Week 5 Results [GFL]

 

'79 Tampa Bay vs. '06 Chicago

It was a great fall day in Chicago, but the Bears got off to a rough start against the Bucs. After scoring the first TD of the game, Tampa Bay answered the Bears with a 95 yard KO return for TD. Later, they would put up 2 FG's in a row to take a 6-point lead.  But as the 2nd quarter neared, the Bears shook off the shock and started to rally back. In fact, as the Bears picked up on both sides of the ball, they would hold the Bucs from any further scores, and go on to quadruple their score. In fact, it seemed like Tampa Bay wasn't even trying. Bears win 43-12.

The biggest boost for the Bears came from their rushing game. Jones had another big day, averaging almost 8 yards per carry for 162 yards total and 3 TDs. Benson also ran for 71 yards. In the air, Grossman threw for almost 300 yards and 2 TD's. At 534 yards total, the Bears more than doubled Tampa Bay's total offense, which just weighed in at 245 yards. 

'80 Bills vs. '93 Oilers

In a close game, the Bills just edge out the Oilers after Ferguson hit Lewis for a 10 yard TD with just 1 minute 7 seconds to go. This put the Bills up 16-14, and the Oilers were unable to get in range for Del Greco to try for a win. The Bills improve to 3-2 while the Oilers remain near the bottom of the league. 

The Oilers put together more offense, with Brown and White combining for over 100 yards and Moon completing 28 throws for 274 yards. But with 3 picks, the Bills D was simple able to give Ferguson some more chances at the red zone. Ferguson completed just 15/28 for over 200 yards, and Cribbs just averaged 3.6 yards / carry. The boost for Buffalo came in the form of a 94 yard return by Brown after the Oiler's first TD.

'74 Cardinals vs. '98 NY Jets

The Cardinals took an early lead in the game with their running game in high gear. But like so many other games as of late, once the Jets got moving, the names Martin, Testaverde and Johnson seemed to flow out of the game announcer's mouths. After the Jets took the lead in the 2nd quarter, both teams squared away FG's by half. But the 2nd half was all Green and White. The Jets, ahead 24-17, scored 24 unanswered points to win 48-17

The running game for St. Louis that was so effective on their first drive petered out to just 54 yards by the end of the game. Hart fell shy of 50% completion with just 200 yards. On the other hand, Testaverde nailed 76% completion for a whopping 394 yards, 2 TD's, and most surprisingly 0 takeaways. Despite Johnson being the leading receiver at 104 yards, almost everyone in White/Green got a catch from Uncle Vinny, most averaging over 10 yards each catch. 

'15 Denver vs. '16 New England

In another "could have happened" matchup between Manning's Broncos and Brady's Patriots, an offensive shootout took place, with over 1,000 yards total offense. 

The Broncos, after a great performance by Manning, were up 14-0 with 2 passing TD's. The Patriots began to respond and trade score with Denver, but by halftime, with a late second FG by Denver - the Broncos were up 24-14. A 10 point deficit is no problem for Brady, but as that became a 17 point deficit in the 3rd quarter things were looking more grim. The Patriots slowed Denver's momentum and Brady began to pick up his. By the 4th quarter, a solid rush by Blount cut the deficit to 10. Yet when a strong rush effort by the Broncos yield them another score, the tremendous effort by Brady to put up 2 TD's in ~5 minutes of game time seemed like too little, too late. With 2 minutes of time left, the Broncos slowed the clock and kept the win, 38-36.

Despite some good rushing plays, nobody rushed for more than 100 yards, but the Broncos put up over 130 on the combined efforts of Hillman and Anderson. The real feat for Denver was Peyton's 400+ yards throwing, with Owen Daniels making up half that (198) in his 9 receptions. Sanders, who led with 10 receptions, also broke 100 yards. Manning's 3 TD's were met with no interceptions. His 60% completion matched Brady's. Brady himself fell just short of 400 yards, but tossed up 4 TD's with no picks. 

'80 Philadelphia vs. '04 Pittsburgh

The home-town Steelers got off to a great start against the Eagles in this Pennsylvania showdown. After a run by Staley and a 42-yard pass to Randle-El, the Steelers had a 14-0 lead at the 2nd quarter. The Eagles, who had a tough time getting offense moving, started to come to life by this point. Jaworski and Giamonna helped tie the game by halftime. Momentum would stay with Philadelphia in the 3rd quarter, after the Eagles held the Steelers to a punt, and Henry returned the kick 60 yards for a score.

That strong effort was followed by a safety on Roethlisberger, putting Philly up 23-14. By the 4th quarter, however, Pittsburgh had turned the tables on the Eagles and tied the score up with a Safety of their own, and another Randle-El TD. As the 2-minute warning hit, the Eagles threatened to break the tie as they inched closer to the red zone. And when they got their chance, Franklin made good on his attempt. Eagles win 26-23.

