STEELERS AS LOST AS THEIR HEAD COACH IN LOSS TO BEARS

Milk cartons, missing posters signs, public announcements and even good ol fashioned help from innocent bystanders wasn't enough to find the Steelers head coach at times. In a game that took over 3 hours to play (Geez 3 freaking hours) and the Bears head man Coach V losing patience at every turn couldn't help contain the absence of Greg Marcucci. Fans all over the stadium spent more time looking and trying to find the Steeler coach than he did coaching them.

The game started out smoothly and even ran without interruption for the first 13 minutes of the game. Pittsburgh would punt on its first possession and the Bears took over at their own 32 to begin its opening drive. Much like in early Bear style they would go to the ground and feed Anthony Thomas (34-152) and he would account for all but 26 yards of the 47 yards before the drive bogged down and Paul Edinger was called upon to give the Bears an early 3-0 lead from 38 yards out.

Pittsburgh would be forced to punt again and for the second time on just its second possession a less than explosive offense would eat up some ground and move from its own 40 to the Steelers 28. Pittsburgh would help the Bears out with some untimely penalties that kept Bear drives alive. Finally though the Steelers defense appeared to come up with a big play as Joey Porter stepped in front of Shane Matthews (12-16-91) to stop the threat. A flag though came down and the Steelers were called for pass interference and Chicago would get the ball back and the drive would continue. This is where the Houdini act started happening with the Steelers HC. After a few minutes of hibernation and some attempts to see if maybe the air came out of the football he magically appeared again. When play resumed in the second half and 4 plays in Matthews found Marty Booker for the first touchdown of the game and a Bears 10-0 lead. Pittsburgh would come back to put on a nice 50 yard drive that stalled at the 30 and ended in a Jeff Reed 47 yard field goal. The half would end on that note exactly 1 hour after the kickoff had happened. I was actually kind of thinking that maybe the Steelers coach just had a bad bladder problem and that was the reason for his quite often disappearance in the game.

The 3rd quarter was like playing hide and seek with a small child. "Where did you go, oh where are you hiding-Oh there you are now how about we play the damn game.". Chicago would make two early second half mistakes that would give the Steelers great field position both times and a team that had great ratings. The problem was that the missing coach was about as clueless as he was dependable to get the game done. With all the weapons at his disposal it wouldn't be enough to get anything more than a field goal out of the two Bears turnovers and trailed 10-6. In all fairness Pittsburgh did actually score a touchdown only to have it called back due to a hold and again Houdini left the building, house or wherever he was. After a lull of about 10-15 minutes and a call by me to get some help getting him to respond he returned with more excuses than a whore has for having VD.

The Bears added another Edinger 47 yard field goal late in the 3rd to go up 13-6 and this is exactly what I was playing for. I had no intentions of risking an interception at this junction in the game knowing that at worse a TD by Pitt would tie the game up. Then again I felt pretty confident that his offense was about as reliable as the coach actually playing the game. The 4th quarter was a wasted hour of chasing down the coach. When something went bad, the coach went missing for 15-20 minutes at a time. When he returned you would have thought he just had a party and had no idea where or what he was doing. At the 6:04 mark and just when I thought things were finally going smooth again the Steelers turned the ball over again and with that turnover it was "go find the coach" time again. 15 minutes later we were playing again and after Tony Parrish 63 yard interception return off Big Ben (14-25-63) for a 20-6 Bears lead the magic again took the Steelers HC and whisked him away into another time dimension. I guess with only 2:30 to go surely he would just finish the game. Finally a black hole opened up and low and behold he once again appeared. This time with a agreement we finished the game out.

Steeler RB Duce Staley finished with 162 yard rushing on 25 carries with many of those yards coming late. Be warned everyone, when playing the Steelers be on the watch out for those black holes and time warps that seem to suck the Steelers head coach straight from the playing board. Even worse watch out that he doesn't appear in you living room!
--submitted by Bill Vogt--

Week 4 Raiders 27, Titans 20

Oakland’s Rich Gannon (37-49, 397, 3 TD, Int) and Tim Brown (6-109, TD) connected on 2 passes for 51 yards on the Raiders’ opening possession as Oakland went up 7-0, then extended their lead to 13-0 on a pair of FGs. The Titans failed to convert a first down on their first 5 possessions, but the Titans’ Samarie Rolle came up with an interception and Al Del Greco capitalized with a 48-yard FG to keep it close. The Raiders added to their lead- Gannon connected with Jerry Porter on a 9-yard TD pass late in the first half- but the Titans moved the ball inside Oakland territory and Del Greco connected from 40 yards to make it 20-6 Raiders at halftime.

Midway through the 3^rd, the Titans D came up big again; Jevon Kearse knocked the ball from Gannon’s hands and ran it in from 3 yards to bring Tennessee within 6 at 20-13. The Titans then tied it up late in the 4^th when Steve McNair (16-34, 135, TD) found Derrick Mason (5-58, TD) from 28 yards out. Oakland took over at their own 17-yard line with 1:33 remaining and moved the ball to midfield. With just 37 seconds left, Gannon hit Jerry Rice (5-94, TD) on a deep out pattern for the game-winning 49-yard TD pass. --submitted by Dan Donovan--

Week 5 Raiders 21, Colts 17

Oakland drove to the Indy 3-yard line on their first possession, but got greedy and came away empty on 4^th-and-1. Peyton Manning (20-32, 276 yards, 2 TD) led the Colts on a 97-yard drive, capped by a 26-yard strike to Reggie Wayne (4-82, TD) to give the visitors a 7-0 lead late in the 1^st. Oakland tied it up midway through the 2^nd quarter on a Zack Crockett 2-yard run, then took a 14-7 lead as halftime neared when Rich Gannon (28-36, 317, TD, Int) connected with Jerry Porter (2-26) on a quick 5-yard slant.

Indianapolis forced the first turnover of the day early in the second half when Gannon was sacked by Raheem Brock. The Colts recovered on the Oakland 43-yard line and moved close enough for Mike Vanderjagt to hit a 26-yard FG to cut the lead to 14-10. Early in the 4^th, Oakland’s Tim Brown (5-82) coughed up the ball deep in Raider territory. After two incomplete passes, Manning was sacked for an 8-yard loss, and that was just enough to put the Colts out of Vanderjagt’s range, as he missed from 52 yards out. But Oakland was not out of the woods just yet. Waine Bacon intercepted an errant Gannon pass- Oakland’s 3^rd turnover of the day- and Manning led the Colts 58 yards to put them on top 17-14 with 4:38 to play. Terry Kirby returned the ensuing kickoff 44 yards to the Indianapolis 36-yard line, and the Raiders were within 1 first down of FG range to tie it up. Instead they marched deep into Colt territory and faced 3^rd-and-Goal from the 2-yard line, at least until a false start pushed them back 5 yards. On 3^rd-and-Goal from the 7, Gannon connected with Tim Brown, but Brown was stopped just shy of the goal at the 1-yard line. On 4^th-and-Goal from the 1, Oakland opted against the game-tying FG and instead placed their faith in FB Zack Crockett. Crockett bulled his way in as time expired, and the Raiders won 21-17. --submitted by Dan Donovan--

Giants top Bucs 22-7 in "Blunder Bowl"

The 3-1 Bucs headed into the Meadowlands to face the quickly fading 1-3 G-men. Before the game even started NY found out that both their kickers would not be available and Super Jock was not eligible to be put on the roster. Judging by their respective roster this game looked to be a defensive struggle. While NY had its kicking woes to contend with Tampa had Rob Johnson as their QB to contend with.

