Week 12 [GFL]
This week, things get back to a full schedule. Several teams t hat have had a bye week are now in full action for the rest of the season.
'18 Texans vs. '70 Lions
Watson and the Texans had no problems running over the 1-9 Lions in the 1st quarter, scoring an unopposed 10 points. Detroit would score halfway through the 2nd quarter, making the game just 10-7. But after Watson hit another TD throw inside the 2-minutes, the Texans caused a turnover. Capitalizing on the effort, the Texans went up 20-7 at half.
The momentum for Houston continued well into the 3rd quarter, with a 3rd Watson TD throw and rushing TD - putting Detroit at a 27 point deficit. Munson would eventually get at least 1 TD throw in, but it was far too late to help the Lions. Houston wins 34-14.
Neither team had much luck on the ground, despite each side attempting 40 or more carries. In the air, Watson was an astounding 23/26 for 368 yards - averaging 16 yards / catch. Hopkins was his main target with 7 catches for 103 yards. Detroit just simply failed to move the ball, totaling only 154 yards passing.
'83 Washington vs. '77 Dallas
The Cowboys and Redskins faced off in a close Divisional matchup Dallas desperately needs in the win column to have any chance at moving up from the bottom spot.
After a long 1st quarter of 3-and-outs, the Redskins were able to put up the first 3 points on the board with a 46 yard Mosely FG. On their next drive, Dallas would get in the end zone care of Tony Dorsett to lead 7-3. Washington continued to move the ball, but struggled to score. Just before the final seconds of the half ticked off, however, Mosely would make another FG, putting Washington down by just 1 point.
Unfortunately for the Redskins, the 3rd quarter went much like the 2nd, putting the Cowboys at 14 points and Washington at 9. With less than a TD separating the teams, all eyes were on the teams for the 4th quarter. But defenses continued to hold strong, putting both teams at a stalemate for 15 straight minutes. Dallas wins 14-9.
One reason for the 'Skins troubles scoring TD's was the supernatural effort Dallas made at stopping their strong runners. In 11 rushing attempts, Theisman was tackled enough times behind scrimmage to offset what few positive yards Riggins could gather - leaving the team at -18 yards for the game. Theisman, despite just completing 50% of his throws, tossed for over 300 yards.
On the other hand, Staubach had a tough time getting many passing yards, but Dorsett and Pearson were the main weapons in a 161 yard rush attack.
'06 Baltimore vs. '04 Pittsburgh
The Ravens and Steelers had a close game at Heinz Field, with over 66,000 fans in attendance. For the 1st quarter, the Ravens would put up 2 FG's for a 6-0 lead, but early in the 2nd quarter Pittsburgh was easily able to match. After holding Baltimore and getting the ball back, the Steelers were fighting the clock to take a lead before half. But Roethlisberger would hit Randle El for a 33 yard TD, and the terrible towel was waving everywhere.
After a scoreless 3rd quarter, Ravens fans were getting nervous, but McNair would make progress in the 4th quarter. After a long drive, McNair found Clayton in the end zone to tie the game up with just under 10 minutes left. With both defenses having performed so well all game, the game was up for the taking. Roethlisberger clearly wanted it, too - driving into the red zone and finding Plaxico Burress for a TD throw to go up 20-13. Now just 5 minutes of game time remaining, the Steelers D made some crucial stops on Baltimore to chalk up a W. Steelers 20, Ravens 13
Baltimore struggled to get their rushing game going, putting up just 49 yards in 28 carries. McNair completed just 21 passes for 245 yards. Roethlisberger had 322 yards and 2 TD's in just 19 completions. How the Steelers had 16 penalties and were still able to make such progress will remain the mystery.
'08 Carolina vs. '98 Minnesota
The Panthers and Vikings both sit at 3rd place in their divisions, but are just a couple games from reaching the top. With both teams known for their explosive offenses, fans at HHH Metrodome were eager to find out how the shootout would go.
