Week 15 - Sunday
This is a crucial week in LFL football, and the full extent of some games may not be realized until I have enough time to process things.
There are 16 full games each week from here on out (no more byes), so let's see how things are going down.
Detroit scored an early TD on a Sanders run, but both teams would be at stalemate for most of the first half. Each defensive unit came on strong, and it wasn't until the 2 minute warning that Tampa Bay would come up with 2 separate scores before the half to lead 14-7.
In the first drive of the 3rd quarter, Sanders would break free for another TD of 36 yards. But the Buccs would bounce back with 10 points of their own, with Brad Johnson staying on fire. The 4th quarter would see them hit another FG. At 27-14, a win for the Lions seemed distant. They would need a miracle on both defense and offense.
Their first offensive miracle would come on their following possession, with Kramer and Sanders working together to get in enemy territory. Sanders would take the ball 18 yards for the score.
The Lions continued to hold off the Buccs for several minutes before Detroit would have their chance again. As Kramer moved into Redskins territory, he'd find a 2nd miracle on a 48 yard throw to Clark. But the defense would put bring out the 3rd miracle, immediately turning over Tampa's ball on the very next possession.
With little yardage to cover for the score, it would be Sanders who would rush for yet another score to put Detroit on top 35-27. With 5 minutes of game time remaining, the Buccs would have plenty of time to get points on the board. But as the 2 minute warning got close, they would make the controversial call to try for 3. It would be their last possession of the game. Detroit wins 35-30.
With yet another big win by the Lions, Detroit ties the Chicago for win-loss record, but with their head-to-head matchups, Detroit now has the better playoff odds.
Sanders had another huge day with 181 yards and a phenomenal 4 TD's. The Buccs passed for over 300 yards, with 1/2 of that on the efforts of just 5 catches by Keyshawn Johnson. Brad Johnson completed 26/42. If there's any finger pointing in Tampa Bay, it's at Gramatica, who was 3/6 on the day. Just 2 of those FG's could have given the Buccs an edge.
The Green Bay offense was in high gear early on, scoring 2 TD's in just half the 1st quarter. McMahon would get his shot to retaliate, and would get his shot with a short pass to McKinnon.
For most of the 2nd quarter, each team would pound away at the other, but it would be the Packers who would eventually win out again. Jim Taylor became almost unstoppable, and picked up the 3rd TD for the Packers before the half. With 4 minutes left, the Bears would only get a FG to be down 21-10.
If there was any hope the Bears had going into the 2nd half, it quickly dwindled as the Packers dominated. The Green and Gold defense held Chicago out of the end zone all half, and Starr found it just as easy to exploit the Bears' historic defense. So the Packers go home with the win, 36-10.
I don't think we've seen numbers like this in any of the Bears' losses. Walter Payton had only 25 yards on the day. Green Bay had 363 yards total offense, with Taylor and Pitts sharing almost 130 yards rushing. Star was 15/23 to grab the other 26 yards, averaging an insane 15.1 yards/catch. McGee was the big receiver for Green Bay with 7 catches for 109 yards.
With the 6th straight win for Green Bay, they inch closer to the record win streak this season. Even with the Detroit win, the Packers clinch the NFC North division, and are very likely looking at a #1 seed scenario.
The first half would show the 34,500 fans why this matchup was worth watching, as just 3 points went on the board those 30 minutes. The Chiefs would head to halftime with those points, and each team would be looking for a strategy to change their luck.
Denver would incorporate Terrell Davis into their strategy, and it would pay off as he would grab the game's first TD. But the Chiefs would jump right back in it, with Dawson throwing for a TD just a minute later.
In the next 10+ minutes of game time, this pattern would repeat, with Davis getting his 2nd rush TD and Dawson his 2nd passing TD. The Chiefs, still up 3 points, still had 11+ minutes of game time remaining. Most of that would pass by without any action on either side, but as Elway found himself inside the 2 minute warning and near the end zone, he would come up with a surprise 11 yard run for the game-winning TD.
The Broncos' 21-17 upset of the Chiefs now almost certainly keeps Kansas City out of playoff positioning. Both teams had close to 300 yards on offense. Both QB's had 26 pass attempts, but Elway completed 19 of those for just over 200 yards. Dawson did not fare quite as well. And despite Kansas City's defense usually being the one for teams to fear, Denver's defense was the only with 2 picks and 4 sacks on the day.
