SB IX: '04-Chargers 23, '01-Rams 17

Cinderella just barely avoided having the clock strike midnight as the San Diego Chargers defeated the St. Louis Rams 23-17 in Super Bowl IX to win the Shapiro Trophy. The game started a little slow as both teams showed some opening jitters in the first quarter. The Chargers received the opening kickoff and quickly went three and out. The Rams did the same thing on their opening possession, but thanks to a nice punt return by Eric Parker, the Chargers were the winners in the field position battle. The Chargers started their second drive at the Rams 49. On third and six, Drew Brees found LaDainian Tomlinson out of the backfield and he raced to the Rams 26. The Chargers were unable to mount any more offense and Nate Kaeding came in and kicked a 41 yard field goal to give San Diego a 3-0 lead with 8:30 left in the opening quarter. Still showing some nerves both teams went three and out on their next possession, but this time it was Az-Zahir Hakim who found some space on a punt return and allowed the Rams to regain the better field position. Starting with 3:47 left in the quarter, Kurt Warner finally found his groove and directed the Rams down the field completing 5 out of 5 for all 65 yards and finishing the drive with an 8 yard touchdown pass to Torry Holt. At the end of the first quarter, St. Louis lead 7-3.

Drew Brees directed the Chargers into Rams territory at the start of the second quarter, but Leonard Little's third sack of the game knocked San Diego out of field goal range. Mike Scifres placed his punt perfectly and St. Louis was pinned back at their own 1 yard line. Marshall Faulk broke a nice run up the middle for the Rams but the tackle jarred the ball loose and Drayton Florence fell on it at the Rams 14 yard line. Brees found Tomlinson out of the backfield, but he came up a few yards short of a first down and Kaeding came in and hit a 24 yard field goal to cut the St. Louis lead to 7-6 with 9:20 left in the half. Kurt Warner did not allow the Chargers to gain momentum as he directed the Rams on a time consuming 81 yard drive that culminated with Marshall Faulk sweeping around end from 3 yards out to increase the St. Louis lead to 14-6 with 1:15 left in the half. Tim Dwight had a nice kickoff return that allowed the Chargers to start at their own 38. Drew Brees wasted little time and on the first play went for the home run to Antonio Gates. Gates beat his coverage and was pushed out of bounds at the Rams 21. Three plays later Brees caught the Rams in the wrong coverage and Keenan McCardell leaped into the end zone to cut the Rams advantage to 14-12. Coach Lowe decided to try and send the game to halftime all tied up, but Brees pass to McCardell on the two point conversion was incomplete. Kurt Warner took a knee to run out the final 27 seconds of the half.

The second half started much like the first half as both teams went three and out on their opening drives. The Rams seemed to gain momentum as Warner found Hakim all alone on a 19 yard play to get the Rams into Chargers territory. On the next play, Trung Canidate raced up the middle for 10 yards and the Rams were first and ten at the San Diego 36. Warner attempted a safe pass to Marshall Faulk out of the backfield, but Donnie Edwards stepped in front of the throw and grabbed the interception which he returned to the Chargers 47. The Chargers rode Tomlinson down the field to the Rams 20. On third and eight, Brees throw over the middle to Antonio Gates was intercepted by Aeneas Williams at the St. Louis 6. Warner drove the Rams just into Chargers territory at the 48, but the drive stalled and John Baker punted the ball down to the San Diego 7. Drew Brees ended the scoreless quarter with a 26 yard completion to Eric Parker to get San Diego out of the hole.

Brees was incomplete on his first three throws of the fourth quarter and Scifres was again called on to punt. Scifres hit another beauty which backed the Rams up to their own 16 yard line. On third and eight, Warner tried to force a ball into Ricky Proehl, but Jerry Wilson intercepted the pass and ran it back to the Rams 22. Brees directed the Chargers down to the 4 yard line, but an illtimed false start helped to stall out the drive. Nate Kaeding was called on for the third time in the game and his 26 yard field goal allowed San Diego to regain the lead 15-14 with 10:13 left in the quarter. Kaeding's short kickoff allowed the Rams good field position and Warner started at his own 42. The Chargers appeared to have stopped the drive quickly as a Randall Godfrey sack had the Rams facing third and sixteen at their own 36. When Warner couldn't find an open receiver, he took off and was able to rumble for the 16 yards he needed and a first down at the Chargers 48. Three plays later, the Chargers once again appeared to stop the drive as Steve Foley intercepted another Warner pass, but the penalty for pass interference came out and the Rams drive continued. The Rams faced third and 6 at the San Diego 21, but Coach Marcucci didn't want to risk another interception and Canidate's run came up a couple of yards short. On fourth down, Jeff Wilkins kicked a 34 yard field goal and St. Louis regained the lead 17-15 with 4:30 left in the game. Tim Dwight got loose on the kickoff return and Brees started his final drive at the San Diego 44. Following completions to Parker, McCardell and Gates, the Chargers had moved quickly to the Rams 23. A Tomlinson run and a Brees scramble yielded nothing, and the Chargers were facing a third and ten at the two minute warning. Instead of making the safe play, Coach Lowe elected to have Brees try the exact same pass to Antonio Gates that had allowed Aeneas Williams to stop an earlier Chargers drive. This time it was Gates who won the matchup and the throw was on the money. Gates crashed into the end zone and the Chargers lead 21-17. Coach Lowe decided once again to go for the 2 point conversion to try and give the Chargers a 6 point lead. This time, Brees's pass to McCardell was complete and San Diego lead 23-17 with 1:53 left in the game. Kaeding kicked the ball deep and Canidate returned it to the Rams 26. Warner faced 74 yards with 1:45 and no time outs. The Chargers had a chance to end the drive quickly, but on fourth down with 1:08 left in the game Warner connected with Hakim on a 22 yard pass to the San Diego 47. On third and six at the 43, Warner found Proehl alone on the sideline and the Rams were at the Charger's 23 yard line with 29 seconds left. The Rams faced third and four at the San Diego 17 with 14 ticks on the clock, and they surprised the Chargers with a draw play to Marshall Faulk. Faulk broke loose for the first down to the 9, but it appeared the game was going to end. Warner was able to spike the ball with 1 second remaining to give the Rams one last play. Warner threw the ball into the end zone towards Tory Holt, but the ball was trapped and ruled incomplete to allow the Chargers to escape with the win. The Chargers became the first 4 seed to ever win the Shapiro Trophy. They defeated three division champions in their drive to the title despite only finishing third in their own division. St. Louis won the yardage battle 336-258, but it was Drew Brees who made the plays when it counted and the defense came up big like they had throughout the playoffs. Brees was selected the game's Most Valuable Player completing 18 of 34 for 231 yards and 2 touchdowns.

