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Week 17 - Sunday

Tennessee Titans at Baltimore Colts

As expected, the Colts beat the Titans, and despite a sluggish performance at times, did so rather easily, winning 23-10 in Baltimore. After a scoreless first quarter, in which it appeared Tennessee might make a game of it, the Colts exploded for 20 second quarter points, taking a 20-0 lead into the half. Neither team could get much going in the 2nd half, but that played to Baltimore's advantage, having already opened up such a commanding lead. For the season, the Colts finish 13-3, and with the victory have wrapped up the number 2 seed in the AFC and will have a 1st round bye. Tennessee finishes 5-11, and alone in last place in the AFC South following Jacksonville's upset win over Houston.

Week 17 - Sunday

San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns

The Browns couldn't have ended their season any more poorly than they did, turning the ball over 6 times in losing a snore-fest to San Francisco, 17-8. Quarterback Brian Sipe contributed with 4 interceptions, 2 by Niners' defensive back Mel Phillips. The game was a defensive standoff for much of the first half, with the 49ers finally getting on the scoreboard with a Steve Mike-Mayer field goal late in the 2nd quarter, but then giving up a safety when a blitzing Ron Bolton stopped Delvin Williams short of the Niners' own goalline just before the half. Thus, the unlikely halftime score of 3-2 in favor of San Francisco. In the 2nd half, the 49ers made some separation thanks to two Jim Plunkett TD passes, the last one coming in the final quarter on a 33 yarder to Gene Washington, his only reception of the game. For San Francisco, the win was bittersweet, having finished the season a respectable 10-6, but still missing the playoffs (again, assuming those Madden tie-breaker rules match the NFL's ). Cleveland, failing to finish .500, concludes their season at 7-9.

Week 17 - Sunday

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons

Steve Bartkowski tossed 4 touchdown passes as the Falcons whacked the Seahawks, 38-12. Alfred Jenkins was on the receiving end of 2 of those scores, both on long completions of 68 and 55 yards as Atlanta built up a 21-10 halftime lead. Statistically, the game seemed much closer, but Seattle could not overcome the big plays that they gave up through the air. Falcons' defensive lineman Mike Lewis contributed to the Seahawks' woes as well, picking up a Jim Zorn fumble and running 57 yards for a score as part of a 21-point second quarter for Atlanta. The Falcons finish the season 7-9 and tied with Carolina for 2nd place in the NFC South, while expansion Seattle finishes 3-13.

Lions in 1st place and Green Bay in last.
Damn , that's a weird thing to see.
hahahaha

Yeah, what a difference 32 years can make.

Week 17 - Sunday

Pittsburgh Steelers at Birmingham Ravens

The Ravens gave the Steelers all they could handle, but in the end Pittsburgh rallied to defeat them, 30-20, at Legion Field in Birmingham. The Ravens built up a 17-6 lead in the 2nd quarter, thanks to a defense that intercepted Terry Bradshaw twice in the 1st quarter, and an offense led by running back Art Cantrelle that took advantage of those turnovers and converted them to points. Although held in check by the tough Steelers' defense for most of the afternoon, Cantrelle broke a 42 yard TD run that put the Ravens up early on. Pittsburgh rallied before halftime and then outscored Birmingham 17-3 in the 2nd half. League leading rusher Franco Harris likely clinched the rushing crown for the season, finishing with 101 yards on 27 carries, including scoring a TD late to put the game away. Pittsburgh will enter the playoffs with a 12-4 record and will host either Houston or New England next week, pending the outcome of the Bills-Eagles game. Birmingham finishes 5-11, having lost 10 of their last 12 games.

