2018 NFL Tournament of Champions: Group Play Week 6

The NFL Tournament of Champions rolls on into its sixth week! We're just rolling along at this point as teams are starting to separate themselves from the pack. At the moment, just six unbeaten teams remain of the 52. Seven more have just one loss to date. These 13 are in pretty good shape, as the top six teams from each of the four groups in pool play will advance to the elimination round that starts in August.

But for now, teams still have to play everyone in their group and anything can happen. I'll be interested to see if anyone will survive to the elimination round unscathed.

But to get us there, we're working one week and one game at a time. Weather from the home location will be taken into account. You can see scores, schedules, and standings for each group here. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's play football!



Group A

'81 SF 20, @ '80 OAK 17 (OT)
San Francisco struck first nine and a half minutes in after pinning the Raiders deep and reaping the benefits of a three and out. Joe Montana marched the team 38 yards and capped the drive with a three yard touchdown pass to Freddie Solomon. Oakland would answer about five minutes into the second quarter when Mark Van Eeghen logged a 26 yard touchdown run to tie the game. The 49ers had two chances to retake the lead before halftime, but Ray Wersching missed a pair of field goals to keep it a 7-7 game at the break. They would make up for it late in the third quarter when Montana led a 69 yard drive capped by a 12 yard Ricky Patton touchdown run. The teams traded punts for a while after that untile arly in the fourth when Jim Plunkett went to work, logging a 50 yard pass to Cliff Branch that would set up a seven yard touchdown pass to Dave Casper and retie the game. Oakland would force a pair of three and outs sandwiching one of its own, and they grabbed the lead on a 35 yard Chris Bahr field goal set up by a 37 yard Kenny King run. The 49ers went into full on offense mode, but failed a fourth and two at their own 40. They were bailed out when Jim Plunkett was picked off on a third and nine by Ronnie Lott in San Francisco territory. With just under two minutes to play, Montana led a perfect drive that set up Ray Wersching to hit a 30 yard field goal as the clock hit zero to force overtime. Each team punted after their first drive, but San Francisco's punt pinned the Raiders deep in their own territory, and after starting from the Oakland 37 on their second drive, Paul Hofer's 13 yard run gave the Niners enough room, and Wersching hit from 44 to win the game.

'87 WAS 10, @ '77 DAL 7
The two defenses came to play in the heat in this one. Each team opened the game with drives into opposing territory but were forced to punt outside the opponents' 40. On Dallas' second drive they got moving, finding their way inside the Washington 30, but Efren Herrera missed a 45 yard field goal. Washington's ensuing drive ended when Cliff Harris picked off Jay Schroeder, but the Cowboys couldn't do anything with it. The Redskins would punt from the Dallas 37, but got away with it by winning the field position battle, getting another shot from the 37 and turning it into an Obed Ariri 50 yard field goal for the lead. Herrera would miss a 46 yard answer at the halftime gun to keep it 3-0 Washington at the break. The Cowboys finally got an outstanding drive put together to open the second half, taking half the quarter to march 67 yards, capping it all when Robert Newhouse ran it in from a yard out to give Dallas a 7-3 lead. The Redskins seemed to have an answer late in the third and early into the fourth, but George Rogers lost a fumble near midfield and the Cowboys took over, though Herrera missed from 48. This time the Redskins took advantage as Schroeder marched his offense 67 yards in just over six minutes, with Rogers redeeming himself with the go-ahead six yard touchdown run. This left Roger Staubach with about three minutes to go down and either tie or take the lead, something he put the Cowboys in position to do with an 18 yard completion on third and six to Tony Dorsett. But the offense stalled with a Dexter Manley sack on the next play, and after two incompletions, Herrera missed his fourth field goal of the day from 55 yards out. Washington would punt, but pinned the Cowboys deep and Staubach's desperation heave was broken up.

