1998: Cards Defeat Rams in Return to St. Louis

The Cardinals moved from St. Louis to Phoenix following the 1987 season after 28 years and, now called the Arizona Cardinals, they returned on September 27, 1998 to play the Rams, who had relocated from Los Angeles to St. Louis in 1995.

The Cards had yet to post a winning record in Arizona and, thus far in 1998, were 1-2 after winning for the first time the previous week. Head Coach Vince Tobin was in his third season at the helm and had a promising second-year quarterback in Jake Plummer (pictured above). There were good wide receivers in Frank Sanders and Rob Moore and RB Adrian Murrell was dependable. CB Aeneas Williams was the top player in a fair defense.

St. Louis was in its second season under Head Coach Dick Vermeil and had not been a winning team since 1989, well before the move from LA. The Rams were also 1-2 and were coming off of a win the week before. QB Tony Banks had all the physical tools but had not produced consistently, and star WR Isaac Bruce was hampered by an injury. Much was expected from rookie RB Robert Holcombe, the team’s second round draft pick out of Illinois.

There were 55,832 fans in attendance at the Trans World Dome and many of them booed the visiting Cardinals, who were playing their first regular season game in St. Louis since moving. The Rams went three-and-out in their first series and, starting at their 44 yard line following the punt, Jake Plummer threw to TE Johnny McWilliams for 17 yards. Two carries by Adrian Murrell and another short pass advanced the ball to the St. Louis 31, but Joe Nedney’s 48-yard field goal attempt was unsuccessful.

The teams traded punts before St.Louis put together a scoring drive. With Robert Holcombe carrying six times for 30 yards and Tony Banks running for 19 and completing two passes, the Rams went 68 yards in nine plays capped by Holcombe running five yards for a touchdown. Jeff Wilkins added the extra point to make it 7-0.

The Cardinals responded with a series that extended into the second quarter. Plummer connected on four passes, two of them to Frank Sanders (pictured at left) for 11 and 19 yards and the longest to Rob Moore for 25 yards to the St. Louis 11. The 72-yard drive ended with Nedney booting a 22-yard field goal.

The Rams again moved well on their next possession, with Holcombe running effectively and Banks successful on three passes, including one to WR Ricky Proehl that picked up 16 yards to the Arizona 41. However, the drive stalled at the 27 and Wilkins missed a 45-yard try for a field goal.

Arizona responded by going 65 yards in 11 plays. Plummer completed four passes, converting a third-and-eight situation with a toss to Moore for 12 yards and scoring a touchdown with a throw to Sanders from 13 yards out. Nedney converted and the visitors were ahead for the first time by 10-7.

On their next series, the Cards got a big gain right away when Plummer threw to WR Eric Metcalf for 29 yards. Two penalties on the Rams helped the drive along and Murrell ran for a four-yard TD, with Nedney adding the extra point to give Arizona a ten-point lead.

St. Louis got the ball back with a minute remaining in the period and moved down the field, the biggest plays being Banks passes to RB Amp Lee for 23 yards and to Proehl for 13. On the final play of the first half, Wilkins kicked a 57-yard field goal and the score stood at 17-10 in favor of the Cardinals at the intermission.

The teams exchanged punts through a scoreless third quarter. The Cardinals reached the St. Louis 33 early in the final period but FS Keith Lyle intercepted a Plummer pass to end the threat. While the Rams weren’t able to move the ball and punted, they got a break on the Cards’ ensuing punt when they were penalized for interfering with the fair catch and St. Louis started in Arizona territory at the 46. The Rams struck quickly as Banks threw to WR J.T. Thomas for 42 yards and Holcombe ran around right end for a four-yard touchdown. Wilkins converted to tie the score at 17-17 with 9:52 to play in regulation.

The Cardinals, starting the next series at their 14, drove to their 37 before facing a third-and-14 situation, but a pass interference penalty on CB Dexter McCleon picked up 43 yards to the St. Louis 20 and, four plays later, Nedney kicked a 29-yard field goal to put the visitors back in front by three. The Rams had one last chance but went three-and-out, punted, and the Cardinals were able to control the ball and run out the clock. They came away winners by a final score of 20-17.  

