Meanwhile, the NFL Tournament of Champions rolled on over the weekend. We're in the midst of a 13 week regular season to narrow the field down and set up an all time clash to determine another Champion of Champions.
I think the way the byes got set up in Round 1, the final four from the 2014 Tournament of Champions all took the week off and thus begin their quests to get back this week. That means our defending champs in the 1999 St. Louis Rams take the field for the first time this week.
I put up a link last week to a Google sheet where I was trying to keep track of stats from all the games. It proved to be too much even with a gap between games, so I've cancelled that aspect of it. Simulating these games, however, is still a doable task, even though I'm running a little behind this week.
Weather from the sites of each of the games will be taken into account based on conditions in the home cities from yesterday. Updated standings, plus scores from each round can be found here. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's play some football!
Pool A
@ '95 DAL 16, '80 OAK 9
Oakland drove for a field goal on its opening drive, but surrendered an 11 play, 78 yard touchdown drive capped by a 16 yard pass to Michael Irvin. The Cowboys extended their lead in the second as Daryl Johnston rumbled 43 yards to help set up an Emmitt Smith four yard touchdown plunge, though the extra point was missed to make it a 13-3 game. The Raiders pulled within a touchdown inside of the two minute warning, and after an uneventful third quarter, they got within four on a 45 yard field goal. But the Raiders fell short when Jim Plunkett was picked off by Brock Marion with under two minutes to go in the game, and the Cowboys tacked on a meaningless field goal as time expired to get to the final margin.
@ '72 MIA 20, '03 NE 17
Neither offense mustered much of anything early on; the Dolphins missed a field goal in the first quarter and Tom Brady was picked off early in the second, while Earl Morrall was also picked later in the frame. But when the Patriots couldn't take advantage of that, the Dolphins finally got on the board at the end of the first half when Garo Yepremian hit a 36 yard field goal. The offenses made second half adjustments though, as a 50 yard pass from Brady to Bethel Johnson set up a 19 yard touchdown strike to David Givens, though the Dolphins promptly answered with a 53 yard touchdown run by Paul Warfield. Brady was picked on the very next play, and the Dolphins turned it into a field goal and a 13-7 lead. The Patriots answered with a field goal after Don Davis picked off Bob Griese, then forced a three and out, from where Brady found Kevin Faulk for a 72 yard touchdown catch and run to give New England its first lead of the game. But once again the Dolphins answered, driving 78 yards in six plays, all of them for double digit yards, capped by an 11 yard scamper up the middle by Larry Csonka. The Patriots would miss a potential tying field goal on their next drive, and after getting the ball back with just under a mnute to play, Brady was picked off by Jake Scott to save the victory for Miami.
@ '84 SF 24, '81 SF 16
In a game played on Saturday night to accommodate the four games in San Francisco this weekend, neither offense was able to muster anything in the first before the floodgates opened in the second. The '81 Niners had an interception and a missed field goal, but got on the board when Ray Wersching hit from 38 yards out midway through the second. After a three and out they went right back to work, picking up 56 yards in five plays and getting an eight yard connection between Joe Montana and Dwight Clark for a 10-0 lead. The hosts responded with a 66 yard drive that took just 1:39, capped by a Derrick Harmon one yard plunge. After the '81 team stupidly left time on the clock, '84 Montana hit Freddie Solomon on a 54 yard Hail Mary to make it 14-10 for the home team at the break. They missed a field goal to open the third quarter, though the guests hit one from 45 to make it 14-13, but again '84 Montana bounced back, finding Roger Craig from nine yards out this time to make it 21-13 near the end of the frame. Each team notched a field goal in the fourth, with '81 Joe Montana getting sacked on a fourth down in an effort to tie the game.
@ '02 TB 17, '87 WAS 14
Tampa fumbled on its first possession, and the Redskins flipped the field, going 82 yards in ten plays capped by a George Rogers five yard touchdown run to give Washington the early lead. The Buccaneers tied it late in the second quarter, with Brad Johnson's 42 yard completion to Joe Jurevicius helping set up a six yard strike to Keenan McCardell to tie it. The Bucs kept up their momentum with a massive kick return to open the second half and scored three plays later on an eight yard pass to Reggie Barlow. Lionel Vital tied the game for the Redskins late in the frame on a 51 yard scamper before the defenses settled in. Tampa got a few big plays late in the fourth and got a 25 yard field goal from Martin Gramatica to go up 17-14. The Redskins were able to march downfield and into field goal range, but Obed Ariri bounced his 41 yard attempt off the upright and the Bucs escaped victorious.