Minnesota's offense was on fire for the first quarter, setting up for 2 rushing TD's by Hoard. A 3rd drive in the 2nd quarter would end in an Anderson FG, giving them a 17-0 lead in what looked like a tough spot for Carolina. But the Panthers would score on their next possession. After a few 3-and-outs, however, Minnesota would remain up 17-7 at the half.
The 3rd quarter saw the continued slow pace of offense and defense, but Palmer squeezed out a 17-yard run for the Vikings to put the Panthers in a tough 24-7 spot. But as Carolina got the ball before the 4th quarter, Delhomme rose to the occasion, driving down and hitting Muhammad on a 13-yard TD throw. With 10 point separating both teams, however, it would be a nail biting 4th quarter with nobody making progress.
As the 2-minute warning hit, however, the Panthers caught fire as Delhomme hit Muhammad again for a TD, this time 38 yards. Now just needing 3 points to tie, however, Carolina had just 1 minute. So when their D got Cunningham to cough up the ball, the Panthers capitalized on the effort. Finding Muhammad open a 3rd time, Delhomme scored another TD to put the Panthers in the winner's spot for the game. Carolina wins 27-24.
Stewart was just shy of 100 yards in just 15 carries for Carolina. Muhammad caught 6 throws for over 100 yards from Delhomme, who had an awkward day. Just completing 11 of 29, he threw for 188 yards but 3 TD's. Cunningham looked great at 65% completion for 311 yards, but despite a long throw of even 77 yards, simple failed to score without help from Hoard on the ground.
'93 Oilers vs. '07 Colts
The Oilers got off to a great start against the Colts at the RCA Dome. In what would prove to be an impressive offensive showdown, Indianapolis stole the show early on. Gathering back-to-back TD's in just the first 7 minutes, with Addai picking up one on the ground, and Manning finding Moorehead for another. Moon however would fill out the rest of the 1st half with 2 TD passes to Slaughter and 2 drives ending in FG attempts. Oilers would lead 20-17 at the half. .
The 2nd half would prove to be much slower paced, and for Houston - that pace came without any scores against the Colts D. The Colts, whose rushing game was looking fantastic, opened the way for a 57 yard TD run by Keith and a pair of FG's. Colts win 30-20.
Both teams had over 300 passing yards, and Houston had 170 rushing yards to Indianapolis' 228. Brown carried 18 times for 107 yards for Houston. Addai took 20 carries for 133 yards. Jeffries caught 8 balls from Moon for 108 yards; Wayne did it in 7 for the Colts. Both QB's had over 40 attempts and completed about 55%.
'84 Miami vs. '98 NY Jets
Over 70,000 fans showed up Giants Stadium to see the Jets face off their division rival Dolphins. With a win, the Dolphins would tie record with the Jets. And Miami seemed poised to get that win. As their strong defense shut out the Jets for several quarters, Marino and crew put 17 points on the board, sending Jets fans ready to go home early.
Any Jets fan that di go home early, would miss Testaverde's comeback efforts in the 4th quarter. Scoring early on a TD pass to Chrebet. Despite struggling a few more times, Testaverde would find himself entering the red zone inside the 2 minute warning. With a TD pass to Johnson and a 2-point conversion, the Jets were now just 2 points away from victory with a minute of game time left.
Unfortunately for the Jets, Miami was able to run down the clock. Dolphins win 17-15.
At over 400 yards of offense, it's not that the Jets weren't trying to score. In fact, Testaverde far outperformed Marino, completing 22/44 for 330 yards and 2 TDs. Marino threw for just 201 yards and 1 TD. However, Miami's rush offense racked up 149 yards.
'87 Cleveland vs. '05 Jacksonville
Almost 66,000 fans showed up at Alltel Stadium to cheer on the Jags as they hosted the Browns. Neither team has had a great season, but a win by the Jags could give them a boost in a still very hotly contested division.
After an exciting long pass early on, the Jags had some momentum, and would roll with to take a 14-3 lead by 2nd quarter. After stretching that lead to 21-3 on another TD pass early in Q2, Kosar would get some composure and drive the Browns for their first TD. As the Cleveland D held off the Jags, another late drive for Cleveland ended in a FG, making the game an 8-point chase.
