1996: Bengals Rally to Defeat Jaguars in Bruce Coslet’s Coaching Debut

The Cincinnati Bengals had a new head coach as they hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 27, 1996. Off to a 1-6 start, David Shula had been let go and replaced by Bruce Coslet (pictured above), the offensive coordinator who had once coached the New York Jets. The son of the highly-successful Don Shula had been a major disappointment, failing to turn around a team that had not posted a winning record in six years, and the Bengals had recently been prone to blowing leads in the second half. It was hoped that Coslet, known as a motivator in New York, could provide a needed spark.

The opposing Jaguars, a second-year expansion team, came into the game with a 3-5 record. While Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s club had the league’s top passing offense, Jacksonville was still a work in progress. QB Mark Brunell was mobile and a talented passer, but thus far also lacked consistency and was prone to throwing interceptions, and the running game was not providing much help.

There were 45,890 fans in attendance at Cinergy Field on a pleasant day, well under the stadium’s capacity. The Bengals had the ball first and drove from their 18 to the Jacksonville 30 as QB Jeff Blake completed passes to RB Eric Bieniemy for 13 yards and WR David Dunn for 26, but came up empty when they failed to convert a fourth-and-one play. The teams traded punts for the remainder of the opening period.

As the game headed into the second quarter, the Jaguars put together a 75-yard drive in seven plays. Mark Brunell threw to WR Andre Rison for 32 yards, RB James Stewart (pictured at left) had carries of 13 and 12 yards, and Brunell finished the series off with a 14-yard run for a touchdown. Mike Hollis added the extra point.

A short series by the Bengals again ended with a punt, but Cincinnati got the ball back three plays later when Brunell was hit by DE Jevon Langford as he was passing and LB James Francis intercepted the errant throw at the Jacksonville 31. It took the home team five plays to capitalize as Blake connected with TE Tony McGee for 18 yards and WR Carl Pickens for an 11-yard TD. Doug Pelfrey added the game-tying point after. That was it for the scoring as the teams exchanged punts for the remainder of the half, much to the displeasure of the home fans.

Following another exchange of punts to start the third quarter, the Jaguars advanced 73 yards in eight plays. Stewart broke away for a 34-yard run on first down and, keeping the ball on the ground with Stewart and RB Natrone Means, the visitors reached the Cincinnati 11, from where Brunell threw to Means for a touchdown. Hollis converted and the Jaguars were back in front by 14-7 with 2:41 remaining in the period.

The Bengals had the ball as the third quarter concluded, with Blake throwing to Bieniemy for 13 yards in a third-and-seven situation and then connecting with WR Darnay Scott for 46 yards to the Jacksonville 10. On the first play of the final period, Blake tossed a scoring pass to Pickens from there and Pelfrey’s kick made it 14-14.

The Jaguars had to punt from deep in their own territory on the next possession as Brunell was sacked twice for losses totaling 19 yards. The Bengals started their series from their 40 and went 60 yards in 11 plays. Blake completed four straight passes at one point, two of them to Pickens, and ran for 10 yards to convert a third down. The payoff came when Blake ran an option play and flipped the ball to RB Ki-Jana Carter, who scored a one-yard touchdown. Pelfrey again converted to put Cincinnati up by seven, although Blake was shaken up and had to sit out the remainder of the game.

On Jacksonville’s next play, Brunell’s tipped pass was picked off by FS Bo Orlando, giving the Bengals possession at the Jaguars’ 22. Backup QB Erik Wilhelm threw to Pickens for five yards and Carter ran four straight times, the last for a four-yard TD. Pelfrey added the extra point to make it a 28-14 game with 3:32 left to play. The Jaguars managed to drive to one more touchdown, with Brunell throwing to WR Jimmy Smith from 11 yards out, but they couldn’t recover the resulting onside kick and the Bengals were able to run out the clock and win by a final score of 28-21.  

Jacksonville led in total yards (338 to 267) and also had the edge in first downs (19 to 18) although the Bengals had the ball longer (31:36 to 28:24). The Jaguars also recorded five sacks, to four for Cincinnati, but they also turned the ball over twice, to none suffered by the Bengals.

