Week 3 - Sunday
The Cincinnati Bengals , hot off 2 major victories in a row, travelled to upstate NY to take on the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field. With 82 thousand in attendance, the Bills were fresh off 2 straight losses and ready for a turn of fortune. With Jim Kelly doozed after a major hit early on, Frank Reich lobbed a 72-yarder to Lofton to give the Bills just the hope they needed. The Bengals bounced back in the 2nd quarter as Breeech put some FG's on the board. But Esiason struggled to score. Buffalo opened up their rushing game in the 2nd half as The Thurminator grabbed 2 TD's with over 140 yards. Buffalo 23, Cincinnati 6
The '98 Falcons took on a struggling '68 Colts team on the road, and scored early in the game on a 20 yard pass to Mathis. From there, both teams held each at bay with Altanta up 7-3 by the 3rd quarter. And that's when the game started exploding. Morrall opened up his passing game, throwing for 4 TD's, with over 450 yards total. He hit Pearson for a 51-yarder in the first drive of the 2nd half, and later found Orr for an 81 yarder. But it was a surprising 2 TD's in the last 2 minutes of the game that had fans on the edge of their seat. But Atlanta's offense was spread out better, and with the help of Jamal Anderson's 171 yards and 3 TDs, and their early lead, the Falcons still took home the V by a score of 34-28.
In an unlikely turn of events, the '72 Dolphins shut out the Cowboys 31-0. With both defenses holding back their opposing QB's, it would be the running game that would factor into the scoring. And that's where Miami really showed up on both sides. The Miami D held Emmitt Smith to an unprecedented 21 yards, showing why they're still one of the best in the league. On the offensive side, Csonka and Morris shared 216 yards and 3 TDs.
The '62 Packers had another fantastic game at Lambeau Field as they grab the Broncos by the horns, winning 34-17. Bart Star had a fantastic game, hitting 65% of his throws for 244 yards. He would find McGee for all 3 of his passing TDs and avoided any picks. The same could not be said of Elway, who was picked off 3 times. In the rushing arena, Jim Taylor had another great game as well with 32 carries for 158 yards. Denver, on the other hand, was limited to only getting 13 yards out of Terrell Davis. In fact, the biggest play Denver had was on special teams, with an impressive 95 yard punt return by Gordon late in the 2nd quarter. The Broncos go down 1-2 as Green Bay moves up to 2-1.
The Ravens took on the Chiefs in what turned out to be a low scoring game. In fact, the strong KC defense would keep the Ravens from scoring until halfway through the 4th quarter. But it was just that momentum that Baltimore used to score 17 points in just under 9 minutes of game time. Baltimore 17, KC 7. The Chiefs continue to come up short with scoring as they go down to 0-3 and Baltimore remains undefeated. Neither team had much more than 200 yards total offense, and no particular player shone bright, through Priest Holmes managed an impressive 7.6 ypc for Baltimore.
The '74 Raiders faced off against the '75 Vikings at Metropolitan Stadium, and it was the Vikings who would keep their momentum steady to defeat Oakland 23-10. Oakland simply struggled to score against the Purple People-Eaters, with their only TD coming off a miraculous 88 yard kickoff return early in the 3rd quarter. Stabler looked calm with 16 completions for the day and 157 yards, and the Raiders managed to hold Tarkenton back to 187 yards. But aside from the Minnesota defense being the star of the game, Oakland's failure to stop the rush was their downfall. Minnesota's 36 carries were spread among 5 ball carriers, including Tarkenton, each carrier averaging over 4 yards per carry.
The Jets came into Gilette Stadium undefeated to face off against Brady and the Patriots, but the Patriots shut down NY. Namath tried hard, landing over 200 yards, but was picked off twice and just couldn't get in the end zone. Brady, on the other hand, had no problems completing 72% of his throws with over 261 yards and 2 TDs to Randy Moss. In true Belichik fashion, New England also spread their rush game out across 6 carriers, making NY uncertain just what threat they would face next. New England 24, NYJ 6
A struggling Detroit Lions team traveled to take on the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Both teams looked great early on, trading scoring efforts in the 1st half as the game went 14-all at half. But somehow, Detroit's defense came up big in the 2nd half, stopping Wentz completely to pull off a win 27-14. Barry Sanders had a strong showing, averaging over 4 ypc with 166 yards, and rushed for 2 TDs.