'16 NE 29, @ '95 DAL 23 (OT)

Photo by John F. Rhodes (Dallas News)

The Patriots nearly blew this one before coming up big at the end. New England opened the game with a 39 yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski thanks largely to LeGarrette Blount's legs, but the Cowboys responded in kind with a Chris Boniol 49 yard kick. Boniol would miss from 41 on the ensuing drive, and the Patriots made the Cowboys pay as Blount rumbled for 44 yards on one carry and two plays later was rewarded with a three yard touchdown run. New England followed that up with forcing a punt from their 39, and Brady completed a pair of 39 yard passes: one to Dion Lewis, and the second to Chris Hogan for a touchdown for a quick strike. The Cowboys were able to cut the Patriot lead in half inside the two minute warning as Troy Aikman capped an eight play drive with a 20 yard strike to Jay Novacek. The Cowboys would tie the game in the middle of the third with an eight play, 69 yard drive capped by an 11 yard touchdown pass from Aikman to Kevin Williams. The Pats had an answer, marching 70 yards in 14 plays with Tom Brady finding Michael Floyd for an 11 yard touchdown, but Gostkowski would miss the extra point, a play that loomed large.The Cowboys quickly answered with a 44 yard Boniol field goal, and after the Patriots punted on fourth and six from the Dallas 44, Aikman went back to work, converting a pair of third and medium to long plays and getting a 25 yard completion to Michael Irvin while surviving a David Lang fumble, but had to settle for a Boniol field goal that tied the game with 41 seconds left. Brady was unable to complete a 50 yard Hail Mary to end regulation, and instead settled for getting the ball to start overtime and marching his offense 82 yards in 11 plays, ending the game with a 10 yard touchdown pass to Malcolm Mitchell.

'99 STL 37, @ '72 MIA 16
The unbeaten defending champs continue to romp through the tournament, with the Greatest Show on Turf running roughshod over the Dolphins early, going 68 yards in just over four minutes capped by a four yard Marshall Faulk rushing touchdown. The Dolphins went three and out and the Rams went right back to it, going 70 yards in just under five minutes capped by a six yard Justin Watson touchdown run for a 14-0 lead. The Dolphins finally woke up from there, answering with a 10 play, 62 yard drive of their own capped by an eight yard touchdown pass from Earl Morrall to Marv Fleming. Miami's defense finally got some stops and they were able to pull a little closer with 3:32 to go in the half when Garo Yepremian hit a 35 yard field goal, but the Rams answered with a 30 ayrder from Jeff Wilkins, and after a Dexter McCleon interception of Bob Griese, Wilkins hit from 37 for a 20-10 halftime lead. Wilkins added another about five minutes into the third quarter, though Yepremian would respond with a second of his own late in the frame. The Rams all but put it away though right before the end of the frame when Faulk scored from 38 yards out. Yepremian would get a field goal with 8:20 to play to pull within two touchdowns, but the Rams had dagger when Kurt Warner hit Issac Bruce from 42 yards out on the ensuing drive to put it away.

'13 SEA 10, @ '84 SF 7
The Seahawks held the early field position advantage and rode it an early lead when Christine Michael ran for a 29 yard touchdown midway through the first quarter. San Francisco responded by driving into the red zone, but Roger Craig fumbled at the 16 and Seattle recovered. The Seahawks would march into 49er territory, but Steven Hauschka missed a 49 yard field goal. The 49ers, however, were unable to take advantage and Seattle took that 7-0 lead into the break. Hauschka would hit from 36 yards late in the third to make it 10-0 as the Niners couldn't muster much of anything on offense. They finally broke through midway through the fourth when they were beneficiaries of a short field and Montana was able to find Craig from seven yards out to pull back within three. But after forcing a punt the Niners went three and out, and after Seattle ran the clock under two minutes, San Francisco turned it over on downs. Michael was able to pick up the dagger first down for Seattle to walk away with a road win.