TURNING POINT: Drew Brees 23 yard touchdown pass to Antonio Gates on third and ten on the first play after the two minute warning for the winning score.

MVP: Drew Brees

--submitted by John Lowe--

Congrats to John Lowe and the 2004 SD Chargers

In one of the tightest CFL Super Bowls ever, John Lowe guided his Bolts over Greg/Mop's Rams to a tight victory that was in doubt up until the final play. John will be sending us a full write-up of the game, but I just wanted to extend our congrats to him and let you all know the our SB MVP was the same guy (Drew Brees) as last night's SB MVP. Only difference is that we crowned ours 6 hours earlier and our game took about half the time (Greg actually played fast).

Amazing how this game came down to one final play where Greg needed a TD and John needed a stop. Looks like John had the right coverage too !

Super Bowl IX - Preview

Competing for the coveted Shapiro Trophy are: 2001 St. Louis Rams (Greg/Mop) vs 2004 San Diego Chargers (John Lowe). Both teams got to the big dance in different ways. The Rams were the #1 seed in the NFC, but had an OT scare in the opening round. They beat the Bears with a great 4th quarter where they pulled away late. SD upset the #1 favorite 2004 Colts and dominated the 2004 Patriots in the conference championship.
Greg has offered up 2pm today as a possible game time.

NFC Championship Game: Rams 24, Bears 13

Down 10-3 at the half the Rams offense was starting to doubt themselves. The Bear defense had stymied them for a full 30 minutes. When the 3rd quarter started it looked to be more of the same. When great offenses meet up with great defenses in the post season games are tight and one key pivotal play sometimes is needed to jump start things. That play occurred with 5:13 left to play in the 3rd, when Dexter McCleon jumped a route on his own 19 for what would become an 81 yard pick 6. Just like that the game went from the Bears looking to go up by 2 scores to the Rams tying it. When you give Kurt Warner and company life they take yours. Warner hit Tory Holt from 4 yards out to cap off a 12 play 74 yard drive to give the Rams their first lead of the day.

The Bears now had to play catchup and went on a long drive of their own, which netted a Paul Edinger 38 yard FG and made the score 17-13 with just over 5 minutes to play. Tension began to mount with the margin for error being just 4 points. The Rams took over possession at the 2:14 mark looking to run out the clock. They did better than that when Marshall Faulk took the ball to the house with a 46 yard TD run to put the Rams up by 11 and send them to New Orleans for a date with destiny vs the Chargers. On a day where both QB's were overly generous: Miller 4 pics / Warner 3 pics, Marshall Faulk (21-121-td) outplayed his counterpart Anthony Thomas (14-30) to win the NFC Championship MVP.

Chargers 37, Patriots 16...SD goes to Super Bowl as AFC representative

For the second straight week, the Chargers won the toss and elected to receive. Instead of the 3 and out they experienced in Indy, this time Drew Brees directed a 62 yard drive culminating with a 3rd down 8 yard touchdown pass to Antonio Gates to give the Chargers an early 7-0 lead. After Kaeding's kickoff bounced through the end zone, Tom Brady started at his own 20. He directed the Patriots down to the Chargers 15, but on 3rd and 3 his scrambling run for a first down came up short and Adam Vinatieri was called on to kick a 32 yard field goal to cut the San Diego lead to 7-3. The Chargers offense didn't get a chance to expand the lead because for the second straight week the San Diego kickoff return team took one to the house. Last week it was Jesse Chatman's key 83 yard touchdown return of a Colt squib kick that lead San Diego to the road win. This week, it was Tim Dwight's turn and he ran 90 yards to give San Diego a 13-3 lead after Kaeding's extra point attempt was deflected at the line of scrimmage. The teams exchanged punts to end the first quarter.

The Patriots started the second quarter backed up at their own 8 yard line and were soon forced to punt the ball. San Diego began their opening drive of the quarter at their own 41 yard line. Drew Brees found LaDainian Tomlinson open out of the backfield and he rambled down to the New England 4 yard line. On the next play, fullback Lorenzo Neal crashed into the end zone and the Chargers lead 20-3. Tom Brady started the next Patriots drive at his own 25 and lead the team down to the San Diego 20. But his third down pass for David Graham was incomplete and Adam Vinatieri was called on to kick his second field goal which trimmed the Chargers lead to 20-6. Three plays later Drew Brees overthrew Reche Caldwell and Rodney Harrison returned it to the San Diego 30. Four plays later, Cedric Cobbs ran in from 2 yards out and the Patriots closed the half with some momentum after cutting the San Diego lead to 20-13.

The Patriots opened the third quarter with the ball and were hoping to tie up the game. Brady lead New England to midfield, but his pass for Troy Brown was intercepted by Drayton Florence at the San Diego 36 to stop their momentum. Drew Brees did his part to help the Chargers regain momentum when he lead them down the field on a 64 yard drive which ended with his 10 yard pass to Keenan McCardell to give San Diego a 27-13 lead with 8:55 left in the quarter. Brady directed the Patriots back down the field, but the drive stalled at the San Diego 34. Vinatieri was called on to kick his third field goal and it was good from 51 yards out to cut the Chargers lead to 27-16. Drew Brees just wouldn't let the Patriots regain any momentum as he lead the Chargers right back down the field where Nate Kaeding kicked a 39 yard field goal to give San Diego a 30-16 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Following a Patriots punt, San Diego started at their own 4 yard line with the wind at their backs and the clock as their friend. Drew Brees looked the part of a real field general as he willed his team down the field and finished the 13 play, 8:28 drive with a 3rd and goal 7 yard pass to Eric Parker to get the Charger fans celebrating with a 37-16 lead. Tom Brady had one more chance, but his final drive stalled out at the New England 42. Drew Brees drove down the field and ran out the clock by taking a knee at the Patriots 1 yard line on the final play of the game. Brees finished 19-30 for 249 yards and 3 touchdowns in the win. Unlike last week against Indianapolis, this time the Chargers dominated on offense outgaining the Patriots 416-282 and controlled the clock for over 36 minutes. The Chargers may have only been the third best team in their division, but when it counted, they ended up being the best team in the conference with two huge road wins over both of the division champions.

TURNING POINT: Drayton Florence's interception on the second play of the second half when New England was trying to drive for the tying touchdown after trailing by 17 points in the second quarter.

