2005: Bucs Score 10 Points in Last Two Minutes to Beat Falcons

The game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome on November 20, 2005 featured two teams with 6-3 records that were jockeying for position in the hot NFC South race.

The visiting Buccaneers, under the guidance of Head Coach Jon Gruden, had gone undefeated in their first four games and then endured a 1-3 slump before narrowly defeating the Redskins the week before. Rookie RB Carnell “Cadillac” Williams (pictured above) had been a big part of the fast start, rushing for 434 yards in his first three games, but he had run into injury problems, and QB Brian Griese was lost for the season in Week 6.

Atlanta, coached by Jim Mora, Jr., featured run-oriented QB Michael Vick; 30-year-old RB Warrick Dunn, still highly effective running the ball; and TE Alge Crumpler on offense. The defense was vulnerable, particularly against the run.

Tampa Bay took the early lead as Matt Bryant kicked a 31-yard field goal to cap the first possession of the game (Williams burst up the middle for 30 yards on the initial play from scrimmage). Shortly thereafter, with Vick on the sideline after being hit hard on a sack at his own one-yard line, DT Anthony McFarland fell on a fumble by backup QB Matt Schaub in the end zone for a touchdown and the Buccaneers led by 10-0 after one quarter.

Bryant kicked another field goal, of 45 yards, to extend the lead to 13-0 in the second quarter, but the Falcons came back with a 10-play drive, highlighted by a 35-yard pass completion from Vick to WR Roddy White, that concluded with a 31-yard field goal by Todd Peterson.

Atlanta’s next possession, following a 49-yard Josh Bidwell punt, covered 83 yards in 10 plays. Vick hit White for a 54-yard gain just prior to the two-minute warning and, on a third-and-seven play at the Tampa Bay 15, Vick connected with Crumpler for 14 yards to the one. From there, RB T.J. Duckett ran for a touchdown and the Bucs’ lead was cut to 13-10 at the half.

On the first possession of the third quarter, the Falcons put together another sustained 10-play drive with Vick throwing for back-to-back 20 yard gains to WR Brian Finneran and Crumpler. With third-and-goal at the Tampa Bay four yard line, Vick tossed a touchdown pass to Crumpler and Atlanta took the lead at 17-13.

The Bucs came right back, however, with a drive highlighted by a 27-yard pass completion from QB Chris Simms to WR Michael Clayton and a 16-yard run by Williams. FB Mike Alstott put Tampa Bay back in front with a one-yard run for a TD.

Atlanta’s Peterson kicked a 20-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 20-20. On Tampa Bay’s second play following the field goal, Simms was intercepted by Falcons LB Keith Brooking near midfield. Atlanta capitalized, converting two third-and-nine plays and scoring on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Vick to WR Michael Jenkins to re-take the lead at 27-20.

With time winding down, the Buccaneers drove from their own 29 yard line following the kickoff. Simms was successful on three of four passes, including an eight-yard pass to Williams on third-and-six to the Atlanta nine, and Williams ran five times for 32 yards, including the nine-yard touchdown run that, combined with Bryant’s extra point, tied the score at 27-27 with just under two minutes left to play.

Atlanta had another shot, but the biggest defensive play of the game occurred when blitzing LB Derrick Brooks forced Vick to fumble and LB Shelton Quarles recovered for the Bucs at the Atlanta 34. Four plays later Bryant kicked a 45-yard field goal. While the Falcons made a last-ditch effort in the final seconds, Michael Koenen’s 55-yard field goal attempt on the final play was wide to the right and Tampa Bay came away with the hard-fought 30-27 win.

Atlanta led in total yards (443 to 258) and first downs (26 to 15). The Falcons converted 11 of 17 third downs along the way. However, their two turnovers resulted in 10 points for Tampa Bay, while the lone turnover by the Bucs led to seven.

Cadillac Williams ran for 116 yards on 19 carries with a TD, and also had the key eight-yard reception as one of his three catches for 13 yards. Chris Simms, improving as Griese’s replacement, completed 11 of 19 passes for 118 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Michael Clayton was the most productive receiver for the Bucs with 48 yards on his three catches.