@ '02 TB 16, '69 KC 0
Len Dawson led a strong opening drive for the Chiefs, but Derrick Brooks picked him off in the red zone. The Buccaneers responded by by converting a third and 23 with a 59 yard pass from Brad Johnson to Keyshawn Johnson. It was all for naught though when Martin Gramatica missed a 50 yard field goal. It wasn't until early in the second when the Bucs got another chance off a Warren Sapp interception at the Kansas City 20. It was close enough that not picking up a first down didn't matter as Gramatica hit from 32 yards out for the 3-0 lead. Kansas City couldn't muster anything and made matters worse by having a punt blocked with about two and a half minutes to go. Gramatica would hit from 25 yards out for a 6-0 lead that would hold up into the half. Tampa pushed it open with a good return of a short kick, and 12 plays and 55 yards later Mike Alstott had a two yard touchdown run that made it 13-0. The Chiefs' best chance came early in the fourth when they pinned the Bucs deep and returned a punt to the Tampa 31, but Jan Stenerud missed a 47 yard field goal. The Chiefs would get another chance after forcing a three and out, getting the ball down to the nine when Warren McVea fumbled and the Buccaneers recovered. Gramatica would add another field goal at the final gun for the margin.

Group B

@ '11 NYG 16, '70 BAL 7
The Colts jumped out to an early lead in this one, marching 68 yards in 13 plays and converting three third downs before Tom Nowatzke ran one in from 10 yards out to open the scoring. Eli Manning and company went to work from there, going 65 yards in seven plays, but stalling in the red zone and seeing Lawrence Tynes have to settle for a 31 yard field goal. The Colts had a chance to get those points back late in the first half, but Johnny Unitas was picked off with under a minute to go close to the red zone and it stayed 7-3 going into the break. The Giants would pull within one late in the third quarter when Tynes hit a 35 yard field goal. Manning would throw a pick early in the fourth, but the Colts were unable to take advantage, and finally with under a minute and half to play, the Giants finally grabbed a lead when Tynes hit a 22 ayrd field goal. The Colts got a yard on a run to open the ensuing drive, but Unitas threw three straight incompletions, and two plays later Ahmad Bradshaw delivered the dagger with a 22 yard touchdown run.

'74 PIT 39, @ '93 DAL 21
The Cowboys' three game win streak gets snapped in convincing fashion, though it didn't seem like it early on. Dallas had early control, forcing a pair of three and outs even though their offense didn't get going until 11 minutes into the game when Emmitt Smith broke free for a 63 yard touchdown run. The Steelers' offense got some momentum on the ensuing drive, but still had to punt, and the Cowboys got another big play touchdown when Troy Aikman hit Derrick Lassic for a 49 yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead. At this point the Steelers finally started to figure out the Cowboy defense and got in position for a Roy Gerala 46 yard field goal to get on the board. On the very next play from scrimmage, Aikman was picked off by Jim Thomas, who ran it back 38 yards for a touchdown. The Cowboys would get those points back with a fairly short field as Smith scored again, this time from seven yards out, for a 21-10 lead with 4:28 to go in the first half. The Steelers answered with a 10 play, 77 yard drive capped by a nine yard touchdown pass from Terry Bradshaw to Ron Shanklin. Thomas would record another interception of Aikman, and right before the half Gerala hit another field goal to pull his team within one. Gerala added another from 44 yards out to open the third quarter thanks in part to a 26 yard pass form Bradshaw to John Stallworth, and the Steelers opened it up when Rocky Bleier scored from 20 yards out late in the quarter. Aikman would throw two more interceptions in the fourth quarter, both of which resulted in Gerala field goals, and the Steelers would add one more for good measure at the final gun.

@ '86 NYG 24, '17 PHI 7
The Eagles had possibly their best chance at a win to date, but fell apart in the final quarter. Philly forced a three and out to open the game, then after LeGarrette Blount ran for 42 yards, Jay Ajayi cashed in from a yard out. The Giant offense couldn't match it, punting twice in Philadelphia territory in the first quarter, including one from the Eagle 38 on a fourth and four. The Eagles even logged an interception of Phil Simms early in the second quarter, but couldn't capitalize, and the Giants made them pay with a 97 yard touchdown drive that included a 26 yard pass from Simms to Phil McConkey and a 33 yard Maurice Carthon run that set up a 16 yard touchdown pass to Bobby Lee Johnson. The game stayed tied until the fourth quarter with neither team managing anything until early int he fourth, which the Giants capped a long drive that began late in the third with a 30 yard touchdown pass from Simms to Zeke Mowatt. Three plays later, Nick Foles was picked off by Kenny Hill, and two plays later Joe Morris added a dagger with a seven yard touchdown run. Jake Elliott would miss a field goal on the ensuing drive, and Raul Allegre put the final nail in the coffin for the Giants with a 32 yard field goal.