The first half showed great heart on behalf of each team, as the halftime score was tied 17-17. Simms had 2 huge throws of over 50 yards, each for TD's. Miami had a TD pass of their own by Morrall, but a devastating kickoff return for 88 yards by the powerful Morris with just seconds left.
It would be the 2nd half that would see the Giants fall apart, as the Dolphins would continue their run game, totaling 250 yards on the day, 125 of those by Morris alone. NY just simply couldn't get any further big plays. Simms would only complete 12 passes total for the day and throw 2 INT's to match his 2 TD's. The rushing game was almost completely absent.
Miami gets the big win 34-17.
The 1st quarter went to Houston, mixing run and pass to get 2 TD's on the board and an easy 29 yard FG.
The 2nd quarter went to Tennessee, who, after getting a slow start and settling for a FG, got a break with a Safety on D. They would rush for a TD on the following 2 possessions, after a devastating turnover by Houston. The Titans would finish the quarter with another TD on the gun to B. Jones.
With Tennessee up 26-17 at half, 9 points would separate Houston from victory. So it's no surprise the pendulum would start swinging Houston's way at this point. After settling only for a FG in 3rd quarter, another swing went Tennessee's direction as Johnson rushed for a 10-yard TD.
At 33-20 in the 4th quarter, it was looking more like a Titans victory. But the pendulum would swing towards Houston again. Their defense would keep the Titans from scoring any further TD's, and Schaub would get a rhythm going, throwing for 1 TD and getting a boost from Foster on another to go up 34-33. A late FG would seal the deal, with Houston winning 37-33.
Tennessee needed a win here to have any playoff hopes. But Houston's 6th straight win not only destroys that, but keeps them alive in the hunt for the division championship. Despite the Texans only rushing for 30 yards, Schaub threw for over 300. He would only complete 56% of his throws, but averaged over 15 yards per catch. Johnson was a huge part of that effort, bringing in 7 catches for 188 yards and 1 TD.
Tennessee totaled 300 yards, but didn't have many big plays or outstanding efforts.
The Bills would score on their first possession, as Kelly's passing efforts looked clean and confident. But for the rest of the 1st half, the confidence of both teams would be tested. The Bills D, often overlooked, made several stops on Pittsburgh, despite the Steelers establishing a solid rushing game. The Steelers held Kelly back. The game was a close 7-0 at half.
The 2nd half would look very different, as if Marv Levy had certainly done his homework at halftime. The Bills came out strong, not only continuing to hold the Steelers, but Kelly would throw for 2 more TD's and Thurman Thomas would rush for 1. Add a surprising 79 yard punt return by Edwards, and the Bills leave making the Steelers look like an easy win.
Despite 146 rushing yards, 56 of those came on 1 play, leaving the Steelers with an otherwise very low yards/carry average. In addition, the Steelers were held to just 57 pass yards. Kelly, on the other hand, threw for 191 yards on 15 completions, with 3 TD's and 0 picks. He had several targets, but it was the efforts of Thurman Thomas, with 112 yards on the day, that helped push the Bills further into the stratosphere.
The Bills end up dealing a big blow to the Steelers' chances at clinching the AFC North.
The answer to that, quite simply, is terrible. In a game that could have some implications for the divisional win (and most likely the only spot from the NFC East), the Eagles come up with just 3 points on the day. After several huge victories lately, the Redskins come out slingin' against Philly.
The Redskins would score 2 TD's rushing and 2 passing, with Rypien 52% on the day for 157 yards. Despite 2 INT's, his 2 TD's would more than balance out Wentz's 3 INT's. Byner ran for 96 yards of the Redskins' 156, with the Eagles only rushing for 30 total. The Eagles also suffered from 14 penalties, and only 24 minutes game time.
This loss by Philadelphia now makes the division still up for grabs, based on how each team does in the weeks to come.
The Panthers got a FG early on, but Wilson would fire right back on the next possession with a 72 yard pass to Baldwin for the game's first score. Wilson would score again in the 1st quarter on a QB keeper to put Seattle up 14-3. The 2nd quarter was more of a standoff, with Carolina closing in on Seattle by 3 more points just inside the 2 minute warning.
