Week 11 - Sunday

'97 Denver vs. '75 Minnesota

The Vikings, who have lost 2 games in a row, hosted the Denver Broncos at Metropolitan Stadium, themselves looking for a win. Both teams sit at the bottom of their division, but with the right wins, Minnesota stands to gain ground.

The first quarter was all Minnesota, as the Vikings grabbed 2 TD's against a Broncos team that seemed unable to stop the ball or move it.

In the 2nd quarter, Elway got a little more movement on the ball, but Terrell Davis was stopped cold each play so Denver had to settle for FG's. Unfortunately for Denver, their defense was still getting destroyed by the Vikings, and Marinaro pulled out a 40 yard run to set the Vikings ahead 21-6 at the half.

Things didn't look any better the 2nd half, as Minnesota continued tallying up yards and Denver kept failing to. In fact, the Vikings had a huge day, racking up 478 yards, split evenly between passing and running. Tarkenton hit an astonishing 74% of his throws to average 8 yds / catch. Foreman broke 102 yards rushing and Marinaro came close at 90.

Vikings fans go home happy with the 35-6 win.

'12 Houston vs. '00 Baltimore

The Texans traveled to Baltimore to challenge the Ravens in a classic match between 2 very similar teams. And indeed, with a game decided by just 2 points, the 64,000 fans in attendance clearly got what they came for.

The 1st quarter was a standoff, until a last second run by Tate crossed the goal to put Houston up 7-0. The Ravens bounced back with a FG, but Schaub had no problems returning the favor on a 16 yard throw to Walter.

Baltimore seemed in trouble, but in the last 2 mintues of the half, their defense came through, giving them 2 chances to score. They would only come away with 3 on each opportunity, but down 14-9 at the half this was clearly anyone's game.

In the 3rd quarter, the Ravens continued pushing the Texans, and Jamal Lewis was able to run in 5 for a score to give the Raven their first lead, 16-14. On the very next kickoff, however, Houston's Holliday found all the right blocks, dashing 87 yards for a TD to put the Texans back on top. From there, the 4th quarter was another standoff, with the Ravens settling for a FG at 23 out. Final score Texans 21, Ravens 19

It's clear the kickoff return was a big boost for the Texans, who only managed 239 yards. It's also clear Houston's defense was pumped, holding Baltimore to several FG's despite the Ravens racking up 405 yards. Jama Lewis had a big day with 149 yards on just 20 carries, one of those being an explosive 69 yarder. Sharpe also had 7 grabs for 139 yards, clearly being Banks' go-to man.

'09 New Orleans vs. '02 Tampa Bay

The Buccs welcomed the Saints at Raymond James Stadium for an unpredictable matchup that turned out to be a high yardage shootout.

The Saints looked great early on, holding the Buccs to just a FG while putting up 10 points of their own with a Brees TD throw Shockey and a 27 yard Carney FG. But the Buccs bounced back, with Pittman running in a TD to tie.

On their next possession, the Buccs would let Grammatica nail a 39 yarder to take the edge in the final seconds of the first half.

In the 2nd half, Tampa Bay kept up their momentum and continued to dominate. Holding Brees to just 1 TD, the Buccs put up 17 points of their own to win 30-17.


Both teams passed for over 300 yards each through a total of 77 pass plays. Both QB's were over 75% accurate with each of their throws and neither one threw a pick. On the receiving side, it was Keyshawn Johnson again being the difference maker for the Buccs, catching 11 of Johnson's 35 completions and averaging 11.7 yards per catch.

'68 NY Jets vs. '91 Washington

The Redskins were happy for another home game, but with a strong team like the Jets visiting, nothing was going to be easy. Or was it?

With just 10 points on the day, the Jets just seemed confused about what they were trying to achieve. Perhaps had they had the ball longer, they may have had some opportunity. The Redskins ended up with almost 40 minutes time of posession, proving they were in control all game.

The Redskins D ended up holding Namath to just 151 yards passing, while Rypien found a way to put 182 yards of his own. But this game was all about the rush attack, with Rypien handing the ball to a carrier 44 times. But he had every reason to - with Byner and Ervins (yes. that one!) both breaking 100 yards on the day, each with a run of 40 or more yards as well.

When passing was attempted, Rypien was the clear king, hitting 17 / 25 with 2 TDs,  whereas Namath only completed half as many.

Washington's beating of NY ended up in a 32-10 final score, Redskins.

'95 Atlanta vs. '15 Carolina

The Falcons and Panthers found themselves in a high scoring shootout at Bank of America Stadium. With over 75,000 fans in attendance, all seats were tuned in as both teams are essentially tied for top record in the NFC South.

Carolina got the 1st points of the game after settling for a FG that was essentially a PAT at 21 yards out. Atlanta returned the favor as Jamal Anderson ran in for a TD just before the 2nd quarter.