'97 DEN 58, @ '09 NO 52 (OT)

Photo by Don Emmert (Getty Images)

The Saints blew a 24 point fourth quarter lead in this one, making this game the biggest collapse of the tournament. The game started with a bang as Pierre Thomas opened the scoing with a 41 yard touchdown run just three minutes into the game, but the Broncos had a quick response as John Elway found Shannon Sharpe for a 73 yard touchdown pass just 57 seconds later. Thomas had a 56 yard run on the ensuing New Orleans drive, but it was Drew Brees finding Jeremy Shockey from six yards out that got the Saints the lead back, though it was short lived as Elway led a 10 play, 86 yard drive capped by a two yard Terrell Davis touchdown run. The Saints got the lead back on the first play of the second quarter when Marques Colston took a reverse 32 yards for a touchdown and a 21-14 lead. Scott Bentley missed a 49 yard field goal on the ensuing drive and the defenses settled in from there, though Brees led a two minute drive for a 46 yard John Carney field goal with six seconds before halftime. The Saints pushed their lead early in the third after forcing a punt and a 62 yard Thomas run set up a two yard Heath Evans touchdown run. Denver answered with a 54 yard pass from Elway to Sharpe that set up a one yard Derek Loville touchdown run, but the Saints again answered, going 66 yards with a 31 yard pass to Robert Meachem setting up a four yard touchdown pass from Brees to Thomas. After forcing another punt, the Saints closed the third quarter when Reggie Bush got in on the fun with a 60 yard touchdown run. With 15 minutes to go, the Saints led 45-21. The teams traded three and outs, then the Broncos began their comeback after winning the field position battle. Davis ran one in from 36 yards out, and Vaughn Hebron added a two point conversion to make it a 45-29 game. The Saints aided the Broncos when Brees threw a pick to Tyrone Braxton, and four plays later Davis scored from two yards out, adding a two point conversion on the ground to suddenly make it an eight point game with half the quarter to play. Thomas went back to destroying the Broncos' run defense with a 59 yard run that set up a seven yard touchdown pass from Brees to Evans that pushed the lead back to 15. The Broncos went back to work with Elway completing back to back 22 yard passes, the latter of which resulted in an Ed McCaffrey touchdown and the lead dropping back to eight with 4:20 to play. The Saints were able to take two and a half minutes off the clock before punting it away, meaning the Broncos needed to go 79 yards in 99 seconds with no timeouts. It took Elway and company just 76 as he found Vaughn Hebron for a 31 yard touchdown, and then Elway hit Davis for the two point conversion to tie the game with 23 ticks left. Overtime saw the Saints waste more chances, as Evans fumbled on third and goal from the one on the opening drive. Denver had to punt and the Saints got back into scoring range, but John Carney missed from 58 yards, and six plays later Terrell Davis completed the comeback by running in from 23 yards out, wasting a 350 yard performance by Pierre Thomas.

'96 GB 6, @ '08 PIT 0
This was a defensive slugfest, with neither offense mustering much of anything. Green Bay's defensive line sacked Ben Roethlisberger a couple times in the first quarter, but the Packers couldn't take advantage on their drives. It wasn't until early in the second that the Steelers became the first team to cross midfield, but punted from the 50, though the Packers were pinned. Their defense came up big on the next drive though, logging a turnover on downs when the Steelers failed on fourth and four from the Green Bay 34. The Packers crossed midfield on the ensuing drive, but ended up punting from the 44 and the game would go into the break tied. After punting from deep in their own territory early in the third, the Packers finally got their break when they recovered a Hines Ward fumble, and nine plays later Chris Jacke hit a 35 yard field goal to finally get on the board. The Steelers responded with back to back three and outs, and Jacke would hit from 47 with about 10 minutes to go thanks in part to a 14 yard pass from Brett Favre to William Henderson. The Steelers threatened on the ensuing drive, getting all the way down to the seven, but Mewelde Moore was stopped behind the line on fourth and five. The Packers almost cost themselves the game on the ensuing drive when Antonio Freeman fumbled after a nice catch and run, but a holding pushed the Steelers back and they'd turn it over on downs. An Edgar Bennett 47 yard run on the ensuing third and four iced the game, allowing Favre to kneel it out.

