2018 NFL Tournament of Champions: Quarterfinals

The third week of the NFL preseason is all but upon us, which means it's time to continue with the NFL Tournament of Champions!

I began this project back in May with the 52 Super Bowl champions. 13 weeks of round robin action narrowed that field down to 24, and now we're down to the last eight. Of our teams still standing, six of them received first round byes, meaning they finished in the top two of their respective groups. That leaves three matchups full of chalk, while our fourth was upset-heavy, leaving a #3 seed hosting in this round while a #5 seed pulled off back to back road victories. That means one of those two teams will go onto the semifinals. Meanwhile, the top two teams are still standing: our defending champion 1999 St. Louis Rams and top overall seed 1996 Green Bay Packers.

Those two teams would not face off until the finale Labor Day weekend, which is still a little way's away. We have four matchups to get through from this weekend that come first. Weather conditions from the host sites (higher seeds based on group finish host) are taken into account. You can view the scores and standings from group play here, and I will post the updated bracket below the recaps in this post. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's determine the final four!

Saturday

@ (3) '16 NE 23, (5) '93 DAL 9

Photo by Adam Glanzman (Getty Images)

On a rainy Foxboro day, the Patriots advance to the Final Four thanks to an early takeaway. The Pats went three and out to open the game, but after an 11 yard Emmitt Smith run to jump start the Cowboys, Devin McCourty picked off Troy Aikman, and 11 plays later Dion Lewis punched it in from a yard out to put New England on top. Dallas had an answer, getting 22 yards on an Aikman to Alvin Harper connection followed by a 19 yard Smith run, but they had to settle for a 37 yard Eddie Murray field goal. But the Patriots got those points back on their next drive, capping an 11 play journey with a 39 yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal. The Pats would fumble in the red zone later in the half, but the Cowboys couldn't capitalize, and right before halftime tacked on a 36 yard field goal for a 13-3 lead. Dallas made some adjustments at halftime and made it a one possession game again when Murray hit a 20 yard field goal, somewhat spoiling a first and goal from the eight. But Tom Brady and the Patriots went back to work, taking almost eight minutes off the clock and making it a two score game when Brady found Michael Floyd for a 15 yard touchdown. A LeGarrette Blount fumble would lead to another Murray field goal, this one from 39 yards out, but Gostkowski got those points right back with a 47 yarder, and the Cowboys turned it over on downs with just over a minute left to end the contest. Brady was ruthlessly efficient, completing 17 of 21 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown, Blount had 70 yards rushing on 20 carries, and Devin McCourty had a game-high nine tackles to go with his interception. Troy Aikman led the Cowboys with 102 yards on nine of 17 passing with the aforementioned pick, while Emmitt Smith was held to 67 yards rushing on 14 carries.

(2) '00 BAL 13, @ (1) '89 SF 3

Photo from the Baltimore Ravens (photographer uncredited)

The Ravens pull the upset in a defensive struggle amongst the swirling winds at Candlestick. But it was the 49ers who actually had control early, with Joe Montana completing a pair of 28 yard passes to open the game, setting up a 36 yard Mike Cofer field goal. It seemed like the Niners would add on when Darryl Pollard picked off Tony Banks on the Ravens' opening drive, but Cofer missed a 47 yard field goal, and the Ravens took advantage by flipping the field and tying the game on a 37 yard Matt Stover kick. The Niners burned a couple chances in the second quarter, getting first and ten from the 21 before penalties pushed them out of scoring range, and after a great punt return set up their next drive, Cofer missed a 50 yard field goal to keep it a tie game going into halftime. The third quarter kept up this theme; while the Ravens' offense couldn't muster much of anything, the Niners missed some chances, with Tom Rathman losing a fumble midway through the frame, then late in teh quarter the Ravens blocked a San Francisco punt, recovering it near midfield, and they made it count, setting up a 50 yard Stover field goal for their first lead. Once again the Niners' offense got things going as they embarked on a 15 play drive for 52 yards, even recovering their own fumble, but with just over five minutes to go Cofer missed a potential tying kick from 46 yards. Two plays later on second and 20, Jamal Lewis flipped the field with a 54 yard run, and four plays later Brendan Ayanbadejo delivered the dagger with a two yard touchdown run. Lewis finished with 87 yards on 19 carries, a majority of which came on that decisive 54 yard run, while Tony Banks struggled to the tune of eight completions on 17 throws for 102 yards with an interception for Baltimore. Joe Montana had a decent day for San Francisco, completing 17 of 25 passes for 230 yards, including four for 95 to Tom Rathman.