Early in the 2nd quarter, Newton put together a stellar drive and found Olsen in the end zone for a 22 yard TD. But from there, Atlanta exploded. With Newton being put inside his own 10 on a perfect punt, the Falcons came up with a Safety. And after holding Newton again, Dwight returned a long punt even longer for a 74 yard score.
Down 16-10 at this point, Carolina needed to catch a break to stay in the game. And close the 3:00 minute mark, Newton would find that break after Ginn Jr. took a catch 59 yards for the score. Carolina went into halftime up just 17-16, and would come back in the 3rd quarter to dominate after Newton found Olsen wide open and made the completion for a 49 yard score.

With 2 FG's on top of that, the game became a 2-score affair. But as the 4th quarter kicked off, the Falcons rose to the challenge. WIth their D stepping up to stop Newton, it was up to their offense, which had struggled for 2 quarters straight. But they found the opportunities they needed, with Jamal Anderson grabbing another TD and Chandler finding Mathis on a deep ball for 53 yards just as the 2 minute warning kicked in.

Tied, with 2 minutes to go, overtime seemed certain, But as time was ticking down, Newton went back to what worked before, finding Ginn Jr. wide open for a 45 yard TD throw.

And with that, the Panthers win 37-30. With over 411 passing yards on 26 completions, Newton was the clear superstar. Averaging an overwhelming 21.6 yards per catch, he threw for 4 TDs and just 1 INT. Chandler, with an identical number of completions / attempts, only managed 265 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT's. Half of those yards for Newton were possible on the efforts of Olsen and Ginn Jr. coming up big sevveral times, each one racking up over 125 yards and each one with 2 TDs.

'99 Jaguars vs. '68 Colts

The Jaguars, for several weeks the favored team in the league, come off 2 straight losses and their playoff spot increasingly under attack. In a faceoff against the Colts, at home, their chances looked to be improving.

With each team scoring in the 1st quarter, the game appaered to be ready to go any direction. But the Jaguars proved their talent the remainder of the game, with their defense keeping Morrall and crew out of the end zone despite 232 yards passing and 99 yards rushing.

The Jags themselves ran for over 117 yards across several runners. Brunell also got 290 yards out of his 18 completions. Baltimore might have fared better, but with 9 penalties hurting them and 2 missed FG's by Hollis, they had much to improve. Jaguars win 24-7. Jacksonville remains undefeated on the road. The Colts, after a tough start to the season, were heading up with 4 straight wins. That streak is now broken.

'92 Dallas vs. '91 Detroit

The Cowboys have had a tough season against the LFL teams, and this week traveled to take on a Lions team that has been on a roll after getting off to a tough start. Expectations were high for both sides,

Dallas got the only points of the 1st quarter on an Elliot FG, as both teams appeared to be trying to find out what might work on offense. By the 2nd quarter, it was clear whose homework was paying off.

The Lions, sticking strong with their rushing game, found Sanders getting Kramer close enough to throw 2 TD's of 20+ yards. Detroit was up 14-3, but the Cowbys made it a 1-score game in the final seconds of the half after another Elliot FG.

Aikman and crew put together several good drives, with Aikman throwing for over 250 yards all day. And Michael Irvin was hist biggest target with 9 catches for 105 yards. But as the 2nd half came around, the Lions defense continued to hold them out of thte end zone, despite Dallas getting close several times. Dallas stepped up to stop Sanders, holding him to just 53 yards total on the day.But at that point, the damage had been done. Detroit wins 14-6 after the 2nd half ends up completely scoreless.

'90 Buffalo vs. '72 Miami

The Dolphins hosted the Bills in what was expected to be a great rushing game, but turned out to be a contest of Run vs. Pass. The Dolphins, having almost twice as many plays as Buffalo, ended up making 55 attempts at running the ball. It paid off.
Miami simply dominated all game, and despite struggling for a TD most of the game, settled for 3 unanswered FG’s by Yepremian. Later, with just seconds left in the quarter, Csonka powered throug the Bills to add insult to injury with 7 points on the board.

Down 16-0 at the 4th quarter, Kelly was going to need a comeback, and had plenty of time to do it. Early in the 4th quarter, his chances seemed positive after he hit Lofton on a 32 yard TD throw. But after some 3 and outs, the Bills D let Csonka slip by again.
Kelly made up for it on his next possession, finding Metzalaars on a short 15 yarder. But that would be all he could muster. After over 200 yards passing, the Bills would lose 23-13. They just couldn’t find a way to stop Csonka, who had over 100 yards of his own. Morris also had 73 yards. On Defense, Buffalo was sacked 4 times by Miami as well.

'15 Arizona vs. '89 San Francisco

The Cardinals hosted the Niners, who are off 2 big wins in a row and are looking for their only chance at a winning record. But if the first few minutes of the game were any sign, the Niners would have their work cut out for them.

The first quarter went scoreless, as each team tried a variety of plays to look for what might work. Halfway through the 2nd quarter, San Francisco seemed ready to enter enemy territory when Peterson picked off Montana and ran all the way into the end zone for a 43-yard score.

Several minutes later, Palmer got the Cardinals close enough for their 2nd score to put the Niners in a tough spot. Montana works well under pressure, though, and in just over a minute on the next possession put together a quick drive that ended in a Brent Jones TD throw.

Down 14-7 at the half, however, the Cardinals adjusted to shut out Montana, while putting up plenty of their own points. Palmer, who had 276 yards on the day, found Fitzgerald for a 38 yard score late in the 3rd quarter, and in the 4th quarter Peterson would come up with another big play as he ran a punt 90 yards for a score.
Arizona wins big, 31-7.  Arizona breaks their 3 game losing streak, while SF's hopes are dashed after 2 straight wins

Both QB’s did excellent, but with Petersons effort on defense and special teams, there was no way for San Francisco to recover. The Niners were sacked 4 times by Arizona, and struggled for yardage all game.

'07 New England vs. '17 Philadelphia

The Patriots travelled to Lincoln Financial Field for a Super Bowl 52 rematch, with over 68,000 fans in attendance.

Philadelphia took charge right away after Smallwood grabbed the opening kickoff and zipped towards the end zone, going all the way for an 89 yard score. Later, Wentz would find Alshon Jeffery on a deep throw for a 44 yard TD. Brady quickly set to work in response, and but settled for a Gostkowski FG with 5 minutes left in the quarter.

For the next 15 minutes, both teams were silent, until the Eagles were nearing the red zone. New England came up with the stop, however, and Elliot took the 3 points. New England stiill had a ways to go to get back in the game.

Knowing time was short, Brady made quick work of the Eagles and scored on a short pass to Faulk. If New England thought that was the last of Philly, however, they were mistaken when the Eagles scored just 40 seconds later as Smallwood got his 2nd TD of the game.

In the 2nd half, the Eagles lead 24-10, but the Patriots continued to have each of their scores matched by Philadelphia. Both teams scored on QB keepers.

Eagles take home the win 34-20. Both teams had over 330 yards, but it was the Eagles who balanced run and pass better. In fact, Wentz was the top rusher with 9 scrambles for 50 yards. The remaining yards were split almost evenly between all 4 of his backs, with Blount averaging the most at 5.5 yards per carry. Brady tossed twice as much as Wentz, but both QB’s had similar %’s otherwise.

'88 Cincinatti vs. '74 Oakland

Madden’s Raiders were host to the struggling Bengals team. ...
Cincinnati took charge the 1st quarter though, holding back Stabler and crew while Brooks scored on a 13 yard run. They would continue to hold Oakland, who only got a FG in the final 2 minutes of the half.

The 2nd half would look very different for both teams, as the silver and black shut down the Bengals offense. In fact, Cincinatti would total 230 yards on the day, only having the ball for 23 minutes in the game. Oakland, on the other hand, had almost 350 yards, balanced between rushing and passing. And for those efforts, they were rewarded 10 points in the 2nd half.

Down just by 6 points, Cincinatti was still 1 score away and had just under 6 minutes. But the Silver and Black attack came through for Oakland, who took home the win 13-7. Oakland wins their 3rd straight to take a clearer lead in the AFC West

Despite almost 200 rushing yards for Oakland, several ball carries exploited the Bengals, showing Madden’s brilliance as a coach. Branch was also a big target for Oakland’s passing game, grabbing 8 catches for over 100 yards. In addition to have much more ball time, the Raiders also sacked the Bengals 4 times. This game also stands out for there being 22 total penalties, almost evenly split between the teams.

'85 Chicago vs. '73 Los Angeles

The Bears, despite getting off to a great start to the season, have found themselves tested a bit more in recent weeks. The Rams, having had a tough season, have been find more luck with their running game as McCutcheon has come up with some big plays. Would it be enough to stop Chicago?

Early in the game, it would seem not. McCutcheon’s rushing helped set up for a pair of easy Hadl touchdown throws to Jackson to go up 14-0. But the 2nd quarter seemed go to Chicago. After an early FG, Buddy Ryan’s defense started shutting down the Rams, coming up big with a Safety, which setup for a kickoff that Dennis Gentry zipped past the Rams for 83 yards.

Down just 14-12, this was anyone’s game. But as Los Angeles was facing 3rd down on their next possession, McCutcheon came in for the clutch, taking off 63 yards for a score. The Bears did not look good, down 21-12 at the 2nd half.
In the 2nd half, it was Los Angeles with a huge kickoff return by Scribner right on the heels of a Butler FG, that shook the bears up more as the score went 28-15. Chicago had 20 minutes of game time, but the more they tried, it seemed the harder the Rams defense fought. Being held to a FG minutes later, it was clear the final 10 points would be tough to earn.

McCutcheon continued pounding through the big sea of black and white though, picking up another TD. Chicago still had the 4th quarter to come back, but the Rams D just had McMahon’s number. In the final seconds of the game, McMahon found a way to hit Willie Gault for a score, but it was too little too late. Rams win 35-25.

Both teams totaled over 300 yards, showing that Los Angeles has what it takes to compete. But where Chicago had over 200 passing yards, LA had over 200 rushing yards, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. McCutcheon’s runs made up over 160 yards of that, with his 69 yard run giving him an 11+ yard average. Payton was held to just 66 yards.