As the 3rd quarter got going, Hauschka popped a FG through the uprights for Seattle to take a 17-6 lead. Several minutes later, however, the Panthers D picked up a Safety after tackling Wilson in the end zone. It would take them several minutes, but they would capitalize on it after Newton threw a 17 yard throw to Brown. The Panthers now trailed by only 2 points, with 12 minutes left in the game.
Seattle would struggle on their next possession, but the Legion of Boom would hold Carolina again. Wilson would work with Lynch after that to get another TD with just 4 minutes to go. The Seahawks would go on to keep that 9 point lead for the rest of the game. Seattle wins 24-15. With the loss for the Panthers, Carolina's spot on top is in danger while the Seahawks maintain their dominancy.
Seattle, with 400 yards offense on the day, was bound for the W column. Lynch only ran for 68 yards of Seattle's 160+; it was Russel Wilson who broke 100 on his 14 attempts. Wilson and Newton both had 58% completion and 190 or more yards, each with 1 TD and 1 INT.
A busy 2nd quarter saw each team trading scores in a shootout down to the wire. The Bengals went up on a short run by Brooks, but Hobbs returned the following kick 98 yards for another TD. After a FG on each side, just 94 seconds remained in the 1st half. Esiason only needed 1 minute to drive into Patriots territory and tossed a TD to Riggs.
Up 20-17 at the half, the Bengals' lead was anything but certain. But the Cincinnati defense would find some way to hold off the Patriots for almost 2 full quarters. The Bengals rushing game destroyed New England, and Icky Woods found himself doing the Icky Shuffle after a 10 yard run in NE territory. Esiason also threw another TD pass to Holman.
Down 34-17, New England couldn't recover in time. Brady did start turning on the magic inside the 2 minute warning, but a single TD pass to Welker wasn't enough. Bengals win 34-24. In an astonishing turn of events, Icky Woods broke 100 yards on the day with 20 carries and James Brooks, with 18 carries, racked up 99 yards, to give the Bengals over 250 yards total rushing. Boomer also threw for over 200 yards on just 13 completions. Brady looked reasonable with the time he had, also throwing for over 200 yards. But with NE only having the ball for 22 minutes of game time, it was tough to do more.
With this major upset, both the AFC North and AFC East are now in a 3-way tie on record alone. This means the once long-shot Bengals now have a playoff shot, and the surefire Patriots could get knocked out if the chips fall right.
The first half of the game, as could be expected, belonged completely to Arizona. The Cardinals had 2 rushing TD's by Johnson and 1 FG. Their D had no problems holding the mediocre Cleveland offense. Cardinals up 17-0.
By the 2nd half, mediocre would not describe the effort from Cleveland; perhaps the best they've shown all year. Nelsen scored early on a throw to Warfield, but Arizona answered with a rushing TD by Johnson. Before the 3rd quarter was over, Nelsen would throw another TD pass for 24 yards.
Down 24-14, the Browns would still have a ways to go if they wanted a win with 15 minutes left. After an Arizona FG early, their hopes would seem lost. But several minutes later, Cleveland's defense having remained steady, Nelsen would have his shot to close the gap on another TD pass to Warfield. With just 4 minutes left, time was ticking.
The Browns defense would hold, and Nelsen, by this point on fire, found himself facing just over 2 minutes to win. And with just 72 seconds on the clock, he would get a break on yet a 3rd toss to Warfield, this one a deep ball for 47 yards. Now ahead 28-27, the Cardinals were left with just 1 minute to steal the game back from Cleveland.
As the Cardinals made it in enemy territory with just seconds left, it would seem almost impossible. But with a few good plays, just 5 seconds remained on the clock and Arizona was in FG range. They would take their chances with Catanzaro, who was 2-2 on the day, and he would come through. Arizona wins 30-28 and remains in the hunt for the division championship.
Both teams had over 400 yards offense in the game. Nelsen and Palmer each had over 250 yards passing and averaged over 14 yards per catch. Only Nelsen threw for 4 TD's and 2 INT's, while Arizona would rely on Johnson's 111 yards rushing for an edge. As a team, they had over 200 yards rushing total to Cleveland's 141.
Unfortunately for Oakland, despite no troubles moving the ball, they would have a tough time scoring against the Jaguars defense. Oakland's defense had a tough time stopping the high scoring Jaguars as well.