@ '92 DAL 27, '71 DAL 14
A host Cowboys team got one, at least. The visiting Cowboys took advantage of a Jay Novacek fumble on the second play of the game as six plays after the fumble Roger Staubach found Bob Hayes for a 19 yard touchdown. The '71 Cowboys had a chance to tack on late in the first, but Mike Clark missed a 49 yard field goal, though the hosts would not get on the board until midway through the second quarter when Emmitt Smith capped a 10 play, 53 yard drive with a two yard scoring plunge. Issiac Holt would pick off Staubach on the ensuing drive, and Lin Elliott gave the '92 team a 10-7 lead with a 49 yard field goal. They'd extend it with a perfect two minute drive that took less than one capped by an 11 yard touchdown pass from Troy Aikman to Michael Irvin. Not much happened for most of the third, other than '71 Dallas being unable to take advantage of a Daryl Johnston fumble, and the '92 Cowboys eventually made them play as Aikman found Irvin again, this time for a 31 yard touchdown and a 24-7 lead. Things went a little wrong for the hosts in the fourth as Aikman threw a pick and Elliott had a 27 yard field goal attempt blocked, but he'd make one from 19 after a turnover on downs. The '71 Cowboys would get a garbage time touchdown from Duane Thomas with about a minute to play.

Group C

@ '82 WAS 27, '07 NYG 3
Washington didn't start this one off particularly well, as Joe Washington fumbled on the Redskins' first play from scrimmage, but two plays later Eli Manning threw an interception to Mark Murphy, so no harm was done. The Redskins would get on the board later in the frame after a 35 yard pass from Joe Theismann to Art Monk helped set up a five yard touchdown run for Joe Riggins. Washington would add onto it when Theismann took it himself for a six yard touchdown late in the second quarter. The Giants went three and out, and despite Gibril Wilson picking off Theismann, they would turn it right back over on a Reuben Droughns fumble, and Mark Moseley hit a 37 yard field at the halftime gun for a 17-0 Redskin lead at the break. The Giants would get on the board late in the third on a Lawrence Tynes 46 yard field goal, but the Redskins put the game away late when Theismann hit Don Warren for an 85 yard touchdown. Moseley would add another field goal before the final gun as well.

'90 NYG 6, @ '00 BAL 3
The Giants got off to a pretty good start, marching 74 yards in 14 plays, and despite stalling at the Baltimore four, were able to get a field goal to go up 3-0. It was chaos after that as Trent Dilfer was picked off on Baltimore's first play from scrimmage, though two plays later Rodney Hampton lost a fumble, and as if it wasn't crazy enough, the Ravens went three and out and saw their punt blocked. Allegre was able to hit a 41 yard field goal to make it 6-0 on the ensuing drive. Things were still a little chaotic after that, with the Giants losing a fumble early in the second quarter, but neither offense got into scoring position and New York was able to carry their 6-0 lead into halftime. Lawrence Taylor picked Dilfer off early in the third quarter, but the Giants couldn't capitalize, and eventually a Jamal Lewis 33 yard run helped set up a Matt Stover 37 yard field goal to make it a three point game. Baltimore forced a punt and was able to march into the red zone, but Stover's 21 yard field goal attempt was blocked. They would not get another chance, with Dilfer getting picked off again late in the game and their last desperation drive ending up on their own nine and not getting anything.

