Week 13 - Sunday
As big as the games are this week, I unfortunately don't have the time available to write up my usual summaries, but perhaps that's best for you, the reader. With things getting so close in the final weeks, I hope to have time to present a good playoff picture before Week 14 starts.Until then, let's review today's shocking (and not so shocking) results.
In a winnable position for the 2nd half, both teams struggled for movement. Baltimore would settle for a 3rd quarter Stover FG from 42 yards out. But with only 6 points in the lead, a win was all but certain.
It seemed like things were going San Fran's way in the 4th quarter after they pulled off a Safety against the Ravens'. But with 5 minutes left, the Ravens defense held the Niners at bay.
So the loss goes to San Fran, 16-12. Montana had a great day, throwing for almost 300 yards and 68% completion. Jerry Rice grabbed just 4 of those throws to rack up 122 yards, but without any TD's. The Ravens gained over 120 yards rushing against San Fran, but their 5 sacks on D proved more dangerous than Ronnie Lott's single INT.
San Fran remains without a win on the road. The Ravens continue their fight for a playoff sport.
Washington would adapt in the 2nd half and steel the Panthers' momentum, but struggled themselves to score until a Rypien-Clark pass in the final seconds of the game. Carolina wins 17-14
Carolina had over 420 yards total on offense, with 5 rushers sharing the 142 yards on the ground . Newton was 19-31 on the day with 2 TDs and 1 pick, averaging 15.6 yards per catch. This is all despite a whopping 12 penalties. The Redskins played good ball, but just didn't have enough to score when it counted.
With the loss for Washington and a win for the Eagles, the NFC East, Philly has a chance at the division in this highly contested spot. This is Carolina's 3rd straight win and a sure sign they're headed for postseason action.
They would keep control all game, racking up a high 4 TD's. Boomer Esiason had a big game, tossing for over 300 yards. Over 160 of those came from Brown's 8 catches on the day, showing this duo was a magic one against the typically tough Jets D.
Namath was able to get several catches to Maynard and Sauer, but only Maynard broke 100 yards on the day.
Final score 28-7, Bengals.
With the big upset in NY, the Jets' status in the AFC is shaken up. The Bengals pick up their 5th win, breaking a 3 game loss streak.
The Colts D also held the Titans to just 130 yards all day. Add to that a whole 10 penalties, and it was clearly a bad day for Tennessee.
Baltimore wins 33-3. The loss for TN could spell jeopardy for the Titan's wild card chances.
Tampa 28, Jacksonville 10
The Jaguars losses are starting to add up to daggers in their lead of the division, and their road record at 6-1 is far better than their 50% record at home.
The 21-3 lead wouldn't last long in the 3rd quarter, as Stabler scored early and Oakland's defense held Kansas City for several more possessions. In fact, with 5 minutes in the 3rd quarter left, one such stop would lead to a deep punt to Smith, who grabbed another TD after taking the return 69 yards.
Down by just 4 and 1 quarter of game play to go, the game was up for grabs. But the Chiefs locked down against Oakland, and after grabbing another TD with 5 minutes left, secured their victory.
Kansas City wins 28-17. Both teams exceeded 300 yards on offense, with no 1 person grabbing spectacular numbers as offense was well spread around. Dawson's 2 passing TD's both went to Pitts, and his 263 yards on 15 throws surpasses Stabler. Stabler, who did well himself, completed 22 throws for 228 yards. Both QB's threw 2 picks. Kansas City's usually high turnover ratio was matched just as much by Oakland.
With the 4th straight win by Kansas City, they now slide to the top spot in the division, showing that nothing is certain for playoff spots at this point.
The Eagles scored the only TD's in the first half, both on a sneak by Wentz and a throw to Alshon Jeffrey. Each team held still for Q3, but Miami started gaining momentum in Q4, with Morris finally getting some positive rushing yards and 36 yard TD run. Miami would get another TD on a Morral throw to Twilley, but not until Wentz would get on into Ertz.
Philly's defense gets the credit this game, holding Miami to under 200 yards total. For several weeks, the Dolphins had been running for that alone. Wentz-Jeffrey was a big duo on the day, accounting 116 of the 239 yards passing by Philly. Of those 116, half were on Wentz' biggest play of the game. Wentz hit 8 other targets on the day, completing almost 69% of his throws.