The Jaguars would grab 2 TD's and a FG in the 1st half, as both their rushing and passing game were showing high efficiency. The Raiders wouldn't score until the 4th quarter, with a 16 yard run by Hubbard. By that point the Jaguars had also scored in the air with a 31 yarder from Brunell to to Smith.
Down 24-7, the usually sly Stabler just couldn't pull together any other scores. Jacksonville would win by a final of 27-7.
The Jaguars only had 298 yards all day to Oakland's 376. Both QB's were picked off twice and completed over 50% of their throws. Branch, a huge day with 9 catches for 142 yards. Both teams had strong rushing efforts spread across several ball carriers.
In the 3rd quarter, Aikman found Harper for a TD pass after a great Cowboys effort, and Dallas went up 13-7. With just 1 score separating the 2 teams, anything could happen in the 4th quarter. And as the Rams continued to open up their rushing attack, Bertelsen would sprint for a 28 yard TD to take a 1 point lead. Dallas would try to make up the difference, but would fail to do so. Los Angeles wins 14-13.
Los Angeles, with 56 rushing attempts, gathered 256 yards on the day by 8 different ball carriers. Hadl threw for only 37 yards. Emmit Smith had 93 yards rushing, but Aikman was 17/27 for 148 yards. The Rams had the ball for over 36 minutes, and was a whopping 12-18 on 3rd down conversions. Dallas, just 3 for 11.
Atlanta put up over 400 yards offense and 3 TD's. Their 4th TD would be on a 66 yard punt return by Dwight. Over 200 of those yards were rushing, with Jamal Anderson carrying the ball 31 times for 175 yards. Chandler, only completing over 50% of his throws, still managed 240 yards on 16 catches. Montana, by comparison, only averaged half as many yards / catch.
FG's were another huge part of Atlanta's win, and Andersen was 5/6 on FG's, his only missed one from 40+ yards out.
Atlanta is now the 1st team to break 400 points for the season, and with the earlier Carolina loss, moves to the top of the division for the first time all season. They remain one of the highest scoring average teams in the league.
3 of San Diego's 4 TD's were on special teams alone. Their first, a blocked kick taken in the end zone 33 yards. In addition to that, they had an 89 yard KO return by Owens and a 47 yard fumble return for TD. While impressive, it would seem those efforts were not matched by the offense or defense.
Minnesota also had a TD on special teams, with a 4th quarter kickoff return for TD. But the Vikings had over 460 yards total offense, with Tarkenton throwing for over 319 yards on 22 passes. Two of those passes were for 50 yards or more.
Of 144 rushing yards, Tarkenton also had 31 of those on a major sneak play for a TD late in the game.
For several weeks, it's looked like Detroit or Chicago would take 2nd place in their division. With this win, Minnesota now ties records, making each game from here on out that much more important.
There are 16 full games each week from here on out (no more byes), so let's see how things are going down.
'02 Tampa Bay vs. '92 Detroit
The Buccs traveled to Detroit to take on the Lions. Both teams have only 6 wins, are 3rd in their division, and just 1 loss from killing playoff hopes.Detroit scored an early TD on a Sanders run, but both teams would be at stalemate for most of the first half. Each defensive unit came on strong, and it wasn't until the 2 minute warning that Tampa Bay would come up with 2 separate scores before the half to lead 14-7.
In the first drive of the 3rd quarter, Sanders would break free for another TD of 36 yards. But the Buccs would bounce back with 10 points of their own, with Brad Johnson staying on fire. The 4th quarter would see them hit another FG. At 27-14, a win for the Lions seemed distant. They would need a miracle on both defense and offense.
Their first offensive miracle would come on their following possession, with Kramer and Sanders working together to get in enemy territory. Sanders would take the ball 18 yards for the score.
The Lions continued to hold off the Buccs for several minutes before Detroit would have their chance again. As Kramer moved into Redskins territory, he'd find a 2nd miracle on a 48 yard throw to Clark. But the defense would put bring out the 3rd miracle, immediately turning over Tampa's ball on the very next possession.
With little yardage to cover for the score, it would be Sanders who would rush for yet another score to put Detroit on top 35-27. With 5 minutes of game time remaining, the Buccs would have plenty of time to get points on the board. But as the 2 minute warning got close, they would make the controversial call to try for 3. It would be their last possession of the game. Detroit wins 35-30.