One factor in the Eagles' victory was almost doubling the passing yardage of Roethlisberger. The Eagles also had six sacks on the day against the Steelers. Neither QB looked great, and both offenses were well balanced. At the end of the day, the Eagles just played a little bit harder and controlled the ball at the end when it counted.

'00 Oakland vs. '19 Kansas City

The Chiefs had an explosive passing day as usual on the heels of Mahome's several strong efforts, but after falling behind a bit in the first quarter, they never quite recovered against the relentless Raiders. Both teams traded scores, but by the end of the day Oakland's extra TD gave them a 5-point edge. Raiders win 28-23. Oakland had a much stronger effort on the ground, with Wheatley clocking in just under 100 for 2 TD's and, after his 49-yard break - a 10+ yard/carry average. Gannon fared well, despite not scoring any of his own, completing 18/31. Mahomes threw 54 times, completing 64% but having over 400 yards in results. Despite the large yardage, only the Raider's Tim Brown had more than 100 yards receiving. 

'08 Carolina vs. '10 Atlanta

After the visiting Panthers failed to score all 1st half, the Falcons had no problems sweeping them away by the end of the day. Though Carolina put together 3 TD's in the 2nd half, Atlanta's 4 scores were already way too much to threaten a Falcons lead. Atlanta wins 34-21.

Turner as always had a great day rushing, with over 120 yards on almost 30 carries. Roddy white was Ryan's main target, grabbing 10 catches for over 100 yards. Ryan himself had a great day, completing 70% for 288 yards with 3 TDs and just 1 INT.  

'81 Cincinnati vs. '06 Baltimore

The Bengals, flying high at 3-1, found themselves falling under Baltimore at Ravens Stadium, both in game and in rank. The Ravens had no problems holding back the Bengals O, not even allowing a TD until inside the 2 minute warning. In addition to several good plays by McNair, an INT return by Prude for a TD all but sealed the Bengals' doom. Cincinnati put up several yards in the air, but without a rushing game to help, they simply collapsed. Ravens win 29-7.

The Bengals Defense did it's best, holding Jamal Lewis to just 73 yards in 25 carries and forcing McNair to just 1 TD. But for all of Anderson's efforts gaining over 300 yards, 3 INTs on the Ravens' part was too much for McNair not to take advantage of. 

'05 Jaguars vs. '18 Texans

As the Jaguars met the Texans at NRG Stadium, both high-powered offenses would struggle to move for the 1st quarter. But the Jag's defense was certainly on high alert - with the secondary picking off Watson twice - for TDs! Cooper would take his grab for 52 yards and Cousin would up the ante with a 68 yard TD return.

Watson, not one to be shaken easily, got Miller moving and put Houston's first 7 points on the board. As the 2nd quarter wound down, he would tie the game on a pass to Coutee. But within 50 seconds, the Texans were in enemy territory and settled for 3 with just 41 seconds left. So it was to everyone's surprise that Watson pulled off a similar feat before the half.

Tied at 17 by half-time, things went much slower in the 2nd half. The Jags would take the lead late in Q3 on a pass by Leftwich. From there, the Texans struggled for another FG, with Jacksonville promptly returned to keep their lead. Jags win 27-20.

Neither team could even muster 50 yards rushing, with Watson of all people hitting 45 the opposite direction on 11 plays - averaging -4 per play! Both QB's threw for over 250 yards, but only Wilford had a big day with 166 yards after a long 83-yarder. Watson, at 33/44, fared slightly better, but both teams I'm sure would hope for a better performance next week.

'99 Rams vs. '83 Redskins

The Greatest Show on Turf continued their undefeated streak against Gibbs' Redskins. The Rams remain the only undefeated team in the league after the 31-21 win. The Redskins were not without a good effort, but the Rams D kept them out of the endzone for the first 29 minutes of the game. Almost no effort was going to overcome 29 minutes of Warner and Faulk picking apart your team left and right. At that point, 3 FG's and 2 TD's gave the Rams the 24-7 advantage at half. 

Theisman's passing game was definitely on point, hitting Garrett for the first TD, and throwing 2 more in the 2nd half. At 300 yards total in 23/30 attempts, any QB would hope for a comparable performance. But Warner put up 389 yards, with Faulk at 167 yards receiving and Bruce at 123. Faulk was just too much to handle in every aspect, running for 79 yards on the ground. Riggins and Wonsley together broke 130 yards for Washington. 