1st Quarter: Tampa won the toss and elected to have the legless Giants kick off. Jaret Holmes, who would not be available for XP's or FG's was somehow available to kick off. His feeble attempt traveled only to Tampa's 17 and Dwight Smith added 27 yard on the return to give excellent field position to the Bucs (TB 44). Rob Johnson went to the play action on the opening play from scrimmage and was immediately sacked by "the hammer" Keith Hamilton. The ball popped out before Johnson hit the ground and Michael Trainor...I mean Strahan, recovered it. New York started on Tampa's 37 and immediately gained 8 yards on a sideline out from Kerry Collins to Amani Toomer. The Bucs stuffed Ron Dayne on an inside handoff, but a defensive holding penalty gave the G-men 5 more yards and an automatic first down on Tampa's 24. Dayne again got the ball and gained nothing. Brian Kelly broke up a Collins to Toomer pass to make it 3rd and 10 from the 24. Greg Spires sacked Collins on the 30 for a 6 yard loss to make it 4th and 16. Without a kicker the Giants had to go for it and miraculously Toomer beat Dexter Jackson on a corner route to move the chains with a 17 yard gain down to Tampa's 13. The Giants were not able to move the ball and 2 plays later faced a 3rd and 8 from the 11. Tiki Barber was given the ball on a nice draw play, but what occurred next has been a common negative theme for the Giants season. Barber was close to the 1st down marker when Brian Kelly stripped him of the ball. Derrick Brooks pounced on it on his 5 and just like that Barber blew another scoring opp for his team. Rob Johnson threw 2 incomplete passes, but connected on a 3rd and 10 to a double teamed former Giant Joe Jurevicius for 15 and the first on the 20. Mike Alstott followed that up by slicing for 7 yards on 1st down. Johnson again attempted to pass and once again was sacked by Keith Hamilton for a 4 yard loss to create a 3rd and 7 from his own 22. Johnson a this point sensed that the Giants were going to send the house, so he smartly called a screen to Michael Pittman, which worked to perfection and gained a 1st with 3 yards to spare. Two plays later Pittman followed his blockers for a nice 15 yard gain to take Tampa to almost mid field. Facing 3rd and 8 from midfield Johnson looked for Jurevicius, but was sacked instead by Strahan, but the Giant D was not happy when a late flag for holding was tossed and with it came 5 yards and a new set of downs for the Bucs. Tampa attempted to run on the next two plays, but the Giants DL stuffed both of them forcing a 3rd and 12 for Tampa from the Giant 47. An incomplete pass to Jurevicius forced a punt from Tom Tupa which pinned the Giants on their own 12. The Bucs loaded up for the run and keyed Barber. Collins decided to throw to Barber instead. Unfortunately for him he threw to Tiki's twin brother Rhonde, who was pushed out of bounds on the Giant 10 by his mirror image. The Giant D held tight and after a 3 and out the Bucs settled for a 26 yard FG by Martin Gramatica to give them a 3-0 lead. Taking over on their own 25 Collins went right back to the air vs a defense loading up for the run. This time Ronde Barber was not able to come up with the pick and Amani Toomer made a nice catch and grab for 43 yards, which put the ball on Tampa's 32.

2nd Quarter: Tiki finally got the ball back in his hands again and on the first play of the quarter he gained 4 yards off tackle. An illegal contact penalty on Brian Kelly gave the NY a 1st down on Tampa's 23. Ron Dayne kept it between the tackles for 6 quick yards on 1st down + 4 more yards and another first on a neat run on 2nd. Tampa was still looking for the pass and Dayne ate up another 4 yards to get down to Tampa's 9. Facing 4th and 5 on Tampa's 9 and not having the services of a kicker NY elected to go for it and Shelton Quarles slammed Tiki to the ground after only a 1 yard gain. Tampa now had the ball on their own 8. Alstot lost a yard on a bad handoff exchange that could have easily been a fumble. Pittman was stuffed at the line of the following play. A draw play to Pittman on the following play came up 3 short of the 1st, but Ryan Phillips decided to continue tackling Pittman out of bounds and so was rewarded with a 15 yard Unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which gave Tampa an automatica 1st down on their 29. Ryan Phillips didn't learn his lesson and 2 plays later got flagged for the same infraction and just like that the Bucs were past mid field with 35 yards gained due to yellow hankies. Facing 3rd and 9 from NY's 46 Johnson dropped a screen to Pittman who fought hard for yardage and just got a first down on NY's 37. Alstott bulled his way for 6 to NY's 31 and Pittman added a yard to setup a 3rd and 3 from NY's 28. The Giants read pass and doubled Keyshawn Johnson, but Alstot go the ball and gained the required 4 yards to move the chains. Two plays later Johnson hit Ken Dilger for 16 yards to make it first and goal from the Giant 5 with 3:31 remaining in the half. New York's defense held tight and Tampa was again forced to settle for a Gramatica chip shot. The score was now 6-0 Tampa. With 1:34 left to go in the half the Giants started out on their own 31. Collins hit TE Pete Mitchell on a quick slant for 9 yards to get to their own 40. Jermaine Phillips came in on a blitz and Collins lumbered for 12 yards by foot. NY called their first time out with 1:01 showing on the clock and the ball just past midfield. Collins called a draw to Tiki who gained 9 yards. Rather than burn a time out he spiked the ball and it was now 3rd and 1 from Tampa's 39 with 61 seconds remaining. Collins hit Tiki with a short slant for 10 yards and called his second time out. Tampa went to their nickel package and decided to double both Toomer and Ike Hilliard. Collins looked off Toomer and went deep to Hilliard who made a circus grab in the corner of the end zone for 6. Without a kicker NY had to go for the 2pt conversion, which failed when Tiki couldn't even gain a yard. Tampa got the ball back and within 3 plays drove down to the Giant 32. Johnson looked to go deep, but was blindsided by Cornelius Griffin and the ball popped out. Ryan Hale picked it up and ran it back 63 yard untouched for 6. This time Tiki was able to cross the goal line for the 2pt conversion and just like that Tampa's 6-0 lead was a 14-0 deficit.

3rd Quarter: New York elected to not receive the ball an in turn decided to let their defense have another go at it vs Tampa's reeling offense. That strategy looked to be doomed to failure when the Bucs returned a shallow kick to their 41 and started out in good field position. Alstott gained 3 yards on a quick handoff and Pittman gained 2 to make it 3rd and 5 from Tampa's 46. Rob Johnson rolled out and decided to throw a medium lenght pass to his TE Ken Dilger, but Emmanuel McDaniel jumped the route and picked Johnson's wounded duck off. After a 3 yard INT return New York had the ball on the Bucs 48 and all of a sudden that strategy to kick wasn't looking that goofy after all. Collins hit Mitchell for 6 quick yards on a slant. Dayne had a big hole on the next play, but Greg Spires filled that hole and snuffed out the play because he was keying on Dayne as if he knew he was coming. Spires was able to tackle the "Big Dog" on the following play, but this time it was 5 yards downfield and good enough for a 1st. 2 plays later Collins hit Toomer for 9 yards and a 1st down on Tampa's 27. Dayne was stuffed for a 1 yard loss on 1st down as the defense was just waiting for him. Same thing happened on the following play, but a flag for a late hit gave NY a first down after it was marked off half the distance to the goal line. All looked good for the fans in East Rutherford until Collins threw one right into Dwight Smith's hand for the Giants 3rd turnover of the day. A combination of Rob Johnson runs and some quick passes moved the ball to mid field until the drive stalled and Tom Tupa came on to pin the Giants inside their 20 with a hanging 35 yard punt that Tiki was forced to fair catch. New York went 3 and out and needed a booming 55 yard boot by Brad Maynard, into the wind, to get them out of trouble. Karl Williams caught the ball on his 23 and gained 6 yards before being brought down. A 7 yard completion to Dilger and a 12 yard scramble by Johnson put the Bucs on their 48 as the 3rd quarter expired.