Jeff Blake completed 19 of 30 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns while giving up no interceptions. Carl Pickens had 6 catches for 51 yards and two TDs and David Dunn gained 66 yards on his three receptions. Eric Bieniemy pulled in 6 passes for 47 yards in addition to running the ball five times for eight yards. Ki-Jana Carter (pictured below) filled in for Garrison Hearst, who sprained his ankle in the second quarter, and topped the Cincinnati runners with a modest 27 yards on 8 carries, although two were for touchdowns.

For the Jaguars, Mark Brunell was successful on 18 of 31 throws for 215 yards and two TDs, but also with two costly interceptions. He also ran the ball 7 times for 45 yards and a touchdown. James Stewart gained 80 yards on 14 rushing attempts and Natrone Means contributed 24 yards on seven rushes as well as a TD on his lone catch. WR Keenan McCardell had five pass receptions for 52 yards and Andre Rison gained a team-leading 74 yards on his three catches. On defense, DE Clyde Simmons accounted for 2.5 of the team’s sacks.

The win signaled a turnaround for the Bengals as they won their next two games on the way to a 7-2 finish. They ended up breaking even at 8-8 and placing third in the AFC Central. The Jaguars also caught fire, winning six of their last seven games to go 9-7 and secure a Wild Card playoff slot. They advanced all the way to the AFC Championship game before falling to the Patriots.

Unfortunately for Bruce Coslet, the initial success did not last. The Bengals followed up with a 7-9 record in 1997 and dropped to 3-13 in 1998 and 4-12 ’99. He was dismissed three winless games into the 2000 season, having compiled a 21-39 record in Cincinnati.

1993: Backup QB Evans Rallies Raiders in Second Half to Defeat Jets

The Los Angeles Raiders were coming off of two losses after a 2-0 start as they hosted the New York Jets on October 10, 1993. Coached by Art Shell, the Raiders had a new starting quarterback in Jeff Hostetler, formerly of the Giants, although he was bothered by a sprained ankle. The wide receiver corps was a good one with WR Tim Brown providing a steady target and unheralded rookie WR James Jett combining with Alexander Wright and Raghib “Rocket” Ismail to provide ample speed. The situation at running back was more of a concern.

The Jets were also 2-2 and had lost the previous week in a game in which they blew a two-touchdown lead against Philadelphia. Head Coach Bruce Coslet’s team also had a new quarterback in Boomer Esiason, a solid tenth-year veteran obtained from the Bengals, and RB Johnny Johnson had been acquired from the Cardinals to boost the ground game.

It was a hazy afternoon at the Memorial Coliseum with 41,627 fans in attendance. Starting from their own 20 after the opening kickoff, the Jets drove into Los Angeles territory. Boomer Esiason converted a third-and-11 play with a pass to WR Terance Mathis for 11 yards and a completion to WR Rob Moore picked up 39 yards to the LA 31. The advance finally stopped at the 12 yard line, but the visitors came up empty when punter/holder Louie Aguiar threw a pass that was intercepted by FS Eddie Anderson and returned 27 yards.

Now it was the turn of the Raiders to put together a methodical series. Jeff Hostetler ran effectively and completed a third-and-10 pass to TE Ethan Horton for 11 yards. Another third down throw was complete to WR Tim Brown for 21 yards to the New York 12 but, after being backed up by a holding penalty, Hostetler’s pass intended for Horton was picked off by SS Brian Washington.

The Jets had to punt on the final play of the first quarter, and Aguiar’s kick traveled 45 yards and went out of bounds at the LA 11. Hostetler fumbled on the next play and ex-Raider DT Bill Pickel recovered for New York. RB Blair Thomas ran for a six-yard touchdown and, with Cary Blanchard adding the extra point, the Jets were up by 7-0 at 11 seconds into the second quarter.

Both teams went three-and-out and punted on their next possessions but an 18-yard Hostetler-to-Brown completion had the Raiders in New York territory. However, Hostetler’s next pass was intercepted by Washington and he returned it 62 yards for another TD for the Jets. Blanchard converted to put the visitors ahead by 14-0.

38-year-old Vince Evans (pictured at top), who had started in the previous week’s loss, relieved Hostetler at quarterback and it got no better for the Raiders when, on the next series, RB Greg Robinson fumbled and Pickel recovered at the LA 49. The Jets went 41 yards in seven plays as Esiason threw to Johnny Johnson for 16 yards and the Raiders were penalized for tripping. Blanchard kicked a 25-yard field goal.