Michael Vick (pictured at bottom) completed 21 of 38 passes for 306 yards with two TDs and none intercepted. It was the second 300-yard passing performance of his career, and a change from his usual pattern as his rushing total was light, with 17 yards on four carries. Roddy White caught four passes for 108 yards while Michael Jenkins had 5 receptions for 69 yards and a TD and Alge Crumpler contributed 5 catches for 49 yards and a score. Warrick Dunn led the club with 82 yards on 18 carries.

The win put Tampa Bay in a tie for first in the division with Carolina, while the Falcons fell a game back. The Buccaneers, with the league’s best defense to complement the conservative offense, won four of their last six games for an 11-5 record that still matched the Panthers, but they won the NFC South title thanks to a better division record than Carolina’s. The Bucs lost to Washington in the Wild Card playoff round. Atlanta lost its last three games to drop out of the running and ended up third in the division at 8-8.

Cadillac Williams ended up with 1178 yards on 290 carries (4.1 avg.) and six touchdowns. He was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press.

Michael Vick’s passing statistics were fairly average, as he threw for 2412 yards with 15 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, but he led the NFL in average gain-per-carry rushing (5.9) for the second straight season with 597 yards on 102 attempts and was named to the Pro Bowl for the third time. However, his frustration with the offensive system and overall failure to progress as a passer (despite the performance against Tampa Bay) were considered significant factors in the team’s letdown at the end of the season.

1961: George Blanda Throws 7 TD Passes Against NY Titans

The Houston Oilers, defending champions of the American Football League, had gotten off to a rough start in 1961. They were 1-3-1 after five games, and George Blanda (pictured above), the 33-year-old quarterback who had revived his pro football career in ’60 while leading the club to the title, was benched for two games.

However, owner Bud Adams fired Head Coach Lou Rymkus at that point and replaced him with Wally Lemm. There was an immediate turnaround, and by the time the Oilers hosted the New York Titans at Jeppesen Stadium on November 19, they had reeled off four straight wins. Blanda was back at the helm. In the preceding four contests, he had passed for 1076 yards (including 464 in a game at Buffalo alone) with 11 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

The Titans, coached by legendary QB Sammy Baugh, were 5-4 coming into the game. While the offense was capable of providing some excitement, in particular due to the presence of split end Art Powell and flanker Don Maynard, the defense was porous, especially the defensive backfield. Having started off 3-1, New York was in danger of falling out of contention in the Eastern Division.

There were 33,428 fans in attendance at the small venue as Houston took command quickly and decisively. Blanda tossed his first touchdown pass, of 28 yards to flanker Charley Hennigan, at the conclusion of an 80-yard drive early in the first quarter. With 4:40 remaining in the opening period, Blanda tossed a six-yard TD pass to HB Billy Cannon to conclude a six-play possession that covered 31 yards. Before the first quarter was over, the Oilers scored again as Blanda threw another pass to Cannon that covered 78 yards for a third touchdown.

The Titans offense didn’t threaten until midway through the second quarter. Flanker Don Maynard put New York on the board, making an outstanding catch on a four-yard pass from QB Al Dorow, but DE Don Floyd blocked the extra point attempt.


Blanda poured it on as he connected with split end Bill Groman for a 66-yard TD and with Cannon once more for a six-yard score. The tally at the end of the first half was 35-6 and the veteran quarterback had set a new AFL record with five touchdown passes.

Three minutes into the third quarter, Blanda threw for his sixth touchdown, connecting with Groman on a 46-yard play. He tossed his seventh, tying the NFL record held at that point by Sid Luckman of the Bears and Philadelphia’s Adrian Burk, in the fourth quarter on a play that covered 11 yards to Groman.

Dorow, who was constantly harassed by the aggressive Houston defense, tossed a second TD pass, of 11 yards to TE Thurlow Cooper, to salvage a slight bit of pride for the Titans. Houston won by a final score of 49-13.