4th Quarter: A quick 12 yard hit to Pittman drove the Bucs into Giant territory. Facing 3rd and 9 from NY's 37 Johnson was in deep trouble. He was flushed out of the pocket by Griffin as his primary target (Keyshawn) was doubled. Keenan McCardell broke loose at the 27 and managed to gain 11 and get the first. Johnson was now hot. A quick strike for 12 more yards to Jurivcius put the ball on the Giant 14. On 3rd and 10 Alstott ran a draw play that got to the Giant 10, but left a long 4th and 6. Once again the Giant D firmed up and Martin Gramatica came on for another chip shot to make it 14-9 with 10:11 to go in the game. Starting out on their own 26 the Giants needed to move the ball and take time off the clock. Their offense had been lucky up until this point. Turnovers and miscues were turned into valiant defensive stands, but how many times can you keep going to the well ? Collins dropped back to pass and saw no one open so he dumped the ball off to his full back Greg Comella, but instead the ball was a little behind his intended receiver, so the ball deflected off of his pads and found it's way into defender Derrick Brooks' arms. Brooks was equally shocked and bobbled the ball himself. When he finally secured it he took off behind a wall of blockers until he got to the two and tried to avoid Giant Pete Mitchell who grabbed a Brooks' arm and jarred the ball lose. Mitchell then picked it up ball and advanced it to his 13. Without the lucky grab made by Mitchell the Giants would have been down by 2. Instead they had new life with a complete new set of downs from their own 13. New York got really conservative after the almost near fatal turnover. After going 3 and out they relied on Maynard who boomed another punt almost 50 yards down to Tampa's 29. Facing 3rd and 11 from their own 28 Rob Johnson threw an ill advised pass into double coverage as Reggie Stephens had himself an easy pick for NY. Tampa's 5th turnover of the day gave the Giants the ball on the Bucs 38 with seven and a half minutes left to play. On third and 5 Tiki finally broke a long one for 29 yards. Instead of going down easy he fought for an extra yard and his twin brother Rhonde stripped him of the ball. Jurevicius alertly pounced on it and New York had a nice first and goal from the 4. New York's coach had enough of Barber and his penchant for generosity, and so Dayne was immediately inserted back into the game. This time the Buc defense stiffened and NY went backwards losing 2 yards on 3 plays and facing a 4th and goal from the 6. Without anyone to kick they were forced to go for it on 4th and Collins' feeble pass attempt to Hilliard had absolutely no chance. Deep in their own zone the Bucs had to go over 95 yards for a TD with 3:49 on the clock. Rob Johnson looked to throw a short out to his Jurevicius, but Shaun Williams had it read like a cheap novel and jumped the route for a quick pick 6. Following a 2 point conversion the Giants were now up 22-9 and Tampa's coach probably wanted to strangle Johnson. The Bucs went 3 and out on their next possession and when Tom Tupa fumbled the snap on his punt attempt the Giants were in business on the Buc 4 yard line. New York couldn't move the ball, but succeeded in draining valuable time from the clock. Their kicking situation forced them to go for it on 4th again. A 2 yard loss by Hilliard on a quick toss gave the ball back to the Bucs as their defense again tried to carry the team. Facing a 3rd and 17 from their 19 Johnson threw another pick, this time to Jason Sehorn, to virtually end the game. That was the Bucs 8th turnover. The Giants had nothing to be proud of either having turned it over 4 times themselves. Collins took two knees and thankfully this "blunder bowl" was over. Tampa dropped to 3-2 and the Giants moved to 2-3. Neither team will go anywhere in this league with this type of sloppy ball.

Bears Special Teams Instrumental In 24-0 Blanking Of Giants

New York knew that they were in trouble from the beginning as their running ratings were about as bad as they could get. This forced the Giants to put the ball in the air much more than they normally would and at the same time allowed the Giants to drop back into pass coverage throughout the entire game.

Chicago's defense would come up with the big play on the Giants opening drive when Kerry Collins (16-33-146) on 4th and 10 from the Bears 29 was picked by RW McQuarters who returned the ball back out to the Bears 40. Due to an injury to kicker Daluiso the Giants kicking game was set back and forced them into going on 4th down throughout this game when they got deep inside the Bears end of the field. After the interception QB Jim Miller (6-11-95) found Marty Booker for a 33 yard gain down to the Giants 27. It would be a Miller to Booker 5 yard connection 7 plays later giving the Bears the 7-0 lead.

The score would remain that way until the turnover bug hit the Giants at the 4:24 mark of the second quarter. Brad Maynard delivered a beautiful 52 yard punt that would be muffed by Tiki Barber (13-45 rushing) and Tony Parrish scooped up the loose ball and raced the remaining 20 yards into the end zone to give the Bears a 14-0 lead. Paul Edinger would later come on to add a 26 yard field goal with only 5 seconds left before the half to give the Bears a 17-0 halftime lead.

The rest of the second half saw both teams exchange one punt after another with the only score coming late in the 3rd on Anthony Thomas (27-93) 11 yard scamper over right tackle for a 24-0 Bears lead. The Giants did threaten throughout the second half at times but with no running game and no kicker they just couldn't convert the 4th downs into 1st downs.

The Bears are now 4-0 and most importantly 3-0 in the division while the Giants drop to 1-3 on the season. --submitted by Bill "Ditka" Vogt--

Chiefs trip up Pack

Coach Georges Bseraini knew he was in trouble when the computer selected Doug Pederson to start for the Packers in this game. Things only got worse after Pederson went three and out and the punt was returned by Dante Hall for 82 yards and a 7-0 KC lead. The Packer coach could be seen on the sidelines muttering Game over, with 59:01 left on the clock, staring daggers at the SATAN that required a Pederson start.

The game wasnt over, though, at least not by Pederson's standards The lifetime back uo actually put on a Brett Favre like performance going 19-38 for 215 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. It wasn't enough though as Trent Green threw for 222 yards in 32 tries and 21 completions and although he was intercepted twice, KC was able to overcome that and the 6-2 Packer edge in penalties as Dante Hall torched the Packers with 3 punt returns for 146 yards, 3 kick off returns for 81 yards and 3 catches for 23 yards.

After the Hall touchdown, the Packers came back and got a Ryan Longwell field goal. In the second quarter Green found Eddie Kinnison for a 16 yard td reception. Pederson found William Henderson for 11 yards to make the score 14-10.

In the third quarter Green found James Dunn for a one yard td catch but Pederson answered with a 20 yard toss to Ahman Green. That would be the last Packer score however as Longwell missed the extra point. Morten Anderson hit a fourth quarter field goal and then Priest Holmes went over from the one to finish off a six minute 4th quarter drive. Final Chiefs 31 Packers 16

--submitted by Tom "Crash" Davis--

Manning-Up !