Morral has never been a great passer, but at 4 for 15, he clearly struggled more than normal against the Eagles. Morris, with the big rushing TD, had an average day, but the usually active Csonka was kept to just a 1.3 yard average.
With that, the Eagles upset Miami 21-14. That's their 3rd straight win and actually improves their shot at the playoffs. Not to mention, they may have potentially knocked the Dolphins out.
The game's 1st TD would come early, after the Packers held NY on the opening drive, and Pitts would return the punt a full 73 yards.
From there, the Blue Wrecking Crew, led by Taylor, held off the Packers. Green Bay, whose defense has also been a force to deal with, held New York to just 2 FG's by Allegre.
So with those efforts, Green Bay wins by just 1 point, 7-6. Given that NY held Green Bay to just 120 yards total, it's astonishing that Simm's efforts weren't met with more scores. But Simms, despite having a good day, mostly only found Bavaro to lean on, with 8 catches for 114 yards. He had trouble spreading his efforts out more.
Green Bay practically solidifies their division lead with this, their 4th straight win. They remain 7-1 against NFC opponents and become the LFL's favored NFC team.
McCutcheon would come up with a big 32 yard dash for LA to score before the half, but not before Johnson would run one in for Arizona as well.
With a 21-14 lead at half, Los Angeles had plenty of time to move the ball, but failed to score on any of it. Arizona, while coming up with fewer big plays, would increase their lead by 2 more FG's. Cardinals win 27-14. Los Angeles had much more time with the ball but Palmer's 2 TDs and 0 picks show great accuracy spread across 8 receivers.
With the win, Arizona stays 5-1 at home and improves their playoff chances. At the same time, they almost guarantee the Rams' chances are gone.
With a 3-3 score at halftime, it was clear this match was one for the ages. And after a scoreless 3rd quarter, the Chargers would take a 9-3 lead in the 4th quarter with a run by Mitchell and a missed PAT.
Elway, the comeback king, took time to find his opportunity, but with the game's final seconds ticking down, hit Shannon Sharpe on an 18 yard throw to go up 10-9. But Los Angeles, with just 30 seconds to play, would let Owens return the kick from Denver's TD. Owens would go not 70, not 80, but 93 yards on the return, and the Chargers would get the win on a 15-10 final score (with another missed PAT).
Denver was not without opportunity, with Elam having uncharacteristically missing 2 FGs on the day in his own hometown. Both were just from 30+ yards out. San Diego's 200+ rushing yards came mostly from a split effort from Williams, Thomas and Mitchell, each averaging from 5-10 yards per carry. Fouts was held to only 100 yards passing, and while Elway's accuracy was great, he simply missed his chances at the end zone.
San Diego's win over Denver, while no shock, puts the AFC West in a 3-way tie for record. This means playoff hopes here, favoring KC and Oakland, still rest in the outcome of the remaining divisional matches.
Today's game was no different, with the home team Steelers getting an easy win. The Steel Curtain had no trouble keeping Nelsen and crew out of the end zone, holding the Browns to just 165 yards and sacking Nelsen 4 times. On the other hand, Bradshaw's passing efforts were just enough to give support to Harris and Bleier, who both grabbed 191 yards together against Cleveland. Each would share a TD run.
The play of the day goes to Clevelenad's Scott, who grabbed the longest KO return in league history after running end zone to end zone to open the 3rd quarter. He would be credited with 102 yards on the play, and it would serve as the Browns' only TD.
The win gives Pittsburgh a slight edge for the division over the Ravens.
In the most anticipated match of the week, the Texans' running game found the first weakness in New England, with Forsett taking a 7 yard run. Brady would quickly fire back with a TD throw to Welker.
In the 2nd quarter, the Patriots would go up by 3 with a 23 yard "gimme" from Gostkowski, but Houston would match the effort in the 3rd quarter.
Before the 3rd quarter was over, New England would get another FG to lead 13-10. But in the 4th quarter, Schaub's passing attempts wore down New England, and Walter took an 18 yard pass from Schaub to take lead.
The Texans would keep the lead for the rest of the game, until New England got the ball just outside the 2 minute warning. Just finding themselves in enemy territory, Brady would find Randy Moss open on a short route, who then sped the rest of the 43 yards past several Texans jerseys'. NE had a 3 point lead with just 71 seconds left.