The Oilers rolled up 555 yards, to 347 for New York, and the Titans further hurt their cause by turning the ball over four times, as opposed to just once by Houston. There was plenty of aggressive play on both sides, and several fights broke out, including one that cleared both benches. Altogether, 18 penalties were called, resulting in 193 yards (11 for 128 yards on Houston, 7 for 65 yards on the Titans). Three players were ejected.

In throwing for seven touchdowns, George Blanda completed 20 of 32 passes for 418 yards and was picked off once. Three Houston receivers gained over 100 yards – Bill Groman led the group with 5 catches for 152 yards and three TDs, followed by Charley Hennigan, who caught 8 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown, and Billy Cannon added 122 yards on 7 receptions with three scores. Cannon added another 41 yards on 14 rushes, behind FB Charley Tolar, who gained 58 yards on 11 carries, and FB Dave Smith with 49 yards on six attempts.

For the visitors, Al Dorow went to the air 47 times and had 21 completions for 278 yards with two TDs and three interceptions. HB Dick Christy led the club with 7 catches for 103 yards out of the backfield. FB Bill Mathis ran for 68 yards on 14 carries.

It was another big performance by the defending champions as they surged back into the Eastern Division race. Ultimately, the Oilers went undefeated the rest of the way, winning the division with a 10-3-1 record and again beating the Chargers for the AFL title. The Titans ended up in third place at 7-7.

The offense in particular achieved many superlatives. George Blanda threw 36 touchdown passes, exceeding the existing NFL record of 32, and also led the AFL in passing yards (3330), yards per attempt (9.2, almost two yards per pass better than the runners-up), yards per completion (17.8), and percentage of TD passes (9.9). Considering he had actually missed two full games due to being benched, it was an amazing overall performance. Blanda was selected as AFL Player of the Year by the Associated Press and UPI.


Bill Groman, with his three touchdown catches against New York, caught a TD pass in his 8th consecutive game. While he was shut out the next week, he ended up with 17 touchdown receptions to not only lead the league but tie the existing NFL record. Groman caught 50 passes for 1175 yards.

Charley Hennigan set a single-season record with 1746 receiving yards that not only was never beaten in the AFL, but wasn’t exceeded in the NFL until 1995. He ranked second in both receptions (82) and receiving touchdowns (12).

Billy Cannon led the AFL in rushing with 948 yards on 200 carries and was also the league’s all-purpose yardage leader with 2043. The 1959 Heisman Trophy-winner out of LSU scored a total of 15 touchdowns (6 rushing, 9 receiving). As his performance against the Titans demonstrated, Cannon was a potent pass receiving threat out of the backfield and caught 43 passes for 586 yards.

1979: Chargers Defense Keys Romp Over Champion Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers had won the Super Bowl following the 1978 season and looked to be well on their way to repeating as they took on the Chargers at San Diego Stadium on November 18, 1979. Under the guidance of Head Coach Chuck Noll, who had built the club into a winner with three championships since arriving ten years before, they were 9-2. Moreover, they had won their last four games, the previous two by a combined score of 68-10.

The Chargers had been far less successful during the past decade – after regularly contending in the 1960s in the AFL, they had not been in the postseason in 14 years. However, they were in their first full season under Head Coach Don Coryell and, featuring a high-powered passing offense, were 8-3. Eighth-year QB Dan Fouts was flourishing and had an outstanding group of receivers to throw to – most notably, wide receivers John Jefferson and Charlie Joiner. However, they also had an aggressive and solid defense, as the Steelers would find out.

There were 51,910 loud and enthusiastic fans in attendance as the defense set up San Diego’s first touchdown of the game. LB Ray Preston intercepted a pass by Steelers QB Terry Bradshaw that gave the Chargers possession at the Pittsburgh 37 yard line. Two plays later, Fouts completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jefferson. The score stood at 7-0 after one quarter.


In the second quarter, the Chargers put together a 72-yard drive with Fouts completing a six-yard TD pass to TE Bob Klein to cap it and extend the lead to 14-0. Later in the period, Preston picked off another Bradshaw pass and returned it 35 yards to the three yard line. RB Bo Matthews plunged into the end zone from two yards out and San Diego took a 21-0 lead into halftime.