1st Qtr: Indy won the toss and took the ball. Peyton Manning took 9 plays to drive the Colts down to the Chargers 9, where it was 4th and about inches after "the Edge" came up a bit short on the third down conversion. Feeling that this wasn't going to be a game of field goals Indy's coach decided to go for it on 4th down and with SD looking pass all the way James sliced for 5 yards down to the SD's 4 for a 1st. On the next play SD came up tight showing blitz, but instead stayed in tight coverage. Marvin Harrison was able to slip by and Manning hit him with a perfect fade to make it 6-0. Vanderjagt added the PAT and the score was 7-0 Colts with 9:43 left in the opening quarter. The Chargers started off with great field position thanks to a 31 yard KR by Jesse Chatman. On their first play from scrimmage, gunslinger Drew Brees, threw into double coverage to Eric Parker, who shook both defenders for 24 yards before Waine Bacon tackled him on Indy's 35. Brees kept the Colts off balance and on 3rd and goal from Indy's 14 he decided to go for the end zone. Kassim Osgood had some separation, but Jason David was able to recover and pick off Brees' throw to end the drive. Taking over from his own 20 Manning began to drive his team. After having to take a time out to prevent a delay of game Manning was facing 3rd and 7 from his own 36 as he threaded the needle to Reggie Wayne who had double coverage on him. That long pass was good for 35 yards as the Colts were now deep in Charger territory (their 29 yd line). On 2nd and 10 Manning hit Dallas Clark over the middle for a first down. A frustrated Zeke Moreno led with his head on the tackle and was flagged with an Unnecessary Roughness penalty that was assessed half the distance to the goal line. With first and goal form SD's 9 Manning saw soft coverage and went underneath to backup TE Ben Hartsock, who was untouched until he went out of bounds on the 1. Edgerrin James got the call on 2nd and goal from the 1 and was stuffed by Jason Fisk. Indy went with the same exact play and SD stuffed him again leading to a key 4th and goal from the 1. With all that firepower on their side the Colts elected to go for it. SD again loaded up for the run but Manning checked off at the line and hit Marcus Pollard with a quick dump pass that went for 6. That 11 play 80 yard drive took 5:19.

The 2nd quarter started with SD getting pinned deep in their zone thanks to a hold on the kick return. Brees went immediately to the air and attempted o hit Eric Parker, but Nicholas Harper jumped the route and picked the ball off. Before the Colts could celebrate the ref was standing right next to a flag, which was thrown for Pass Interference. The turnover was negated and the Charges had a new set of downs on their 25. Indy then jumped offside giving SD a 1st and 5. The Colts expected a deep pass and were shocked when Brees hit LaDainian Tomlinson with a screen pass that he took for 39 yards down to Indy's 31. Brees managed to drive his team down to the Colt 12 when he faced a 3rd and 7 situation that he could not complete. His intended receiver, Kassim Osgood, couldn't shake Nick Harper, who batted the pass down to the carpet. Nate Kaeding came on to attempt a 29 yard chip shot, but Josh Williams broke through the line and got his hand on the kick and blocked it. The Colts took over possession from their own 23. A full blitz by SD was torched by a 27 yard pass from Manning to Harrison. Another blitz got burned by a 23 yard run by James. A few plays later on 3rd and 6 from SD's 11 Manning pulled away from center too fast and bobbled the exchange with Jeff Saturday. Jamal Williams pounced on the ball and just like that the Colts blew a golden opportunity to build on their 14-0 lead. SD went 3 and out and the Colts, after a Mike Scifres punt, took over on their own 43 with 4:44 left to play in the half. SD went back to the blitz, but Steve Foley barely missed Manning who gunned it to Harrison for 22 yards to give them a first down on SD's 35. On a 3rd and 11 from SD's 25 Manning hit Brandon Stokley for 16 yards to make it first and goal from the 9 with 1:08 to play. Manning went to the end zone and Quentin Jammer interfered with Marcus Pollard to save a sure TD. That setup a 1st and goal from the one where the Chargers defense made a gallant stand. With :08 left on the clock on the 1 the Colts decided to try for one more play to get into the end zone. SD was setup in run D, but Manning overthrew Reggie Wayne as time expired. Indy might have made a key miscalculation not taking the easy FG and going up 3 scores.

San Diego started the second half on a mission as Brees drove his offense down to Indy's 20. On 3rd and 5 a medium pass to Antonio Gates fell harmlessly to the turf and Nate Kaeding came on to nail a 37 yarder to put SD on the board. In 3 plays Manning drove the Colts deep into SD's territory, but go greedy trying to hit Reggie Wayne on a fly route. Jerry Wilson stepped in front of a poorly thrown ball and picked it off on the 18. Jesse Chatman was brought in by SD to spell LT. The colts immediately smelled a red herring and decided to key the replacement back. Unfortunately for the Colts Chatman found that little hole to break through and he ran 62 yards downfield before Nick Harper could track him down from behind. That gave SD the ball on Indy's 17 and a chance to make this game close. With 3rd and goal from the Colt's 11 Brees hit TE Antonio Gates for 6 yards, but he wound up 5 short of the end zone and Kaeding was forced to come on to nail a 22 yarder to make the score 14-6 IND. The Colts couldn't muster up much offense on the next set and Hunter Smith was forced to punt. SD took over on their own 32 down by 8 with 1:13 left to go in the 3rd. Indy decided to double cover Caldwell and Brees hit Gates for 19 yards to get to almost mid field. On the next play Brees saw his intended receiver Eric Parker being doubled and looked him off and hit Gates who also was seeing a cover 2. Gates being the outstanding athlete that he is gained 17 yards after the catch to put the ball on Indy's 28 as the 3rd quarter expired.

To open the 4th LT had 2 quick runs for a first down on the 18. On a 3rd consecutive run attempt Dwight Freeney stuffed him at the line of scrimmage to make it 2nd and 10. Indy smelled pass on the next play, but chose to double the wrong two receivers as Eric Parker grabbed the ball on the 1, but lost 2 yards as he circled back and attempted to get something that wasn't there. On the following play the Colts sold out on the run and Brees punished them with a quick 3 yard toss to Antonio Gates to make ith 14-12. It was a no brainer to decide to go for 2 and that's exactly what SD did. Brees hit Gates with another quick toss even though he was being doubled. Just like that this contest was now tied at 14 with almost 11 and a half minutes left to go. Dominic Rhodes took received the ensuing kickoff on his 9 and followed his blockers down to the 31. Uncharacteristically the Colt offense faltered and went 3 and out. Eric Parker accepted a fair catch on his 21 yard line after Hunter Smith hit a beautiful hanging 41 yard punt. Indy keyed the run and again Brees went to the air with a 17 yard strike to Reche Caldwell, who got a step on Jason David. Brees must have seen something on the previous play that led him to believe that Caldwell could do it again. This time he hit him in stride for a 36 yard strike that took the Charges down to Indy's 26 with 7:48 left in the contest. Inexplicably SD got conservative and gained nothing on 2 LT runs that went for -2. On 3rd and 12 from Indy's 28 Brees attempted to hit Osgood with a long pass that was way off the mark. Kaeding hit a 45 yarder like it was a chip shot and SD had it's first lead of the game (17-14) with just over 6 minutes left in the game. Rhodes took the kickoff 28 yards to his own 38 as Kaeding was barely able to kick it to the 10. The calm, cool and collected Peyton Manning immediately went to work hitting Dallas Clark for 9 yards to take it to almost mid field. On 2nd & 1 SD loaded up for the run against James and Manning audibled at the line. Reggie Wayne went deep and Manning hit him in stride for 36 yards. If not for a game saving tackle by Sammy Davis, Wayne would have found paydirt. At this point Manning is "feeling it" and immediately he goes to "the Edge" with a nicely designed screen. Poor SD tackling allowed Edgerrin James to weave in and out for 17 yards and a TD. With the XP Indy was now up 21-17 with 4:33 left...still plenty of time for Brees and company. SD started their drive on their 33 with 4:24 left to play. Against a zone D, LT went off tackle for 9 yards. Brees threw into double coverage and Caldwell could not come down with the ball. This left a key 3rd and 1. Brees was pressured on the next play and ran for his life and barely got back to the line of scrimmage. This setup a pivotal 4th and 1, which SD had to go for. With the money on the line Brees went to a double covered Gates and the All-Pro TE wrestled the ball way from Cato June for 5 yards and a key first down. With the ball on Indy's 40 and 1:15 left Brees was forced to run again for his life, but gained nothing and had to burn his team's first time out. On the next play he threw a ball poorly into double coverage that Von Hutchins easily batted down. Feeling the pressure from Freeney and company Brees hurried his throw to Caldwell on he next play and bounced it leaving a key 4th and 10 from Indy's 40 with just under a minute to go. Brees dropped back and looked deep for Caldwell, who again was being blanketed. Brees went with his check down to LT who was only able to get 4 yards and thus SD turned the ball over to Indy on downs. The Colts ran out the clock and evened their record to 2-2 after an 0-2 start. Despite 1 INT Manning was again his team's MVP after engineering the late 4th quarter come from behind drive. Peyton was 23 of 32 for 314 yards and 3 TD's. Reggie Wayne had 4 grabs for 113 yards for an incredible 28.2 ypc average.