Down by 17-0 with 4:41 left in the first half, the Raiders drove 80 yards in six plays. RB Nick Bell carried three straight times for 18 yards and Evans threw to TE Andrew Glover for 20 more. Another pass was incomplete, but then Evans connected with James Jett for a 42-yard touchdown. Jeff Jaeger added the point and the halftime score was 17-7 as a Blanchard field goal attempt in the final seconds was blocked by Anderson.

The Raiders had the first possession of the third quarter and it took them only two plays to narrow the margin further. Following a short run by Robinson, Evans threw to WR Alexander Wright on a play that covered 68 yards for a TD. Jaeger’s PAT made it a three-point game.

On the next series, Esiason fumbled the ball away and LB Joe Kelly recovered at the New York 19. The Raiders lost yardage on the resulting short possession but Jaeger booted a field goal from 42 yards to tie the score.

The teams exchanged punts and the Raiders moved from their 23 to the New York 14. Evans threw to Jett for 21 yards and carried the ball himself for 14. A short completion to WR Raghib Ismail followed by two Bell carries for 14 yards had the home team in the red zone, but LB Bobby Houston intercepted an Evans pass to end the threat.

The score remained unchanged as the game headed into the fourth quarter and the Jets advanced just past midfield before having to punt. The Raiders punted in turn and New York methodically drove 56 yards in 13 plays. Esiason completed four passes, two of them to TE Johnny Mitchell and the longest covering 19 yards. But after getting a first-and-goal at the six, the visitors couldn’t reach the end zone and Blanchard kicked a 20-yard field goal that put them up by 20-17.

Taking over on offense with 4:29 to play in regulation, Evans tossed two incomplete passes before connecting with Jett for 13 yards and a first down. Consecutive 14-yard completions to Ismail put the Raiders at the New York 31. A two-yard run by Bell was followed by an Evans throw to Jett for 10 yards and runs by Bell and Evans gained another 12 yards. Brown caught a pass for six yards and, with the clock down to seven seconds and LA having no more timeouts, the officials called a timeout to reset the clock, which had failed to run during the last play. Following the short break, Bell (pictured below) ran for the last yard in the 11-play, 72-yard drive for a touchdown. Jaeger’s extra point capped the 24-20 win for the Raiders.

Los Angeles led in total yards (414 to 286) and had the edge in first downs (22 to 21). But the Raiders also turned the ball over five times, to two by the Jets, and were penalized eight times at a cost of 89 yards to five flags for 25 yards on New York.

In his relief stint, Vince Evans completed 14 of 22 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns while giving up one interception. Jeff Hostetler was pulled after going four-of 12 for 62 yards and two interceptions. Tim Brown had 5 catches for 66 yards and James Jett gained 86 yards on his four receptions that included a TD. Nick Bell topped the Raiders with 46 yards on 12 rushing attempts that included the game-winning score. Eddie Anderson accounted for an interception and a blocked kick on special teams.

For the Jets, Boomer Esiason was successful on 21 of 40 throws for 216 yards with no TDs or interceptions. Johnny Johnson rushed for 56 yards on 16 attempts and led the club with 6 catches for 60 yards as well. On defense, Brian Washington (pictured at left) intercepted two passes, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

“For me to sit here and say the clock operator lost the game for us, that’s ridiculous,“ said Boomer Esiason of the confusion with the time remaining at the end that effectively gave the Raiders an extra timeout. “Everybody had an opportunity. I can think of two balls that I overthrew, three balls that were dropped. I can think of a fumble, a missed block. I can think of enough for everybody to absorb some blame.”

The Raiders won the following week on the way to compiling a 10-6 record that placed second in the AFC West and qualified them for the postseason as a Wild Card. They defeated Denver in the first playoff round but lost at Buffalo in a Divisional contest. New York dropped to 2-4 before reeling off five straight wins, only to tail off late in the season. The Jets ended up at 8-8 and third in the AFC East.

Jeff Hostetler returned to form as the season progressed and had a good one, passing for 3242 yards and 14 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. Vince Evans returned to the bench and, for the year, was successful on 45 of 76 throws for 640 yards and three TDs. He spent another two seasons as a backup for the Raiders, finishing up his 15-year NFL career at age 40 in 1995 (Evans also played two seasons in the USFL).