As for the Steelers, Bradshaw had failed to complete a pass to a wide receiver in the first half. San Diego’s linebackers left the pass-rushing to the linemen and played back, thus forcing Bradshaw to throw short passes to his running backs. Standout wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth were both double-covered throughout the game.

Pittsburgh’s only score came at 6:30 in the third quarter on a two-yard carry by RB Rocky Bleier. But Chargers LB Woodrow Lowe  intercepted a deflected Bradshaw pass later in the period that he returned 77 yards for a touchdown and 28-7 score.

CB Mike Williams intercepted another pass by Bradshaw that set up the last San Diego touchdown in the fourth quarter. RB Hank Bauer, the team’s short-yardage specialist (he carried just 22 times for 28 yards all season, but scored eight touchdowns), plowed over from two yards out, and that provided the final tally of 35-7. It was the worst loss for the Steelers in nine years.

San Diego’s offense had a relatively ordinary day, but the defense was superb. The Chargers outgained the Steelers, 218 yards to 191, but the clubs were even in first downs with 14 apiece. Pittsburgh turned the ball over eight times, to four by San Diego, and Bradshaw was sacked four times. Every Charger received a game ball, and Woodrow Lowe and Ray Preston each got two.


Dan Fouts completed just 11 of 24 passes for 137 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. John Jefferson (pictured at right) was the leading receiver with 5 catches for 106 yards and a TD. The Chargers running attack was ordinary (at best) throughout the year and RB Mike Thomas was the leading rusher in this game with 53 yards on 13 carries (the team ended up ranking 27th in the league in rushing).

Terry Bradshaw, who was relieved by backup QB Mike Kruczek in the fourth quarter, was successful on 18 of 36 pass attempts for 153 yards with no TDs and five interceptions (two each by Preston and Lowe). RB Franco Harris, who led the club with just 44 yards on 20 attempts, was also the leading receiver with 7 catches, for 50 yards. John Stallworth gained 55 yards on four receptions while Lynn Swann was held to two catches for 28 yards.

“We have to credit San Diego with beating us,” said Chuck Noll, a former Chargers assistant coach in the 1960s. “They had a lot to say about what went on. They made it happen. Bradshaw was 100 percent, but the only receivers that were open were linebackers.”

“I got real acquainted with the defense today,” Bradshaw added. “They played awesome. They put on the best rush I've ever seen all year, by far. We ran into a team ready to play a lot more than we were. We were bad, and when we're bad, we're really bad.”

San Diego lost just once more to finish the regular season on top of the AFC West with a 12-4 record. However, they were upset by the Houston Oilers in the Divisional playoff. The Steelers also ended up with a 12-4 tally but were far more successful in the postseason, beating the Rams to win a second straight Super Bowl (their fourth in six years).

While the Chargers were best known for their league-leading passing offense that ended up tied with New England for second in the NFL with 411 points scored (the Steelers were first with 416), they also surrendered the fewest points of any AFC club (246) and were second in the conference in passes intercepted (28).

Dan Fouts didn’t have a strong performance against Pittsburgh, but he went on to set a new passing yardage record with 4082. Terry Bradshaw wasn’t far behind with a career-high 3724 yards (the Hall of Fame quarterback also had another career-high figure by throwing 25 interceptions).

1963: Bears Dominate Packers in Key Western Conference Showdown

The main headline in the Chicago Tribune on November 17, 1963 read “Nation Awaits Bears-Packers Today”, and there was no question that the contest at Chicago’s Wrigley Field between the host Bears and visiting Green Bay Packers was significant.