Bucs top Vikes in OT

The Bucs came into enemy territory playing a winless but hungry Viking squad. Things didn't start out well for Tampa as their starting QB Brad Johnson was sidelined with a nagging groin injury. In his spot was Shaun King and King did not look sharp early. In fact neither team set the world on fire as we sludged our way through a scoreless first quarter. Finally King got some semblance of continuity marching the Bucs 51 yards on 11 plays where Mike Alstott would barrel in for a 2 yard score and a 7-0 Tampa lead. King would only complete one pass on the drive but had a key 9 yard scramble on 3rd and 4 to extend the drive. From there the Minnesota Vikings would dominate the rest of the quarter. Daunte Culpepper threw for one score and ran another one in and Minnesota had the lead, 14-7. The Vikings then tried an onside kick catching the Bucs off guard but Tampa would recover giving them excellent field position with only :55 seconds remaining in the half. A 29 yard pass completion to Michael Pittman moved Tampa to the Viking 15 yard line but that's where the drive would stall. Gramatica kicks the field goal and it's 14-10 Minnesota at the half.

With Shaun King not being able to find consistency Jon Gruden decided to go with Rob Johnson to start the second half. And that decision paid off almost immediately as Johnson guides the Bucs 84 yards in 12 plays where Michael Pittman would scamper in from 4 yards out. The Bucs now led it 17-14 and we were headed for the 4th quarter. Early in the quarter Gary Anderson would tie the game back up with a 41 yard field goal. But the Bucs were resilient as they drove right back down where Martin Gramatica would give them back the lead with a 21 yard field goal. Minnesota was running out of time and it looked like with 4:28 remaining they were running out of luck as well. Daunte Culpepper is picked off by Dwight Smith giving Tampa the ball at Minnesota's 36. Time to celebrate, right? Wrong. Two plays later Rob Johnson throws an ill advised pass that Robert Griffith picks off and returns 19 yards to Tampa's 48 yard line. Now with 3:24 remaining they had a shot to at least tie this game. And tie it they did as Culpepper dinks and dunks the Vikings down inside the Tampa 15 where Gary Anderson evened things up with a 30 yard chip shot. We were headed for overtime.

In the OT neither team did much with their first opportunities but Tampa really found themselves in trouble with their second possession. On a 2nd and 11 Rob Johnson is hauled down at the 1 yard line by John Burrough. After a short completion Tampa was forced to punt from the shadow of their own end zone. Troy Walter's would get a solid return and Minnesota started at Tampa's 37 yard line. Three plays later and Gary Anderson came on to try and end things. BLOCKED! Tampa blocks the punt and now have great field position of their own starting at Minny's 46. On the very first play Rob Johnson play fakes to Pittman and airs it deep for McCardell who gathers it in and races untouched into the end zone. The Bucs win in dramatic fashion.
--submitted by Barry Smalley--

Peyton's Place

Indy jumped out to a 17-3 lead and looked to put it away, but could not. That ole country gunslinger from Mississippi, Bret Favre, rallied his troops to go up 24-17 with two long TD tosses to Bubba Franks and Terry Glenn respectively. Peyton Manning is no stranger to comebacks either and found a way to throw two straight 3 yard tosses to win it. Marcus Pollard caught the first one and All-Pro Reggie Wayne caught the game winner. Manning threw for 367 yards and 3 TD's. Indy's unheralded defense held tight for the final 8:27 to not allow Favre his day in the sun.

Adam's Leg

Terry Priest and his Pats made the trip to the swamps of Jersey to face the G-men. This contest was a close to the vest defensive struggle. With 4:34 left in the game the Giants drove down to NE's 14 and settled for a Brad Daluiso FG and a 2 point lead. Coach Welss elected to play it conservatively and do his best Tom Coughlin imitation. Like Coughlin, Weiss' choice blew up in his face as Tom Brady drove his team 35 yards in 9 plays and like so many times before Adam Vinatieri kicked the game winner to bury the G-men by 1. Brady had a workmanlike 15-26-146-td day. His counterpart, Kerry Collins, had similar #'s, but was handcuffed by his coach who played too conservative.

Un-Bear-lievable !

The Chicago Bears move to 3-0 on the season and for the first time this year it did not go down to the wire. Minnesota came into Chicago looking for its first win of the season for Coach Andy Weinrib. Things didn't go well for the Vikings at all early on and in fact they did not pick up their first first down until the 3:42 mark of the second quarter. By the half the Vikings offense had only amassed 33 yards. On the other end though the Chicago Bears came out swinging and for the first time this season the offense clicked and everything they did seemed to work like a clock.

Chicago's defense would set up the first score of the day as Roselvelt Colvin would pick up the lose ball that was laid on the carpet by Vikings RB Robert Smith (13-112) and give the Bears the ball at the Vikes 20. Jim Miller (8-11-91) three plays later found RB Anthony Thomas (35-211 / 2/27 Rec) for a 17 yard hookup and a Bears 7-0 lead. Thomas would be unstoppable throughout most of the game as with the game well in hand by the half get his more than normal carries. After another Vikings punt the Bears began its next drive at their own 22. Midway through the drive Miller's pass to Marty Booker would go for 22 yards down to the Vikings 27. From there it would only take another 6 plays for Thomas to dive in from 4 yards out and up the Bears lead to 14-0.

The second quarter again was the same ol story for the Vikings as they continued to get some good field position from kickoff returns but even with that field position it all went for nothing. Early in the second Chicago upped its lead to 21-0 as Thomas again took it into the endzone this time from 2 yards out. Down 21-0 the Vikes desperately needed a scoring drive. Starting from its own 38 and facing a 4th and 2 from the 46 the Vikings brought out their punting team. Chicago although was thinking about a fake chose instead to go to the normal return. It was a fake but Mitch Berger's pass to Jim Kleinsasser failed to get the necessary yardage. The Bears would make them pay for the gamble as they would go the 46 yards in 8 plays and for the 4th time today Thomas would step into the endzone making it a 28-0 Bears lead.