1991: Moon Passes for 423 Yards to Rally Oilers Past Jets

The Houston Oilers were well established by 1991 as the NFL’s most prolific passing team. Under second-year Head Coach Jack Pardee, they operated a run-and-shoot offense that had 34-year-old QB Warren Moon (pictured at right) throwing early and often to a talented stable of wide receivers that included Drew Hill, Haywood Jeffires, Ernest Givins, and Curtis Duncan. They were off to a 4-1 start as they took on the New York Jets on October 13.

The Jets, coached by Bruce Coslet, were 3-3 after having won their previous two games following three straight losses. QB Ken O’Brien, in his eighth season, was a steady if not spectacular performer and he had two good targets in wide receivers Al Toon and Rob Moore. RB Brad Baxter had outperformed the team’s 1990 first round draft choice, Blair Thomas.

There were 70,758 fans in attendance on a cloudy day at Giants Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands. They saw the Jets take the opening kickoff and roll 80 yards in 10 plays. O’Brien completed four passes, including one for a 34-yard gain to Baxter to the Houston three yard line. From there, Baxter ran up the middle for the final three yards and a touchdown.

The Oilers went three-and-out on their initial possession and the Jets came back to score again. O’Brien started the drive off with an 18-yard completion to Toon and later threw to WR Chris Burkett for 23 yards to the Houston seven. New York wasn’t able to punch in for another TD, but the 59-yard possession ended with Pat Leahy kicking a 21-yard field goal to make it 10-0.

In the second quarter, Houston finally got something going on offense. The Oilers converted a fourth-and-one play at the New York 31 with a Moon pass to Haywood Jeffires (pictured below) for nine yards. Throwing on every play, Moon finished off the 10-play, 54-yard series with a three-yard TD pass to a diving Curtis Duncan in the end zone. Ian Howfield missed the extra point attempt, however, and the score remained 10-6 in favor of the Jets.

Following a New York punt, the Oilers took over at their 17 and Moon immediately threw to Jeffires for 35 yards. The drive went 83 yards in 10 plays with Moon converting two third downs with a 21-yard completion to Jeffires on third-and-five at the New York 43 and a 14-yard pass to Drew Hill in a third-and-six situation that made it first-and-goal at the four. RB Lorenzo White finished off the possession by taking a pitchout for a one-yard touchdown. This time the point after was successful and Houston was in front at 13-10.

New York had to punt again following its next series but Moon was intercepted by DB Lonnie Young to give the Jets a last shot with 21 seconds before the half and the ball at the Houston 47. Two O’Brien completions got the ball to the 34, but Leahy’s 52-yard field goal attempt sailed wide to the right and the Oilers maintained the three-point lead at the intermission.

Starting at their own six yard line after a short kickoff return to start the second half, the Oilers moved the ball effectively with Moon hitting on passes of 16 yards to Hill, 13 yards to Jeffires, and 9 more to Jeffires again to start the drive. But after reaching the New York 44, Moon was intercepted by CB Mike Brim, who returned it 13 yards to not only stop Houston’s drive but also give the Jets good field position. New York made the most of it, moving methodically down the field in 14 plays that ended with Leahy booting a 31-yard field goal to tie the score.

Moon had the Oilers driving again as the third quarter came to an end, but the drive stalled at the New York 32 and the attempt to convert a fourth-and-seven situation ended with an incomplete pass intended for WR Ernest Givins that was broken up by Lonnie Young.

The Jets went three-and-out on their next possession and Houston again came out throwing with Moon going to Jeffires for gains of 14 and 35 yards to the New York 27. An apparent touchdown run by White was nullified by a holding penalty, but the Oilers scored on Howfield field goal of 23 yards to move back in front at 16-13.

New York was unable to move the ball on its next series, even after retaining possession when a punt hit Houston DB Marcus Robertson on the arm and was recovered by Burkett for the Jets. Still, a second Louie Aguiar punt went out of bounds at the Houston six, and with just under six minutes remaining there was still time for the Jets – if they could get the ball back.

White ran for a two-yard loss on Houston’s first play, but then Moon threw to Duncan for nine yards and, in a big third-and-three situation, hit Duncan again for 23 more yards. White ran for 11 yards and then Moon passed for eight before handing off to White three more times for short gains while the Jets used their first two timeouts. But on third-and-four, Moon threw to Hill on a crossing pattern and the wide receiver went all the way for a 37-yard touchdown.