'16 NE 27, @ '69 KC 20
The Patriots got off and running in this one, picking off Len Dawson on the second play of the game, and four plays later turned it into a field goal. The Chiefs were able to add one of their own on the ensuing drive after recovering their own fumble deep in New England territory, but the Patriots' offense was too efficient, moving 73 yards in just eight plays capped by a screen from Tom Brady to Julian Edelman that the latter turned into a 31 yard touchdown. The Chiefs had an answer as well, marching 62 yards in six plays and scoring to open the second from a yard out on a pass to Mike Garrett. Things settled down until midway through the quarter when Brady hit Chris Hogan for a 37 yard touchdown to give the Patriots the lead right back, then after a three and out added a field goal to make it 20-10 at the break. Kansas City pulled back within seven late in the third quarter, but New England effectively put the game away on a 58 yard touchdown pass to James White. Another Dawson pick effectively ended the contest, though the Chiefs would get a touchdown with under a minute to go to make it interesting, but the Patriots recovered the onside kick to end it.
'99 STL 24, @ '13 SEA 13
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| Photo by Chris Lee (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) |
Pool B
'11 NYG 13, @ '86 NYG 10
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| Photo by Brad Penner (Newsday) |
@ '09 NO 45, '06 IND 34
We had a barn burner that will benefit the Saints come tiebreaker time as the two quarterbacks combined for five touchdown passes. The Colts jumped out to a 10-0 lead, scoring on their opening drive on a connection between Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison, then adding a 32 yard field goal late in the frame. New Orleans got back into the game quickly, as Pierre Thomas' 51 yard run set up a seven yard touchdown catch two plays later. The Colts would respond with a field goal, but it was all Saints from there. New Orleans marched 67 yards in eight plays capped by a one yard Heath Evans run, Manning got picked off, and Reggie Bush ran one in from 28 yards out on the very next play to make it 21-13, the Colts went three and out, and Drew Brees marched the Saints 58 yards in 11 plays capped by a one yard strike to Reggie Bush to make it 28-13. They scored again immediately in the third on a 38 yard Thomas scamper. The Colts would score off a Bush fumble, though the Saints answered with a field goal. New Orleans would add a couple garbage time touchdowns in the fourth to sandwich another New Orleans score, including a 59 yard Joseph Addai run.
@ '08 PIT 9, '70 BAL 7
Neither offense did a lot in this one, though the Steelers got on the board on their first drive of the game with a 35 yard field goal. After a series of punts, Ben Roethlisberger was picked off by Jerry Logan, who ran it back 21 yards for a touchdown. That lead held for much of the game as neither offense got beyond the opponents' 35 until early in the third, with both teams passing up long field goals. The Colts showed why as Jim O'Brien missed one from 48 after a Steeler fumble. Pittsburgh would turn it over on downs near midfield, but O'Brien would miss again, this time from 49, which the Steelers turned into a 37 yarder to cut the lead to one. The Colts would recover another fumble midway through the fourth, but couldn't turn it into anything, and the Steelers marched 62 yards in just over five minutes with Jeff Reed hitting from 39 yards out to give Pittsburgh the lead. Johnny Unitas found Eddie Hinton for a 48 yard completion, but in the red zone was picked off by William Gay. After forcing a Steeler punt, the Colts got another look, but O'Brien missed from 56 as the clock neared zero, and the Steelers escaped with an ugly win.
@ '92 DAL 31, '74 PIT 21
The Steelers seemed to be in total control of this one early when Rocky Bleier ran one in from 32 yards out, the Steelers forced a three and out and Lynn Swann ran the ensuing punt back 72 yards for a touchdown. The Cowboys were able to get a field goal before the half, but that was it before the break. Then Dallas flipped a switch midway through the third. After coughing up the ball on the first play of the second half, they forced a three and out and Emmitt Smith took over, picking up 45 of Dallas' 74 yards on the ensuing drive, including a 20 yard score. Another three and out led to Smith punching one in from 49 yards out two plays later, then after an interception of Joe Gilliam, from 25 yards out for his third rushing touchdown of the quarter and a 24-14 Cowboy lead. Smith would help set up a Kelvin Martin touchdown from four yards out to blow it open. The Steelers would score on the ensuing drive as Gilliam tore through the Cowboy secondary, but that was all the Steelers could muster.