--submitted by John Lowe--

Chargers upset Colts 38-35 to advance to Conf Finals

The San Diego Chargers outlasted the Indianapolis Colts 38-35 in one of the biggest upsets in CFL history. The Colts entered the game riding a 9 game win streak courtesy of quarterback Peyton Manning's CFL record 57 touchdown passes. He threw 4 more in the divisional playoff game, but it wasn't enough to bring the Colts all the way back.

The Chargers won the toss and elected to receive. Gramatica's opening kickoff went out of bounds and the Chargers started with the ball on their own 40 yard line. Three plays later, they had advanced 3 feet and were forced to punt. The Colts started at their own 28 and drove down the field. The Chargers appeared to stop the Colts at the San Diego 39 when Manning's third down pass to Marvin Harrison was overthrown. However Coach Weiss elected to go for it and Manning found an open Brandon Stokley for 17 yards and a first down. Two plays later Manning finished off the drive with another 17 yard pass, this time to Harrison and the Colts lead early 7-0. Following a nice Tim Dwight kickoff return followed by a 15 yard roughing penalty the Colts, the Chargers again had good field position at their own 46 to start their second drive. Drew Brees directed them down to the Colts 3 where they faced a 4th and goal. Coach Lowe also decided to go for it, and Brees found Antonio Gates in the end zone and the game was tied at 7. On the ensuing kickoff Dominic Rhodes broke off a 68 yard return and the Colts were in business at the San Diego 26. Four plays later, the Colts faced a 4th and 1 at the San Diego 1. For the second time in the game, Coach Weiss gambled and again he came up big as Edgerrin James crashed in for the touchdown to give the Colts a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Chargers next drive stalled at the Colts 31. Facing 4th and 5, Coach Lowe sent the normally reliable Nate Kaeding into the game to cut into the Colts lead. However, the 48 yard field goal attempt was wide and the Colts had good field position again starting at their own 38 yard line. The Colts drove down to the Chargers 20 yard line, and looked like they were going to take a 2 score lead, but Manning's pass to Harrison was intercepted by Jerry Wilson at the 9 to stop the drive. The Chargers wasted little time tying up the game on a 4 play, 91 yard drive culminated with Brees 8 yard touchdown pass to Malcolm Floyd. Rhodes broke another long kickoff return to the Colts 45, and 2 plays later Manning had the Colts at the Chargers 35. But, for the second straight drive, his pass attempt to Marvin Harrison was intercepted, this time by Drayton Florence and the Chargers again took over inside their own 20 yard line. Drew Brees directed San Diego down the field and completed the 81 yard drive with a 2 yard touchdown pass to Eric Parker to give San Diego their first lead at 21-14. Peyton Manning was intercepted for the third straight drive when his pass directed towards Brandon Stokley was grabbed by Donnie Edwards who returned the ball to midfield with 1:44 left in the half. Three plays later, LaDainian Tomlinson sprinted in from 6 yards out and the Chargers lead 28-14 at the half.

The punters battled for field position most of the third quarter as both team were forced to punt on their first 2 possessions. Manning drove the Colts down to the Chargers 24, but on 2nd and 7 his pass towards Dallas Clark was intercepted by Terrence Kiel at the Chargers 5 yard line. The Chargers were forced to punt for the third time in the quarter and Indianapolis got the ball back at their own 16 with 2 seconds left in the quarter. On the quarter's final play, Manning found Brandon Stokley all alone and he rambled down to the San Diego 10 on a 74 yard play to bring the third to a close.

Following a sack by Randall Godfrey, the Colts faced a 3rd and goal at the San Diego 14. Peyton Manning was intercepted for the 5th time in the game when his pass towards Harrison was grabbed by Shaun Phillips in the back of the end zone to keep the Chargers up by two touchdowns. On the Chargers drive, it was time for Drew Brees to thrown an interception and Jason David returned it to the San Diego 34. Two plays later, Manning found Dallas Clark in the end zone and the San Diego lead was cut to 28-21 with 11:15 remaining in the game. Tim Dwight took the ensuing kickoff and rambled to the Colts 20 to give San Diego great field position. On second down, Brees was intercepted by Von Hutchins at the Colts 9 to end a great opportunity to regain a 2 score lead. Peyton Manning directed the Colts quickly down the field and finished the drive with a 1 yard touchdown pass to Edgerrin James to tie the score up at 28 with 6:45 left in the game. Coach Weiss had learned his lesson after watching Tim Dwight's returns and elected to have Martin Gramatica squib kick the ball. However, he caught too much of the ball and Jesse Chatman grabbed it at his 17 yard line and weaved back and forth across the field for 16 seconds before falling into the end zone allowing San Diego to regain the lead 35-28. The Colts situation went from bad to worse when an illegal block pushed them back to their own 4 to start their next drive. Manning drove them out to their 46, but he underthrew Brandon Stokley on a crossing pattern and was intercepted for the sixth time in the game, this time by Steve Foley.

The Chargers had the ball at the Colts 46 with 4:51 left and a 7 point lead. Three plays netted 7 yards and facing 4th and 3 at the Colts 39, Coach Lowe had a decision to make. Despite Kaeding's miss from 48 earlier in the game, Coach Lowe showed faith in his kicker and sent him out to try a 56 yard field goal. If he missed, the Colts would have great field position trailing by a touchdown. However, Coach Lowe's faith was rewarded and Nate Kaeding's 56 yard field goal was good to increase the Charger lead to 38-28. Manning started the next drive at his own 12 with 3:07 on the clock. He quickly drove the Colts down the field and they finished the 6 play drive with a 7 yard pass to Dallas Clark to cut the lead to 38-35 with 2:04 left in the game. With 2 timeouts left, Coach Weiss had a decision to make. He passed up an onside kick and had Gramatica kick it deep. This ended up being the wrong decision as Tomlinson powered for 2 first downs on the ground, and when the Colts could no longer stop the clock, Brees took a knee to end the game. The Chargers knocked off the top seed Colts 38-35 despite 492 yard passing by Manning. Brandon Stokley finished the game with 228 yards on 9 receptions to lead the Colts. The Chargers were out gained 571-392 and only survived because their opportunistic defense grabbed 6 interceptions. When added to the 7 they had grabbed in the regular season finale against the 49ers, the Chargers had a total of 13 interceptions in 2 games. San Diego advanced to the conference championship where they get to return to the scene of the Boston Massacre from two weeks before when the Patriots wiped out the Chargers 32-7.