It was the clincher for Houston – the Jets drove to a last-play touchdown as O’Brien passed to Burkett from 18 yards out, but time ran out on New York. The Oilers came away with a 23-20 win.

Houston significantly outgained the Jets (436 yards to 279) and had the edge in first downs (25 to 21). Neither team ran the ball effectively, with New York gaining 43 yards on 21 attempts and the Oilers compiling just 27 on 15 carries. The Oilers sacked O’Brien four times while Moon was sacked once by the Jets. Houston also turned the ball over three times while New York suffered just one turnover.

Warren Moon went to the air 50 times and had 35 completions for 423 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Haywood Jeffires led the receivers with 13 catches for 186 yards while Curtis Duncan added 8 receptions for 67 yards and a TD and Drew Hill (pictured below) pulled in 6 passes for 80 yards and a score. Lorenzo White led what there was of a running attack with 24 yards on 11 attempts that included a TD.

For the Jets, Ken O’Brien completed 24 of 42 passes for 269 yards with a TD and one intercepted. Chris Burkett caught 6 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown and Al Toon also had 6 receptions, for 51 yards. Brad Baxter had 31 yards and a touchdown on 10 rushing attempts.

“This should show people we are for real,” say Haywood Jeffires. “Now we can go to Miami and come up with back-to-back wins on the road. I think we will and people will consider us a Super Bowl contender.”

Houston did indeed win the next week against the Dolphins and made it to 7-1 before losing again. The Oilers did lose three of their last five games, but after having been a Wild Card team the previous four years, they won the AFC Central with an 11-5 record. In the postseason, they once again beat the Jets to get through the Wild Card round but lost a close contest at Denver in the Divisional round to once again come up short of a trip to the Super Bowl. New York was 8-8 on the year but still managed to finish second in the AFC East and qualify for a Wild Card spot.

Filling the air with passes on a regular basis, Warren Moon led the NFL in attempts (655), completions (404), yards (4690), but also interceptions (21). Still, his passer rating of 81.7 ranked only tenth and he was fifth in touchdown passes with 23. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fourth straight year.

Haywood Jeffires led the league with 100 pass receptions and ranked fourth with 1181 yards. He was a consensus first-team All-Pro and also was chosen for the Pro Bowl for the first of an eventual three consecutive times. Drew Hill ranked third by catching 90 passes and seventh in yards with 1109. 

1993: Eric Allen’s 94-Yard INT Return Caps Eagles Win Over Jets

The Philadelphia Eagles had gotten off to a good start in 1993, winning their first three games under Head Coach Rich Kotite. 30-year-old QB Randall Cunningham, in his second year back from a devastating knee injury that had cost him virtually the entire ’91 season, was in good form and coming off a 360-yard passing performance in a 34-31 victory over Washington. Wide receivers Fred Barnett and Calvin Williams were productive and while the defense had lost stalwart Reggie White to free agency, there was still plenty of talent remaining.

In Week 4, the Eagles traveled to the New Jersey Meadowlands to face the New York Jets on October 3 at Giants Stadium. The Jets, coached by Bruce Coslet, had a new quarterback in veteran Boomer Esiason (pictured below right), who was prospering in fresh surroundings while tossing passes to WR Rob Moore and TE Johnny Mitchell as the club got off to a 2-1 start.

The Jets scored on each of their first two possessions, with an opening 11-play, 78-yard drive that resulted in a seven-yard touchdown pass from Esiason to TE James Thornton. New York CB James Hasty then recovered a fumble by Barnett that he returned 30 yards to set up a 14-yard Esiason TD pass to Mitchell.


The score remained at 14-0 as the Eagles did nothing on their next two possessions. After veteran safety Ronnie Lott picked off a Cunningham pass early in the second quarter, it took just four plays to put New York up by a 21-0 margin as Esiason tossed another touchdown pass to Mitchell, this one covering 12-yards.

The Eagles offense came alive on the next series, moving 78 yards in eight plays that included runs of 9 and 10 yards by RB Herschel Walker and passes of 12 yards to RB James Joseph and 21 yards to Barnett. Walker finished the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run.