@ '71 DAL 42, '17 PHI 7
Eagles fans aren't flying high after the biggest blowout of the tournament to date and an abysmal performance by Nick Foles. Dallas got on the board midway through the first with an 81 yard strike from Roger Staubach to Mike Ditka. Foles would be picked off later in the quarter, though the Cowboys wouldn't strike again until the second, when Staubach hit Ditka again from eight yards out to make it 14-0. A three and out led to a 14 play, half the quarter trouncing that ended with a strike from Staubach to Calvin Hill to make it 21-0, then another Foles pick led to a touchdown two plays later for a 28-0 halftime lead. Nate Sudfeld took over in the second half, leading a touchdown drive on the opening possession, but the Cowboys answered immediately, then added one more score for good measure early in the fourth.
@ '96 GB 23, '97 DEN 7
The Packers avenge their Super Bowl XXXII defeat with a nice comeback win. Denver jumped out to an early lead after picking off Brett Favre's first pass attempt of the game and scored five plays later on a 16 yard strike from John Elway to Ed McCaffrey. The Packers responded with a ground and pound drive that led to a Chris Jacke 40 yard field goal. The Broncos would miss one from 47 early in the second, and the Packers responded with an Edgar Bennett 32 yard run that set up a Jacke make from 33 to cut the lead to one. Favre was picked off again before the half, but the Broncos couldn't take advantage as George Koonce picked off Elway in the red zone. Neither team did anything until late in the third when Anthony Lynn fumbled a handoff and the Packers recovered, which led to a 15 yard touchdown pass from Favre to Terry Mickens, plus a two point conversion by Travis Jervey. A penalty on the ensuing kick return pinned the Broncos deep, and Wayne Simmons sacked Elway in the end zone for a safety. Jervey would provide the dagger for the Packers late with a 10 yard touchdown run, and Simmons would add to his phenomenal day with an interception on the ensuing drive to ice it.
Pool C
@ '76 OAK 22, '82 WAS 16
The Raiders missed a 41 yard field goal on their first possession, but one-upped it on their second with a six play, 60 yard touchdown drive, as a 37 yard Ken Stabler to Cliff Branch connection eventually set up a six yard Mark Van Eeghen touchdown run. the Redskins answered with a bizarre play where John Riggins fumbled on a first and goal from the eight, but Washington recovered and scored on the play, though after an encroachment penalty they missed the extra point. The Raiders responded with a long kick return to set up another touchdown when Stabler found Clarence Davis from four yards out, though Oakland missed the extra point as well. They would add a field goal from extra point distance at the first half gun though to go up 16-6. Washington would go on a sustained drive bridging the third and fourth quarters, punching it in on the opening play of the fourth when Joe Theismann hit Charlie Brown from eight yards out. After Oakland failed on a 4th and 11 from the Washington 34, the Redskins went right back down and tied the game on a 50 yard field goal with 4:31 left. The Raiders though were able to march 77 yards in just six plays, with Van Eeghen picking up 46 yards on one carry to help set up a four yard touchdown pass to Dave Casper. Theismann would see a fourth down Hail Mary get broken up and the Raiders kneeled it out.
'12 BAL 26, @ '10 GB 10
Ray Rice annihilated the Green Bay run defense early on with a 39 yard run, which helped set up a five yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to Anquan Boldin that got the Ravens on the board early. The Packers answered with a goal to go drive where they had to settle for three, but then the Ravens went right back to work, picking up a field goal of their own to make it 10-3. They would add another from 48 yards out to make it 13-3 at the break, and just continued in the second half. Ed Reed picked off Aaron Rodgers on the third play of the second half, and three plays later Flacco found Boldin again, this time from ten yards out to make it 20-3. The Ravens would add another short field goal late in the third and another early in the fourth, sandwiching Green Bay's lone touchdown of the game when Rodgers found Brett Swain from 14 yards out.