Minnesota started the 3rd quarter out just like the first half as they would punt the ball away. With a 28-0 lead the Bears decided to run the ball exclusively in the second half and try to eat clock as they were pretty confident in their defense. The Vikings though couldn't stop the run even when they keyed correctly. James Allen (19-71) would help take some of the impact away from Thomas as he would come in and spell Thomas quite often in the second half. It would be Thomas though again for the 5th time in the game take it to the endzone on a 13 yard scamper and now with a 35-0 lead the Bears and Vikings fans both just wanted to get the game over with. Minnesota though would get its one and only true highlight of the game on its drive. Smith would find a crease in the Bears defensive line and rece 57 yards untouched to the endzone to make it a 35-6 Bears lead. The Vikings try for 2 failed but the ensuing onside caught the Bears off guard as the Vikings came up with the ball. Brian Urlacher though stopped any threat of any comeback as on second down he would pick Daunte Culpepper (9-24-70) taking it back to the Vikings 38. With a healthy diet of Thomas left, Thomas right, and Thomas up the middle the Bears would settle for a Paul Edinger 39 yard field goal and a 38-6 lead.

The final death stamp came at the 7:16 mark as Culpepper again was picked and this time Walter Harris would go 91 yards to make it 45-6. The Bears fans by this time were already so stinking drunk and happy that they likely didn't even notice the return went for a touchdown.

Thanks to Andy for getting this game in tonight. --submitted by Bill Vogt--

Just (first) Win Baby !

The winless Raiders visited hostile Arrowhead Stadium and escaped with a 35-30 win over KC, handing the Chiefs their first loss of the season.

Kansas City drove 60 yards on their opening drive, scoring on a 2-yard toss from Trent Green (26-47, 287 yards, TD, 2 Int) to Tony Gonzalez (6-55, TD). Oakland was quick to answer, taking just 91 seconds before Tyrone Wheatley found the end zone on a 3-yard scamper. Dante Hall needed even less time, however, as he took the ensuing kickoff 102 yards to put KC back on top 14-7. Oakland responded with another TD drive to make it 14-14 after the 1st quarter.

KC's Morten Anderson connected on a 25-yard chip shot to give the Chiefs a 17-14 lead, then after a Raiders 3-and-out, KC took over deep in their own territory. Trent Green was picked off by Rod Woodson at the 33, and Woodson ran it back to the 4; Charlie Garner punched it in on the Raiders first play to give Oakland their first lead of the day, 21-17. That didn't last long, though, as the Chiefs marched back down field for another TD, then capitalized on a Rich Gannon (23-35, 218, 2 TD, Int) interception by adding another FG to go on top 27-21. They looked to add to that lead before half, but the Raiders dodged a bullet when Johnnie Morton fumbled on the Oakland 1-yard line with just over a minute remaining in the half.

The track meet that was the first half subsided in the second, as Oakland's defense finally had an answer for KC. The Raiders re-took the lead with 4:43 remaining in the 3rd on a 7-yard toss from Gannon to Tim Brown, then added another TD early in the 4th to extend their advantage to 35-27. Morten Anderson connected on a 41-yard FG with 11:06 remaining to cut the Chiefs' deficit to 5.

The Raider offense struggled, going 3-and-out on their next two possessions, but their defense held KC at bay, stopping the Chiefs on 4th-and-2 at midfield and forcing two punts. Kansas City's last possession began on their own 5-yard line with 3:17 remaining, and Green successfully marched his team to the 38 before things stalled, and on 3rd and 9, Rod Woodson came up with his second pick of the day for Oakland. The Raiders just needed one first down and they were able to run out the clock for the 35-30 victory.

Kansas City's Dante Hall was named game MVP: he had 4 kick returns for 162 yards, including the electric 102-yard KO return, and he caught 4 passes for 49 yards. Gannon and Charlie Garner (15-85, 2 TD, 5 rec- 35) were both solid for the Raiders, but Woodson's 2 picks were the difference in this game.
--submitted by Dan Donovan--

Bucs bomb Rams 44-3

In what best can be described as "a shocker" the St Louis Rams walked into a buzzsaw here at Raymond James Stadium. What started out as bad luck, turning the ball over on their first two possessions, quickly transgressed into something much more horrific. By the time halftime rolled around it was 27-3 in favor of the Bucs.

The second half saw no changes in the Ram's luck as Tampa's defense was swarming. Two more Ram's turnover's led to 2 more touchdowns for Tampa and when the dust cleared the Buccaneers strolled away with a shocking 44-3 win. Tampa's defense forced 5 turnover's and held the Greatest show on turf to 257 total yards. Brad Johnson had a remarkable day completing 16 of 18 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Warner on the other hand had a day to forget throwing for 150 yards and 3 picks.
--submitted by Barry Smalley--

Colts Corralled by Turnovers

Is anyone shocked that these two offensive juggernauts produced over 900 yards in total offense ? If you are, you are in the minority. The carpet at the Dome in Indy was worn out from this track meet, but when all was said and done the result hinged on a turnover. Down by 6 (37-21) the Colts were driving. Just after the 2 minute warning London Fletcher sacked Peyton Manning to bring up a big 3rd and 7 from STL's 20. Manning took the snap from Jeff Saturday and dropped back. His primary receiver was covered, so he looked off and hit a fatigued Marvin Harrison, who got the first down, but Aeneas Williams hit him from behind and the ball popped out. Tommy Polley picked it up and was tackled at the 23. The Rams ran out the clock and escaped with a 6 point win in this great shootout. Reggie Wayne (133) and Brandon Stokley (101) were Manning's favorite long gainers. Torry Holt led all receivers with 138 yards.

Chiefs 25 Patriots 17

The Chiefs' Dante Hall returned the opening kickoff 74 yards to the Patriots' 17. Two Priest Holmes (24-118-1) runs and the Chiefs were up 7-0. It woud be the last time in the day that the Chiefs would see the endzone. The teams traded punts for a few possessions then Troy Brown picked off Trent Green (29-54, 341 yds, 1 td, 1 int) and returned it to the Chiefs 39. Three plays later and a Tom Brady to Chritian Fauria 8 yard pass tied the game. In the second quarter Morten Andersen kicked a 35 yard field goal to put the Chiefs in front again. The lead didnt last long though as Brady brought the Pats right back. Corey Dillon (17-55-1) ran in from five yards out to give the Pats a 14-10 edge. Another Andersen field goal, tis time from 25 yards cut the lead to one at the half. Bethel Johnson emulated Hall's opening kick return and took the second half kick 71 yards to the Chiefs' 23. But Brady couldnt force the ball into the endzone and the Patriots settled for an Adam Vinateri field goal. On their next drive the Chiefs again had to settle for an Andersen 21 yard field goal. The Chiefs regained the lead late in the third quarter when Andersen hit a 48 yard field goal. On their first drive of the 4th quarter, Andersen again hit a 21 yard field goal to push the lead to 5. Another Andersen field goal wuth uunder 2 minutes to play gave the Chiefs an 8 point lead. Brady's (22-30, 209 yds, 1 td, 1 int) last gasp was picked off Greg Wesley. Trent Green was selected the Most Valuable Player but this game belonged to the foot of Morten Andersen.
--submitted by Tom "Crash" Davis--

2 TD's in the 4th help '9ers pull away from Pack 31-13

Favre and company headed west to face Jeff Garcia and the '9ers. GB's two goals were to run the ball with Ahman Green and to stop the run. They failed miserably with both goals. The Packer defense keyed the heck out of Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow. At times it worked. Most times Jeff Garcia hit his talented group of wideouts with play action passes. Both teams played field position football for the first half. The '9ers took complete control of the game in the 4th after Favre hit Bubba Franks w/a 7 yd TD pass to cut the score to 17-13. Terrell Owens' 10 yard TD reception and Hearst 3 yard run late in the game put it away. Garcia out-dueled Favre. He was 21-29, for 332 yards and 3 TD's. T.O. was the recipient of Garcia's generosity as he had 7 grabs for 138 yards and 2 TD's. Hearst had an even 100 on the day. Ahman Green had to work hard to gain 70, but could not break the big one.