@ '76 OAK 37, '14 NE 10
The defenses ruled the first quarter of this one, as Tom Brady was picked off once, but the Raiders couldn't move the ball against the Patriot defense. Brady finally found Julian Edelman for a 55 yard gain late in the first quarter, but had to settle for a 34 yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal. Oakland took over from there as Ken Stabler marched the Raiders 79 yards in seven plays, with Mark Van Eeghen running for 42 yards on one carry to help set up a five yard touchdown pass to Dave Casper. The Raiders forced a three and out and scored again on their next drive, going 72 yards in 10 plays capped by a 16 yard strike from Stabler to Fred Biletnikoff, and took that 14-3 lead into halftime. The Patriots got back into it midway through the third with a 12 play, 79 yard drive capped by a four yard Jonas Gray touchdown run. But the Raiders had a quick answer as Stabler found Casper for 45 yards to help set up a 13 yard Van Eeghen touchdown run that reopened the lead. After forcing a punt the Raiders broke it wide open when Stabler and Casper connected for 69 yards and on the next play Clarence Davis took it the remaining nine yards for another touchdown. Davis would score one more touchdown late in the fourth and Fred Steinfort added a field goal for good measure.

'79 PIT 28, @ '10 GB 24
Green Bay got off to a good early start in this one as Aaron Rodgers led a field goal drive, but the Steelers had a prompt answer, marching 93 yards in 11 plays with Franco Harris scoring from 20 yards out for a 7-3 edge. The Packers wasted no time coming back as Rodgers found James Jones for a 70 yard touchdown and a 10-7 lead late in the first. The Steelers were able to retake the lead late in the second quarter, converting a third and 19 to set up a 13 yard touchdown pass from Terry Bradshaw to Lynn Swann for a 14-10 halftime lead. The Steelers extended it immediately in the third when Harris rumbled 56 yards down the sideline, and three plays later scored from 14 yards out. But the Packers mounted a comeback in the third, stripping Sidney Thornton on a reverse and on the next play Brandon Jackson ran 45 yards for a touchdown. Late in the quarter Tramon Williams picked off Bradshaw and took it back 54 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. Green Bay's defense staved off a drive bridging the third and fourth quarters, but couldn't add to their lead, and after giving the Steelers a short field by losing the field position game, Harris added a 30 yard touchdown run to his tally with 2:07 to play that gave the Steelers the lead back. Rodgers went to work, marching the Packers downfield, but his last play desperation toss from the Pittsburgh 21 was broken up and the Steelers escaped with a road win.

@ '85 CHI 10, '75 PIT 3

Photo by Al Messerschmidt (AP)

The Bears roared to a quick start in this one as Jim McMahon found Walter Payton for a 58 yard screen, setting up a seven yard Matt Suhey touchdown run. Pittsburgh opened its first drive with back to back encroachment penalties on the Bears but ended up pushed backwards and had to punt. The Steel Curtain did an outstanding job keeping Pittsburgh in it, making a pair of goal line stands on defense, and after the latter began a long, drawn out drive that stalled near midfield. The Bears took advantage, getting back to the red zone and Kevin Butler hit a 34 yard field goal to make it 10-0. Terry Bradshaw would be picked off in Chicago territory before the half and the ten point lead held up into halftime. Pittsburgh's defense played well into the third as well, making another fourth down stop late in the frame to help make up for drives that stalled in the face of the Monsters of the Midway, and off that stop Roy Gerala hit a 46 yard field goal to get the Steelers back within one score early in the fourth. The Steelers had a chance to tie the game late, with a 29 yard pass from Bradshaw to John Stallworth setting them up in good shape, but once they reached the Chicago 18, they failed to gain any yards, and the Bears were able to run the clock out.

'88 SF 16, @ '66 GB 3
Mike Cofer got the 49ers on the board early with a 46 yard field after being set up by a couple completions from Joe Montana to Mike Wilson. It wasn't until late in the first that the Packers got into the game as Bart Starr hit Marv Fleming for a 29 yard pickup to set up a golden opportunity, but the Packers couldn't convert a third and two from the four and Don Chandler had to hit a 21 yard field goal to tie the game. Cofer would miss from 48 late in the half and the game went into the break tied at 3. San Francisco would punt from the Green Bay 36 in the third quarter, but the Packers couldn't take advantage, and the Niners finally broke through from near midfield, taking advantage of a pair of Packer penalties and recovering their own fumble to set up a three yard touchdown pass from Joe Montana to Jerry Rice. Green Bay turned it over on downs after failing a fourth and eight from the San Francisco 34, and the Niners turned it into a field goal, then added another inside the two minute warning to put it away.

