Week 7 - Sunday

'98 Atlanta vs. '73 Los Angeles

The Falcons got off to a great start against the Rams, in what would prove to be a well matched game. Jamal Anderson got an early TD run to give Atlanta the lead, but Hadl retaliated later, finding Bertelsen for a 29 yard end zone throw. From there, each team traded FG's, keeping the score tied at as an explosive 2nd quarter got started.

Both teams fought for control, but Los Angeles broke through the Falcons D midway as Baker went 9 yards for the score to take the lead. But Chandler would put together a good drive of his own after, giving Jamal Anderson room to make another TD run and tie things up with just 3 minutes in the half.

The Rams' Bryant, not content with a tie, put Atlanta in a tough spot after taking the next kickoff 91 yards for a score. It's at this point Atlanta showed their grit, as Chandler got just shy of the goal, letting Andersen bring in a FG before the half.

From there, the Rams' lead would find itself slowly cut as both teams struggled for position in the 2nd half. Atlanta put 3 up on the board in Q3 with an easy FG by Andersen, and later Chandler would setup for a 3rd Andersen TD run to give Atlanta their first lead.

Hadl, with only 144 yards on the day, would find Jackson for 18 of those and make them worth 7 points before the 2-minute warning. With that, the Rams had the final edge, 31,-30, dealing Atlanta their 3rd loss in a row. The Rams, on the other hand, break their losing streak as both teams now move to 3-4 records. Atlanta had an impressive 420+ yards total offense, but we've seen all year how that can be useless against this Rams D, which had 5 sacks on the day and made the big plays when needed.

'72 Miami vs. '90 Buffalo

Miami remains undefeated on the road with their 5th straight win, as they traveled to Buffalo to take on Kelly and the Bills. Let's be honest about this game - Buffalo did good by the numbers, with over 300 yards offense and some big plays, including a 56 yard catch by Lofton. But also by the numbers, Miami's 69 passing yards don't reflect a failure passing, but a failure to need to pass. Morrall only completed 3 of 11, but had no need to throw as the Dolphins' offensive line made block after block to get Miami's rushers an unprecedented 347 yards.

For an idea how bad things go, 5 different rushers had 50 yards or more on the day for the Dolphins team. We're used to seeing big yards from Csonka and Morris, but even they got tired as Kiick had 50 yards and Ginn had 70 (after a 57 yarder, the longest of the game).

There's no other way to tell the story of this game - you just can't win if the other team runs nearly 350 yards. That just gives them too much ball position to score. And score Miami did, with Csonka having 3 on the day. Miami wins by a final of 42-17.

'99 Jacksonville vs. '88 Cincinnati

Jacksonville faced off against a Bengals teams that's been looking better each week, and with their undefeated streak on the line, everyone was waiting to see what would happen.

Jacksonville took an easy lead in the 1st quarter after a great TD drive and an 88 yard punt return for TD early in the 2nd quarter. Esiason immediately came back with an outstanding 65 yarder to McGee, showing he has what it takes to bring it to Jacksonville.

Both teams would trade scores from there, but Jacksonville would go up at the half by 10 with a last second FG from 41 yards out. They would need that lead, as Cincinnati would pick up the pace in the 2nd half. By the 4th quarter, Jacksonville went up by 13, but Esiason put together a fantastic comeback, throwing 2 TDs in the 4th quarter, leaving the Jaguars just 100 seconds with a 1 point deficit.

Jacksonville, in true evidence of their persistence all year, still found a way to get close enough for Hollis to try an easy 19 yarder, which he nailed to give the Jags a win. Final score, 30-28, with the Bengals taking a hard loss. Both teams were pretty even on the numbers, this one simply came down to opportunity, which the Jaguars had.

'68 Colts vs. '12 Houston

The struggling Colts team had to face an explosive Houston team that nevertheless remains 50% on their record. But Baltimore's defense seemed ready for the challenge. Despite letting Foster slip by early on with a TD run, they held the Texans from scoring for the next few quarters, giving Morrall some chance to figure out Houston's D. And figure it out he did. With 155 rushing yards and 185 passing yards on the day, the Colts mostly settled for FG's, hitting 3 of 4 attempts, all from 30 or more yards. But Morrall would finally find the end zone on a 46 yard throw to Richardson, giving his Colts an even greater lead over the Texans.