Week 17 - Sunday

Cincinnati Bengals at Miami Dolphins

Freddie Solomon was the star, leading the Dolphins to the biggest come-from-behind win of the season as Miami beat Cincinnati 30-23 at the Orange Bowl. Solomon had a career day, catching 6 passes for 188 yards and scoring 3 touchdowns. Bob Griese had 4 touchdown passes in total, as he helped bring Miami back from a 20-0 second quarter deficit. Led by Ken Anderson and their own star wideout, Isaac Curtis, the Bengals jumped out to a big lead early on. Anderson's 2 touchdown passes to Curtis made the score 17-0 in the 2nd quarter before a Chris Bahr field goal added 3 more points. Just before halftime, Griese would connect with Solomon for their first score leading the eventual comeback that would occur in the 2nd half. Despite missing the playoffs, the Bengals still had an opportunity to finish with a winning record, but the loss ruined that as they now conclude the '76 season with an 8-8 record. And despite the win, Miami finishes 7-9, their first losing season since 1969.

Week 17 - Sunday

Buffalo Bills at Philadelphia Eagles

In a game that neither team seemed determined to want to win, the Bills finally emerged 19-16 victors over the Eagles in Philly. Joe Ferguson completed 17 of 23 attempts for 229 yards and a touchdown, including a 67 yarder to Bob Chandler who finished with 134 receiving yards for the game. The real difference maker, however, was George Jakowenko (yes, seriously) who went 4 for 4 including the game winner in the 4th quarter that broke a 16-16 tie. The Bills also took advantage of 3 Eagles turnovers. Eagles wideout Harold Carmichael had a big game, catching 9 passes for 162 yards. Buffalo finishes 12-4, and will host division rival New England in one of the 1st round playoff games. Philadephia finished 5-11 in Dick Vermeil's first season as Eagles' head coach.

Week 17 - Key Matchup

Los Angeles Rams (10-5) at St. Louis Cardinals (10-5)

With the NFC West division title on the line, the Rams faced the Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

The two opposing field generals: the Cards' Jim Hart and Rams' James Harris

Image downsized - click on the image to get an original view


Al Beauchamp's interception in the endzone stopped a potential Rams' touchdown following a scoreless first quarter.


Hart's 30 yard touchdown pass to Mel Gray broke the scoreless deadlock with only 2:15 to go in the half, giving the Cardinals a 7-0 lead.


Rod Perry's interception of a Hart pass intended for Gray set the Rams up with a field goal in the final seconds of the half to close the Cardinals lead to 4 points.


Following a Jim Bakken field goal in the 3rd quarter, the Cardinals struck again when Terry Metcalf ran off left tackle on a 42 yard TD run to make the score 17-3, St. Louis. Metcalf finished with 95 yards on 24 carries.


Early in the 4th quarter, the Rams threatened to close the gap, but failed on a 4th and goal attempt when running back John Cappelletti was stopped just short of the goal line.


The Rams finally reached the endzone on Harold Jackson's 4 yard TD pass from Harris, but it was too little, too late.


The final score:


With the win, the Cardinals finish as division champs with a record of 11-5, while the Rams will enter the playoffs as a wildcard and the number 6 seed, with a record of 10-6. The two teams will meet again at Busch Stadium in next week's 1st round playoff game.

Week 17 - Sunday

San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders

The Raiders played their starters sparingly throughout the game, but that did not matter as Oakland won easily over San Diego, 49-17, to finish the season 15-1. MVP Ken Stabler only threw 5 passes, completing 4, but all 4 were for scores, including 3 to Cliff Branch, and 1 of those that went for 90 yards in the game's 1st quarter. Mike Rae replaced Stabler in the 2nd half, and accounted for 2 TD passes of his own, hitting Fred Biletknikoff and Pete Banaszak for the scores. Chargers' QB Dan Fouts did not fare so well, however, as despite 2 TD passes of his own, Fouts was intercepted 3 times during the game. All in all, it was a game of big plays, but most of them being made by the Raiders on both sides of the ball. San Diego finishes the season 8-8, while Oakland gets ready for the playoffs as the number 1 seed in the AFC.