'84 Miami vs. '94 San Francisco

The Dolphins travelled to Candlestick to take on the deadly Steve Young and the 49'ers. After Marino answered the 49'ers first TD, it was clear both teams were able to match each other's efforts. The Niners matched a Miami FG with another TD run by Logan, but were put on spot after a Marino 42-yarder to Duper put 7 points on Miami's side again. Young answered the call with a 28-yarder to Rice, and the Niners went to half up by just 4.

In the 3rd quarter, neither team was as easily able to score, but a San Fran FG would put the score just out of Miami's reach. Another TD pass to Young 15 minutes later practically sealed the win for San Fran, as Marino and crew struggled all of Q4, only managing a TD inside the 2 minute warning. Young was able to waste time and Niners win 31-25. Two missed FG's on Miami's behalf could have sent the game a different direction, but both teams are now 3-2.

With Young throwing for just under 200 yards, it was the Niners ground game, matching him yard-for-yard, that helped keep the team steamrolling the Dolphins. Every back got a touch and most got 20 yards; Watters had 98 on the day. Despite just 194 yards in the air, Young's 2 TDs and 59.5% completion certainly show a calculated efficiency against a usually good Dolphins D. Marino completed 61% of his throws for 300 yards, with 3 TDs and 0 picks. Duper's 6 receptions yielded him 135 yards.

'07 Indianapolis vs. '87 Cleveland

The Browns have been the laughing stock of the league, but every week is a fresh start. So with their home town week, how would they handle the Manning's Colts? Well, in a rare feat, Kosar outperformed Manning as Cleveland's D came alive for some key plays, shaking up Payton. After a 17-6 deficit at half, the Browns would hold off the Colts all 2nd half, giving Kosar time to step up and shine. By the end of the game, Kosar had connected to Byner and Slaughter for end zone scores. Byner also picked up a score on the ground. The effort gave Cleveland their first win, 27-17. 

Manning was held to under 200 yards passing and completed just 20 throws and 2 picks. Kosar's 308 yards came as the result 30 throws, with his 76.9% being some of the best all year. Slaughter had 9 of those catches for 118 yards.  

'08 Giants vs. '77 Dallas

The Cowboys had no problems racking up yards against the Giants, but Eli Manning's calculated gameplay with the Giants' legendary D ended up keeping Dallas from rolling them over. In fact, the much anticipated divisional matchup would be a low scoring effort. After Manning got off the first score of the game to Burress, Tony Dorsett would help push the Cowboys over the end zone for a tie. Almost 40 minutes of game time would pass before either team was able to score again. The Giants broke the silence with a 39 yard Carney FG, but Dallas also matched the effort later. Tied 10-10, all eyes were on these teams to get an edge. But as time wound down, defenses were in high alert, and game ended in the 2nd tie of the season. NY 10, Dallas 10.

Nobody looked great, with Staubach's 210 passing yards overshadowed by 2 INT's. Manning couldn't even complete 40% of his 44 throws, and his 6.5 yards / attempt average was likely a career low. The closest player to 100 yards was Dorsett at 99, whose rushing did average an unheard of 7.6. But the Dallas player with the most eyes on him would be Herrerra, whose missed FG for many was, in hindsight, a costly failure.

'98 Minnesota vs. '05 Seattle

Over 64,000 fans were in attendance at Qwest Field to watch the Seahawks defend against the explosive Vikings. Minnesota's general dominance was in exhibit all first half, with Seattle struggling for points until just before the half, with Shawn Alexander helping stop a shutout. The Vikings had 2 TDs and 2 FG's going into halftime, with Smith helping round out Cunningham's     air attack.

The Seahawks D would adjust to hold the Vikings off in the 2nd half, but Hasselbeck still found himself trying hard to score against the deep purple D. In fact, after throwing his 3rd INT against Minnesota, Hasselbeck fell back to Alexander to get in the end zone. And get in the end zone he did, with just 5 minutes 36 seconds left. But the Seahawks had trouble getting the ball back after that and ended up losing 20-14.

Neither QB threw any TD passes, and both had just over 200 yards in the air. But as was mentioned, Shawn Alexander became Mr, Reliable for Seattle. Aside from scoring both their TD's, he averaged almost 8 yards / carry with 27 touches, carrying for over 200 yards. 

'06 San Diego vs. '92 New Orleans

The Saints met the Chargers in the Superdome, but ended up being the ones charging the ball forward all game. With a continuous scoring effort each quarter, and a typically tough D stopping San Diego from scoring until 3rd quarter, the Saints took home the W to improve 4-1. Final score 26-7, Saints.

Tomlinson was unusually inactive against New Orleans, struggling to get 57 yards all day. Dunbar, however, powered through for 78 yards and Heyward supported him with another 52. Rivers was also held to just 172 yards passing. Hebert on the other hand completed 21 for 282 yards and the only passing TD for the day. Martin caught 9 balls for over 100 as the leading receiver for the game.