Arizona had the edge in total yards (281 to 264) and first downs (22 to 17). The Cardinals also recorded four sacks (two by DE Andre Wadsworth) to one by St. Louis, but also suffered the only turnover of the game. The Rams hurt themselves with 10 penalties at a cost of 138 yards, with the big pass interference calls the most damaging of all, while five flags were thrown on the Cards.

Jake Plummer completed 21 of 31 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown while giving up one interception. Frank Sanders had 9 catches for 86 yards and a TD and Adrian Murrell rushed for 68 yards on 29 carries, one of which was for a score.

For the Rams, Robert Holcombe (pictured at right) was the star on offense as he gained 84 yards on 21 rushing attempts that included two touchdowns. Tony Banks was successful on 15 of 26 throws for 171 yards with no TDs or interceptions. Amp Lee topped the receivers with 5 catches for 53 yards.

“It’s great to be 2-2 after an 0-2 start,” said Coach Tobin of the Cardinals, who gave owner Bill Bidwill the game ball. “We haven’t been 2-2 since I’ve been here.”

Arizona lost to the Raiders the next week and hung around .500 until winning the last three games of the season, placing second in the NFC East and qualifying for a Wild Card playoff spot. The Cardinals defeated the Cowboys in the first round, the franchise’s first postseason win since they were the Chicago Cardinals in 1947, but lost to the Vikings in the Divisional game.

For the Rams, the loss to the Cardinals was the eighth consecutive at home on the way to a 4-12 last place finish in the NFC West, although a stunning turnaround was in the offing for 1999.

Jake Plummer was a big part of the late-season surge for the Cardinals as he passed for 3737 yards and 17 touchdowns. Frank Sanders caught 89 passes for 1145 yards (12.9 avg.) and three TDs.

Robert Holcombe’s early promise did not pan out as he ran for just 230 yards on 98 carries (2.3 avg.). The two touchdowns against the Cards were his total output for the year. With the arrival of Marshall Faulk, he was shifted to fullback in 1999 and lasted a total of four years in St. Louis before moving on to Tennessee, never gaining more than 294 rushing yards in a season.

2003: Backup QB Banks Leads Texans to Upset of Panthers

The Houston Texans were going through the anticipated difficulties of being a second-year expansion team as they hosted the Carolina Panthers on November 2, 2003, although there were signs of improvement. Coached by Dom Capers, they had a star in the making in first-round draft choice WR Andre Johnson and also received an unexpected boost to the ground game in the form of fourth-round RB Domanick Davis, who had been expected to be a kick returner but was outperforming veteran RB Stacey Mack. Still, the team had lost three straight contests and was at 2-5. Furthermore, they were without the services of starting QB David Carr for the first time in the franchise’s brief history. The 2002 first overall draft pick was out due to a sprained right ankle and 30-year-old backup Tony Banks (pictured above) would be taking his place.

Carolina, coached by John Fox for the second year, was cruising at 6-1. The conservative offense was guided by QB Jake Delhomme and benefited from the presence of RB Stephen Davis, acquired after seven years in Washington. WR Steve Smith was a rising talent and dependable WR Muhsin Muhammad started across from him. The team’s defense was the key to the team’s success, however, in particular the solid line.

There were over 70,000 fans present at Reliant Stadium and they saw the Panthers get the opening kickoff and drive 83 yards in 12 plays. Eight of them were runs by Stephen Davis, who picked up 20 yards, a fourth-and-one was successfully converted, and Jake Delhomme completed all three of his passes, the last one to Steve Smith for a 24-yard touchdown. John Kasay added the extra point.

The Texans had to punt following their first possession and Carolina moved the ball all the way from its 12 to the Houston 25. While the Panthers again relied on Stephen Davis carrying the ball for the most part, Delhomme threw to TE Kris Mangum for 34 yards. However, on the first play of the second quarter, a Delhomme pass was intercepted by CB Aaron Glenn to snuff out the threat.

