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--