71 seconds was all Schaub needed to get close enough for a Graham FG to tie the game with 8 seconds left.
In Overtime, both teams would struggle for over 8 minutes, before Houston would get in range for Graham to nail another FG. Texans win 23-20
New England has 378 yards total and Houston had 448, making for over 800 yards combined by both teams. Each team surprisingly rushed for 160+ yards, but only Arian Foster, the Texans' workhorse, broke 100 yards on the day after taking 30 carries for 4 yards each on average.
Similarly, Houston's Walter was the only reciever to break 100 yards, but Schaub had as many as 8 targets. With so many passing yards on each side, Schaub fared better than brady, hitting 27/42 with just 1 TD and 1 INT. Brady only completed 15/36, with 2 TD's tarnished by 2 INT's.
'89 San Fran vs. 00 Baltimore
The Ravens went up 10-0 before the Niners started scoring, with Montana hitting John Taylor on an 11 yard throw. Both teams would trade FG's before the half, putting SF down only 13-10.In a winnable position for the 2nd half, both teams struggled for movement. Baltimore would settle for a 3rd quarter Stover FG from 42 yards out. But with only 6 points in the lead, a win was all but certain.
It seemed like things were going San Fran's way in the 4th quarter after they pulled off a Safety against the Ravens'. But with 5 minutes left, the Ravens defense held the Niners at bay.
So the loss goes to San Fran, 16-12. Montana had a great day, throwing for almost 300 yards and 68% completion. Jerry Rice grabbed just 4 of those throws to rack up 122 yards, but without any TD's. The Ravens gained over 120 yards rushing against San Fran, but their 5 sacks on D proved more dangerous than Ronnie Lott's single INT.
San Fran remains without a win on the road. The Ravens continue their fight for a playoff sport.
'91 Washington vs. '15 Carolina
The Panthers duo of Newton-Ginn Jr. proved effective against the Redskins, providing Carolina the first score of the game. The Redskins would retaliate by 2nd quarter to tie the game. But just as Washington started covering Ginn Jr., Newton found a new target to score with, Devin Funchess. Funchess pulled in a 39 yard toss to put the Panthers ahead at half, 14-7.Washington would adapt in the 2nd half and steel the Panthers' momentum, but struggled themselves to score until a Rypien-Clark pass in the final seconds of the game. Carolina wins 17-14
Carolina had over 420 yards total on offense, with 5 rushers sharing the 142 yards on the ground . Newton was 19-31 on the day with 2 TDs and 1 pick, averaging 15.6 yards per catch. This is all despite a whopping 12 penalties. The Redskins played good ball, but just didn't have enough to score when it counted.
With the loss for Washington and a win for the Eagles, the NFC East, Philly has a chance at the division in this highly contested spot. This is Carolina's 3rd straight win and a sure sign they're headed for postseason action.
'68 Jets vs. '88 Bengals
Cincinnati hosted the Jets at Riverfront, and from the beginning took control of NY., holding Namath to just 178 yards on 12 tosses.They would keep control all game, racking up a high 4 TD's. Boomer Esiason had a big game, tossing for over 300 yards. Over 160 of those came from Brown's 8 catches on the day, showing this duo was a magic one against the typically tough Jets D.
Namath was able to get several catches to Maynard and Sauer, but only Maynard broke 100 yards on the day.
Final score 28-7, Bengals.
With the big upset in NY, the Jets' status in the AFC is shaken up. The Bengals pick up their 5th win, breaking a 3 game loss streak.
'68 Colts vs. '08 Titans
The Colts pull out a huge upset against the Titans, scoring well above the average against Tennessee's defense. The usually tough Tennessee secondary was blown apart by Baltimore's passing attempts. Morrall tossed for over 300 yards, with 4 TD throws: 2 for over 50 yards and 1 for 29 yards.The Colts D also held the Titans to just 130 yards all day. Add to that a whole 10 penalties, and it was clearly a bad day for Tennessee.
Baltimore wins 33-3. The loss for TN could spell jeopardy for the Titan's wild card chances.
'99 Jacksonville vs. '02 Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay had a great day against Jacksonville. The Jags D racked up 6 sacks on the day but they just couldn't stop Johnson's passing attack. Johnson threw 3 unanswered TD throws in the 2nd and 3rd quarters of the game. With over 300 yards throwing on the day, the Buccs would get a 4th rushing TD before Jacksonville, with only a FG on the day, finally found a weakness in the game's final 2 minutes when Brunell found McCardell in the flat for 59 yards.Tampa 28, Jacksonville 10
The Jaguars losses are starting to add up to daggers in their lead of the division, and their road record at 6-1 is far better than their 50% record at home.
'74 Oakland vs. '69 Kansas City
The Chiefs took an easy 1st lead at home against the Raiders. After securing a 7-3 lead, they would go on to grab 2 more TD's in just 6 minutes of game play.The 21-3 lead wouldn't last long in the 3rd quarter, as Stabler scored early and Oakland's defense held Kansas City for several more possessions. In fact, with 5 minutes in the 3rd quarter left, one such stop would lead to a deep punt to Smith, who grabbed another TD after taking the return 69 yards.
Down by just 4 and 1 quarter of game play to go, the game was up for grabs. But the Chiefs locked down against Oakland, and after grabbing another TD with 5 minutes left, secured their victory.
Kansas City wins 28-17. Both teams exceeded 300 yards on offense, with no 1 person grabbing spectacular numbers as offense was well spread around. Dawson's 2 passing TD's both went to Pitts, and his 263 yards on 15 throws surpasses Stabler. Stabler, who did well himself, completed 22 throws for 228 yards. Both QB's threw 2 picks. Kansas City's usually high turnover ratio was matched just as much by Oakland.
With the 4th straight win by Kansas City, they now slide to the top spot in the division, showing that nothing is certain for playoff spots at this point.
'17 Philadelphia vs. '72 Miami
The high charging Dolphins met the Eagles at home, but the Philly D was ready to meet Miami full force.The Eagles scored the only TD's in the first half, both on a sneak by Wentz and a throw to Alshon Jeffrey. Each team held still for Q3, but Miami started gaining momentum in Q4, with Morris finally getting some positive rushing yards and 36 yard TD run. Miami would get another TD on a Morral throw to Twilley, but not until Wentz would get on into Ertz.
Philly's defense gets the credit this game, holding Miami to under 200 yards total. For several weeks, the Dolphins had been running for that alone. Wentz-Jeffrey was a big duo on the day, accounting 116 of the 239 yards passing by Philly. Of those 116, half were on Wentz' biggest play of the game. Wentz hit 8 other targets on the day, completing almost 69% of his throws.
Morral has never been a great passer, but at 4 for 15, he clearly struggled more than normal against the Eagles. Morris, with the big rushing TD, had an average day, but the usually active Csonka was kept to just a 1.3 yard average.
With that, the Eagles upset Miami 21-14. That's their 3rd straight win and actually improves their shot at the playoffs. Not to mention, they may have potentially knocked the Dolphins out.
'62 Green Bay vs. '86 New York
The NFC's strongest Green Bay Packers team traveled to NY to take on a struggling Giants team. They would find more of a challenge than bargained for, in a game with 0 offensive TD's.The game's 1st TD would come early, after the Packers held NY on the opening drive, and Pitts would return the punt a full 73 yards.
From there, the Blue Wrecking Crew, led by Taylor, held off the Packers. Green Bay, whose defense has also been a force to deal with, held New York to just 2 FG's by Allegre.
So with those efforts, Green Bay wins by just 1 point, 7-6. Given that NY held Green Bay to just 120 yards total, it's astonishing that Simm's efforts weren't met with more scores. But Simms, despite having a good day, mostly only found Bavaro to lean on, with 8 catches for 114 yards. He had trouble spreading his efforts out more.
Green Bay practically solidifies their division lead with this, their 4th straight win. They remain 7-1 against NFC opponents and become the LFL's favored NFC team.
'73 Los Angeles vs. '15 Arizona
Arizona and Los Angeles both put up great numbers today, but only 1 team had an easier time scoring. McCutcheon, who totalled 98 yards for the day, got the game's first TD. But Carson Palmer, who threw for 267 yards, would sneak in 2 quick TD passes in just 2 minutes of 1st quarter game play.McCutcheon would come up with a big 32 yard dash for LA to score before the half, but not before Johnson would run one in for Arizona as well.