Another Houston punt was followed by a nine-play drive by the Panthers that featured Stephen Davis compiling 41 yards on the ground, but the series stalled at the Houston 44 to force a punt. The teams continued to trade punts until the end of the half, with the visitors holding onto the 7-0 lead.

It was Houston’s turn to put together a long scoring series to start the third quarter. Domanick Davis ran the ball effectively, with carries of 23 and 17 yards along the way, and Tony Banks completed three passes. The third, to TE Billy Miller, picked up 11 yards on a third-and-nine play and set up a one-yard touchdown carry by Stacey Mack. Kris Brown’s successful PAT tied the score.

Carolina once again moved the ball effectively on a long possession of 14 plays that covered 68 yards. Stephen Davis carried six times and Delhomme had completions of 12 yards to Smith and 20 yards to Muhsin Muhammad. Another throw to TE Jermaine Wiggins in a third-and-four situation at the Houston eight gained six yards, but the Panthers couldn’t punch the ball into the end zone and settled for a 23-yard Kasay field goal. The third quarter ended with Carolina back in front by 10-7.

Houston started off the final period by driving 67 yards in nine plays. Banks had two big completions to Andre Johnson, with the second gaining 35 yards to the Carolina 28 in a third-and-18 situation. Banks finished the series off by threading a pass through coverage to Miller, who made a one-handed grab for a 20-yard touchdown. With Brown’s extra point, the Texans were in front by four.

It was all the home team needed. The Panthers reached the Houston 46 on the next series and had to punt, set back by a personal foul penalty on Smith after he kicked DE Jerry Deloach, and the Texans were able to effectively run out the clock. Banks had key third down passes to WR Jabar Gaffney for 12 yards and 21 yards to Miller. Carolina got the ball back with just one second remaining and Houston held on for the 14-10 win.

In a game that featured plenty of long, ground-based possessions by the offenses (each team had the ball seven times), Carolina had more total yards (367 to 267) and also led in first downs (21 to 14). There was only one turnover – by the Panthers – and Carolina was penalized seven times, to four flags thrown on the Texans. The Panthers also recorded the only two sacks of the game, both by DE Mike Rucker.

Tony Banks had an efficient performance, completing 13 of 19 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Domanick Davis, who was lost to a chest injury in the second half, rushed for 74 yards on 12 carries. Andre Johnson had four catches for 64 yards and Billy Miller also had four receptions, for 58 yards and a TD.

For the Panthers, Stephen Davis (pictured at left) ran the ball 30 times for 153 yards. Jake Delhomme was successful on 13 of 23 throws for 193 yards and a TD with one interception. Steve Smith caught 5 passes for 88 yards and a score, although he also had the costly penalty in the fourth quarter.

“I’ve seen Tony Banks play before, and we did not take Tony Banks lightly,” said Carolina’s Coach Fox. “I thought he had a terrific second half.”

David Carr was back behind center for the Texans the next week in a loss to Cincinnati, but further injuries had Banks in action again as well as third-string QB Dave Ragone. Houston ended up at 5-11 and last in the AFC South. The Panthers topped the NFC South with an 11-5 record and won the NFC Championship, but lost a closely-fought Super Bowl to the New England Patriots.

Tony Banks had been a disappointment when starting for the Rams, moving on to the Ravens and Redskins, before becoming the backup for the new Texans in 2002. He saw no action that first year as Carr took every snap. Appearing in seven games in ’03, and starting three of them, he completed 61 of 102 passes (59.8 %) for 693 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions. He was the backup quarterback in Houston for two more seasons but never again saw as much action.

Domanick Davis (who would later change his last name to Williams) continued to have a productive rookie year, ending up with 1031 rushing yards on 231 carries (4.3 avg.) and another 351 yards on 47 pass receptions. Andre Johnson also had an outstanding first season, catching 66 passes for 976 yards (14.8 avg.) and four touchdowns.

Stephen Davis rushed for a career-high 1444 yards on 318 attempts (4.5 avg.) and scoring eight TDs. It was his fourth (and last) thousand-yard rushing season and resulted in his being selected to the Pro Bowl for the third time. 