Week 17 - Sunday

Minnesota Vikings at Denver Broncos

Despite a disappointing season, the Vikings finished strong, winning their last 3 in a row, capping it off with a 25-13 win at Denver. Fred Cox kicked 4 field goals, while Chuck Foreman scored twice, first as a receiver, and then later rushing, to finish off the Broncos. The game was close most of the way, with the two teams matching each other nearly score-for-score until the final quarter when things got away from Denver. A Nate Allen interception off Norris Weese set up the Vikings with the go-ahead points in the 4th quarter as they outscored the Broncos 12-0 to close out the game. Minnesota finishes the year 9-7, missing the playoffs for the first time in 4 seasons, while Denver ends up with an even more disappointing record of 5-11. Both teams began the year with high expectations, but both underachieved.

Week 17 - Sunday night

Kansas City Chiefs at New York Jets

Two losing teams with nothing to play for squared off at Shea Stadium, and it was the Jets that played like a team that actually cared, winning 24-3. Veteran QB Joe Namath got the start for at least one final time, and performed well, completing 17 of 28 attempts for 194 yards, and also threw a touchdown pass. Rookie running back Clark Gaines also scored for New York, as did defensive back Ed Taylor, who returned a Mike Livingston interception 90 yards for a touchdown to cap off the scoring late in the game. The Jets still finish the season 6-10, while the Chiefs finish even worse off with a record of 5-11 and tied for last in the AFC West with Denver.

Week 17 - Key Matchup

Dallas Cowboys (12-3) at Washington Redskins (11-4)

On a cold, clear night at RFK Stadium, the Cowboys and Redskins faced off to decide the NFC Eastern division title, and also home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The last time the two teams met in Dallas, the Redskins won a low-scoring game, 7-3.

The Redskins tried to establish the running game early on. Here, fullback John Riggins runs up the gut for an 8 yard gain.


As with their last meeting, the Cowboys offense struggled, at least through the first 3 quarters of the game. Here, Roger Staubach is sacked by Dave Butz.


Former Cowboy Calvin Hill helps the Redskins drive into field goal range to take a 3-0 lead at the halfway mark.


Veteran Redskins' linebacker Harold McLinton stops a Cowboys' drive, intercepting a Staubach pass intended for Robert Newhouse.


More mistakes for the Cowboys: Billy Joe DuPree has the ball literally just fall out of his hands following a first down reception. The Redskins would recover to keep the score at 3-0 late in the 3rd quarter.


The Cowboys finally catch a huge break in the 4th quarter when Eddie Brown muffs a punt, which is recovered by Aaron Kyle. The play would set up the Cowboys at the Redskins' 26 yard line, and start a snow-ball effect favoring Dallas the rest of the way.


Preston Pearson runs it in for the go-ahead score moments later, giving Dallas its first lead at 7-3.


Robert Newhouse scores on a 7 yard run to make it 14-3.


Bob Breunig slams the door shut on the Redskins for good, intercepting Billy Kilmer to set up another short TD run by Newhouse to make it 21-3. Efren Herrera would add a field goal in the final seconds to close it out, making the final score 24-3.



The Cowboys' defense rose to the occasion, shutting down the Redskins almost completely, holding them to only 122 yards in total offense, including only 29 passing yards. The Cowboys also forced 3 turnovers, as they scored 24 unanswered points in the final quarter after being shutout for the first 3. Dallas finishes the season 13-3 and will host a 2nd round playoff game, while the Redskins will travel to New Orleans next Sunday in the wildcard round.