In fact, the Colts D was so good, that the usually high yardage Texans were held to just over 230 yards total. Along with a Safety late in the 2nd quarter, and holding the Texans to a FG in the 2 minute warning, they certainly earned the MVP spot in this game.

The Colts win their first home game over the Texans, 18-10.

'91 Detroit vs. '75 Minnesota

Detroit comes up with a big upset over Minnesota, earning their first win at home and some much needed respect as they look to inch higher in the division. Barry Sanders had a big day, running in the first 2 TD's of the game to help boost Detroit to a good start. Tarkenton found it easy enough to complete passes, but the Lions D found a way to make sure he struggled to score. Settling for a FG early on, it would be the best momentum he'd have for much of the game.

Detroit would continue their momentum, as Kramer came up with a big throw Green for a 48 yard score. Only 198 total yards on the day, his 61% completion was comparable to Tarkenton's, but what the Vikings don't have is a Barry Sanders. Sanders, with already 2 TD's early on, would find his way in again 2 more times in the 3rd quarter, putting Minnesota down 38-3. Sanders, with 196 yards on the day and a longest run of 40, comes up big with an average of 6.8 yards per carry.

By the last few minutes of the 3rd quarter, Tarkenton was able to start finding his targets, throwing for 2 TD's by the game's end. In the end, the Lions go up 2-4 with their impressive 38-17 win.

'74 Oakland vs. '62 Green Bay

The Green Bay defense was in top shape at Lambeau field as the Oakland Raiders looked to knock them off their streak. And for their efforts, they got the first score of the game with a safety after breaking down the Oakland line. The Raider's D came up huge on the following drive, however, popping the ball out of the Packer's and running 35 yards for the TD to take a 7-2 lead.

By this time, both teams faced a standstill for several drives, with the 2nd quarter being scoreless. Early into the 2nd half, however, it would Stabler who would come up huge for Oakland, getting a 43 yard throw to Moore for a TD to go up 14-2, putting the Packers in a spot they haven't been all season. Starr wouldn't stop fighting, but could only connect to McGee for a TD, as the Oakland D continued to put pressue on him.

And with that, the Raiders deal the Packers a huge hit, breaking their 5 game winning streak and dealing them their first loss at home. Final score Oakland 14, Green Bay 9. Oakland is now 3-1 on the road, significantly better than they are at home.

'15 Arizona vs. '86 New York

Arizona rolled into New York to take on the Giants, but the Giants did not rollover for them. The Giants dominated all first half, leading 8-0 on 2 Allegre FG's and a devastating Safety. In fact, it looked like New York would shut out Arizona, but Palmer put together a crucial drive with under 2 minutes to put the Cardinals within 1 at the half.

In the 3rd quarter, the Giants continued to hold back Arizona, giving Simms a chance to pickup the team's first TD to go up 15-7. As the 3rd quarter wound down, Carson Palmer found his chance to take the Cardinals to the red zone, where Brown would run the rest of the way to put the Cardinals back within a point of a win.

The 4th quarter would remain stale, until the Cardinals got the ball just before the 2 minute warning. Everything went their way, and with 8 seconds left, the Cardinals lined up for a 41 yard attempt to take home the win. And that's when Lawrence Taylor and company shocked the football world with a blocked kick that they would take 76 yards, all the way for a final nail in the coffin.

Despite Arizona's impressive defensive showing, and 4 picks against Simms, Morris had a big day with 29 carries for 120 yards and the Giants D showed up to make some big hits.

Final score NYG 22, Arizona 14.

'91 Washington vs. '89 San Francisco

San Francisco had no problems moving the ball against Washington at RFK Stadium, but they ended up settling for 3 on several drives in the first half. The Redskins, on the other hand, saw Rypien come up with 2 big pass plays for TD's to both Orr and Clark.

That 17-9 lead would shrink a bit in the 3rd quarter after Montana hit Taylor on a big drive to sneak within 1 of the 'Skins. But Lott and crew, despite a pick against Rypien, couldn't hold him off forever. With just over 5 minutes in the 4th quarter , Rypien found on Orr on another big throw for 38 yards and the lead Washington needed to win.