2000: Banks & Ravens Overcome Smith & Jaguars in Thriller

Since becoming the Baltimore Ravens in 1996, the club playing host at PSINet Stadium on September 10, 2000 had not beaten the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars, a 1995 expansion team, in eight tries. The Ravens, 8-8 in 1999 and under second-year Head Coach Brian Billick, boasted a strong defense that was led by LB Ray Lewis, and had shut out the Steelers in the opening game the previous week by a 16-0 score.

There were still many questions regarding the offense, however, beginning with the team’s quarterback, veteran Tony Banks (pictured above). Following three disappointing years with the Rams, Banks had joined the Ravens as a backup in ’99 and was 6-4 as the starter after taking over for Scott Mitchell and Stoney Case. Coming off a good year and with the starting job his going into the 2000 season, there were questions about whether he had overcome past attitude issues and would elevate his game. Other uncertainties pertained to running back, since rookie starter Jamal Lewis had encountered injury problems in college, and the receivers. While veteran newcomer TE Shannon Sharpe was an established star in Denver, the rest of the receiving corps was undistinguished.

The Jaguars, under Head Coach Tom Coughlin, had developed rapidly into a contender and were coming off of a 14-2 record in ’99. QB Mark Brunell was solid when healthy, and had outstanding wide receivers to throw to in Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell. RB Fred Taylor missed six games, but was a rising talent (he also was out with an injury for the game against the Ravens). The defense allowed the fewest yards in the league. Clearly a team to be reckoned with, they had easily beaten the Browns in their opening game.

It appeared that Baltimore’s bad luck against the Jaguars would continue as Jacksonville dominated the first quarter. On their first possession, the Jaguars went 48 yards in seven plays, highlighted by two Brunell passes to Smith of 26 and 9 yards. Mike Hollis scored the first points of the game with a 36-yard field goal.

Following a poor 20-yard punt by Kyle Richardson that gave Jacksonville excellent field position at the Baltimore 43, the Jaguars were able to score a touchdown on a drive that initially appeared to be stifled by the Ravens defense. However, an illegal use of hands penalty on CB Chris McAlister on a third-and-14 play gave Jacksonville an automatic first down and Brunell tossed a 45-yard pass to Smith for the score and a 10-0 lead.

Later in the opening period, the Jaguars went 77 yards in five plays, again helped along by a penalty on McAlister - this time for pass interference - that advanced the ball 19 yards on a third-and-nine play to the Baltimore 43. Brunell again hit Smith on a long pass play for a TD that covered 43 yards. It was 17-0 in favor of the visitors after one quarter of play.

Early in the second quarter, the Ravens finally got on the board after recovering a fumble at the Jacksonville 14. Banks immediately fired a touchdown pass to rookie WR Travis Taylor and, with the successful PAT, the score was narrowed to 17-7. However, the Jaguars put together long drives of 14 and 8 plays that led to Mike Hollis field goals of 45 and 48 yards and Jacksonville held a seemingly-comfortable 23-7 margin at the half. They had outgained the Ravens by 257 to 97 yards thus far.

Baltimore struck quickly in the third quarter, however. Banks immediately threw to Taylor for a 40-yard gain to the Jacksonville 28, and three plays later it was Banks-to-Taylor once again for a 23-yard touchdown. The Ravens went for a two-point conversion and were successful as TE Ben Coates caught a pass from Banks. The score was now 23-15 at just 1:29 into the second half.

The Jaguars went three-and-out on their next possession, but got a break when Banks threw long for Taylor and, the ball bouncing off the receiver’s hands, safety Rayna Stewart intercepted and returned it 24 yards to the Baltimore 41. Jacksonville advanced to the 16 yard line before the drive stalled and the Jaguars settled for a fourth Hollis field goal, this time from 34 yards.

In response, the Ravens put together a 76-yard drive of 10 plays that ran almost six minutes off the clock. RB Priest Holmes accounted for the two biggest gains, on runs of 17 and 20 yards, the latter carry giving Baltimore first-and-goal at the eight yard line. Banks tossed a five-yard TD pass to RB Obafemi Ayanbadejo and, following Matt Stover’s extra point, Jacksonville’s lead was narrowed to four points at 26-22.