Ravens 29, Steelers 10

This contest was nip and tuck until the Ravens broke away late. Baltimore scored :16 seconds into the game when Chris McAlister picked off an errant Tommy Maddox throw for a 44 yd pick 6. The bus, Jerome Bettis banged home a 1 yard dive 4 minutes later to tie it. Matt Stover added 4 unanswered FG's to make it 19-7. The Steelers had to play catch up and the Raven defense just pinned its ears back and harassed Maddox, who was eventually replaced by Big Ben late in the game. Jamal Lewis was the story. He went 26-171 and basically walked all over the Steel Curtain D. Tony Banks was purely pedestrian at QB, but the Ravens didn't really need him to do much other than give JL the ball.

G-Men spike Vikes

Randy Moss had a monster day, but so did Kerry Collins who tossed 3 TD passes and forced the Vikes to play catchup all day.

Neither team scored on their opening drive. Minnesota started their second drive deep in their own territory. On a 3rd and 5 from their own 36 Culpepper hit Moss with a 31 yard pass off play action. The drive stalled, but Gary Anderson split the uprights with a 50 yarder to make it 3-0. After a touchback New York drove 66 yards to Minnesota's 14 when Ron Dayne busted thru a huge hole and ran to paydirt. Minnesota couldn't move the ball on the next series, so Mitch Berger put the Giants on their own 33. Collins drove the team down to MIN's 34 and on 4th and 12 they elected to go for it. Brad Daluiso's didn't have a 51 yarder in his leg, but Kerry Collins had a 20 yard pass to Amani Toomer in his arm. Minnesota dug in and Robert Griffith stopped Tiki Barber cold on the 12. This time Daluiso came on to make it 10-7. The Vikes gamble on a 4th and 1 from their own 47. A screen pass to McWilliams was snuffed out and the G-men took over on downs. Barber took an inside handoff 27 yard on the first play of the drive to bring the G-men to MIN's 20. 3 plays later Greg Comella rambled 11 yards off a dump pass in the flat while the Vikes were blitzing. This made it 17-3 NY with 5:24 left to go in the half. With 4:32 to go in the half and the ball on their own 18 Culpepper tried to hit Cris Carter in double coverage, but Shaun Williams would not have anything to do with a Viking success. Williams jumped the route and cleanly picked off the pass and took it down to the Vikes 12. Two plays later Collins hit Ike Hilliard at the 1 to get a fresh set of downs. The big Dog, Ron Dayne, took it in for his second TD of the day and just like that the score was 24-3 NY.

The Vikes controlled the ball for most of the 3rd quarter, but only had 10 points to show for it. A quick FG by Anderson and a surprise onside kick recovery let to their domination of the clock. Cupepper hit Cris Carter for a 6 yard toss to make it 24-13. Early in the 4th Collins hit TE Pete Mitchell with a 30 yard TD pass to make it 31-13. No lead is ever safe vs the explosive Viking offense and when Robert Smith banged it in from the 1 with 7:14 left the score was 31-20. Minnesota attempted another onside kick, but this time NY recovered on MIN's 43. Four plays later Collins hit Hilliard in the back of the end zone for his 3rd TD toss of the day. With 4:13 left to go the score was 38-21 G-men, which is how it would end. NY moves to 1-1 and MIN drops to 0-2.

Chargers outlast da Raidas in OT

Drew Brees had his second straight terrific game to help his Chargers overcome their own questionable coaching decisions and the Oakland Raiders 37-34 in overtime. The Raiders took the opening kickoff and went 3 and out. For the second straight week, Brees lead the team down the field for an opening drive touchdown. LaDainian Tomlinson charged up the middle from 2 yards out and the Chargers had an early 7-0 lead. Terry Kirby returned the ensuing kickoff 54 yards to the San Diego 37. Three plays later the drive stalled at the San Diego 28, and on 4th and 1, Sebastian Janikowski hit a 45 yard field goal to trim the lead to 7-3. Brees again directed the Chargers right down the field and completed a 17 yard touchdown pass to Kassim Osgood to give San Diego a 14-3 lead with 5:04 left in the first quarter. It was then Rich Gannon’s turn. Gannon quickly directed the Raiders 67 yards, finishing the drive with a 15 yard touchdown pass to Jerry Porter to cut San Diego’s lead to 14-10 at the end of the first quarter. At the start of the second quarter a Chargers drive stalled out at midfield, and Mike Scifres punt rolled out of bounds at the Raiders 3 yard line. Gannon shocked the San Diego crowd with a quick 28 yard play action pass to Jerry Rice and then another 69 yard crossing pattern to Rice for a 2 play, 97 yard touchdown drive to give Oakland a 17-14 lead with 11:04 left in the first half. Jerry Rice went over the 100 yard receiving mark in the first 20 minutes of the game, but he never caught another pass as San Diego blanketed him for the remainder of the game. Another Chargers drive stalled at midfield, but this time the punt found the end zone and Rich Gannon started at his own 20. Gannon drove the Raiders down to the San Diego 36, but when the drive stalled, Janikowski blasted a 53 yard field goal to give the Raiders a 20-14 lead with 3:38 left in the first half. Following a touchback, Drew Brees engineered a great two minute offensive drive down to the Raiders 2 yard line. But on fourth down, Coach Lowe elected to pass on the gimme field goal and instead went for the lead. Travian Smith crashed into the backfield to sack Brees and preserved the Raiders 20-14 lead at halftime.