With a 21-14 lead at half, Los Angeles had plenty of time to move the ball, but failed to score on any of it. Arizona, while coming up with fewer big plays, would increase their lead by 2 more FG's. Cardinals win 27-14. Los Angeles had much more time with the ball but Palmer's 2 TDs and 0 picks show great accuracy spread across 8 receivers.
With the win, Arizona stays 5-1 at home and improves their playoff chances. At the same time, they almost guarantee the Rams' chances are gone.
'79 San Diego vs. '97 Denver
Kickers had some major problems with the windy weather in Denver, but despite both teams trading scores for most of the game, it was the Chargers special teams that would help give them the edge.With a 3-3 score at halftime, it was clear this match was one for the ages. And after a scoreless 3rd quarter, the Chargers would take a 9-3 lead in the 4th quarter with a run by Mitchell and a missed PAT.
Elway, the comeback king, took time to find his opportunity, but with the game's final seconds ticking down, hit Shannon Sharpe on an 18 yard throw to go up 10-9. But Los Angeles, with just 30 seconds to play, would let Owens return the kick from Denver's TD. Owens would go not 70, not 80, but 93 yards on the return, and the Chargers would get the win on a 15-10 final score (with another missed PAT).
Denver was not without opportunity, with Elam having uncharacteristically missing 2 FGs on the day in his own hometown. Both were just from 30+ yards out. San Diego's 200+ rushing yards came mostly from a split effort from Williams, Thomas and Mitchell, each averaging from 5-10 yards per carry. Fouts was held to only 100 yards passing, and while Elway's accuracy was great, he simply missed his chances at the end zone.
San Diego's win over Denver, while no shock, puts the AFC West in a 3-way tie for record. This means playoff hopes here, favoring KC and Oakland, still rest in the outcome of the remaining divisional matches.
'69 Cleveland vs. '76 Pittsburgh
Cleveland has had a difficult year trying to get in the W column all season, with a weak showing on offense in what has been a highly competitive league.Today's game was no different, with the home team Steelers getting an easy win. The Steel Curtain had no trouble keeping Nelsen and crew out of the end zone, holding the Browns to just 165 yards and sacking Nelsen 4 times. On the other hand, Bradshaw's passing efforts were just enough to give support to Harris and Bleier, who both grabbed 191 yards together against Cleveland. Each would share a TD run.
The play of the day goes to Clevelenad's Scott, who grabbed the longest KO return in league history after running end zone to end zone to open the 3rd quarter. He would be credited with 102 yards on the play, and it would serve as the Browns' only TD.
The win gives Pittsburgh a slight edge for the division over the Ravens.
'07 New England vs. '12 Houston
Two of the top teams in the AFC went head to head in Texas, and both giants put everything on the line. But only 1 team could be a victor, and it would take Overtime to decide it.In the most anticipated match of the week, the Texans' running game found the first weakness in New England, with Forsett taking a 7 yard run. Brady would quickly fire back with a TD throw to Welker.
In the 2nd quarter, the Patriots would go up by 3 with a 23 yard "gimme" from Gostkowski, but Houston would match the effort in the 3rd quarter.
Before the 3rd quarter was over, New England would get another FG to lead 13-10. But in the 4th quarter, Schaub's passing attempts wore down New England, and Walter took an 18 yard pass from Schaub to take lead.
The Texans would keep the lead for the rest of the game, until New England got the ball just outside the 2 minute warning. Just finding themselves in enemy territory, Brady would find Randy Moss open on a short route, who then sped the rest of the 43 yards past several Texans jerseys'. NE had a 3 point lead with just 71 seconds left.
71 seconds was all Schaub needed to get close enough for a Graham FG to tie the game with 8 seconds left.
In Overtime, both teams would struggle for over 8 minutes, before Houston would get in range for Graham to nail another FG. Texans win 23-20
New England has 378 yards total and Houston had 448, making for over 800 yards combined by both teams. Each team surprisingly rushed for 160+ yards, but only Arian Foster, the Texans' workhorse, broke 100 yards on the day after taking 30 carries for 4 yards each on average.
Similarly, Houston's Walter was the only reciever to break 100 yards, but Schaub had as many as 8 targets. With so many passing yards on each side, Schaub fared better than brady, hitting 27/42 with just 1 TD and 1 INT. Brady only completed 15/36, with 2 TD's tarnished by 2 INT's.
Comments
Post a Comment