As the 2nd half opened, Cleveland would not only get Manoa pushed into the end zone for a score, but with the 2-point conversion would tie the game. After going 3 points over Jacksonville on a FG for their next possession, it was Jags fans that would be stunned as the 3rd quarter was winding down.
Jacksonville quickly got their offense together, however, and would score 3 more TD's in a row for the 4th quarter - obliterating Cleveland's lead. Kosar hit Newsome for a 43 yard TD late in the game, but it wasn't enough to cover the surprise effort from Leftwich and a strong rushing crew.
The rushing crew that helped power the Jags to a win, in the name of Greg Jones brought in 155 yards total on 39 carries. Jones had 137 of those yards in just 13 carries. Each team had just about 300 yards passing, with Leftwich looking slightly better than Kosar at 3 TDs and 2 picks.
'06 San Diego vs. '80 Buffalo
The Chargers had a tough day against the Bills, as Ferguson turned out a phenomenal performance while the usually effective Philip Rivers had a tough time. Tomlinson would score the first TD of the game, with just 52 seconds remaining in the 1st quarter. But Ferguson's retaliation came in the form a deep ball to Lewis on they very next play, who ran 76 yards for a score.
After stopping the Chargers again, Bills fans would get a treat when Cribbs returned the punt for a 55-yard TD. The Chargers could only match with a FG, going down 14-10 at the half.
Ferguson showed no signs of slowing down his aerial attack, throwing a TD pass in the 3rd and 4th quarters. As the Buffalo D continued to stop Rivers, a 3rd unanswered TD would put the 35-10 score out of reach for San Diego. Rivers would find Tomlinson for a 25-yard TD, but just could not make any more progress against the Bills. Buffalo 35, San Diego 17
With almost 800 yards total offense, nobody was sure sleeping during this blowout. Runners on each side had a tough day, but Rivers completed 63% for 268 yards. Ferguson hit 80% of his throws for 378 yards, however, averaging 15 yards / catch and also racking up 3 TDs. Lewis was his superstar receiver, catching 6 passes for 174 yards, averaging 29 each after the stunning 76 yard TD throw.
'08 NY Giants vs. '81 Cincinnati
The Giants rolled over the Bengals 20-3 at Riverfront Stadium, racking up over 300 yards on offense. Manning had a hard time completing passes against the Bengals, hitting just half of his targets. But at 13 yards/catch average, he got much better field position than Anderson of Cincinnati. The Giants had over 100 yards total rushing.
'74 Cardinals vs. '16 Patriots
The Cardinals' offense came flying into Gillette Stadium to take on the Patriots, and would ultimately bring Tom Brady a challenge he wouldn't soon forget.
After trading a few punts, the Cardinals got the first score of the game on a run by Otis. The Patriots would answer back on a 35 yarder from Brady to Gronkowski. Brady would throw a 2nd TD to Bennett later in the 2nd quarter. But his lead would be cut as Hart hit Thomas on a 12-yarder inside the 2-minute mark.
Tied 14-14 at half, neither team could get much traction in the 3rd quarter. But in typical NE fashion, Brady would break the silence early in the 4th quarter with a 3rd TD pass. The Cardinals would come up short their next few possessions, but after their defense kept holding Brady, Hart found a shot. Firing off a deep ball to Thomas with 4 minutes of game play left, Thomas brought the ball in and went all the way for a 50-yard score.
Tied again, Brady and crew would have 1 more possession to break the tie. And sure enough, as time wore down, New England continued to move forward, making it in the red zone inside the 2 minute warning. With just 71 seconds of game play left, Brady snuck the ball for his final, and game-winning, touchdown. New England 28, St. Louis cards 21.