'07 NYG 15, @ '85 CHI 13
Special teams largely decided this one. The Giants failed to convert a fourth down in the red zone, but the Bears couldn't take advantage. Two drives later, Walter Payton fumbled a handoff in his own territory, and the Giants turned it into a 38 yard Lawrence Tynes field goal. The Bears responded with a long drive into the red zone, but Dennis McKinnon fumbled inside the ten and the Giants recovered. The Bears got it right back though when Mike Richardson picked off Eli Manning and took it back for a touchdown. Chicago added to its lead on the next drive with a 40 yard field goal, though the Giants would get it back on their ensuing possession and add one more with ten seconds left to make it a 10-9 game at the break. The Bears added a 36 yard field goal to make it 13-9 midway through the third, with the Giants matching from 44 late in the frame. But the vaunted '85 Bears defense couldn't shut down New York late as they marched 53 yards in 12 plays and Tynes buried a 34 yard field goal with 25 seconds left, and Jim McMahon's desperation heave for McKinnon fell incomplete at the final gun.
'90 NYG 37, @ '66 GB 3
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| Photo by Al Messerschmidt (Getty Images) |
@ '88 SF 24, '14 NE 6
After trading three and outs to open the game, the Patriots were able to get into field goal range on a 35 yard Shane Vereen run, and Stephen Gostkowski buried a 30 yarder to get New England on the board first. Seven plays later the Niners found the end zone with a few big plays capped by a Joe Montana to Mike Wilson 11 yard touchdown. The Pats got back within one a few minutes into the second after getting good field position, but the Niners marched 80 yards in nine plays on the ensuing drive, with Roger Craig punching one in from seven yards out to make it 14-6. They'd add a field goal late in the half for an 11 point lead, then put it away in the third with an eight and a half minute drive that culminated in a two yard touchdown pass from Montana to Craig. Brady would be picked off in the fourth and the Pats would also turn it over on downs before the clock ran out.
'79 PIT 20, @ '75 PIT 13
This time warp battle goes to the visiting latter iteration, who missed a field goal on their opening drive but tacked on a chip shot on their second drive to open the scoring. '75 Franco Harris responded with a 52 yard run that helped set up a 17 yard strike from Terry Bradshaw to Lynn Swann to put the '75 Steelers up 6-3 after a missed extra point. The '79 team responded with a seven play, 68 yard drive capped by a '79 Harris 13 yard touchdown run to give those Steelers the lead back. They would also split a pair of field goals late in the half, leading 13-6 with about a minute to go, though '75 Bradshaw hit Larry Brown from 27 yards out to tie the game late in the half. '79 Lynn Swann got on the board on a nine yard pass from his Bradshaw late in the third to put his team up 20-13, then the Steel Curtain shut down its younger brothers, with Jack Lambert picking off '75 Bradshaw with under two minutes to go to all but end it. A Matt Bahr 43 yard field goal to ice it missed, but only left two seconds on the clock, and '75 Bradshaw's heave fell incomplete.
Pool D
'83 LAR 23, @ '98 DEN 14
After forcing a three and out, the Broncos needed just three plays starting from just inside Raider territory, with John Elway finding Shannon Sharpe from 23 yards out to open the scoring early. Los Angeles missed a field goal on its next possession, then after forcing a three and out reached first and goal at the five to start the second quarter. After getting pushed back by penalties, Jim Plunkett converted a third down from the 20 by finding Dokie Williams in the end zone. They repeated their success after another three and out, converting fourth and goal from the one when Frank Hawkins punched it in. The Raiders would miss another field goal late in the half and cling to a 14-7 halftime lead. It evaporated on the first drive of the second half when the Broncos started near midfield and seven plays later Elway found Ed McCaffrey from 20 yards out to tie the game. Neither offense accomplished much until early in the fourth when the Raiders had first and goal at the four and had to settle for a field goal. The Los Angeles defense finally broke through with a Matt Millen interception on the ensuing drive, and the Raiders turned it into another field goal for a 20-14 edge, then repeated the process to go up nine with under four minutes to go, and the Broncos were unable to find the red zone to mount a comeback.