Head Coach Vince Lombardi’s Packers had won the Western Conference the previous three seasons and went on to win the NFL Championship in 1961 and ’62. Seasoned and solid on both offense and defense, they were 8-1 heading into the showdown at Wrigley Field, having lost the opening game to the Bears in Green Bay by a 10-3 score. The offense, however, had sustained two key losses – one prior to the start of the season when star HB Paul Hornung was suspended by Commissioner Pete Rozelle for gambling, and the second in the sixth game when QB Bart Starr suffered a broken hand. 32-year-old veteran QB Zeke Bratkowski had been obtained from the Rams, but it was John Roach, in his third season as the backup, running the offense for the fourth straight game at Chicago.

The Bears, coached by the “Papa Bear”, 68-year-old George Halas, were also 8-1, having been upset by the 49ers in Week 6. The offense, led by QB Bill Wade, was conservative and unexciting, but the defense, coached by George Allen, was excellent against both the run and pass. The line was anchored by All-Pro DE Doug Atkins; the linebacking corps of Joe Fortunato, Bill George, and Larry Morris was considered the best in pro football; and the defensive backfield featured All-Pro safeties Roosevelt Taylor and Richie Petitbon (Morris pictured above tackling Roach).

There was a capacity crowd of 49,166 in attendance on a pleasant day. The Halas game plan was to control the ball and smother Green Bay’s offense, and that is what happened. The tempo was set in the first quarter.

The Packers received the opening kickoff and gained a first down on two five-yard runs by FB Jim Taylor, but were shut down thereafter. Jerry Norton’s punt traveled only 27 yards, giving the Bears good field position at their 40 yard line. They drove to the Green Bay 22, with FB Joe Marconi starting off with a nine-yard run and TE Mike Ditka catching a 16-yard pass from Wade, and Roger LeClerc kicked a 29-yard field goal.

The next Green Bay possession resulted in a 38-yard punt which, combined with a 15-yard penalty for a personal foul on OT Forrest Gregg, put the Bears on the Green Bay 47. The resulting possession ended with a 46-yard field goal by LeClerc to extend the lead to 6-0.


Packers CB Herb Adderley returned the ensuing kickoff from three yards deep in his end zone to the 35, but fumbled when hit by Chicago end Bo Farrington and LeClerc recovered. Wade passed to split end Angelo Coia for 14 yards and then fleet HB Willie Galimore (pictured at right) raced 27 yards for a touchdown. The score stood at 13-0 at the end of the first quarter, and for all intents and purposes the outcome was decided.

The Bears had another chance to score in the second quarter after Joe Fortunato recovered a fumble by Roach at the Green Bay 33, but LeClerc missed a 19-yard field goal attempt after Chicago drove to the 12.

In the first possession of the third quarter, the Bears went 68 yards, highlighted by a screen pass from Wade to Marconi that gained 28 yards to the Green Bay 43. The drive was finally stopped at the 12 and LeClerc kicked another field goal to extend the margin to 16-0.


The teams traded punts, and then Roosevelt Taylor (pictured at left) pulled a Roach pass out of the hands of flanker Boyd Dowler at the Green Bay 43 and returned it to the 35. However, the Packers defense stiffened and LeClerc missed another field goal attempt.

Bratkowski entered the game at quarterback for the Packers, but on the first play of the fourth quarter he was intercepted by CB Dave Whitsell, leading to a successful LeClerc field goal of 35 yards. With the clock running down to nine minutes, Bratkowski went to the air again but missed WR Bob Jeter twice on long passes, and the Bears took over on downs after four incompletions.

LeClerc missed a 49-yard field goal attempt, but after HB Tom Moore ran for 18 yards, Bratkowski was intercepted by CB Bennie McRae, who returned it 46 yards to the Green Bay 5. Wade faked a pass and then ran five yards for a touchdown on second down.

The Packers finally scored with just over four minutes left to play on an 11-yard run by Moore following a 64-yard pass play from Bratkowski to split end Max McGee, but other than salvaging some pride, it was meaningless (it was also the first touchdown the Packers had scored in two games against Chicago that season).

Following Green Bay’s touchdown, the Bears ran the clock down. Fittingly enough, the last play was Taylor intercepting a Bratkowski pass and Chicago came away with a convincing 26-7 win that put them alone in first place.


