >> he seems to think every day is a new day that he can simply change all of his positions depending on who his audience is or what the political circumstances and that is not what you want in a president of the united states. is that an issue? yes, that's an issue. >> reporter: and, lester, as the campaign measures there is more gridlock in washington over extending the payroll tax cuts due to expire at the end of this month. now, the president and congressional republicans agree that they should be extended, but disagree on how to pay for it. it could cost as much as $300 billion next year to do so. if they can't come to a deal by the end of the month, it would mean an extra $1,000 in taxes next year for the average american family. lester? >> mike viqueira, thanks. for more on decision 2012, let's bring in cnbc's chief washington correspondent john harwood. we witnessed plenty of surges in this race. you had bachmann, perry, cain, all had their turn. how does gingrich's rise differ, if at all? >> reporter: it is a bigger threat to mitt romney because of how close it comes to when voting starts in january. because of newt gingrich's

national track record as the leader of the 1994 republican revolution, gingrich starts way behind in organization to convert popular support into delegates and money for tv ads and mitt romney has just begun to advertise. >> we heard it a moment ago, some white house attacks seem to presuppose romney as the nominee. might that change? >> reporter: i wouldn't expect the white house to change tactics at all. they clearly fear mitt romney more than any other republican candidate. they believe as democrats do generally that the background and record of newt gingrich makes him an easy target, but we have seen that the white house doesn't always calculate those things correctly as we saw in 1980 when president jimmy carter's aides wanted to run against ronald reagan. >> john harwood, appreciate the insight. thanks. tonight, the pentagon is denying claims by iran it shot down a u.s. spy drone which now is in the possession of iran's armed forces. let's bring in nbc's chief pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski. what is this all about, jim. >> reporter: the u.s. military

doesn't like to talk about these top see drones, but in this case had no choice. they do admit they lost remote control of one of the drones as it flew a surveillance mission along the iran/afghanistan border. the drone crashed inside iran and what was left apparently recovered by the iranian military. the iranians say it is a super secret stealth drone called an rq-170, which looks more like a flying wing than an airplane. it is the same kind of drone that provided overhead pictures of that compound in pakistan where osama bin laden was killed. it is not clear, really, what technology or intelligence the iranians could actually get from this crashed drone, but given the increasing tensions with iran, this would at least be a huge propaganda victory for the iranians. lester? >> mik, there is news about the incident that took place a week ago in pakistan, the nato attack that left four pakistani soldiers dead. what do we know.

>> reporter: today, marines and cia specialists had to use the air base in pakistan where the cia launched predator drone strikes against al qaeda targets in pakistan for years. and at the same time, president obama called pakistan's president zardari today to offer his personal condolences for the pakistani deaths, but not an apology. it is not clear yet exactly who was at fault and the results of that u.s. military investigation not expected until sometime in january, lester. >> jim miklaszewski in our washington newsroom. tonight, jim, thanks. tonight a dozen people are recovering from injuries after they ended up in a stampede when thousands of football fans stormed on to the field at oklahoma state university celebrating a big victory over an arch rival. nbc's george lewis has more. >> reporter: this was the scene as the game ended, the osu cowboys beating the oklahoma sooners 44-10 and winning the big 12 conference championship. >> the students are storming the

field. >> reporter: fans stampeding on to the grass by the thousands to salute the heroes of the game and tear down the goal posts. >> i've never been more packed into one area and getting pushed and shoved and just all over the place. people were so excited. and just -- the atmosphere was ridiculous. it was awesome. >> reporter: but not so awesome was the fact that some people got trampled and others were seriously injured when they tumbled out of the stands. >> only saw part of it. when they started piling over, i got out of there as fast as i could. i'm looking forward to seeing it on the newscast. >> down go the goal posts. >> reporter: some of the fans probably wish they too had gotten out of there. the list of injured included a dozen people, some with fractures. one person fell at least 15 feet on to concrete. the most seriously injured were airlifted to an oklahoma city hospital while others were hauled away by nine ambulances.

>> i was scared this guy had just died and i had a lot of things going through my head. i was just terrified and kind of wanted to cry in the middle of all of the excitement. >> reporter: a big celebration for the oklahoma state cowboys ranked third in the nation, marred by a mob scene that went completely out of control. george lewis, nbc news, los angeles. tonight, the u.s. postal service says it is moving ahead with a $3 billion cost cutting plan that could have a major effect on a lot of people and a lot of businesses. the plan includes unprecedented cuts to first class mail that will slow down the pace of service for everything from paying your bills to receiving mail order prescription drugs. for first time in 40 years, you won't be able to assume or even hope that a stamped letter will get there the next day. big news in the world of sports. you might have seen it a little while ago here on nbc, tiger woods won his first tournament since 2009 before a cheating

scandal derailed his marriage. many of his endorsements and at least temporarily his career. it all came down to the final hole when tiger knocked in a birdie putt to beat zach johnson and win the chevron world challenge. when "nbc nightly news" continues here, new fallout tonight from jerry sandusky's revealing new interview. and later, pandas on a plane on their way to a new home. [ male announcer ] how do you say... welcome to the neighborhood. ♪ [ male announcer ] how do you say... can you believe it's been 20 years since college? ♪ [ male announcer ] nothing says "you're special" like boursin, a creamy, crumbly blend of real cheese and savory herbs, boursin makes any moment more memorable. even if you're saying... my mother has the kids tonight. ♪ [ male announcer ] how do you say boursin? to find you a great deal, even if it's not with us. [ ding ]