With yet another big win by the Lions, Detroit ties the Chicago for win-loss record, but with their head-to-head matchups, Detroit now has the better playoff odds.
Sanders had another huge day with 181 yards and a phenomenal 4 TD's. The Buccs passed for over 300 yards, with 1/2 of that on the efforts of just 5 catches by Keyshawn Johnson. Brad Johnson completed 26/42. If there's any finger pointing in Tampa Bay, it's at Gramatica, who was 3/6 on the day. Just 2 of those FG's could have given the Buccs an edge.
'85 Chicago vs. '62 Green Bay
In a rematch of the season opener, Green Bay is looking to continue their dominance in the NFL, while Chicago has been struggling to show the same strength we saw back then.The Green Bay offense was in high gear early on, scoring 2 TD's in just half the 1st quarter. McMahon would get his shot to retaliate, and would get his shot with a short pass to McKinnon.
For most of the 2nd quarter, each team would pound away at the other, but it would be the Packers who would eventually win out again. Jim Taylor became almost unstoppable, and picked up the 3rd TD for the Packers before the half. With 4 minutes left, the Bears would only get a FG to be down 21-10.
If there was any hope the Bears had going into the 2nd half, it quickly dwindled as the Packers dominated. The Green and Gold defense held Chicago out of the end zone all half, and Starr found it just as easy to exploit the Bears' historic defense. So the Packers go home with the win, 36-10.
I don't think we've seen numbers like this in any of the Bears' losses. Walter Payton had only 25 yards on the day. Green Bay had 363 yards total offense, with Taylor and Pitts sharing almost 130 yards rushing. Star was 15/23 to grab the other 26 yards, averaging an insane 15.1 yards/catch. McGee was the big receiver for Green Bay with 7 catches for 109 yards.
With the 6th straight win for Green Bay, they inch closer to the record win streak this season. Even with the Detroit win, the Packers clinch the NFC North division, and are very likely looking at a #1 seed scenario.
'97 Denver vs. '69 Kansas City
The Chiefs would host the Broncos in a highly anticipated divisional matchup. The Broncos, with nothing on the line, simply looked to dent the Chiefs' chances at the playoffs in this difficult division.The first half would show the 34,500 fans why this matchup was worth watching, as just 3 points went on the board those 30 minutes. The Chiefs would head to halftime with those points, and each team would be looking for a strategy to change their luck.
Denver would incorporate Terrell Davis into their strategy, and it would pay off as he would grab the game's first TD. But the Chiefs would jump right back in it, with Dawson throwing for a TD just a minute later.
In the next 10+ minutes of game time, this pattern would repeat, with Davis getting his 2nd rush TD and Dawson his 2nd passing TD. The Chiefs, still up 3 points, still had 11+ minutes of game time remaining. Most of that would pass by without any action on either side, but as Elway found himself inside the 2 minute warning and near the end zone, he would come up with a surprise 11 yard run for the game-winning TD.
The Broncos' 21-17 upset of the Chiefs now almost certainly keeps Kansas City out of playoff positioning. Both teams had close to 300 yards on offense. Both QB's had 26 pass attempts, but Elway completed 19 of those for just over 200 yards. Dawson did not fare quite as well. And despite Kansas City's defense usually being the one for teams to fear, Denver's defense was the only with 2 picks and 4 sacks on the day.
'72 Miami vs. '86 NY Giants
With the AFC East in such tight competition, every Miami win keeps their playoff hopes alive. They would travel to New York today to take on the Giants, and would find them an easy team to run over.The first half showed great heart on behalf of each team, as the halftime score was tied 17-17. Simms had 2 huge throws of over 50 yards, each for TD's. Miami had a TD pass of their own by Morrall, but a devastating kickoff return for 88 yards by the powerful Morris with just seconds left.
It would be the 2nd half that would see the Giants fall apart, as the Dolphins would continue their run game, totaling 250 yards on the day, 125 of those by Morris alone. NY just simply couldn't get any further big plays. Simms would only complete 12 passes total for the day and throw 2 INT's to match his 2 TD's. The rushing game was almost completely absent.
Miami gets the big win 34-17.