Group D

@ '83 LAR 31, '01 NE 14
The Raiders jumped out to a quick start, with Jim Plunkett finding Dokie Williams for a 41 yard completion to help set up a nine yard touchdown pass to Marcus Allen just four and a half minutes in. Adam Vinatieri got three of those points back for New England with a 36 yard field goal set up by a 45 yard pass from Tom Brady to Troy Brown, but the Raiders had a quick answer, as a 39 yard completion to Cliff Branch set up a 23 yard Allen touchdown run. Allen all but put the game away early in the second with his third touchdown and second on the ground to make it 21-3. After Vinatieri missed a 45 yard field goal midway through the frame, the Raiders added on by taking advantage of the current fumble rules not being in place: Plunkett found Frank Hawkins at the one, but Hawkins fumbled and a Raider recovered it in the end zone and it was ruled a touchdown for a 28-3 lead. Chris Bahr would miss a field goal to end the half. New England got points from their defense after failing on fourth and goal at the two, but Ty Law sacked Plunkett in the end zone for a safety. Vinatieri would tack on a field goal early in the fourth, which Bahr would answer midway through. Brady got a garbage time touchdown on a 42 yard pass to Terry Glenn.

@ '78 PIT 13, '05 PIT 3
The newer Steelers got off to the good early start, forcing a three and out by their predecessors and getting a Jeff Reed 30 yard field goal to open the scoring thanks in part to a 48 yard Willie Parker run. But that was about all they could muster, though they got lucky with Roy Gerala missing a 32 yard field goal early in the second quarter. But they couldn't capitalize, and the hosts finally got on the board inside of two minutes when Gerala hit from 31 with 45 seconds to go. The '78 Steelers did miss a golden opportunity when getting the ball just inside '05 Steeler territoy with 18 seconds to go, and after a 33 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw to Lynn Swann, Franco Harris lost a fumble at the 15 and the game remained tied going into intermission. The '05 Steelers had a decent drive midway through the third quarter, getting inside the '78 Steeler 40, but Jack Ham picked up a key sack to force a punt, and finally the hosts grabbed the lead midway through the fourth with an 11 play, 76 yard drive that saw them convert three third downs before Rocky Bleier broke the ice with a 31 yard rushing touchdown. The '05 Steelers' comeback attempt amounted to a trio of three and outs, and the '78 Steelers would add a field goal at the buzzer after three Bradshaw kneeldowns.

'15 DEN 16, @ '98 DEN 12
Peyton Manning led the latter Broncos on an early touchdown drive that proved to be the difference, with C.J. Anderson's 37 yard run setting up a seven yard touchdown pass from Manning to Demariyus Thomas less than four minutes in. John Elway answered with a 12 play drive, but the '98 Broncos stalled out at the goal line and had to settle for a 20 yard Jason Elam field goal. Manning would be picked off by Ray Crockett on the very next play, though the hosts couldn't take advantage, and Brandon McManus gave the '15 team a seven point lead with a 49 yard field goal. The hosts boucned back with a 43 yarder by Elam, though McManus answered again from 47. Late in the half the '98 Broncos pulled back within four on a 30 yarder by Elam. The defenses made adjustments for the third as the '15 Broncos stalled and punted from the hosts' 42, while the '98 team couldn't get past midfield until a late third quarter punt return. Bubby Brister took over and led the Broncos into field goal range, where Elam hit from 38 yards to pull within one. But midway through the fourth, Aqib Talib picked off Elway deep in '98 Denver territory, and McManus hit a 39 yard field goal to push the lead back to four. Elway responded by moving his team into the red zone, but Terrell Davis only picked up three yards on fourth and six with 2:54 to play. The hosts were able to stop the '15 team and get the ball back with 1:39 to go, but Elway and company stalled out at the 35, turned it over on downs, and the '15 Broncos were able to kneel it out.