The Bears threw just 14 passes but ran the ball 57 times for an impressive 248 yards while holding the vaunted Packers running attack to 71. It was a great job of ball control to complement the domination by the defense, which constantly broke through to disrupt running plays, shutting down the famed Green Bay power sweep on several occasions before it could get under way. Perhaps most significantly, the Packers turned the ball over seven times while Chicago suffered no turnovers at all.

Bill Wade (pictured above right) directed the offense well and, in keeping with the game plan, didn’t throw often – he was good on 6 of 14 passes for 92 yards, and while he threw no touchdown passes, he also gave up no interceptions. He also ran the ball four times for 28 yards and a touchdown. Willie Galimore was the top rusher with 79 yards on 14 carries, including the one score. It was a group effort by the stable of running backs – Joe Marconi added 52 yards on 14 attempts, FB Rick Casares 44 yards on 11 rushes, and HB Ron Bull had 30 yards on four carries. Mike Ditka and Angelo Coia caught two passes apiece, with Ditka gaining the most yards (32 to Coia’s 26, while Marconi had 28 on his lone reception). Roger LeClerc (pictured below left) was another key to the club’s success, making good on four of seven field goal attempts.


Green Bay’s quarterbacks were a combined 11 for 30 and suffered five interceptions. John Roach was successful on 8 of 20 passes for 92 yards with two intercepted. Zeke Bratkowski was able to complete only 3 of 10 passes for 86 yards with three picked off (Bart Starr was active for the game but his only action was as holder on the lone placekick). Tom Moore was the leading rusher with 50 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown. Jim Taylor, after gaining the quick 10 yards to start the game, was held to only 13 yards the rest of the way and ended up with 23 on seven attempts. Thanks to the long reception late in the game, Max McGee was the leading receiver with three catches for 93 yards.

“They just beat the hell out of us, both ways, offensively and defensively,” said Coach Lombardi afterward.

Phil Handler, the Bears’ offensive line coach, was given the game ball in recognition of the inspired line play that allowed the Bears to run effectively and control the ball.

While the Bears tied their next two games, they didn’t suffer any losses the rest of the way and finished in first place with an 11-1-2 record. Green Bay also didn’t lose again, including one tie, to come in second at 11-2-1. The season series sweep by Chicago made all the difference – it was the first time since Lombardi’s first year in 1959 that a team had beaten the Packers twice in the same season. The Bears went on to defeat the New York Giants to win the NFL Championship – it was the sixth league title for Halas, who led the team to its first 42 years earlier.

The Bears finished at the top in total defense, including the rare distinction of being best against both the run and the pass. They allowed a league-low 144 points, intercepted an NFL-best 36 passes, and also were at the top with 57 sacks. The offense, by contrast, ranked 10th overall of the 14 NFL teams – but with only 25 turnovers (which, since the defense had 54 takeaways, gave Chicago a +29 differential), they minimized the mistakes and controlled the football enough to reach the top.

2008: Warner Passes for 395 Yards and Cards Hold On to Beat Seattle

QB Kurt Warner (pictured above) had experienced a rebirth of his career with the Arizona Cardinals, and the team was now poised to make the most of it. After coming out of nowhere to lead the Rams to a championship in 1999 and putting together three outstanding seasons from ’99 to 2001, Warner’s career had come crashing down over the next two seasons. Losing his starting job to Marc Bulger, he moved on to the Giants for a year and acted as mentor to rookie QB Eli Manning, and then came to Phoenix in 2005 to do the same for QB Matt Leinart.

However, circumstances moved Warner back to the forefront with the Cardinals. Leinart struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness, and the veteran was productive in his appearances. After Leinart went down with a collarbone injury early in the 2007 season, Warner took over the starting role and didn’t relinquish it. With outstanding wide receivers to throw to in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, the 37-year-old quarterback was thriving in 2008 and the team was contending in the mediocre NFC West.

The Cardinals had been perennial underachievers, and since moving to Phoenix in 1988 finished over .500 just once through ’07. That they had gone 8-8 in 2007 under new Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt was cause for celebration. By the time they faced the Seattle Seahawks at Qwest Field on November 16, 2008, they were sporting a 6-3 record.