'12 Houston vs. '08 Tennessee
The Texans and Titans had a close shootout in Tennessee, with over 72,00 fans watching. The game was much like a pendulum swinging, with each team taking control of the game for some time.The 1st quarter went to Houston, mixing run and pass to get 2 TD's on the board and an easy 29 yard FG.
The 2nd quarter went to Tennessee, who, after getting a slow start and settling for a FG, got a break with a Safety on D. They would rush for a TD on the following 2 possessions, after a devastating turnover by Houston. The Titans would finish the quarter with another TD on the gun to B. Jones.
With Tennessee up 26-17 at half, 9 points would separate Houston from victory. So it's no surprise the pendulum would start swinging Houston's way at this point. After settling only for a FG in 3rd quarter, another swing went Tennessee's direction as Johnson rushed for a 10-yard TD.
At 33-20 in the 4th quarter, it was looking more like a Titans victory. But the pendulum would swing towards Houston again. Their defense would keep the Titans from scoring any further TD's, and Schaub would get a rhythm going, throwing for 1 TD and getting a boost from Foster on another to go up 34-33. A late FG would seal the deal, with Houston winning 37-33.
Tennessee needed a win here to have any playoff hopes. But Houston's 6th straight win not only destroys that, but keeps them alive in the hunt for the division championship. Despite the Texans only rushing for 30 yards, Schaub threw for over 300. He would only complete 56% of his throws, but averaged over 15 yards per catch. Johnson was a huge part of that effort, bringing in 7 catches for 188 yards and 1 TD.
Tennessee totaled 300 yards, but didn't have many big plays or outstanding efforts.
'91 Buffalo vs. '76 Pittsburgh
The Steel Curtain set up to meet against Jim Kelly and the unpredictable Bills "no-huddle" offense. They would find the effort more challenging than expected, with 48,000 fans watching in Three Rivers.The Bills would score on their first possession, as Kelly's passing efforts looked clean and confident. But for the rest of the 1st half, the confidence of both teams would be tested. The Bills D, often overlooked, made several stops on Pittsburgh, despite the Steelers establishing a solid rushing game. The Steelers held Kelly back. The game was a close 7-0 at half.
The 2nd half would look very different, as if Marv Levy had certainly done his homework at halftime. The Bills came out strong, not only continuing to hold the Steelers, but Kelly would throw for 2 more TD's and Thurman Thomas would rush for 1. Add a surprising 79 yard punt return by Edwards, and the Bills leave making the Steelers look like an easy win.
Despite 146 rushing yards, 56 of those came on 1 play, leaving the Steelers with an otherwise very low yards/carry average. In addition, the Steelers were held to just 57 pass yards. Kelly, on the other hand, threw for 191 yards on 15 completions, with 3 TD's and 0 picks. He had several targets, but it was the efforts of Thurman Thomas, with 112 yards on the day, that helped push the Bills further into the stratosphere.
The Bills end up dealing a big blow to the Steelers' chances at clinching the AFC North.
'17 Philadelphia vs. '91 Washington
Earlier in the year, the Eagles easily beat the Redskins, and this win has helped them move to the top of the division as each team struggles weekly. With so much on the line, how would they do this time?The answer to that, quite simply, is terrible. In a game that could have some implications for the divisional win (and most likely the only spot from the NFC East), the Eagles come up with just 3 points on the day. After several huge victories lately, the Redskins come out slingin' against Philly.
The Redskins would score 2 TD's rushing and 2 passing, with Rypien 52% on the day for 157 yards. Despite 2 INT's, his 2 TD's would more than balance out Wentz's 3 INT's. Byner ran for 96 yards of the Redskins' 156, with the Eagles only rushing for 30 total. The Eagles also suffered from 14 penalties, and only 24 minutes game time.
This loss by Philadelphia now makes the division still up for grabs, based on how each team does in the weeks to come.
'13 Seattle vs. '15 Carolina
The 2 division leaders go head-to-head in what could be a likely post-season matchup. It would all go down in Carolina , and with almost 78,000 fans screaming in the stands, they would get a good show.The Panthers got a FG early on, but Wilson would fire right back on the next possession with a 72 yard pass to Baldwin for the game's first score. Wilson would score again in the 1st quarter on a QB keeper to put Seattle up 14-3. The 2nd quarter was more of a standoff, with Carolina closing in on Seattle by 3 more points just inside the 2 minute warning.
