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--

Kansas City 28, San Francisco 20

The 4-6 Kansas City Chiefs went to the left coast to play the 7-3 San Francisco 49ers. Pre Game interviews with the two coaches showed that these two coaches knew each other well and were playing head games early with Tom Davis asserting his defense could not stop anyone and Eddie Mikhli claiming his team was fortunate and not nearly as good as their record indicated.

The 49ers took the opening kick and proceeded down the field utilizing a lot of run calls while the Chief defense seemed more worried about Terrell Owens. The drive stalled however, and Jeff Cortez kicked a 40 yard field goal. Dante Hall immediately responded with an 85 kickoff return for his third ko return for a touchdown this season. The two teams traded punts for the remainder of the quarter.

On the second play of the second quarter, Jeff Garcia flipped a little pass over the middle to Garrison Hearst (3-32, 1 td; 12-89 rushing) who took it 12 yards for a td. The two teams then fell into the patter of just crossing the mid field stripe before punting. With 3:30 remaining in the half, Eddie Kennison returned a punt to the KC 41. From there Trent Green moved the Chiefs into the red zone but a third and 4 pass to Tony Gonzalez fell incomplete. It looked like the Chiefs would have to settle for a field goal but a late flag gave the Chiefs new life on the 49er 8. On the next play, Green went play action and hit Kennison (4-57, 1 td) for the touchdown. The Niners came right back and after three plays, Garcia found Owens (8-168, 1 td) streaking down the sidelines for a 43 yard td pass. The half ended with the Niners up 17-14

The Chiefs took the second half kick and went 70 yards in 10 plays ending with a 6 yard td pass to Gonzalez. The two teams then jockeyed for position the remainder of the quarter, moving the ball for a few first downs before punting.

The fourth quarter opened with the 49ers on the Chiefs 15. They couldn't push it in however and settled for another Cortez field goal. The Niner defense held the Chiefs and forced a punt. But Garcia (25-36, 289, 2 tds, 1 int 0 sacks) then committed the only SF turnover of the game, throwing a pass to Eric Johnson only to have Jerome Woods step in from of Johnson and return the pickk to the 2 yard line. Two runs by Priest Holmes (18-42) only netted 1 yard and then, taking advantage of the Niner preoccupation of Holmes, Green again went play action and flipped the ball to Gonzalez (7-66, 2 tds) for a 28-20 lead. The Niners stalled on their next drive but with 4:44 remaining were fairly confident they would get the ball back, They didnt. Green (28-42, 269 yards, 3 tds 0 sacks, 0 ints) used up the remaining clock moving the ball down to the SF 8 before taking a knee to end the game. --submitted by Tom Davis--

Baltimore survives eight sacks, beat Titans 20-10

At PSINet stadium, the Baltimore Ravens hosted the Titans, both teams despeate for a win. Early on, the Titans defense was inspired, sacking Trent Dilfer on virtually every drop back. (before the game was over, they would record eight sacks). Two frist-half field goals gave the ravens a 6-0 lead, but then the Titans scored on a fake punt from 54 yards out to take a 7-6 lead into halftime. From there Jamal lewis took over, scoring two third-quarter touchdowns four minutes apart and chewing up the clock. The Titans managed a fourth-quarter field goal but that was as close as they could get as Baltimore controlled the ball. In the end, the ravens improved to 5-6 with a 20-10 win, and dropped the rival Titans to 4-7. --submitted by Michael Hopcroft--

GIANTS GIVEAWAY GAME TO BEARS 16-13

The New York Giants desperately needed a win today to still have an outside chance of winning the division. That chance is now gone thanks to a Giants offense that all but handed the game to the Bears. New York now drops to 4-6 on the season while the Bears improve to 8-2 and can clinch a playoff spot with a Tampa Bay loss this week.

Aggravation would be a nice way to put things for the Giants today. They outplayed the Bears in every way except where it counted on the scoreboard. The game started out pretty much as expected with both defenses controlling the line of scrimmage. Chicago QB Jim Miller (13-19-78) thought he could catch the Giants defense off guard right off the bat as he dropped back on a play action medium pass only to see Jessie Armstead step in front of Marty Brooker and give the Giants the ball at the Bears 47 yard line. New York was unable to do much with it and later was forced to punt.

The entire first quarter was full of punts but one miscue by the Giants would cost them dearly. Sitting at midfield and facing a 1st and 10 Kerry Collins (21-39-184) would try to find Tiki Barber (8-10 / 6-26 Rec) on a flare pass. The pass though was tipped at the line as the Bears brought the house. Mike Brown was in the right place at the right time and had nothing but a clear lane to the end zone for a Bears 7-0 lead.

Brad Daluiso's 53 yard field goal early in the second quarter cut that lead to 7-3. Chicago and the Giants would exchange field goals throughout the rest of the quarter and enter the locker rooms and try to find some offense.

Trailing 7-3 the Giants elected to go with the wind at their backs after opting to kickoff in the first half. The Bears had the option for the second half and in return the Giants opted to have the wind at their backs. The wind was as wicked as they come blowing 20 MPH and most of all on most passes going into the wind it was a -9 deduction. The Giants would force the Bears to punt after 6 plays and despite a solid 43 yard punt by Brad Maynard the Giants sat up shop at it's own 49. Collins then started hitting a rhythm as he found Amani Toomer for 27 yards to the Bears 24 and 4 plays later hit Joe Jurevicous from 4 yards out giving the Giants a 10-7 lead. Chicago would come right back and get some help from the Giants as the defense was called for roughing the passer moving the ball from the Giants 45 to the 28. It would bog down 4 plays later and Paul Edinger connected on a 29 yard field goal to tie the game up.

Collins again would hit the big play on the ensuing drive when he hooked up with none other than Toomer again this time for 30 yards to the Bears 30. Daluiso then came on and added a nice 40 yard field goal in the closing minutes of quarter 3 for a 13-10 Giants lead. With the way the Bears offense had been going there was little optimism on the sidelines and they knew that if they were to win it would be due to the defense creating some turnovers. In order for this to happen though the Bears needed the Giants offense to try to get make a big play out of something they shouldn't.

They would get that big break midway through the final quarter when Maynard's punt would be taken by Barber and as he went upfield trying to juke a defender he lost the ball and Walt Harris was right there to fall on it for the Bears. Already in field goal position at the Giants 19 the Bears were content to play for the field goal and not risk a interception. With 7:59 left Edinger nailed a 44 yarder to once again tie the game up. It would take the Giants only 5 plays later to make another critical mistake and one that would cost them the game. Barber took a simple screen pass from Collins and went know where but at the same time he did not protect the ball. Ted Washington jumped on it for the Bears and now again they were in Edinger's range at the Giants 33. Anthony Thomas' (30-76) 8 yard run on second down got them even closer and Edinger two plays later hit the game winning 43 yard field goal.

This game was not yet over at that time and in fact I am not sure either Marc or I thought it was. The Giants though would be their own worse enemy and after being whistled for 3 penalties that totaled 20 yards they faced a 4th and 23 from their own 30. The nail was hammered in when Rosevelt Colvin intercepted the last ditch effort by Collins.

The Giants can still find themselves in the playoffs via the Wild Card route so all is not totally lost. Chicago on the other hand would need a colossal breakdown to not win the division or a Wild Card spot. Stranger things though has happened in the game of football.
--submitted by Bill Vogt--