TURNING POINT: Jesse Chatman's 83 yard kickoff return for a touchdown after the Colts had batted back to tie it up at 28 with 6 and a half minutes left in the game.

--submitted by John Lowe--

Bears blow out boys from Bay Area

It was a tough day at the office for Jeff Garcia and the San Francisco 49ers, as they lined up to play the Chicago Bears in the CFL playoffs. Garcia threw 5 interceptions and the 49ers fumbled 5 times and lost 3. It was a sloppy game for both teams as Chicago turned the ball over 4 times themselves. 17 penalties in the game for 138 yards for both teams made it even sloppier.

The 1st quarter was a feeling out by each team. Each tried different things to move the ball, but neither found the endzone.

In the 2nd quarter,a 9 play,61 yard drive by the Bears lead to the first score. San Francisco drove close at the end of the half, but had to settle for a 29 yard Cortez field goal and it was 7-3, Chicago at the half.

The 3rd saw the Bears put some distance between themselves and the 49ers as they took a 16-6 lead on a 19 yard interception return by Traylor for a score. The Bears, Brian Urlacher stuffed Garrison Hearst in the endzone for a Bears safety and it was 16-6 at the end of the 3rd.

The 4th didn't fare much better for the 49ers. They did add another Cortez field goal. The Bears added 2 meaningless TDs late in the game for the final score of 30-6. --submitted by Jim Walden (subbing for Bill Vogt)--

Rams squeak past G-men in OT

The 7-7 Giants headed to the Gateway to the West as a prohibitive underdog that no one gave any chance to. The St. Louis Rams, aka.."The Greatest Show" on turf was poised to crush New York's representatives and send them on their merry way. 3 hours later (and this game really did take close to 3 hours to play) the Giants walked out of the Dome with their head held high and the complete respect of the favorite Rams. By the end of the 3rd quarter the Rams looked to be in complete control as expected. With a 24-7 lead the G-men were all but left for dead. A 20 point Giant outburst in the 4th quarter capped off by a Brad Daluiso 47 yard FG forced OT. When NY won the coin toss for the extra period it looked like the glass slipper might fit Cinderella. Unfortunately for the comeback kids it was not meant to be. The G-men were forced to punt after going 3 and out.

The Rams talent took over and 5 plays later Marshall Faulk ran it in from 22 yards out to give his team a victory that they had to earn and the right to host the Bears in the NFC championship. Statistically Kerry Collins (27-45-302-3td) outplayed Kurt Warner (32-44-298-2td-int). Marshall Faulk was the difference in this contest. His unique talent was unstoppable. Both of his TD runs (34 yards and 22 yards) were against defenses that had 8 men in the box solely focusing on him. What an outstanding individual effort. When interviewed after the game Giant DE Michael Strahan said, "We knew he was coming on those plays, but the man is almost unstoppable. He can beat you with a hand off or a dump pass". Strahan and his cohorts have nothing to be ashamed of. Torry Holt led all receivers with 92 yards on 8 receptions. Ike Bruce had 2 TD catches against double coverage proving that he too is truly an upper echelon wide out.

Raiders hold off Pittsburgh 24-17 to clinch AFC's last spot

With New England and San Diego both winning earlier this week, this game was a must-win for both Pittsburgh and Oakland, with the last AFC wild-card spot on the line.

Pittsburgh won the toss and elected to receive, but went 3-and-out on their first possession. A booming 59-yard punt by Chris Gardocki pinned Oakland back to their own 5-yard line, though, and the Steeler D forced a 3-and-out of their own. Starting on the OAK 43 thanks to a nice 12-yard punt return by Antawn Randle-El, Pittsburgh drew first blood when Ben Roethlisberger hit Plaxico Burress on a 17-yard crossing pattern. The two teams exchanged short possessions, and after 1 quarter the Steelers led 7-0.

On the first play of the 2nd quarter, Rich Gannon hit Charlie Garner for a 61-yard screen play that took the Raiders inside Steeler territory for the first time. A few plays later Gannon found a wide-open Tim Brown for a short 3-yard toss to even the game at 7-7. Pittsburgh went 3-and-out on each of their next two possessions, sandwiched by a short Oakland drive. Late in the 2nd, Gannon led the Raiders on another long drive, culminating in a 16-yard TD to Jerry Porter, and Oakland took a 14-7 lead into the locker room.

The Raiders took the ball to open the 2nd half, and after a near 6-minute drive stalled, extended their lead to 17-7 on a 37-yard FG by Sebastian Janikowski. Oakland's defense continued their strong play, stopping Pittsburgh on the next drive, but PR Philip Buchanon muffed the punt and the Steelers gained possession at the OAK 15. Their offense could not get the first down, however, and Jeff Reed came on for a 24-yard FG to trim Oakland's lead to 7. The Raiders were quick to respond, though, extending their lead to 24-10 when Gannon and Tim Brown connected on an 8-yard TD pass late in the 3rd.

The Steelers' first possession of the 4th quarter was their longest drive of the day- 67 yards, capped by a Jerome Bettis 7-yard TD run. Pittsburgh was within a TD now, and their D rose to the occasion, stopping the Raiders deep in Oakland territory. Starting on their own 38 Pittsburgh marched across midfield, but the Raiders stopped Jerome Bettis on a 4th-and-1 to take over on downs. Oakland drove to the PIT 17 and with just under 5 minutes remaining, called on Janikowski to hit a 34-yard FG (88%) that would make it a 2-possession game The kick sailed wide, though, and Pittsburgh took over with thought of OT looming if they could traverse the 76 yards they needed. With Roethlisberger at the helm, Pittsburgh methodically marched down the field, converting on two big plays- a 13-yard scramble from Big Ben on 3rd-and-9 and later, a 15-yard completion to Verron Hayes on 4th-and-6. Facing 3rd-and-5 from the 15 with under a minute remaining, Pittsburgh called a draw play to Bettis, but netted just 2 yards to set up 4th-and-3. The Steelers were hit with a costly 5-yard penalty for 12 men on the field, forcing a 4th-and-8. With the run game no longer a threat, Oakland could focus on the pass, and stopped Jay Riemersma 5 yards short of the first down to preserve the win.