However, the series had been costly for the Eagles as Barnett suffered a torn knee ligament when tackled by Jets CB Eric Thomas and safety Brian Washington at the conclusion of his 21-yard reception - while he was able to walk off the field, he was in fact finished for the season. An even more devastating loss occurred on the next possession when Cunningham suffered a broken leg, also season-ending.

Backup QB Bubby Brister, who had played seven years with Pittsburgh before being released prior to training camp and signed by the Eagles, concluded the drive by tossing a 10-yard TD pass to TE Mark Bavaro with just seconds remaining in the half. The Jets lead was down to a touchdown at 21-14 as the teams left the field at halftime.

After Philadelphia went three-and-out to start the second half, Esiason immediately passed to Mitchell who gathered the ball in at midfield and eluded tacklers on the way to a 65-yard touchdown. However, the Eagles got a break later in the third quarter when Jets RB Johnny Johnson fumbled and LB William Thomas recovered at the New York 17 yard line. Three plays later Brister threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Williams and the Jets’ lead was cut to 28-21.

After New York punted, the Eagles put together a long, 87-yard drive in 13 plays that culminated early in the fourth quarter with a one-yard touchdown run by RB Vaughn Hebron. With the successful PAT, the score was now tied at 28-28.

The Jets struck back quickly. On their first play following the kickoff, Esiason fired a pass to WR Chris Burkett for a 60-yard gain to the Philadelphia 20. However, safety Rich Miano intercepted a pass two plays later to seemingly end the scoring threat. But Brister, fading back to the goal line, threw the ball away under heavy pressure and was called for intentional gounding in the end zone, which resulted in a safety. The Jets had regained the lead at 30-28.

RB Adrian Murrell returned the ensuing free kick to the 50 yard line, and it appeared that the Jets would drive to another score with the help of a roughing the passer penalty that moved the ball deep into Eagles territory at the 21. But two plays later Esiason’s pass intended for Burkett was intercepted by CB Eric Allen (pictured at top) at the six yard line. With a spectacular return, Allen went 94 yards for the touchdown that proved to be the game-winner. The Eagles came away with a 35-30 victory.

The win had been a costly one for Philadelphia – in addition to Cunningham and Barnett, special teams standout WR Jeff Sydner also went down with a season-ending injury.


The Jets outgained the Eagles with 412 yards to 303. Boomer Esiason passed for 297 yards while completing 19 of 33 passes and had four TDs along with two interceptions. Johnny Mitchell (pictured at left) had an outstanding day with 7 catches for 146 yards and three touchdowns, and Chris Burkett contributed four receptions for 103 yards. Johnny Johnson led the running attack with 36 yards on 9 carries, closely followed by RB Blair Thomas with 7 rushes for 33 yards and FB Brad Baxter, who gained 29 yards on 9 attempts.

Bubby Brister had a solid outing in relief, completing 11 of 17 passes for 108 yards with two TDs and no interceptions; Randall Cunningham was 10 for 13 with 89 yards and had one picked off before his injury. WR Victor Bailey had the most pass receptions for the Eagles, with 5 for 36 yards, while the veteran tight end Bavaro gained 60 yards on four catches with a TD. RB Heath Sherman was the team’s top rusher, gaining 37 yards on 12 carries.

From promising beginnings, both clubs suffered through disappointing seasons the rest of the way. The Eagles, without Cunningham and Barnett, lost their next six games and ended up with an 8-8 record to place third in the NFC East. New York, after winning five midseason games in a row, lost four of the last five contests to also end up at 8-8 and third in the AFC East. Coach Coslet was dismissed afterward.

Boomer Esiason passed for 3421 yards, but his production dropped off significantly in the last six games of the season following a neck injury. Johnny Mitchell’s production also fell off after he suffered a sprained knee and he ended up with just 39 catches for 630 yards (16.2 avg.) and six TDs.

Eric Allen’s long touchdown return was no fluke – he intercepted six passes in ‘93 and tied the league record by returning four of them for touchdowns. Not surprisingly, he also led the NFL with 201 yards in interception return yardage. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the third consecutive year and fourth time overall, on his way to eventually being chosen six times in the course of his career.

Bubby Brister passed for a respectable 84.9 rating while tossing 14 touchdowns against just five interceptions in place of Cunningham. His 1.6 interception percentage was second lowest in the NFC.