As the 3rd quarter got going, Hauschka popped a FG through the uprights for Seattle to take a 17-6 lead. Several minutes later, however, the Panthers D picked up a Safety after tackling Wilson in the end zone. It would take them several minutes, but they would capitalize on it after Newton threw a 17 yard throw to Brown. The Panthers now trailed by only 2 points, with 12 minutes left in the game.
Seattle would struggle on their next possession, but the Legion of Boom would hold Carolina again. Wilson would work with Lynch after that to get another TD with just 4 minutes to go. The Seahawks would go on to keep that 9 point lead for the rest of the game. Seattle wins 24-15. With the loss for the Panthers, Carolina's spot on top is in danger while the Seahawks maintain their dominancy.
Seattle, with 400 yards offense on the day, was bound for the W column. Lynch only ran for 68 yards of Seattle's 160+; it was Russel Wilson who broke 100 on his 14 attempts. Wilson and Newton both had 58% completion and 190 or more yards, each with 1 TD and 1 INT.
'07 New England vs. '88 Cincinnati
The Bengals put up a great first half fight at home against the Patriots. After a few 3-and-outs, they would get an easy FG from just 25 yards out. Hobbs would take the following kick return 85 yards for a TD, though, to put NE up 7-3.A busy 2nd quarter saw each team trading scores in a shootout down to the wire. The Bengals went up on a short run by Brooks, but Hobbs returned the following kick 98 yards for another TD. After a FG on each side, just 94 seconds remained in the 1st half. Esiason only needed 1 minute to drive into Patriots territory and tossed a TD to Riggs.
Up 20-17 at the half, the Bengals' lead was anything but certain. But the Cincinnati defense would find some way to hold off the Patriots for almost 2 full quarters. The Bengals rushing game destroyed New England, and Icky Woods found himself doing the Icky Shuffle after a 10 yard run in NE territory. Esiason also threw another TD pass to Holman.
Down 34-17, New England couldn't recover in time. Brady did start turning on the magic inside the 2 minute warning, but a single TD pass to Welker wasn't enough. Bengals win 34-24. In an astonishing turn of events, Icky Woods broke 100 yards on the day with 20 carries and James Brooks, with 18 carries, racked up 99 yards, to give the Bengals over 250 yards total rushing. Boomer also threw for over 200 yards on just 13 completions. Brady looked reasonable with the time he had, also throwing for over 200 yards. But with NE only having the ball for 22 minutes of game time, it was tough to do more.
With this major upset, both the AFC North and AFC East are now in a 3-way tie on record alone. This means the once long-shot Bengals now have a playoff shot, and the surefire Patriots could get knocked out if the chips fall right.
'69 Cleveland vs. '15 Arizona
The Browns met up with the Cardinals at Phoenix Stadium. Arizona was looking for a win to improve their playoff odds with Seattle. Cleveland was simply looking for a 2nd win this season.The first half of the game, as could be expected, belonged completely to Arizona. The Cardinals had 2 rushing TD's by Johnson and 1 FG. Their D had no problems holding the mediocre Cleveland offense. Cardinals up 17-0.
By the 2nd half, mediocre would not describe the effort from Cleveland; perhaps the best they've shown all year. Nelsen scored early on a throw to Warfield, but Arizona answered with a rushing TD by Johnson. Before the 3rd quarter was over, Nelsen would throw another TD pass for 24 yards.
Down 24-14, the Browns would still have a ways to go if they wanted a win with 15 minutes left. After an Arizona FG early, their hopes would seem lost. But several minutes later, Cleveland's defense having remained steady, Nelsen would have his shot to close the gap on another TD pass to Warfield. With just 4 minutes left, time was ticking.
The Browns defense would hold, and Nelsen, by this point on fire, found himself facing just over 2 minutes to win. And with just 72 seconds on the clock, he would get a break on yet a 3rd toss to Warfield, this one a deep ball for 47 yards. Now ahead 28-27, the Cardinals were left with just 1 minute to steal the game back from Cleveland.
As the Cardinals made it in enemy territory with just seconds left, it would seem almost impossible. But with a few good plays, just 5 seconds remained on the clock and Arizona was in FG range. They would take their chances with Catanzaro, who was 2-2 on the day, and he would come through. Arizona wins 30-28 and remains in the hunt for the division championship.