@ '94 SF 17, '04 NE 14
In the swirling winds, neither offense mustered much until late in the first quarter when the Patriots got into field goal range, but Adam Vinatieri missed from 48, and the 49ers responded with a five play, 62 yard drive capped by a five yard strike from Steve Young to Jerry Rice set up by a 42 yard Ricky Watters run. Tom Brady threw a pick on the first play of the second quarter, but the Niners wouldn't take advantage, and inside the two minute warning Brady made up for it after his defense pinned the Niners deep with an eight yard touchdown pass to David Givens. In the third, Vinatieri would miss from 44 yards out late in the frame, and San Francisco answered with a 43 yard Doug Brien field goal for a 10-7 lead. Brady tossed another pick early in the fourth, but his defense answered the call again, and he redeemed himself by leading a seven play, 75 yard drive capped by a 23 yard touchdown pass to David Patten. But that left over nine minutes of clock to go, and Steve Young picked up 33 yards on a pass to Rice on a third and 19, then converted a fourth and 10 later on the drive to eventually set up an 11 yard strike to Nate Singleton that gave the 49ers a 17-14 lead with 2:08 to play. Brady got the Pats into striking distance, but after failing to convert a third and nine from the 33, Vinatieri missed from 50 and the Niners escaped with the win.

@ '73 MIA 16, '91 WAS 0
The Redskins were able to get to about midfield a couple times in the first quarter, but couldn't get beyond that, though their defense was able to contain the Dolphins attack as well. It was Miami who finally broke the stalemate late in the first half when they were able to get some movement on an 18 yard pass from Bob Griese to Paul Warfield that helped set up a 35 yard Garo Yepremian field goal. Yepremian would miss from 31 at the halftime gun to keep it a 3-0 halftime lead. Midway through the third quarter the Redskins punted on fourth and five from the Miami 41, and managed to pin the Dolphins back at the 11, but a personal foul penalty helped get the Dolphins going, and after a Larry Csonka 45 yard run, Griese found Marlin Briscoe for an 11 yard touchdown and a 10-0 lead. Yepremian would miss another field goal early in the fourth, but the Redskins went three and out and Yepremian would make up for it with a 29 yarder to make it 13-0, then added a 35 yarder after a turnover on downs to stay unbeaten.

'89 SF 20, @ '68 NYJ 17

Photo by Rick Stewart (Getty Images)

The Jets are knocked from the ranks of the undefeated, but only narrowly and after a late comeback. New York got the early edge in this one, with a 29 yard pass from Joe Namath to Don Maynard and a 15 yard facemask penalty helping set up a 38 yard Jim Turner field goal. The Jets added to it early in the second quarter when Matt Snell ran it in from five yards out for a 10-0 edge. Joe Montana went to work from there to get his team back in the game, leading a 12 play, 78 yard drive capped by a two yard touchdown pass to Jerry Rice. Namath and company had a quick answer with a perfect two minute drive, going 70 yards in two and a half minutes capped by a 14 yard Emerson Boozer touchdown run for a 17-7 halftime lead for the Jets. The 49ers started the second half with the ball though and cut the lead quickly as Roger Craig had two carries for 72 yards on the drive, including a 32 yard touchdown. Turner would miss field goals from 34 and 40 yards in the third quarter, but the Jet defense did enough to keep the Niners off the board, at least until midway through the fourth when Montana led a 12 play, 60 yard drive capped by a 37 yard Mike Cofer field goal that tied the game. The Jets began at midfield on the ensuing drive after a big kick return, but went three and out and had their punt blocked. Starting at the Jet 47, Montana went back to work, converting three third downs including a third and 13, with Cofer hitting a go-ahead 33 yard field goal with 1:25 to play. Namath and company were able to get about as far as midfield, but turned it over on downs and Montana was able to kneel the clock out.