Metcalf and Otis combined for 134 yards rushing of the team's 196 total, each averaging almost 6 yards / carry. With each team breaking 230 passing yards or more, only Edelman had a big day with an astonishing 12 catches for Brady and 99 yards. Brady completed several more passes than Hart, completing 80% of his 36 attempts. But at just under 10 yards/catch average, his pace was clearly slow and steady, still yielding 3 TDs.
'00 Oakland vs. '10 Atlanta
What was a normal game between 2 great teams in the first half, devolved into a sloppy 2nd half for the visiting Oakland Raiders. The Falcons literally ran the ball all over town against them, making for a stunning show on both sides.
After matching Atlanta 14-14, the Falcons D pounded on the beatings in the following 2 quarters. Atlanta scored back-to-back TD passes after quickly forcing Oakland to punt. And just as the Raiders put 3 on the board, the Falcons closed out the 3rd quarter on a 47 yard run by Turner.
Embarrassed already, Oakland's response in the 4th quarter wasn't much better. After getting in the red zone, Matt Ryan would have his own fun rushing for a TD to go up 42-17. On Oakland's next possession, just as they were getting near enemy territory, Biermann added insult to injury with an interception return for TD. Gannon would finally get his groove back together, scoring on a pass to Wheatley. But with 4 minutes of game time left, the 49-24 deficit would be impossible to overcome. Falcons win by a final score of 52-24.
Two separate rushers averaged over 9 yards / carry against the poor Oakland D, but it was Turner's 249 total yards and 2 TD's that showed a different side of this team that the Raiders clearly wasn't prepared for. Each team would pass for over 230 yards and 2 TD's, but Ryan's 69.4% completion edges his performance over Gannon's. At the end of the day, however, it was Turner and the Falcons D that turned the game into an amusement park ride.
'92 New Orleans vs. '15 Denver
The Saints marched into Denver to take on Manning and the Broncos, and despite having several possessions, would find themselves in a close run with the home team. The Saints got off to a shocking start, getting an early FG and then crushing Manning in the end zone for a Safety. But Manning would quickly get into his groove, tossing 2 TD passes to Sanders on back-to-back possessions. The Broncos would lead at the half, 15-5.
The 3rd quarter would move slow, as New Orleans would come within a TD of the Broncos after another Anderson field goal. After a Safety benefited Denver early in the 4th quarter, the Saints seemed to be slipping further away. But nothing could have been further from the truth. As their defense continued to hold the Broncos, they would set up for 2 more Anderson FGs in just over 5 minutes game time. Down just 17-14, they would force Denver to a fast 3-and-out, forcing the 8th punt of the game for the Broncos.
The return effort from Newman would break all expectations, and tackles, as he would run 74 yards for the score to give the Saints a late lead. With just 3 minutes of time left, Manning continued to struggle against the Saints. A late FG by Anderson would seal the deal, giving the Saints the win 24-17.
One thing in the Saints favor was ball control. Having the ball for 38 minutes of game time, the Saints were not afraid to rush the ball. Despite only having 125 yards to show for it, they rushed 50 times, tearing up valuable clock time for the Broncos. Both QB's were even for completions, hitting half their attempts. Manning got more bang for his buck out of his receivers, though, totaling 206 yards with 2 TDs. The near perfect Morten Anderson was 5/6 on the day.
'94 49ers vs. '99 Rams
The Rams hosted Steve Young's 49ers, in a matchup only with value for San Fran as they look to secure a wildcard spot. But with Young's performances this year nobody would have expected the one-sided outcome.
Despite both teams having no problems moving the ball early on, the Rams extended a 14-10 lead to 28-10 in the 2nd quarter. With Young struggling at that point against the Rams defense, Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner would prove to be a thorn in the Niners side.
By the 3rd quarter, each team was able to score, keeping the Rams' lead at 18 points. Young, having hit Watters for 2 TD passes already, would find him for a 3rd in the 4th quarter, but not until after Warner and company added insult to injury with a TD throw to Hakim. The 25-point lead gave St. Louis the win, 49-24 (a bit ironic, eh?)