Both teams had over 400 yards offense in the game. Nelsen and Palmer each had over 250 yards passing and averaged over 14 yards per catch. Only Nelsen threw for 4 TD's and 2 INT's, while Arizona would rely on Johnson's 111 yards rushing for an edge. As a team, they had over 200 yards rushing total to Cleveland's 141.
'99 Jacksonville vs. '74 Oakland
An Oakland win against Jacksonville here would help solidify their position on top of the AFC West. A win for Jacksonville would help them stay on top of Houston.Unfortunately for Oakland, despite no troubles moving the ball, they would have a tough time scoring against the Jaguars defense. Oakland's defense had a tough time stopping the high scoring Jaguars as well.
The Jaguars would grab 2 TD's and a FG in the 1st half, as both their rushing and passing game were showing high efficiency. The Raiders wouldn't score until the 4th quarter, with a 16 yard run by Hubbard. By that point the Jaguars had also scored in the air with a 31 yarder from Brunell to to Smith.
Down 24-7, the usually sly Stabler just couldn't pull together any other scores. Jacksonville would win by a final of 27-7.
The Jaguars only had 298 yards all day to Oakland's 376. Both QB's were picked off twice and completed over 50% of their throws. Branch, a huge day with 9 catches for 142 yards. Both teams had strong rushing efforts spread across several ball carriers.
'73 Los Angeles vs. '92 Dallas
Dallas looked strong in the 1st quarter, nailing 2 FG's over 40 yards and holding off the Rams. But by halftime, they would be looking up at the Rams 7-6, after a strong effort from the Rams' rushers setup for a rare Scribner TD.In the 3rd quarter, Aikman found Harper for a TD pass after a great Cowboys effort, and Dallas went up 13-7. With just 1 score separating the 2 teams, anything could happen in the 4th quarter. And as the Rams continued to open up their rushing attack, Bertelsen would sprint for a 28 yard TD to take a 1 point lead. Dallas would try to make up the difference, but would fail to do so. Los Angeles wins 14-13.
Los Angeles, with 56 rushing attempts, gathered 256 yards on the day by 8 different ball carriers. Hadl threw for only 37 yards. Emmit Smith had 93 yards rushing, but Aikman was 17/27 for 148 yards. The Rams had the ball for over 36 minutes, and was a whopping 12-18 on 3rd down conversions. Dallas, just 3 for 11.
'98 Atlanta vs. '89 San Fran
The Falcons had no problems putting away the 49ers in a 45-10 blowout. The Niners had just 180 yards offense against the Falcons' legendary defense, and ended up with only 22 minutes possession.Atlanta put up over 400 yards offense and 3 TD's. Their 4th TD would be on a 66 yard punt return by Dwight. Over 200 of those yards were rushing, with Jamal Anderson carrying the ball 31 times for 175 yards. Chandler, only completing over 50% of his throws, still managed 240 yards on 16 catches. Montana, by comparison, only averaged half as many yards / catch.
FG's were another huge part of Atlanta's win, and Andersen was 5/6 on FG's, his only missed one from 40+ yards out.
Atlanta is now the 1st team to break 400 points for the season, and with the earlier Carolina loss, moves to the top of the division for the first time all season. They remain one of the highest scoring average teams in the league.
'75 Minnesota vs. '79 San Diego
In one of the biggest blowouts all year, the Vikings obliterated the Chargers in a 54-28 matchup.3 of San Diego's 4 TD's were on special teams alone. Their first, a blocked kick taken in the end zone 33 yards. In addition to that, they had an 89 yard KO return by Owens and a 47 yard fumble return for TD. While impressive, it would seem those efforts were not matched by the offense or defense.
Minnesota also had a TD on special teams, with a 4th quarter kickoff return for TD. But the Vikings had over 460 yards total offense, with Tarkenton throwing for over 319 yards on 22 passes. Two of those passes were for 50 yards or more.
Of 144 rushing yards, Tarkenton also had 31 of those on a major sneak play for a TD late in the game.
For several weeks, it's looked like Detroit or Chicago would take 2nd place in their division. With this win, Minnesota now ties records, making each game from here on out that much more important.
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