The Chargers still stunned after being turned away at the Raiders goal line received the second half kickoff and Tim Dwight returned it 37 yards out to the Chargers 41. Drew Brees again directed the Chargers down the field and they faced a 4th and 2 at the Raiders 12 yard line. This time, LaDainian Tomlinson followed his offensive line up the middle. The initial surge looked like he had converted the first down, but the measurement showed otherwise as the Chargers were again stopped on downs deep in Raider territory. The Raiders spent 3 plays going backwards and after the punt the Chargers were back in business at the Raiders 40 yard line. This time, Brees wasted little time and directed the Chargers all the way to the end zone with a 13 yard touchdown pass to Eric Parker. Nate Kaeding’s extra point put the Chargers back in front 21-20. Oakland again went 3 and out and the Chargers started at their own 46. Brees drove down to the Oakland 24, but when the drive stalled Kaeding hit a 41 yard field goal to put the Chargers up 24-20. On the next drive Rich Gannon hit Tim Brown on a long 29 yard completion to the San Diego 27, but when the drive stalled at the 14 at the start of the fourth quarter, Janikowski hit his third field goal to cut San Diego’s lead to 1, 24-23. On the next kickoff, Tim Dwight did what he does best, and raced 59 yards to set up San Diego at the Oakland 24. Two plays later, Drew Brees found Antonio Gates in the end zone to put the Chargers up 31-23 with 13:01 left in the game. This time it was Terry Kirby’s turn on a return as he went for 60 yards down to the San Diego 27. On the first play Gannon found Tim Brown for a 27 yard touchdown pass. Gannon then found Charlie Garner alone in the end zone on the 2 point conversion and the game was tied at 31. The Chargers then went 3 and out, but on 4th and 3, Mike Scifres caught the Raiders in return mode and tried to run for the first down. Despite having the wrong defense, the Raiders stopped him cold and took over at the San Diego 28. The Raiders could get no closer than the 23 and Janikowski hit his fourth field goal to give the Raiders their final lead at 34-31 with 9:49 left in regulation. Tim Dwight again electrified the crowd with a 43 yard kickoff return out to midfield, but he was injured on the play (and could be out for a month). Drew Brees lead the Chargers on a 5 minute drive down to the Oakland 26, but when the drive sputtered, Kaeding added his second field goal to tie the game at 34 with 4:05 left. After both teams went 3 and out, the Raiders started at their own 34 with 1:09 left in regulation. Rich Gannon found Jerry Porter along the sideline at the Oakland 45 to give them a first down, but the drive stalled giving San Diego one last chance. Brees started with only 22 seconds left from his own 21 following the Raider punt. Brees found Kassim Osgood for 16 out to the 37 and then hit Reche Caldwell for 12 to the 49 yard line. With 2 seconds left, his hail mary pass to Reche Caldwell fell incomplete and the game headed to overtime.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, they guessed wrong on the coin toss and were forced to kick to start overtime. Jesse Chatman filling in for an injured Tim Dwight had a nice return of 28 yards and San Diego set up with 1st an 10 at their own 39. Tomlinson got nothing on a 1st down run, but Brees found Ryan Krause for 10 and Eric Parker for 9. On 2nd and 1 at the Oakland 42, Lorenzo Neal barreled up the middle for 6 yards and the Chargers were at the edge of field goal range. On first down, Brees tried to find Keenan McCardell but was unable to complete the pass. LaDainian Tomlinson ran outside for 5 and was pushed out of bounds at the Raiders 31. A costly false start backed the Chargers up to the 36 and they faced a key 3rd and 10. Rather than trying to set up a long Kaeding field goal in the center of the field, Brees elected to pass. He found Keenan McCardell all alone and McCardell raced to the Raiders 8 yard line. Having seen enough, Coach Lowe sent Kaeding onto the field on first down and he kicked a 25 yard field goal to give San Diego a 37-34 victory.

For the second straight week, Drew Brees played at an MVP level as he was 30-47 for 373 yards and 3 touchdowns. LaDianian Tomlinson rushed for 101 yards putting him over the century mark for the second straight week. Keenan McCardell added 138 yards receiving for San Diego. For the Raiders, Rich Gannon lead the way with a 21-36 for 302 yards and 3 touchdowns passing performance. Jerry Rice had 3 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown, but had no catches in the last 44 minutes of the game. The Chargers improved to 2-0 and the Raiders dropped to 0-2.
--submitted by John Lowe--

Cool Brees...SD 38, IND 27

Drew Brees played an almost flawless game to lead the Chargers to a 38-27 victory against Indianapolis. After the Colts opening drive stalled out at the Chargers 47, Brees lead the Chargers downfield on a methodical 80 yard, 11 play drive. LaDainian Tomlinson rushed 6 times for 19 yards, and Brees was 5-5 for the other 61 and culminated the drive with a 7 yard touchdown pass to Keenan McCardell to give the Chargers a 7-0 lead with 5:30 left in the first quarter. The Colts second drive took them down to San Diego’s 30 yard line, but on 4^th and 1, the Colts elected to try the field goal, and Mike Vanderjagt’s kick was blocked. Despite starting with great field position, the Chargers went three and out as they failed to convert a third down for the only time in the game. At the start of the second quarter, the Colts went three and out, and the Chargers again had great field position starting at the Indianapolis 47. Following a holding penalty, Jesse Chatman fumbled on the next play and the Colts were in business at the Chargers 49. Peyton Manning completed a 27 yard play action pass to Reggie Wayne and Edgerrin James swept outside for the final 22 yards for a quick two play drive to tie the game up at 7. Tim Dwight then electrified the crowd with an 86 yard kickoff return for a touchdown to put the Chargers back in front for good 14-7. Peyton Manning put together another nice drive, but on 4^th and 1 at the Chargers 19, the Colts again elected to try a field goal. This time Vanderjagt’s kick was good and the San Diego lead was cut to 14-10. For the second time in the game, Brees took over at his own 20. This time he showed more quick stike capability and lead the team on an 80 yard, 6 play march featuring a 51 yard bomb to Kassim Osgood and a 12 yard completion to Keenan McCardell on a key 3^rd and 8 from the Colts 20. One play later, Brees added a touchdown pass to Eric Parker to give the Chargers a 21-10 lead. Peyton Manning responded by leading the Colts 2-minute offense down the field. When his third down pass to Reggie Wayne ended up 2 yards shy of a first down, the Colts again elected to try the field goal. Vanderjagt’s kick was good again and the San Diego lead was trimmed to 21-13. For the second time in the first half, Tim Dwight electrified the crowd with a 40 yard kickoff return to midfield. With only 28 seconds left in the half, Brees couldn’t get the Chargers into the end zone. But, completions to Antonio Gates and McCardell set up a 48 yard field goal from Nate Kaeding on the last play of the first half to put the Chargers ahead 24-13 at halftime.

The Chargers got the ball to start the second half and started from their own 30 yard line. Drew Brees was incomplete on first down and then he didn’t miss another pass the rest of the game. Six plays later, LaDainian Tomlinson finished up the 70 yard drive with a 2 yard touchdown run to give San Diego a 31-13 lead and they never looked back. After a Colts punt, Brees directed a time consuming 7 minute, 83 yard drive, which culminated with his third touchdown pass, this time a 26 yarder to Malcolm Floyd to put San Diego up 38-13 at the end of the third quarter. At the start of the fourth quarter, another Charger fumble gave the Colts the ball at the San Diego 40. Peyton Manning wasted little time driving the Colts down the field and he connected on a 1 yard touchdown pass to Marcus Pollard. The Colts went for 2 on the conversion, but Manning’s pass to Marvin Harrison was incomplete and the Charger lead was 38-19. Mike Vanderjagt’s onside kick was recovered by the Colts and they started at their own 7 with 10:11 left in the game. Manning drove the Colts down the field, but the Chargers bend but don’t break defense made them consume almost 7 minutes on the 14 play drive which again ended with a Manning touchdown pass to Marcus Pollard. This time Manning’s conversion pass to Dominic Rhodes was completed in the end zone and San Diego’s lead was cut to 38-27 with 3:26 left in the game. For the second time, Vanderjagt’s onside kick was recovered by the Colts and San Diego fans began to get nervous in their seats. Manning drove the Colts down to the San Diego 24, but his second down pass to Reggie Wayne was intercepted by Drayton Florence to dash the Colts comeback hopes. Tomlinson gutted Indianapolis with a 43 yard run down to the Colts 18 and the game ended one play later.

Drew Brees finished a remarkable 20-23 for 251 yards and 3 touchdowns. LaDainian Tomlinson added 144 yards on the ground for the Chargers. Peyton Manning was 32-52 for 312 yards and 2 touchdowns for Indianapolis. Edgerrin James added 97 yards on the ground, and both Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison had 8 receptions for the Colts.

--submitted by John Lowe--