Thanks for the great game, Greg. It was a tough one. --submitted by Dan Donovan--

Chargers crush '9ers 30-3...Garcia throws 7 picks

San Diego dropped 23 unanswered points on the '9ers en route to this blowout victory. Jeff Garcia started them off by throwing pick on their third play from scrimmage. Six plays later Drew Brees hit McCardell for a 7 yard score. Five minutes later LT went in from the 5 to make it 14-0. T.O. had 100 yards receiving, but was truly a non-factor. Cortez' 39 yard FG in the 3rd was the lone score for San Fran. Garcia threw a CFL record 7 INT's and suffered through a miserable 19 QB rating. The one positive that SF can take from this game was the fact that they held LT to less than 60 yards in 24 carries for a measly 2.4 ypc average.

Bucs drop Bears 26-15

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got a much needed victory here in Chicago as Martin Gramatica's 4 field goals and great special teams play spurred them on. Sheldon Quarles' 38 yard blocked punt return for a touchdown put Tampa up 7-0 in the first. From there both teams field goal kicker's were the focal point as they exchanged kicks throughout the next two quarters. When Paul Edinger nailed a chip shot 23 yarder early in the 4th it was 16-12 Tampa. Brad Johnson (12-20, 109 yards) struggled against a tough Bears defense but came up huge midway through the final quarter. Johnson fires 32 yards to Keenan McCardell for the game's first offensive touchdown and it gave Tampa its biggest lead of the day, 23-12. Edinger got the Bears within 8 with his 5th field goal but Gramatica iced the game with just under two minutes to play nailing a 50 yarder. The Bucs were managed only 173 total yards on the day and were out gained in almost every category except for the one that counted. The scoreboard. Final from Soldier field, Tampa Bay 26, Chicago 15. --submitted by Barry Smalley--

Big Blue wins BlunderBowl XXXV over Ravens

On a 24 degree blustery day in Baltimore a rematch of Super Bowl XXXV occurred. Call this gala event: "The Blunder Bowl". It would be kind, but not forthright to credit the day to both defenses, but in reality it was a battle to see which offense was going to be less bad. Neither team scored in the opening quarter, but both teams managed to turn the ball over. Trent Dilfer, who the crowd began referring to as "Dillweed" threw his first pick of the day. Emmanuel Daniel stepped in front of Dillweed's errant throw, but the G-men could do nothing to capitalize. 4 minutes later it would be the Giants turn to offer up a gift as Tiki "Bumbles" Barber coughed up the ball on a punt return. No harm, since the Ravens couldn't capitalize either.

Early in the 2nd Dillweed threw his 2nd pick when he telegraphed a medium pass to Qadry Ismail. Shaun Williams stepped in front of the "floater" on Baltimore's 34 and returned it to their 2. Kerry Collins hit Tiki Barber in the end zone, the only place where he can't fumble the ball, for a quick TD. The Ravens would tie it up when Jermaine Lewis returned a punt 51 yards with 7:43 left in the half. Being in Baltimore, the birthplace of the 2 minute drill, one conjures up images of black high tops and Johnny U hitting Raymond Berry in stride for a score. Neither Trent Dilfer, nor Kerry Collins conjure up those types of visions. Dillweed threw his second pick of the day at the 2 minute warning as he again found Williams right in the breadbasket. Williams' only miscue on the play was not returning the pick to the house. Instead he handed the ball over to the offense and Collins immediately gave it right back to the Ravens by throwing a pick to Kim Herring. Well Dillweed couldn't be outdone, so he rallied himself and got creative. Instead of throwing a pick, which would have been more or less run of the mill by now, he decided to fumble the snap and allow Christian Peter to recover for the Giants on their own 14. New York wisely took 2 knees and saved the viewing audience the chance to see more horrific 1st half football.

Second half adjustments are what makes this game we call professional football interesting. Dillweed adjusted and hit Ismail for 59 yards on the second play of the half. Then he re-adjusted and instead of finding Williams he decided to reward Sam Garnes with a free pick, for his 3rd errant throw of the day. The G-men put together an error free drive, unless you count Baltimore penalties as errors, and Brad Daluiso kicked a 36 yarder to make it 10-7 New York. Thankfully the Ravens can at least rely on their defense and special teams. Corey Harris broke off a 48 yard KR to put his team in good field position. Dillweed hit Ismail for 21 yards to get down to the Giant 25. At this point there was no way he was going to throw again and Jamal Lewis busted off tackle for 21 yards and a 14-10 Raven lead.

The 4th quarter opened with the Ravens clinging to a 4 point lead. At the 12 minute mark the G-men took over on their own 5. Nobody expected much from their offense and nobody was disappointed. New York methodically drove the ball down to the Raven 27 in 14 plays. The drive took 7 minutes to execute, but the G-men faced a 4th and 22 from the Raven 27 thanks to a Rob Burnett sack of the statue we know as Kerry Collins. On 4th down Tiki Barber, who BTW did not fumble here, took a draw play for 13 yards and almost broke it off. That gave the ball to the Ravens and good ole' Dillweed threw another pick. This time he layed one right into Ryan Phillips outstretched hands. New York had 1st and goal on the Raven 7 with 3:43 left to play. Collins, rose up to the challenge, and equaled Dillweed's generosity by throwing a pick of his own to Duane Starks. At this point fans began heading for the exits, or maybe for some Pepto Bismo, as this game could curdle a cast iron stomach. It looked as if the Ravens were going to play it safe and milk the clock, but instead the clock struck 2 and Dillweed struck again. This time he found one of his favorite targets, Emmaunuel McDaniel, and the G-men were back in business with 2:01 left to play and 40 yards to go. Collins effectively drove the G-men down to the Ravens 14, but alas time and downs looked to have run out on him. Facing 4th and goal from the 14 Collins had no choice but to force the ball into double coverage. Somehow, some way Amani Toomer fought off the defenders and came down with the ball in the end zone with only 26 ticks on the clock left. New York was now up by 3 points and Big Blue was celebrating victory, but not so fast. Daluiso's squib kick put the ball on the Raven 41. Dillweed hit Jamal Lewis on a dump pass and Lewis galloped for 27 yards to take it to the Giants 41. NY jumped off side on the next play and Matt Stover came on to nail a 44 yarder with :12 left to send this nauseating contest to OT.