Almost 69,000 fans showed up to see the Cardinals take on the undefeated Panthers in a highly anticipated rematch of the 2015 NFC Championship game. Both teams have had impressive showings in the season so far, and neither set of fans would be disappointed. After a scoreless 1st quarter, both teams traded TDs in the 2nd and 3rd quarters and seemed evenly matched. Each offense had just over 200 passing yards each and under 100 yards rushing. And where Cam Newton's 3 passing TD's would be the only of the game, Arizona's 3 rushing TD's would stand alone. As the 4th quarter started, Arizona still seemed to have trouble getting to the end zone as Catanzaro nailed a 3 pointer from 47 yards. But it would be an outstanding 61 yard run by Chris Johnson minutes later that put the Cardinals up 31-21. Carolina found their way to a FG with 3 minutes left, but ran out of time to get the other TD they would have needed to tie. Arizona reverses their fortune with the W this time, and other undefeated team falls.
The Buccaneers had a close match with the '86 Giants. They had an early lead in the 1st half, 14-3, and took an even greater lead when Brad Johnson hit Juervicius on a 15 yarder. The Giant defense stepped up at that point and gave Simms and company some chances to score. And in an impressive showing, Morris would run for 2 TD's to come within 4 points. The Giants D had 3 picks on Johnson, but Tampa Bay's D showed had 4 sacks against Simms. Both teams had great rushing games, but Simms had a mere 40% completion. Buccs win 21-17
In one of the closer games we've had all season, the '79 San Diego Chargers were host to the Houston offense that's seemed almost unstoppable. The first half of the game saw each time just grab 1 FG. Arian Foster ran for over 100 yards and 1 TD, but the Charger's secondary kept Schaub at bay with no TD's and just about 100 yards. Fouts proved difficult to stop, completing 27/47 for 283 yards. but he couldn't come up with a TD until less than a minute of game time left. Just when it looked like SD would take home a sure win, the Texans retaliated with a big play to setup for a 33 yard FG to take the game into OT. But it was the home team fans that would go wild when Owens ran a 13 yarder in the 1st 4 minutes of OT. Chargers 19, Texans 13.
The Saints and Seahawks was another close match up, but one that didn't require OT. The Saints seemed to only have their kicking game in gear early one, wile Russel Wilson was on fire, running in one TD and and throwing one to Sidney Rice. But just seconds later, as the Seahawks kicked off to New Orleans with just 45 seconds to go in the half, Roby ran 85 yards to put 6 more points up on the scoreboard, at that point trailing just 14-12. But Wilson kept up the pressue in the 3rd quarter, finding Baldwin in the end zone for 34 yards. NO put 6 of their own on the board with 2 FG's by Carney, but Marshawn Lynch proved why he's a lead rusher with a TD run just after the 2 minute warning. With Seattle up 28-18, the Saints made a great drive as Brees found Shockey for a 6 yarder with 28 seconds left. But they couldn't make the onside kick, and the final score was 28-25, Seattle.
San Francisco looked to improve their bad luck at home against the '76 Steelers, as 2 major dynasties collided at Candlestick Park. This was a high scoring game, and both teams looked good. The 9'ers were ahead at the half, 13-10. And if that wasn't enough to keep fans on the edge of their seats, the 3rd quarter started off with a bang. Flagler returned the opening kick for the 49ers and ran 87 yards for a score. And just as Cofer hit a beautiful kick to the Steelers, Deloplaine took the ball from the 3 and bounced ahead for a 97 yard TD. From there, the game was a shootout, as Montana and Bradshaw traded passing TD's. Pittsburgh headed into Q4 with a 4 point lead at 24-20, and an early TD throw by Bradshaw put Montana in a tight spot at 31-20. Montana, in typical fashion, would find both Taylor and Rice for 2 TD's in a great comeback, and both teams were tied as just 1 minute remained on the clock. But Grossman made a great end zone catch, and the Steelers dealt the 9'ers their 3rd straight loss, 41-34. The 9ers had 4 passing TD's on the day and almost 300 yards, with John Taylor grabbing half those at 143. The Steelers came up big rushing with 242 yards among Franco Harris, Bleier and Deloplaine.