Heading into the fourth quarter, and with just over 10 minutes remaining on the clock, Baltimore LB Jamie Sharper made a huge defensive play when he forced Jaguars RB Stacey Mack to fumble and recovered at the Jacksonville 12. Banks threw to WR Jermaine Lewis for the 12-yard touchdown two plays later, and the Ravens took the lead at 29-26.

Jacksonville’s next possession ended when Brunell was intercepted by DB Kim Herring, who ran 30 yards to the Jaguars’ 35 yard line. Banks threw to Holmes for nine yards, but the Jaguars defense stiffened and the Ravens ended up with a 44-yard Stover field goal to extend their margin to 32-26.

While the second half momentum had been almost totally in Baltimore’s favor, the visitors weren’t done yet and drove 51 yards in nine plays that culminated in a 48-yard field goal by Hollis, his fifth with just under five minutes remaining to play. It was now a three-point game at 32-29 and the Ravens went three-and-out on their ensuing possession. Brunell completed a pass to WR Keenan McCardell for a 17-yard gain and then threw to Smith for four yards to the Baltimore 40 at the two minute warning.

Two plays later, the Jaguars regained the lead when Brunell’s pass to McCardell was tipped by the wide receiver and grabbed by Smith, who broke a tackle by McAlister and ran into the end zone to complete a 17-yard scoring play. The extra point made it 36-32, and it seemed as though Jacksonville would yet come out on top.

The Ravens took over at their 25 and Banks tossed passes to WR Billy Davis for 19 and 15 yards and Ayanbadejo for 12 before firing a throw down the middle of the field to Shannon Sharpe that the tight end gathered in for a 29-yard touchdown with 41 seconds to go. It proved decisive as Baltimore came away with the 39-36 win.

The Jaguars outgained the Ravens (421 yards to 331) and had more first downs (22 to 17). However, they also turned the ball over four times, while Baltimore did so twice.

Tony Banks completed 23 of 40 passes for 262 yards with a career-high five touchdowns against two interceptions. Obafemi Ayanbadejo caught 7 passes for 53 yards and a TD, while Travis Taylor, subbing for the injured Qadry Ismail, gained 80 yards on his four receptions that included two for scores. Priest Holmes rushed for 54 yards on 10 carries to lead the club, and also caught four passes for 18 more.

For Jacksonville, Mark Brunell was successful on 28 of 50 throws for 386 yards and three TDs with two picked off. Jimmy Smith burned the Ravens defense with 15 catches for 291 yards and three touchdowns. Stacey Mack, playing in place of the injured Fred Taylor, was the leading rusher with 36 yards on 11 attempts.

“You have to give credit to Tony Banks and their offense,” said Brunell afterward. “They went right down the field and made the plays they had to make. They were very impressive today. We scored some points, but it wasn't enough.”

“I'm very disappointed in our second half,” added Coach Coughlin. “They beat us in man coverage and they beat us in zone coverage. The fact that the Ravens were able to move the ball when everyone knew they had to have a touchdown on the last drive was pretty frustrating.”

Baltimore went on to a 12-4 record and qualified for a wild card spot by winning its last seven games. However, when the offensive performance dipped after the good start, Banks lost his starting job to veteran backup Trent Dilfer, who held the job the rest of the way. With the defense utterly dominating opponents (the 36 points given up to the Jaguars was by far the most surrendered during the season), the Ravens won all four playoff games, including the Super Bowl over the Giants. They gave up a total of 23 points in the four postseason games.

Jacksonville won the week after the tough loss to the Ravens, but proceeded to lose five straight games on the way to a disappointing 7-9 finish that put them in fourth place in the AFC Central. Jimmy Smith (pictured below) caught 91 passes for 1213 yards and eight touchdowns and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fourth straight year.

Tony Banks moved on to the Washington Redskins in 2001, where he was the starting quarterback for an 8-8 team with a ball-control offense. He ended up as a backup for the expansion Houston Texans from 2003 to ’05, never quite living up to his potential. His opening game performance for the Ravens against Jacksonville was a major highlight of an inconsistent career.