@ '73 MIA 27, '67 GB 10
In the rain, Miami ran the Packers out of the stadium fairly early, with Mercury Morris scoring on a 37 yard run about four minutes into the game. The Packers answered with a 14 play, over nine minute drive, but had to settle for a short field goal when the drive stalled a the 10, though they were lucky to get that with a fumble by Ben Wilson. The two teams then settled into a game of field position until the Dolphins pinned the Packers back and got a drive starting at the Green Bay 38. Four plays lateer, Larry Csonka punched one in from five yards out to make it 14-3. They made it a full two touchdown lead with a field goal at the halftime gun. Green Bay got back into it in the third though when Bob Jeter picked off Bob Griese, and two plays later Bart Starr found Max McGee for a 66 yard touchdown catch and run that cut the lead in half. But late in the frame Starr was picked off by Dick Anderson, and early in the fourth the Dolphins added another field goal to go up 10. Starr was picked off again three plays later deep in his own territory, and Miami got the dagger from Csonka.
@ '94 SF 23, '01 NE 20 (OT)
The 49ers forced a three and out and turned it into a field goal on their opening drive to grab the early lead, but it was short lived as the Patriots responded with a field goal drive of their own. Things quieted down until late in the second quarter, when the Patriots went on a 59 yard drive capped by a nine yard touchdown from Tom Brady to Troy Brown. They left too much time for Steve Young though, who led a two minute drive that culminated in a 33 yard field goal at the buzzer to make it 10-6. Pinning New England deep in the third gave the Niners a short field, and they took advantage with an eight yard touchdown pass from Young to Jerry Rice to make it 13-10. They held that lead until early in the fourth when Brady connected with Brown for a 61 yard touchdown to regrab the lead. Unfortunately for them, Derek Loville picked up 38 yards to open the ensuing drive, and eight plays later Young found John Taylor for a go ahead touchdown. This left enough time though, as the Patriots would go down and tie the game just inside the two minute warning. Doug Brien missed a 41 yard go ahead field goal, and the Pats missed a Hail Mary that would have won it. In the extra session playing under the old true sudden death rules, the 49ers won the coin toss, Ricky Watters set the Niners up with a 31 yard run, and Brien hit from 26 yards out to win the game.
@ '68 NYJ 26, '05 PIT 9
The Jets got off to a good start in this one, hitting a 41 yard field goal on the opening possession, forcing a three and out, then adding a 29 yarder near the end of the frame to take an early 6-0 lead. The Steelers got back into it in the second, capping an eight play, 53 yard drive with a 39 yard field goal to cut the lead in half, then tying it inside the two minute warning after notching a strip sack of Ben Roethlisberger. The Jets had a chance to take the lead back but Jim Turner missed from 42 to keep it a 6-6 game at the break. They forced a three and out to open the second half though, and Joe Namath led a 12 play, 86 yar drive capped by a 29 yard touchdown pass to Don Maynard. Pittsburgh missed a field goal to cut into the lead late in the third, but notched one in the fourth to make it 13-9. Unfortunately for the Steelers though, they couldn't stop the Jets from marching 65 yards in 13 plays while taking over six minutes off the clock, and Maynard caught another touchdown from Namath, this one from 14 yards out, to ice the game. The Jets would add another field goal late for the final margin.
'15 DEN 15, @ '89 SF 9
This one was pretty much all kickers, with Brandon McManus outdueling Mike Cofer. The 49ers fumbled on the opening play of the game, and McManus hit a 24 yarder after C.J. Anderson picked up 30 yards on the ground. San Francisco would get on the board with a field goal of its own after a Peyton Manning interception near midfield midway through the frame. The Broncos answered with a long driving bridging the first two quarters, and McManus hit from 39 to regain the lead. After Cofer missed from 49, the Broncos embarked on a 10 play drive that McManus capped with a 42 yarder. A 49er fumble again gave the Broncos the ball, and again they took advantage with McManus hitting from 24 for a 12-3 halftime lead. The Niners made it a one score game midway through the third, and got a break when after Peyton Manning found Jordan Norwood for a 49 yard gain down to the one, Manning was picked off by Johnnie Jackson on the goal line. San Francisco pulled back within three after another Manning pick, this time by Ronnie Lott, and eight plays later Cofer hit from 41. But the Broncos ate time off the clock, and McManus all but put the game away with a 38 yard field goal with 1:44 remaining. Joe Montana and the 49ers had a chance on the final drive, but a long shot to John Taylor on the game's final play was overthrown and the Broncos escaped with the win.
'91 WAS 30, @ '04 NE 24 (OT)
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| Photo by Heinz Kluetmeier (Sports Illustrated) |
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