In the evening game, the '73 Rams took on the '69 Browns. Both teams are coming off 2 straight losses, so each team was fighting for the chance to break that streak and gain some momentum. Los Angeles looked good as McCutcheon and Bertelsen both ran for 145 yards, which came in handy as they struggled to get their rushing game going. Cleveland looked great in the air, with 191 yards by Nelsen and 72.2% completion. But with both teams tied early in the 4th quarter, it would be the Rams' running game that would help find Gordon in the end zone as the Rams went home victorious, 16-10.
The '98 Falcons took on a struggling '68 Colts team on the road, and scored early in the game on a 20 yard pass to Mathis. From there, both teams held each at bay with Altanta up 7-3 by the 3rd quarter. And that's when the game started exploding. Morrall opened up his passing game, throwing for 4 TD's, with over 450 yards total. He hit Pearson for a 51-yarder in the first drive of the 2nd half, and later found Orr for an 81 yarder. But it was a surprising 2 TD's in the last 2 minutes of the game that had fans on the edge of their seat. But Atlanta's offense was spread out better, and with the help of Jamal Anderson's 171 yards and 3 TDs, and their early lead, the Falcons still took home the V by a score of 34-28.
In an unlikely turn of events, the '72 Dolphins shut out the Cowboys 31-0. With both defenses holding back their opposing QB's, it would be the running game that would factor into the scoring. And that's where Miami really showed up on both sides. The Miami D held Emmitt Smith to an unprecedented 21 yards, showing why they're still one of the best in the league. On the offensive side, Csonka and Morris shared 216 yards and 3 TDs.
The '62 Packers had another fantastic game at Lambeau Field as they grab the Broncos by the horns, winning 34-17. Bart Star had a fantastic game, hitting 65% of his throws for 244 yards. He would find McGee for all 3 of his passing TDs and avoided any picks. The same could not be said of Elway, who was picked off 3 times. In the rushing arena, Jim Taylor had another great game as well with 32 carries for 158 yards. Denver, on the other hand, was limited to only getting 13 yards out of Terrell Davis. In fact, the biggest play Denver had was on special teams, with an impressive 95 yard punt return by Gordon late in the 2nd quarter. The Broncos go down 1-2 as Green Bay moves up to 2-1.
The Ravens took on the Chiefs in what turned out to be a low scoring game. In fact, the strong KC defense would keep the Ravens from scoring until halfway through the 4th quarter. But it was just that momentum that Baltimore used to score 17 points in just under 9 minutes of game time. Baltimore 17, KC 7. The Chiefs continue to come up short with scoring as they go down to 0-3 and Baltimore remains undefeated. Neither team had much more than 200 yards total offense, and no particular player shone bright, through Priest Holmes managed an impressive 7.6 ypc for Baltimore.
The '74 Raiders faced off against the '75 Vikings at Metropolitan Stadium, and it was the Vikings who would keep their momentum steady to defeat Oakland 23-10. Oakland simply struggled to score against the Purple People-Eaters, with their only TD coming off a miraculous 88 yard kickoff return early in the 3rd quarter. Stabler looked calm with 16 completions for the day and 157 yards, and the Raiders managed to hold Tarkenton back to 187 yards. But aside from the Minnesota defense being the star of the game, Oakland's failure to stop the rush was their downfall. Minnesota's 36 carries were spread among 5 ball carriers, including Tarkenton, each carrier averaging over 4 yards per carry.
The Jets came into Gilette Stadium undefeated to face off against Brady and the Patriots, but the Patriots shut down NY. Namath tried hard, landing over 200 yards, but was picked off twice and just couldn't get in the end zone. Brady, on the other hand, had no problems completing 72% of his throws with over 261 yards and 2 TDs to Randy Moss. In true Belichik fashion, New England also spread their rush game out across 6 carriers, making NY uncertain just what threat they would face next. New England 24, NYJ 6
A struggling Detroit Lions team traveled to take on the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Both teams looked great early on, trading scoring efforts in the 1st half as the game went 14-all at half. But somehow, Detroit's defense came up big in the 2nd half, stopping Wentz completely to pull off a win 27-14. Barry Sanders had a strong showing, averaging over 4 ypc with 166 yards, and rushed for 2 TDs.