New York won the coin toss and elected to receive. Some would say they would have been better off allowing Dillweed to have the ball and implode, but conventional wisdom frowned on such a decision. Both teams approached OT with a more conservative approach than Rush Limbaugh preparing for a broadcast. The tension began to mount as both team's playoff hopes rested on this outcome. Despite what Donovan McNabb thinks, sudden death OT in the regular season, ends after one quarter. With 4:47 left to go and the ball almost at midfield the Ravens faced 4th and 1 and decided to gamble and go for it. The G-men loaded up in short yardage defense and keyed the heck out of Lewis. Everyone in the house knew the Ravens were not going to let Dillweed throw. What nobody, other than the human turnover machine knew, was that he was going to attempt a QB sneak. Keith "Hammer-time" Hamilton slammed into the non-athletic Dillweed and stopped him cold. New York would take over at midfield with 4:37 left to play in their season. Ron "Sleeping Dog" Dayne fell forward for 2 yards on the first play from scrimmage. A 5 yard false start penalty erased the modest gain and made it 2nd and 13. Collins dumped one off to "butterfingers" Barber who held on and gained 2 whole yards. Facing another 3 and out Collins avoided the blitz and hit Joe Jurevicius in stride for 20 yards and a first down on the Raven 30. New York was now close to Field Goal range. Normally a draw play would be considered a low risk choice, but not when Barber is a participant. Tiki held on tightly and gained 6 yards to take it down to the 19. Fullback Greg Comella got the call on the next play and and gained 9 yards to put the ball on the Raven 10. Not trusting Daluiso's limited range the G-men called a screen pass to Comella, who took it down to the 2 yard line. Daluiso came on to nail a 19 yard supposedly chip shot and New York walked away from this contest with a gift win and a spot in the post season.

Week 13: Ravens top Steelers 20-12

The conditions were cold, snowy, and windy. The teams both needed a win. The only problem was that the offenses forgot to show up! The ravens punted nine times and only managed 147 yards of total offense and seven first downs. Trent Dilfer had a miserable day, completing only 15 passes for 51 yards.

And yet the Steelers made two crucial mistakes: having a punt blocked in the first quarter and run in by Kevin Herring for a touchdown, and a third-quarter interception by Chris McAllister that was also run in 13 yards for a score. Pittsburgh got four Jeff Reed field goals but could not punch the ball into the end zone.

It was the ravens D that held on the final drive, where Duece Staley managed to run the ball down the field and stop the clock by running out of bounds. But the drive stalled in Ravens territory and a fourth down conversion failed to turn the ball over to the ravens on downs with 57 seconds left. Baltimore proceeded to run out the clock to preserve a 20-12 win that they needed desperately if they are to have any postseason hopes. Pittsburgh falls to 7-6 going into their home finale against Oakland, while Baltimore goes to 6-7 before closing at home against the Giants. --submitted by Michael Hopcroft--

Week 13: Raid'as top Chiefs 44-41 in OT

Kansas City (6-6) visited Oakland (7-5) with both teams looking for a win to stay in the playoff hunt, and this would turn out to be one of the craziest games either Tom or I have played in a long time.

The Raiders jumped out to a 14-0 1st quarter lead, then tacked on another TD to go up 21-0 with just under 4 minutes remaining in the half. Up to this point Oakland had held the ball for almost 22 minutes, compared to just over 5 for Kansas City. But these last four minutes would be explosive for both teams. Dante Hall returned the kickoff to the KC 49 and after a 17-yard run and a 34-yard screen pass- both to Derrick Blaylock- the Chiefs were on the board. The Raiders got those points back- this time with a too-efficient 2-minute drive to make it 28-7. But KC wasn't finished. Hall ran the KO all the way to Oakland's 39, and Trent Green (18-28, 224, 3 TD) went 4-5 on the drive, finding Tony Gonzalez from 1 yard out with just 3 ticks on the clock, and Oakland took a 28-14 lead into the locker room.

It was Hall again to start the 3rd quarter, this time with a 93-yard return, and KC had cut the deficit to just a TD. Less than a minute later, Shawn Barber (8 tackles, 1 Sack, 1 Int, 1 FF) intercepted a Rich Gannon (37-57, 511, 3 TD, 2 Int) pass and ran it back 39 yards to tie the game. And still KC wasn't finished. Gannon fumbled the snap on Oakland's next drive, and KC's Von Holliday recovered at the Oakland 38. Five plays later, Green hit Priest Holmes (5-71 Rec) for a 4-yard TD and the Chiefs- who once trailed by 21- now led 35-28. Oakland tacked on a FG late in the 3rd to make it 35-31, but the Chiefs marched downfield on their next drive and had 1st-and-Goal from the 2 as the 3rd quarter closed out.

After two unsuccessful runs by Holmes and an incomplete pass, KC settled for the FG and brought on Morton Anderson (2-2 FG, long 46) to boost their lead to 38-31. The teams traded possessions, and with 5 and a half minutes left in the game, Gannon hit Doug Jolley on a 22-yard pass to tie it 38-38. After forcing a 3-and-out on the Chiefs' ensuing possession, Oakland received the ball at their own 18. Gannon promptly threw his 2nd pick of the day, this one to KC's Greg Wesley, and the Chiefs had the ball deep in Oakland territory. The Raider defense held strong, however, and limited the damage to an Anderson 46-yard FG. This gave KC the 41-38 lead, but Oakland would have 2+ minutes to work with.

Gannon shook off any carry-over effects from the previous drive, finding Jerry Rice (8-138) for a critical 4th-down conversion as Oakland steadily moved the ball. It was Charlier Garner (17-156, TD Run; 7-90 Rec) however who carried the team on this drive, covering 42 yards on 4 carries. With just 22 seconds remaining, Oakland had 1st-and-10 from the KC 11. After two unsuccessful throws in Rice's direction, and with 7 seconds remaining, Oakland didn't risk another play and brought on Sebastian Janikowski (3-3 FG, long 45) for the game-tying chip shot. With the score 41-41, this one was headed to OT.

Oakland won the toss and elected to receive. After a short return to the 18, they faced a long field ahead of them. Gannon was coolly efficient, converting on his first 3 passes. The Raiders got a scare when Garner fumbled at midfield, but Tim Brown made the recovery. On 2nd-and-10 from the 50, Gannon hit Rice for a 47-yard strike and Janikowski was called on for the 20-yard game winner.

The Raiders somehow survived 3 turnovers and escaped with the 44-41 OT win. Some of the stats from this game were astounding. Oakland more than doubled KC in TOP, 42:39 to 19:43, and gained 669 yards of offense compared to 243 for the Chiefs. The Chiefs' Dante Hall went a long way in closing that gap, however, with an amazing 271 yards on 8 KO returns.
--submitted by Tom "Crash" Davis--

BEARS CLINCH NFC EAST WITH 20-19 WIN OVER EAGLES

Chicago entered this game without its top runner in Anthony Thomas and it was up to James Allen (20-76) and Leon Johnson (12-60) to pick up the slack. Allen and Johnson done exactly that and helped propel the Bears to the NFC Eastern Divisional crown.