Washington just had a great day on offense, with Rypien completing 70% of just 17 throws, but racking up large gains for a total of 239 yards. Byner had over 100 yards on the day as well, helping to setup some of those Washington scores.

With the 24-16 win over the 9ers, Washington cements their status at the top of the NFC North. They're now 3-1 at home and 3-1 against the NFC. SF remains at the bottom of the ladder.

'79 San Diego vs. '08 Tennessee

The Chargers and Titans had a stale 1st quarter in Tennessee, but Fouts did get some plays together to put San Diego in range for a 41-yard FG. But the Titans were quick to return the favor, with a good drive downfield that found Johnson running in for 7. San Diego would find another FG before the half, but still went in down 7-6.

As the 3rd quarter rolled around, Fouts continued his momentum, throwing downfield and finding Klein on an easy 1 yarder to go up 13-7. San Diego's defense continued holding Collins off for a while, with the Titans settling for a FG. But that would be all they would get. With just under 140 passing yards, Collins just couldn't come up with any big plays against the Chargers.

Fouts, on the other hand, threw for over 230 yards, including a 52 yarder to Jefferson. So by a score of 16-10, San Diego wins on the road, remaining undefeated against the AFC. Tennessee, on the other hand, is dealt their first loss at home and will have to regroup their offense.

'09 New Orleans vs. '85 Chicago

The Saints have had little trouble winning, but would face an uncertain Bears team off a tough loss last week. And in a show of how great both defenses are, neither team was able to put up much ground. Walter Payton's 67 yards were a high for the game.

New Orleans would take the first score, and after another FG, the Bears found themselves in a corner trying to get points on the board. McMahon would come through, setting up for a FG at the 4 minute mark and grabbing a TD throw just inside the 2 minute warning.  With both teams tied at 10, it was an impressive pass by Brees that setup the Saints for a FG before half.

From there, the Saints kept McMahon at bay all 2nd half, but finding no problems scoring their own. Brees, despite not getting the ball in the end zone himself, had over 220 yards on 17 completions. And I think we expected Chicago's defense to play stronger, but it was the Saints who came up with 7 sacks on the day.

With a final score of 23-10, Chicago gets dealt another blow with their first loss at Soldier Field and their first loss in the NFC. The Saints meanwhile remain undefeated against the NFC and keep their streak alive.

'00 Ravens vs. '13 Seahawks

The Ravens grabbed the first score of the game against the Seahawks at Century Link field, but the Legion of Boom would make sure it was their only touchdown, in an impressive display of Seattle dominance. In fact, in something you'll never see in your life again, the Schaub was only able to complete 3 of 23 passes for a total of 7 yards. Seattle put on the pressure and just didn't back down.

Wilson had no problems throwing against Baltimore, however, 2/3 of his marks with 336 yards and 3 TDs. He also ran for 45 yards, coming in just 2nd behind Lynch's 65 yards rushing.

I don't know what happened to Baltimore's usually solid defense, but Seattle stays on a roll, winning their 6th straight since their opening week loss by a score of 24-6. They have yet to play but 1 NFC team, so time will tell how their streak holds as they start to come back home to face some divisional teams.

'17 Philadelphia vs. '91 Dallas

Philadelphia, hot off a big win last week, traveled to Dallas to face a good team that's just struggled to win in 5 straight games now. And a struggle is the best way to explain this game. Smith would grab a punt return early in the 1st quarter and put up Philadelphia's only TD on the day. In fact, it would be their only score all day, as they only had 92 yards on offense total.

Dallas, on the other hand, had no trouble putting together offense, but the Eagles held Dallas out of the end zone all game, with Elliot grabbing the Cowboys' only points. Being 2 of 4 on the day, he was booed out of Dallas after missing 2 critical kicks from over 40 yards out.

Of course, when Emmitt Smith gets the most catches on your team, you know Troy Aikman simply had trouble finding open men downfield.  So, despite having almost no offense, Philadelphia takes home a huge win to move 2nd in the NFC North after the 7-6 win against Dallas.