Almost 69,000 fans showed up to see the Cardinals take on the undefeated Panthers in a highly anticipated rematch of the 2015 NFC Championship game. Both teams have had impressive showings in the season so far, and neither set of fans would be disappointed. After a scoreless 1st quarter, both teams traded TDs in the 2nd and 3rd quarters and seemed evenly matched. Each offense had just over 200 passing yards each and under 100 yards rushing. And where Cam Newton's 3 passing TD's would be the only of the game, Arizona's 3 rushing TD's would stand alone. As the 4th quarter started, Arizona still seemed to have trouble getting to the end zone as Catanzaro nailed a 3 pointer from 47 yards. But it would be an outstanding 61 yard run by Chris Johnson minutes later that put the Cardinals up 31-21. Carolina found their way to a FG with 3 minutes left, but ran out of time to get the other TD they would have needed to tie. Arizona reverses their fortune with the W this time, and other undefeated team falls.
The Buccaneers had a close match with the '86 Giants. They had an early lead in the 1st half, 14-3, and took an even greater lead when Brad Johnson hit Juervicius on a 15 yarder. The Giant defense stepped up at that point and gave Simms and company some chances to score. And in an impressive showing, Morris would run for 2 TD's to come within 4 points. The Giants D had 3 picks on Johnson, but Tampa Bay's D showed had 4 sacks against Simms. Both teams had great rushing games, but Simms had a mere 40% completion. Buccs win 21-17
In one of the closer games we've had all season, the '79 San Diego Chargers were host to the Houston offense that's seemed almost unstoppable. The first half of the game saw each time just grab 1 FG. Arian Foster ran for over 100 yards and 1 TD, but the Charger's secondary kept Schaub at bay with no TD's and just about 100 yards. Fouts proved difficult to stop, completing 27/47 for 283 yards. but he couldn't come up with a TD until less than a minute of game time left. Just when it looked like SD would take home a sure win, the Texans retaliated with a big play to setup for a 33 yard FG to take the game into OT. But it was the home team fans that would go wild when Owens ran a 13 yarder in the 1st 4 minutes of OT. Chargers 19, Texans 13.
The Saints and Seahawks was another close match up, but one that didn't require OT. The Saints seemed to only have their kicking game in gear early one, wile Russel Wilson was on fire, running in one TD and and throwing one to Sidney Rice. But just seconds later, as the Seahawks kicked off to New Orleans with just 45 seconds to go in the half, Roby ran 85 yards to put 6 more points up on the scoreboard, at that point trailing just 14-12. But Wilson kept up the pressue in the 3rd quarter, finding Baldwin in the end zone for 34 yards. NO put 6 of their own on the board with 2 FG's by Carney, but Marshawn Lynch proved why he's a lead rusher with a TD run just after the 2 minute warning. With Seattle up 28-18, the Saints made a great drive as Brees found Shockey for a 6 yarder with 28 seconds left. But they couldn't make the onside kick, and the final score was 28-25, Seattle.
San Francisco looked to improve their bad luck at home against the '76 Steelers, as 2 major dynasties collided at Candlestick Park. This was a high scoring game, and both teams looked good. The 9'ers were ahead at the half, 13-10. And if that wasn't enough to keep fans on the edge of their seats, the 3rd quarter started off with a bang. Flagler returned the opening kick for the 49ers and ran 87 yards for a score. And just as Cofer hit a beautiful kick to the Steelers, Deloplaine took the ball from the 3 and bounced ahead for a 97 yard TD. From there, the game was a shootout, as Montana and Bradshaw traded passing TD's. Pittsburgh headed into Q4 with a 4 point lead at 24-20, and an early TD throw by Bradshaw put Montana in a tight spot at 31-20. Montana, in typical fashion, would find both Taylor and Rice for 2 TD's in a great comeback, and both teams were tied as just 1 minute remained on the clock. But Grossman made a great end zone catch, and the Steelers dealt the 9'ers their 3rd straight loss, 41-34. The 9ers had 4 passing TD's on the day and almost 300 yards, with John Taylor grabbing half those at 143. The Steelers came up big rushing with 242 yards among Franco Harris, Bleier and Deloplaine.
In the evening game, the '73 Rams took on the '69 Browns. Both teams are coming off 2 straight losses, so each team was fighting for the chance to break that streak and gain some momentum. Los Angeles looked good as McCutcheon and Bertelsen both ran for 145 yards, which came in handy as they struggled to get their rushing game going. Cleveland looked great in the air, with 191 yards by Nelsen and 72.2% completion. But with both teams tied early in the 4th quarter, it would be the Rams' running game that would help find Gordon in the end zone as the Rams went home victorious, 16-10.
Comments
Post a Comment