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>> well, he was coming to me with a concern. >> reporter: it is the exchange people here at penn state are still talking about, accused child molester jerry sandusky needs help from his lawyer to explain that he's not sexually attracted to young children. he stumbled on that simple question when asked about it last month by nbc's bob costas. given a second chance by "the new york times" -- >> i was saying, what in the world is this question? if i say no, i'm not attracted to boys, that's not the truth because -- >> reporter: sandusky's lawyer interrupts and coaches him off camera. >> boys, girls -- >> you're attracted because -- >> i enjoy, that's what i -- i enjoy spending time with young people, i enjoy spending time with people. >> reporter: his lawyer says sandusky gave the interview so people could learn more about the positive aspects of sandusky's life. but many legal analysts say his

attempts to explain himself in public while facing 40 counts of child sex abuse seems an unusual strategy, and some of what he revealed could complicate his defense. >> the rule of thumb for all attorneys is basically do not have them talk on camera to anyone. >> reporter: sandusky said he stayed in touch with some of his alleged victims, even inviting one of them to dinner after a local paper reported on the grand jury investigation. >> i had dinner with one of the, you know -- the summer, his father and he were in my home. >> reporter: but the lawyer for that lelged vict edalleged vict, said when he got sandusky's dinner invitation, his client was so nervous, he went straight to the police. >> one of the questions it raises in my mind is this an effort on his part to tamper with witnesses, was it or wasn't it. >> reporter: his lawyer said today that two of his alleged victims were actually at that dinner, but nothing improper

took place. it was, he said, totally social in nature and pleasant. the lawyer for victim six says his client only attended the dinner because police encouraged him to. they also asked him to report back, which he did and he's now prepared to testify at a crucial hearing in sandusky's case next week. lester? >> micke isikoff, thanks. budget cuts and pandemonium across the pond. dicare plan? you only have 3 days left. the medicare annual enrollment period ends wednesday, december 7th. call unitedhealthcare medicare solutions today. consider enrolling in a medicare advantage plan. it combines your doctor and hospital coverage and may include prescription drug coverage for as low as a zero dollar monthly premium. you only have until december 7th to enroll. call unitedhealthcare today.

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three connecticut money managers who split a $254 million powerball jackpot say their new charitable trust is going to help military veterans.

it is first of many donations they expect to make using their winnings. you might recall because of their mute reed action to the big win there was some speculation they were fronting for the real winner. a trust spokesperson insists there is no fourth person. a report about britain's royal family feeling the economic squeeze. new austerity measures will cut funding to the royal household and put the queen on a pay freeze until at least 2015. among the cuts, no more taxpayer money for the duke and duchess of cambridge, will and kate's royal lifestyle will now be financed by prince charles, from his poerersonal fortune. more big news from the uk, a fedex special delivery that has the brits in a frenzy. kyra simmon has the story of sweetie and sunshine. >> reporter: worldwide, pandas are few and far between. so for two to arrive in scotland in one day was a rare event indeed. equally uncommon, a diplomatic

visit that gained so much attention when the vips themselves seem more interested in bamboo chutes. they were greeted by bagpipes, costumes and kilts, after an eight-hour journey from china, inflight meals on a plane adapted, dubbed the panda express. >> we monitored the pandas throughout the entire trip between eating the panda cakes and the carrots and the apples, they were just as happy as they could be. >> reporter: they have left their home to spend a decade in scotland. the female called sweetie is shy compared to her male traveling companion, sunshine. so shy, perhaps, that it will be months before they share a cage, and get to know each other a little better. it is notoriously difficult to breed pandas, but the hope is that sweetie and sunshine will not be the last new arrivals. once they become friends, they

provide new links between china and the outside world. >> the pandas are a symbol of the friendship and the cooperation between chinese people and others. >> reporter: the zoo says its new guests will raise awareness of an endangered species. one estimate puts the number of giant pandas in the world at less than 2,000. for now, the panda population of the uk stands at two. keir simmons, nbc news, london. that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. coming up next, "football night in america" followed by "sunday night football," lions versus the saints. brian williams will be here tomorrow. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. for all of us here at nbc news, good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> pete: from the superdome, it's a matchup between two teams from the nfc playoff pitcher. one we're used to sees there, the other, not so much. two seasons removed from their