Chicago wasted very little time in getting on the board first as they took the opening kickoff starting at its own 29. Da Bears decided that they would come out throwing the football on the very first play and it would pay off as Jim Miller (14-21-183) hit Marty Booker (9-134) over the middle on play action for a 36 yard gain to the Eagles 35. Allen then would gain 13 yards over the next 2 plays and with the help of a face mask penalty on the Eagles Da Bears were setting at the Eagles 8. Another penalty on the Eagles for being offside then moved the ball a little closer and Johnson took care of the rest going in from 5 yards out and giving Chicago a 7-0 lead.

Philadelphia though was not going to be outdone on in the big play arena. On 3rd and 7 from its own 44 Brian Westbrook (11-83) went outside and went 47 yards to the Bears 8 before being pushed out of bounds. After getting down the 3 though the drive stalled and the Eagles were forced to settle for David Akers 22 yard field goal. On the Eagles second possession they would again come up with a big play as Donovan McNabb (24-43-276) hit a streaking Terrell Owens (7-151) down the sidelines on a long pattern that would net 47 yards all the way to the Bears 33. Seven plays later Dorsey Levens punched it in from 4 yards out giving the Eagles their first lead of the game at 10-7 after Akers extra point.

At the 6:24 mark of the second quarter setting at the Eagles 12 yard line Akers was called upon to attempt the field goal. (95% Chance). Akers field goal though would sail to the right and the chip shot was missed. McNabb wasted no time in making the Bears pay for that missed scoring opportunity as he would hit Owens again this time for 36 yards to the Bears 46. Moving down the Bears 37 with a 4th and 1 and only 5:03 left McNabb once again hit a receiver for big yardage as Mitchell would be on the other end for a 17 yard gain and a new set of downs. Things would go south from there though as after facing a 1st and goal before they knew it they were facing a 4th and goal from 30 yards out due to penalties. Akers was called upon for the second time and he once again was right on giving the Eagles now a 13-7 lead.

With 1:12 left Chicago decided to gamble as at their own 45 as they faced a 4th and 1. The Gamble didn't appear to pay off as the short hitch from Miller was thrown at the feet of the receiver but they got a reprieve when someone hit Miller late giving Da Bears new life. On the very next play Miller made them pay as he hit Booker in stride for a 40 yard touchdown strike and a 14-13 Bears lead. After the ensuing kickoff which was a squibb kick the Eagles got great field position and started at its own 44. With 11 ticks left before the half the McNabb-Owens connection struck again as it would gain 38 yards to the Bears 5 enabling Akers to kick the go ahead field goal as time expired in the half.

Leading 16-14 and with the ball back Philadelphia extended the lead to 19-14 on yet another Akers field goal after they moved from their own 20 down to the Bears 20. Trailing now 19-14 Jim Miller hit Dez White for a 33 yard gain to the Eagles 38. Eleven plays later facing a 4th and goal at the Eagles 1 Chicago made a game changing decision that would ultimately win them the game. Debating on rather or not to kick the field goal or try to punch it in being so close and still early in the game the Bears finally decided on tyring to punch it in. Allen found just enough of a crease to bowl over a defender and get in for a 20-19 Bears lead. The two point conversion attempt failed.

With 3:31 left in the game, Philadelphia faced a 4th and 2 at the Bears 42 and with the game hinging on the outcome of the play someone would walk away happy while the other side would walk away unhappy. Chicago won the battle as Westbrook was hit just as he got the ball holding him to a gain of nothing. Chicago then was able to run off the remaining time and hold on to a hard fought victory.

This team continues to win ugly but as they say a win is a win and take it anyway you can. --submitted by Bill Vogt--

Chiefs even the score with Bolts

The 8-3, tied for the division leading Chargers came into Kansas city to face the last place 5-6 Chiefs. In their first matchup, the Chargers won a shoot out 49-38.

The Chargers took the opening kick but only managed one first down before punting to the Chiefs. Two tosses by Trent Green to Priest Holmes (4-58) and Tony Gonzalez (5-70, 1 td) netted 60 yards and three plays later Green found Gonzalez in the end zone for a 2 yard td pass. The Chargers replied with a drive of their own but stalled on the Chiefs 32 and were forced to accept a Nate Kaeding 49 yard field goal. The Chiefs came right back but Quentin Jammer picked Green at his on 9 and denied the Chiefs a scoring opportunity. The Chargers couldn't capitalize and went three and out.

The second quarter opened with the Chiefs again driving the football only to have Green throw another interception, this time to Drayton Florence. Again the Chargers were unable to make a first down and punted the ball away. This time Green was more conservative with the football and drove his team to the SD 7 where Morten Andersen gave them a 10-3 lead. The Chargers would again go three and out and, starting from his own 41, Green (30-37, 325 yards, 3 tds, 4 ints, 1 sack) moved his team into the red zone and finished the drive with a 2 yard toss to Eddie Kennison. The half ended with the Chiefs comfortably in front 17-3

On the first play of the second half, Green was again intercepted, this time by Jerry Wilson. Drew Brees could only find room for one first down before SD again punted the ball away. And once again, the Chiefs drive was thwarted, this time by a Donnie Edwards interception. Brees found Keenan McCardell for 25 yards (1-25) and then Antonio Gates (3-31) for 20 more to the Chiefs 1. 4 Consecutive rushes by LaDanian Tomlinson (21-69) were stuffed by the Chiefs and they took over on their own 2. The Chiefs moved the ball out to their 17 when the third quarter came to a close.

The Chargers held and the Chiefs punted. In the return they then committed a flagrant face mask penalty and the Lightning Bolts were in business on the Chiefs 32. Again, though, Brees (9-27, 85 yards, 1 sack) could not engineer a first down and the Bolts accepted a 43 yard field goal from Kaeding. The Chiefs started from their own 38 and finished 10 plays later when Kennison (8-84, 2 tds) caught a 9 yard td pass. The Chargers were unable to get a first down in the remainder of the game (they had only 9 for the entire game) and it finished 24-6.

This was one of those rare games where the Chargers won the turnover battle 4-0 and yet could not find a way to win the game. Despite the turnovers, the Chiefs had a 34:15 to 25:45 edge in time of possession and 379-199 edge in net yard. --submitted by Tom "Crash" Davis--

BACKWARDS LATERAL DOOMS BEARS

Prior to MOP and I even playing this game I knew I was in trouble. I had simmed this game just to see how SAT would have played it out and the Rams won that one 48-3 with Chicago only mustering 72 yards of offense. So I knew from the get go this could turn out to be a very long game for my Bears.