Sunday

@ (1) '99 STL 27, (2) '92 DAL 6

Photo from AP (photographer uncredited)

The Cowboys got off to a good start in this one, forcing a punt after a fairly long drive by the Rams to open the game before marching 80 yards in 11 plays and benefitting from an encroachment penalty on a fourth and two while lining up for a field goal, extending the drive and allowing Troy Aikman to hit Michael Irvin for a 21 yard touchdown, though Lin Elliott missed the extra point. A 45 yard Marshall Faulk run was rendered meaningless on the ensuing drive by a holding penalty and a sack to end the opening quarter, but the Rams got right back to it on their next drive by marching 86 yards and converting a trio of third downs, finally capping it all on a four yard Robert Holcombe touchdown run, and with the extra point the Rams took a 7-6 lead. That lead held into the break as the Cowboys opted to punt on fourth and 17 from the St. Louis 38 with 24 seconds left rather than either kick or go for it. Dallas had a chance to take the lead opening the third quarter after a 31 yard Aikman to Irvin completion, but Elliott missed a 47 yard field goal, and five plays later Jeff Wilkins completed the six point swing with a 45 yarder of his own. Then the snowball effect began, as Aikman threw a pick on the ensuing drive and the Rams made them pay as Kurt Warner hit James Hodgins for a 10 yard touchdown and a 17-6 lead. In the fourth, Aikman was picked off and turned it over on downs later in the frame, and just two plays later Faulk sealed the deal with a 22 yard touchdown run. Wilkins would add an unnecessary field goal at the final gun. Faulk finished with just 15 carries but ran for 116 yards and a touchdown, adding a catch for 14 yards. Isaac Bruce had five grabs for 70 yards to support a 13-20, 177 yard and a touchdown day for Kurt Warner for St. Louis. Aikman struggled for the Cowboys to the tune of 212 yards on 16-31 passing with a touchdown and two picks. Michael Irvin had five grabs for 105 yards and a touchdown, and Emmitt Smith was held to 62 yards rushing on 20 carries plus four grabs for 25 yards.

@ (1) '96 GB 17, (2) '68 NYJ 12

Photo by Morry Gash (AP)

The top overall seed got a big early lead and held on late to advance to the semis. Joe Namath had an awful first quarter, throwing interceptions on his first two drives to sandwich a Chris Jacke field goal attempt that bounced off the upright. But after the second pick, the Packers needed just four plays to find pay dirt, with Brett Favre hitting Antonio Freeman for a 26 yard touchdown and the early 7-0 lead. Namath didn't throw a pick on the next drive, instead going three and out, and Favre and company went back to work, needing just seven plays to go 56 yards with Favre finding Keith Jackson for a seven yard touchdown and a 14-0 edge. The Jets finally started to get their offense going in the second quarter after their defense pinned the Packers back deep, with Jim Turner hitting a 26 yard field goal to get on the board. Jacke's bad luck continued on the ensuing drive as Green Bay's eight play drive spanning 59 yards ended in Jacke bouncing a 38 yard attempt off the uprights again. Namath and company took advantage, marching 54 yards to set up a 35 yard Turner field goal that made it 14-6 going into the break. New York kept up the momentum in the third, forcing a three and out then going 44 yards in 12 plays to set up a 37 yard Turner field goal to cut the lead to five. But Edgar Bennett broke free for a 41 yard run on the ensuing drive to flip the field and help set up Jacke to finally hit a field goal, this one from 36 to make it an eight point game again. Matt Snell lost a fumble early in the fourth quarter in his own territory, and the Packers got into scoring range, but Jacke missed from 50 yards, and the Jets made him pay as Turner hit from 49 midway through the final frame. Favre nearly wore goat horns as he was picked off on the very next play deep in his own territory, but Turner missed a 43 yard field goal that would have made it a two point game, and after forcing a turnover on downs with 1:55 to play, Favre delivered the final blow with a 17 yard completion on third and nine to Robert Brooks and allowed him to kneel it out. Favre was good overall, completing 15 of 20 passes for 173 yards, two scores, and one pick. The ground game wasn't great for the Packers, with Edgar Bennett's 41 yard run inflating a line of 15 carries for 59 yards while Dorsey Levens managed just 44 yards on eight touches. But Joe Namath's early woes helped the Packers as he finished 12 of 26 for 142 yards and two interceptions for New York. Matt Snell ran 18 times for 55 yards, and Emerson Boozer was held to 29 yards on 13 totes.