This post has been edited by Leeman67 on Sep 10 2009, 06:29 PM

Week 17 Results:

New England 21, N.Y. Giants 13
Tampa Bay 13, Carolina 12
New Orleans 28, Chicago 18
Jacksonville 31, Houston 14
Detroit 30, Green Bay 21
Baltimore 23, Tennessee 10
San Francisco 17, Cleveland 8
Atlanta 38, Seattle 12
Pittsburgh 30, Birmingham 20
Miami 30, Cincinnati 23
Buffalo 19, Philadelphia 16
St. Louis 17, Los Angeles 10
Oakland 49, San Diego 17
Minnesota 25, Denver 13
N.Y. Jets 24, Kansas City 3
Dallas 24, Washington 3



Top Performers for Week 17:


Week 18 Schedule - 1st Round of Playoffs:

FINAL REGULAR SEASON STATS:

Team Offensive Leaders:


Team Defensive Leaders:

Individual Leaders - Passing:


Individual Leaders - Rushing:


Individual Leaders - Receiving (no. of receptions):


Individual Leaders - Sacks:


Individual Leaders - Interceptions:


Individual Leaders - Kickers:


Individual Leaders - Punters:


Individual Leaders - Kick returners:


Individual Leaders - Punt returners:

LET'S GO BUFFALO!!!

Oops! almost forgot the Final Standings:

Packers 1-15 thats awesome

First Round Playoff Matchups

AFC - Saturday


NFC - Saturday


AFC - Sunday


NFC - Sunday


This post has been edited by Leeman67 on Sep 12 2009, 05:30 PM

It's finally playoff time!!

Tell me about it! It only took me 13.5 months.

AFC First Round Playoff Game

New England Patriots (10-6) at Buffalo Bills (12-4)

Buffalo is attempting to complete a 3-game sweep of the Patriots, while New England is hoping that their 3rd time is the charm in their attempt to knock off the Bills and advance to the divisional playoff round of the AFC playoffs. Game time temperature is 38 degrees, which is balmy for upstate New York in early January.

The Bills were on offense first, and led by O.J. Simpson, managed to drive down the field on New England to start the game. Simpson carried most of the weight on the drive, but it was backup tailback Roland Hooks who broke the biggest play of the drive, a 17 yard run giving the Bills a first down in Patriots' territory at the 27-yard line:


It was here, however, that the drive stalled as the Pats' defense stiffened. Bills' kicker George Jakowenko came in to attempt a 42 yard field goal, but unfortunately for the Bills the kick was wide right:


This would be the closest either team would come to scoring in the game's first quarter. On their second possession, however, the Patriots started to get things going as the first period came to a close with the game tied 0-0. Quarterback Steve Grogan made the big plays, with the twin running attack of Sam "the Bam" Cunningham and Andy Johnson providing ample support. Grogan's scramble on 3rd and 4 inside the Bills 35-yard line gave the Patriots a first down:


Five plays later, Grogan capped off the drive with a bootleg run from a yard out to give the Pats a 7-0 lead just minutes into the 2nd quarter:


The Bills struggled to maintain the ground game they seemed to establish in the game's opening drive, and were faced with many 3rd-and-long situations throughout the afternoon. Here, a blitzing Bob Howard takes down Joe Ferguson for a sack, ending a Bills' drive:


The Patriots kept up the pressure on Buffalo in the 2nd quarter, taking over again on offense with a 7-0 lead and less than six minutes to play in the half. Here, Darryl Stingley gets behind Mario Clark on a 49 yard pass completion play from Grogan, which led to a 25 yard field goal by John Smith to give New England a 10-0 lead, which is how the half ended:

New England at Buffalo (cont.)

The Bills kicked off to the Patriots to begin the 3rd quarter, and New England hoped to build on their 10-0 lead. However, the Buffalo defense came out fired up, and forced a 3-and-out. Here, Ben Williams registers the 3rd down sack on Grogan:


On the ensuing drive, the Bills finally get things going as wide receiver Bob Chandler makes his first reception of the game, this one going for a first down in New England territory:


O.J. Simpson capped off the drive with a 5 yard touchdown run off right end, making the score 10-7:


However, the Patriots responded with their own scoring drive. It began with a big 19 yard pass play from Grogan to the fullback Cunningham down the right sideline:


It ended with Grogan's 34 yard touchdown completion to Stingley, as the Patriots recaptured a 10-point lead at 17-7:


In the 4th quarter, the Bills caught a glimmer of hope when Steve Freeman intercepted a Grogan pass intended for Marlin Briscoe, setting up the Bills just inside New England territory with still over 7 minutes to play. Unfortunately, however, Joe Ferguson would return the favor as he attempted to hit Bob Chandler, and instead rookie all-pro cornerback Mike Haynes picked off the pass and returned it 48 yards down the right sideline:


This play would set up another Smith field goal, this one another chip-shot from 23 yards, giving New England a 20-7 lead. The Bills, now desperate for a quick score, took to the air. Ferguson used his tight end Paul Seymour, and wideouts Chandler and Bob Holland to move down the field and into scoring range as the clock ticked down to the 2-minute warning. Facing a 4th and goal at the New England 6-yard line, Ferguson attempted one final throw, this one in the flat to Holland, who was stopped cold just short of the goalline by defensive end Julius Adams, thus ending any hopes for a Bills' comeback:


In the end, the Patriots avenged their two regular season losses to the Bills, winning in Buffalo and advancing to the 2nd round of the playoffs where they will meet the top-seeded Oakland Raiders next week (hey! just like they really did back in 1976. Cool! ). Darryl Stingley was the main star for the Patriots catching 7 passes for 122 yards, including the 34-yard score, and the big 49-yard catch before halftime that extended New England's lead. The Bills, despite the disappointment of the loss, finished the year well above expectations (considering in the real 1976 season, they were abysmal, thanks mostly to injuries, mainly at QB). Still, that doesn't make a dejected Joe Ferguson feel any better as he exits the field at the game's end:



(sorry bquinn. It just wasn't meant to be... )

This post has been edited by Leeman67 on Sep 13 2009, 11:49 AM

NFC 1st Round Playoff

Los Angeles Rams (10-6) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (11-5)

A clear cold night in St. Louis as the Cardinals host the Rams for the 2nd straight week, this time in the grudge match between the two teams who split their season series. The Cardinals captured the NFC West division crown by beating the Rams the previous week, and hope to repeat that accomplishment in order to advance to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs.

St. Louis won the toss and began to move the ball downfield, led by quarterback Jim Hart and wideout Ike Harris, who caught two passes on the drive for a total of 37 yards:



The drive stalled, however, but the Rams had to start deep in their own end, setting the tempo for the kind if field position battle that would favor the Cardinals for much of the evening. Here, Rams' quarterback James Harris throws down the middle of the field:


A few plays later, disaster strikes for Los Angeles when Cards' cornerback Roger Wehrli intercepts a Harris pass intended for Ron Jessie:


Despite the great field position, the Rams' defense kept the Cardinals out of the endzone. On 3rd down, Hart aimed for the endzone, but a host of Rams' defenders knocked the pass away from its intended target, Terry Metcalf:


The Cardinals did settle for a 42 yard field goal by Jim Bakken, giving St. Louis an early 3-0 lead. The first quarter would end with this score, but St. Louis would strike again early in the 2nd quarter, and this time they would not be denied the endzone. Again, taking advantage of good field position after a Rams' 3-and-out, Hart drove the Cardinals back down into the redzone. Terry Metcalf broke off left tackle on an 18 yard touchdown run, giving the Cards a 10-0 2nd quarter lead:


The Rams continued to struggle. Here, Lawrence McCutcheon attempts a spin move, but the ball comes loose causing a fumble. The Rams recover, but another drive is stalled:


Terry Metcalf continues his big night, here taking off on a 33 yard run as part of an 88-yard scoring drive for St. Louis as halftime approaches:


The Rams manage to hold the Cardinals to another Bakken field goal, this one from 26 yards, giving St. Louis a 13-0 lead with just over a minute to play in the half. The Rams can do nothing to threaten a score before the half. The Cards get the ball back with less than 30 seconds. Another big catch by Ike Harris sets up a 3rd field goal by Bakken to end the 1st half with the score 16-0: