Week 2 - Sunday
The '79 Chargers traveled to the Pontiac Silverdome to take on a Detroit team desperate to prove itself after last week's embarrassment. And Detroit showed up strong Sanders had an impressive 151 yards, but more importantly Erik Kramer was able to find Robert Clark for some big plays, throwing for 250 yards.Detroit led 14-13 at the half. But as the 4th quarter came around, Detroit, who was still in charge, found it harder to stop Dan Fouts. The Chargers came up big on all offensive fronts, scoring 20 points to win, 33-27
The Colts and Titans both found themselves coming up with a 2-point Safety at Nissan Stadium, but Baltimore failed to capitalize on the effort, or make any more scores. Their defense successfully kept Collins from throwing any TD's, but they couldn't stop Bironas from hitting 3 of 4 field goals. Each team came up with just around 200 yards offense, but Tennessee took home the W with a score of 11-2.
The Cowboys traveled to DC to take on a Redskins team that looked shaky last week. But it was Dallas who would look a little shaky this round. The Redskins defense clearly came alive and in full force, holding Aikman to only 117 yards passing. Smith only mustered a paltry 2.2 yards per carry, looking the opposite of the league leader he was last week. While neither team had an easy time running, Mark Rypien came alive as well, throwing for 337 yards and 3 TDs, sharing the love with 1 TD each among the dangerous trio of Ervins, Sanders and Monk. Washington 33, Dallas 10
In a near exact Super Bowl 23 rematch, the '88 Bengals hosted the '89 San Francisco team, but Cincinnati's 4th quarter comeback effort reversed their fortune this time in a 21-17 Bengals win. Both QB's threw for 2 TD's, but Cincinnati came up big with over 200 rush yards between Icky Woods and James Brooks. The San Francisco defense has looked decent all season, but Montana continues to struggle with the type of passing fans are used to seeing. Esiason, however, continues to look great, completing 13-21 for 185 yards.
Attendance was a low 44,000 at Three Rivers Stadium, but those not in attendance missed the close match one could only predict between two teams with similar strengths. Despite Bradshaw being pulled after struggling for completions, the '76 Steelers looked good on offense with Kruczek. Lynn Swann took both TD's on the receiving side and Franco Harris hitting the 100 yard mark on rushing (and Bleiler with almost 50 of his own). The '13 Seahawks were down 14-10 by Q3, but despite Russel Wilson having a larger running game than Marshawn Lynch, their D was able to shut down Pittsburgh's offense in the 2nd half, giving Hauschka a chance to hit a few FG's and win the game. Seattle 16, Pittsburgh 14.
The Patriots, fresh off a win against the '76 Steelers, found themselves facing another major 70's franchise this week in the '72 Dolphins. Both teams passed well, averaging about 72 completion %. and both teams rushed for over 120 yards. But it was a late FG with :12 seconds left by Yepremian that put Miami over the top. Dolphins 20, Patriots 17
Like NE vs. Miami, the Vikings vs. Packers was another game where a pass heavy offense found itself up against a team known for a solid rushing game. But the Packers Defense showed up in full force, completely shutting out Tarkenton and the Vikings, 27-0. Jim Taylor had 2 rushing TD's in the first quarter, one of which was another impressive 80 yarder. In fact, Taylor rushed for 184 yards total. This looked like the Packers of Super Bowl fame. Tarkenton fared well, completing 21 of 31 passes, but the Packers' Willie Wood took 3 drives away from the Vikings on interceptions.
The Jaguars and the Texans engaged in a high energy shootout at NRG Stadium, and the Jaguars were in the lead at halftime, 21-10. But Houston caught up quick in the 3rd quarter, and the 4th quarter was a tense fight. Houston, whose offense put up an impressive 535 yards and had twice the time of possession as Jacksonville, still somehow couldn't come out on top. Brunell looked good early with a string of TD passes, assisted by some great ball position, and Houston's catch-up efforts just couldn't match. 38-35, Jaguars
The '86 Giants hosted the '90 Bills in what turned out to be an explosive first half shootout. Phil Simms and Jim Kelly traded passing TDs, with both teams tied 21-all going into the half. But the Giants would find themselves leaning on Dante Allegheri in the 2nd half, as he nailed 3 straight field goals to put the Giants on top, 30-21. Although the teams were the same as Super Bowl 25, this time, Norwood's missed field goal (which did happen!) couldn't be blamed for the loss. Both teams were matched well, hitting over 200 passing yards, and neither team had an impressive run game, though NY's Joe Morris did almost hit 100 yards.
Both the Cardinals and the Ravens were successful last week, but in their face-off this week only 1 could be victorious. The Ravens looked sloppy last week with 7 turnovers, but were more in tune this week as they were the ones doing the picking. With 3 INT's on Palmer, the Cardinals still kept stride as Palmer threw for over 350 yards. In fact, the Cardinals went up 31-29 with a 13 yd TD catch by Floyd with only 1:10 left to play. But the fans never sat back down, as Dilfer turned around just 30 seconds later with a 25 yard pass to "The Missile" Qadry Ismail. Ravens win, 36-31.
The '74 Oakland Raiders up their luck, just edging out the '69 Chiefs 16-13. Neither team was impressive on offense, as both defenses showed up strong, each team coming away with 3 or more turnovers. The Raiders led for most of the game after scoring the first TD in the 2nd quarter. But the game would remain FG for FG until Livingston found Otis Taylor in the end zone with 5 minutes left in the game. Oakland retaliated with a good drive, but it was FG from Blanda with 9 seconds left on the clock that put Oakland in the W column.
The Chicago Bears, fresh off a dominating win over Green Bay, met the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium. Chicago's legendary D held Denver to just 2 FG's for the most of the game, coming up big with 2 INTs on Elway and an impressive 6 sacks. while McMahon just struggled to get his throws past the Broncos' secondary, but Walter Payton took over the scoring role for the Bears with 3 TD's and 159 yards. Chicago 21, Denver 14.
The Rams hosted Brees' saints with an outstanding turnout of of over 93,000 fans attending. And while Rams fans would go home angry, their team put everything on the line. Despite failing to score, the Saints grabbed the only FG and first score of the game, with both teams finding themselves punting often. But The Rams' chances dwindled after a 48 yard TD from Brees to Henderson. The Rams brought a good rush attack, totaling over 150 yards but ultimately just struggled to get a passing game going. New Orleans wins, 9-0.
Philly took to the road to take on Atlanta in what was predicted to be a competition between 2 great defenses. After grabbing a FG on the opening drive, Philly's defense forced a fumble by Atlanta, and then came up with a Safety on Atlanta's 2nd possession. But from there, Chandler drove downfield with some great passes to grab a few TDs. Multiple penalties would dog the Falcons, but their defense came up big with 3 picks on Wentz, all of which Chandler took advantage of to score. Wentz came up with some big plays and over 200 yards passing, but just struggled to score. Atlanta 31, Philadelphia 12.
And we still have another big showdown tomorrow, but we're close to wrapping up another big week for the LFL. Overall some really impressive games, the competition is picking up. What will happen tomorrow? Tune in to see the 68 Jets take on the 69 Browns for a classic Monday night matchup!
The Colts and Titans both found themselves coming up with a 2-point Safety at Nissan Stadium, but Baltimore failed to capitalize on the effort, or make any more scores. Their defense successfully kept Collins from throwing any TD's, but they couldn't stop Bironas from hitting 3 of 4 field goals. Each team came up with just around 200 yards offense, but Tennessee took home the W with a score of 11-2.
The Cowboys traveled to DC to take on a Redskins team that looked shaky last week. But it was Dallas who would look a little shaky this round. The Redskins defense clearly came alive and in full force, holding Aikman to only 117 yards passing. Smith only mustered a paltry 2.2 yards per carry, looking the opposite of the league leader he was last week. While neither team had an easy time running, Mark Rypien came alive as well, throwing for 337 yards and 3 TDs, sharing the love with 1 TD each among the dangerous trio of Ervins, Sanders and Monk. Washington 33, Dallas 10
In a near exact Super Bowl 23 rematch, the '88 Bengals hosted the '89 San Francisco team, but Cincinnati's 4th quarter comeback effort reversed their fortune this time in a 21-17 Bengals win. Both QB's threw for 2 TD's, but Cincinnati came up big with over 200 rush yards between Icky Woods and James Brooks. The San Francisco defense has looked decent all season, but Montana continues to struggle with the type of passing fans are used to seeing. Esiason, however, continues to look great, completing 13-21 for 185 yards.
Attendance was a low 44,000 at Three Rivers Stadium, but those not in attendance missed the close match one could only predict between two teams with similar strengths. Despite Bradshaw being pulled after struggling for completions, the '76 Steelers looked good on offense with Kruczek. Lynn Swann took both TD's on the receiving side and Franco Harris hitting the 100 yard mark on rushing (and Bleiler with almost 50 of his own). The '13 Seahawks were down 14-10 by Q3, but despite Russel Wilson having a larger running game than Marshawn Lynch, their D was able to shut down Pittsburgh's offense in the 2nd half, giving Hauschka a chance to hit a few FG's and win the game. Seattle 16, Pittsburgh 14.
The Patriots, fresh off a win against the '76 Steelers, found themselves facing another major 70's franchise this week in the '72 Dolphins. Both teams passed well, averaging about 72 completion %. and both teams rushed for over 120 yards. But it was a late FG with :12 seconds left by Yepremian that put Miami over the top. Dolphins 20, Patriots 17
Like NE vs. Miami, the Vikings vs. Packers was another game where a pass heavy offense found itself up against a team known for a solid rushing game. But the Packers Defense showed up in full force, completely shutting out Tarkenton and the Vikings, 27-0. Jim Taylor had 2 rushing TD's in the first quarter, one of which was another impressive 80 yarder. In fact, Taylor rushed for 184 yards total. This looked like the Packers of Super Bowl fame. Tarkenton fared well, completing 21 of 31 passes, but the Packers' Willie Wood took 3 drives away from the Vikings on interceptions.
The Jaguars and the Texans engaged in a high energy shootout at NRG Stadium, and the Jaguars were in the lead at halftime, 21-10. But Houston caught up quick in the 3rd quarter, and the 4th quarter was a tense fight. Houston, whose offense put up an impressive 535 yards and had twice the time of possession as Jacksonville, still somehow couldn't come out on top. Brunell looked good early with a string of TD passes, assisted by some great ball position, and Houston's catch-up efforts just couldn't match. 38-35, Jaguars
The '86 Giants hosted the '90 Bills in what turned out to be an explosive first half shootout. Phil Simms and Jim Kelly traded passing TDs, with both teams tied 21-all going into the half. But the Giants would find themselves leaning on Dante Allegheri in the 2nd half, as he nailed 3 straight field goals to put the Giants on top, 30-21. Although the teams were the same as Super Bowl 25, this time, Norwood's missed field goal (which did happen!) couldn't be blamed for the loss. Both teams were matched well, hitting over 200 passing yards, and neither team had an impressive run game, though NY's Joe Morris did almost hit 100 yards.
Both the Cardinals and the Ravens were successful last week, but in their face-off this week only 1 could be victorious. The Ravens looked sloppy last week with 7 turnovers, but were more in tune this week as they were the ones doing the picking. With 3 INT's on Palmer, the Cardinals still kept stride as Palmer threw for over 350 yards. In fact, the Cardinals went up 31-29 with a 13 yd TD catch by Floyd with only 1:10 left to play. But the fans never sat back down, as Dilfer turned around just 30 seconds later with a 25 yard pass to "The Missile" Qadry Ismail. Ravens win, 36-31.
The '74 Oakland Raiders up their luck, just edging out the '69 Chiefs 16-13. Neither team was impressive on offense, as both defenses showed up strong, each team coming away with 3 or more turnovers. The Raiders led for most of the game after scoring the first TD in the 2nd quarter. But the game would remain FG for FG until Livingston found Otis Taylor in the end zone with 5 minutes left in the game. Oakland retaliated with a good drive, but it was FG from Blanda with 9 seconds left on the clock that put Oakland in the W column.
The Chicago Bears, fresh off a dominating win over Green Bay, met the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium. Chicago's legendary D held Denver to just 2 FG's for the most of the game, coming up big with 2 INTs on Elway and an impressive 6 sacks. while McMahon just struggled to get his throws past the Broncos' secondary, but Walter Payton took over the scoring role for the Bears with 3 TD's and 159 yards. Chicago 21, Denver 14.
The Rams hosted Brees' saints with an outstanding turnout of of over 93,000 fans attending. And while Rams fans would go home angry, their team put everything on the line. Despite failing to score, the Saints grabbed the only FG and first score of the game, with both teams finding themselves punting often. But The Rams' chances dwindled after a 48 yard TD from Brees to Henderson. The Rams brought a good rush attack, totaling over 150 yards but ultimately just struggled to get a passing game going. New Orleans wins, 9-0.
Philly took to the road to take on Atlanta in what was predicted to be a competition between 2 great defenses. After grabbing a FG on the opening drive, Philly's defense forced a fumble by Atlanta, and then came up with a Safety on Atlanta's 2nd possession. But from there, Chandler drove downfield with some great passes to grab a few TDs. Multiple penalties would dog the Falcons, but their defense came up big with 3 picks on Wentz, all of which Chandler took advantage of to score. Wentz came up with some big plays and over 200 yards passing, but just struggled to score. Atlanta 31, Philadelphia 12.
And we still have another big showdown tomorrow, but we're close to wrapping up another big week for the LFL. Overall some really impressive games, the competition is picking up. What will happen tomorrow? Tune in to see the 68 Jets take on the 69 Browns for a classic Monday night matchup!
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