Looking at the ratings off Mops offense I realized that 3 things would have to go my way if I was to have a shot at winning. 1. I would have to win the dice battle which I did. 2. If he turned the ball over I had a shot at pulling it out which did happen and 3. I didn't need any wierd things happening to my Bears which in the end it did and it came at a very costly time.

There was also a 4th factor which always seems to go against me and that is I had to make my 65% or better field goals. Of course though that didn't happen. Its one of the reasons why I hate kickers.

On St. Louis's second series they would start at the Bears 46 yard line and use a series of quick out passes with those 90-100 reception ratings and those great LG receivers chewing up yards. Within 6 plays Mop and his boys were at my 11 and I started praying for one of those goofy turnover rolls. I guess someone was listening to me as Kurt Warner (25-34-224) tried to go over the middle to Issac Bruce and Tony Parrish wasn't going to have any of that as he picked it off. Of course the errant pass was more likely due to the fact that sometimes "Little fingers Warner" has trouble gripping the football. At any rate I was pretty estatic at this point but that estatic word would turn into alot of cussing later on.

Chicago began its first scoring drive in the 2nd quarter as the opening quarter closed out with St Louis punting it away to them. Chicago always exciting ground it out offense went to work as James Allen (7-25) and Anthony Thomas (28-130) took command and helped lead the Bears down the field. On 3rd and 4 from its own 46 Thomas went off tackle and found a seam and rambled 27 yards to the Cardinals 27 before being brought down. That drive would stall at the 18 and Paul Edinger would come on to hit the 35 yard field goal and give Chicago an early 3-0 lead. St Louis though would come right back as Warner hooked up with Torry Holt (6-129) for a 54 yard gain to the Bears 19. Someone on the Bears completley missed Holt as he flew by them. Just five plays later though the Rams had to settle for a Jeff Wilkins 30 yard field goal and a 3-3 tie.

With 1:23 to go the Bears got the ball back at their own 32 and to be honest I was content on going in to the half even at 3-3. Then things changed when the dice gods shined on me as Thomas went 40 yards to the Rams 21. With 11 ticks left the Bears were sitting at the 5 yard line facing a 1st and goal with one timeout left. I screwed the pooch on this one as I was worried about throwing an INT with Jim Miller (19-25-142) and didn't want to throw away sure points. After all its almost impossible to miss a 100% field goal try. Thomas would go down to the 2 yard line and the Bears called their final timeout to bring on Edinger who gave them a 6-3 halftime advantage. As I looked back I got way to conservative and should have threw the darn thing.

Both teams battled in the 3rd quarter as the Bears keyed on the short dink passes by playing mostly tight pass D. It was a ploy that was working as time and time again Warner went to those passes in trying to get the big gain if he could catch me in Man to Man or worse yet a zone. I got the first big break early in the 3rd when again Warner had troubles identifying colors correclty. RW McQuarters gave the Bears the ball at the Cards 10 yard line. Noodle arm Miller though thought a 10 yard pass may hurt his arm so he dumps it off for a 2 yard gain then the defense keys on Thomas who can muster nothing. Edinger again was called upon and his 26 yard field goal was good making it a 9-3 Bears lead.

With 2:48 to go in the 3rd the Cards faced a tough decision and Mop sent out his offense to try to convert a 4th and 1 from their 49 yard line. The Bears were ready for it and stopped Faulk just short of the marker and appeared to take over the ball. Wait though some stupid redneck Bears defender decided he had to get invovled in some extra action and strut like he had just saved the world and a flag came down for unsportmanlike conduct. A dumb penalty by a dumb Bear player got the wrath from me. Well I guess you could actually say it was SAT that got my wrath. Two plays later it was 10-9 St Louis as Warner and Holt matched up again for a 26 yard strike. I still say my linemen was held but I was likely just wishing and seeing things.

With 11:11 to go Chicago had a shot to retake the lead. Prior to this though after moving down to the Cards 31 the Bears had an offensive player get stupid and he was called for a personal foul. Not sure what he said but I'm sure it was likely something that can't be repeated. This would move them from a 77% FG to a 0% FG. Luckily though it was still first down and eventually they would get back to the Cards 36 with a 66% shot. Then it happened. He would miss the 53 yard attempt and the Bears came away empty.

St Louis then ripped the Bears secondary and 3 plays later sat at the Bears 31. Again though the door was left open thanks to another Warner misread and this time Jerry Azumah picked it off. This would lead to the cussing, throwing of object and thank goodness my wife wasn't home or she may have sent me to my room without supper. Facing a 3rd and 14 from its own 42 the Bears called the screen and caught the Rams in the wrong defense and the roll was gonna be a reception and with a LG receiver of 9 it surely would turn into a great gain. Problem was a "UNUSUAL PLAY" would negate everything. As Miller dropped back and began to throw the ball came out of his hands and lay on the ground. Thinking it was just a incomplete pass the Bears were caught standing around scratching their asses as the Cards Brian Young scooped it up and went 38 yards in the other direction for the game clinching touchdown and a 17-9 lead. Well it would be a game clinching touchdown even though a few more scores would come. Miller as he went to the sideline was asked if he had borrowed Warner's hands for that play. Shortly after a fight broke out on the sideline.

With 5:42 to play the game was not yet lost and the Bears moved down the field to the Rams 16 from its own 13. The would even convert a 4th and 10 from its own 13 when Miller found Marty Booker for a 16 yard gain. At this point the Bears were rejoicing while Mop was giving his boys a good tongue lashing. They would though with just 2 minutes to go be forced to kick the field goal on 4th and 5 and Edinger came away successful and now there truely was still hope as Chicago only trailed 17-12. With all 3 timeouts left the Bears opted to kick it away and hopefully force a punt.

Marshall Faulk (12-76) though ended that thought as he found a huge hole over the right side going 54 yards to the Bears 13. Clip boards flew, headsets got smashed as the Bears coaching staff was seen biting each others heads off. While all this was going Trung Canidate took it in from 12 yards out for the final score.

Chicago now must regroup because even at 8-3 they are still fighting for the division title. They are likely however almost guaranteed a playoff spot. In the end though this team has really overachieved and have won more than its fair share of games like this. St Louis now moves to 7-4 and the 49ers recent loss puts them in a dead tie for first now. Chicago faces Philadelphia next week while the Rams continues its pursuit of a division title with a tilt against Minnesota.

--submitted by Bill Vogt--