Both teams had almost 400 passing yards or more, easily breaking 500 each on the day for a total of 1,000+ yards. Both QB's had almost 80% completion, and almost 12 yds/catch average. But young's 3 TD's were offset by a high 4 INT's; Warner managed just 2 picks to compliment his 4 TDs. Bruce had an astonishing 12 catches for 151 yards. But only St. Louis who was able to run through the Niner's LB's for over 160 rush yards with Faulk and Holcombe.
'19 Kansas City vs. '79 Tampa Bay
In the home of Tampa Bay, a matchup between the same teams that just competed in Super Bowl LV would end in almost a nearly identical surprise ending. The Bucs would get the first TD compliments of Bell, and the 1st quarter would be otherwise silent. But Mahomes and crew would dominate the 2nd quarter, holding the Bucs at bay while putting up 3 TD's of their own back-to-back.
A late effort from Doug Williams would 6 points on the board after a good drive inside the 2-minute warning. But down 21-13, Williams was nowhere near defeated, nor was the Buccs' defense. Holding the Chiefs to a goose egg in Q3, the Bucs would score on a 2nd rushing TD by Bell. With a 2-point conversion succeeding, the game would be tied going into Q4.
As the Buccs defense continued to pound away at Kansas City, the Chiefs failed to score, giving Tampa Bay and Doug Williams several more opportunities. The Chiefs D wouldn't be as successful stopping them - Williams and Bell would continue scoring in the 4th quarter, and ultimately take home a win. Tampa Bay 34, KC 21. Perhaps it's just destined to be that way?
Both teams put up over 400 yards, so it's not that Kanas City didn't put up a good effort. But with the Buccs having 22 first downs and twice as many rush attempts - it's clear they controlled the ball better and longer. Kansas City also had several penalties to hurt them - 13 in fact. Doug Williams' passing wasn't great, or critical to Tampa's win with the 50 carries, but with 12 completions and 158 yards - adding 2 TD's from that is a solid effort. Mahomes was 29/41 for 348 yards and 2 TD's as well.
'06 Chicago vs. '01 Green Bay
Favre and the Packers hosted their closest division rival, the Bears, in a matchup that could threaten Green Bay's lead in the division. And as the first quarter carried on, "threatened" describes the Packer's game. Chicago opened the game up with a Safety on Favre, then scored on the resulting possession. With a fast 3-and-out and a FG quickly following - the Bears were up 12-0 before Favre really even got his helmet on.
The Packers would finally get some momentum, putting up back-to-back FG's to make the teams just 1 score apart. But it wouldn't be long before Chicago would extend that lead, with Jones rushing 28 yards for a score.
Things would chill down a bit from there, and the Bears would keep a 20-6 lead into halftime and for most of the 3rd quarter. But with 2 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, a Longwell FG, a 1st down turnover and an 11 yard run by Favre would put the Packers back within 4 points of a W. This momentum wouldn't last, however, and Chicago would go on to sink 2 FG's in the 4th quarter. Green Bay would match with a TD run by Green.
With 5 minutes left and 3 points separating Green Bay from Chicago, the Bears would seal their Win with an 82-yard KO return by Hester, and a few strong stands on D. Chicago wins 33-23. In an unexpected twist, both teams had over 130 yards rushing and barely 200 or fewer passing yards. Thomas Jones would rush 18 times for 131 yards. Ahman Green, 26 carries for just 101 yards.
'05 Seattle vs. '80 Philadelphia
The Seahawks met the Eagles at Veterans Stadium to see which struggling team could lift their chances and spirits. It would be a low scoring game, but the Seahawks would find themselves in the most trouble against the Big Green.
After Jaworski ran in a TD on the Eagles' first possession, each team's defense would hold to several 3-and-outs. And early in the 2nd quarter, Alexander would tie the score up for Seattle. But it would be the last the Seahawks would even see the red zone all game. The Eagles D was able to hold Seattle when necessary, despite the Seahawks tallying over 300 yards offense. Big Green would even pick up a Safety against Hasselbeck, proving their dominance. Philadelphia wins 23-7.
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