The Seahawks were in the tenth and final year under the direction of Head Coach Mike Holmgren, who had announced prior to the season that ’08 would be his last. They had experienced success during Holmgren’s tenure, winning the previous four division titles and going to the Super Bowl following the 2005 season. But by the time they faced the Cardinals, they were 2-7. Injuries were a key factor in the club’s collapse, in particular the loss of QB Matt Hasselbeck, who had missed the previous six games due to a back injury.

Arizona started strong, scoring on its first two possessions. The first was a 13-play drive that resulted in a 38-yard field goal by Neil Rackers and the second covered 89 yards in seven plays that led to a four-yard touchdown run by RB J.J. Arrington. Along the way, Warner had connected with Boldin twice for 54 yards and once to Fitzgerald for 20. The Cardinals had a 10-0 lead after one quarter.

Rackers added a 48-yard field goal in the second quarter before Seattle got on the board. CB Josh Wilson intercepted a Warner pass at his own 23 and returned it 58 yards to the Arizona 19. Shortly thereafter, Hasselbeck threw for a 13-yard touchdown to RB Maurice Morris. The Cardinals got the ball back with less than a minute to go in the half and managed a 54-yard field goal by Rackers as time expired to take a 16-7 lead into halftime.

Arizona appeared to put the game away in the third quarter as Rackers kicked his fourth field goal, of 26 yards, and Warner ended a ten-play drive with a six-yard TD pass to Arrington. The Cardinals’ margin was stretched to 26-7.

However, the Seahawks fought back on their next possession. Josh Wilson returned the kickoff 56 yards to the Arizona 36 yard line. Seattle drove to the three, but it appeared that the Cardinals had extinguished the threat when LB Karlos Dansby intercepted Hasselbeck’s pass in the end zone on a third-and-three play. However, rather than taking a touchback, Dansby returned the interception to the ten yard line and fumbled. It was recovered by OT Walter Jones and the Seahawks had a new set of downs and made the most of it. Five plays later, RB T.J. Duckett scored a touchdown from a yard out. An attempted two-point conversion failed.

Arizona got the ball back, but on the second play Warner fumbled when sacked by DT Brandon Mebane and DE Darryl Tapp recovered at the Cardinals’ 14. Duckett ran for another TD from two yards out after Seattle successfully converted a fourth down as Hasselbeck ran for five yards on a fourth-and-three play. Suddenly, Arizona’s margin was reduced to six points (they kicked the extra point this time) with 9:41 left on the clock.

With the crowd of 67,616 now aroused and unleashing a deafening roar, the Cardinals held the ball for seven plays on their next possession, but an intentional grounding call on Warner forced them to punt. Seattle got the ball back on its own 26 with 5:38 remaining and apparent momentum. However, at this critical juncture the offense went nowhere in three plays and had to punt.

Arizona ran almost two minutes off the clock before punting with just over two minutes remaining. But on the first play, Hasselbeck’s long pass intended for WR Deion Branch was intercepted by CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and the Seattle threat was finally extinguished. The Cardinals held on to win, 26-20.

That Seattle came so close to pulling the game out was nothing short of amazing since Arizona significantly outgained the Seahawks, 458 yards to 196, and had the edge in first downs, 24 to 18. Seattle converted just one of nine third downs and gained a woeful 43 yards rushing on 22 attempts. The Seahawks also gave up four turnovers, to Arizona’s three.

However, considering all of the yards gained, Arizona only got into the end zone twice, benefiting from a perfect four-for-four field goal performance by Neil Rackers. They also were penalized eight times, as opposed to one flag thrown on the Seahawks.


Kurt Warner completed 32 of 44 passes for 395 yards with a touchdown and an interception. It was his fourth straight 300-yard performance (of an eventual five), a club record. Both wide receivers had big days, with Anquan Boldin catching 13 passes for 186 yards and Larry Fitzgerald (pictured at right) adding 10 receptions for 151 yards. J.J. Arrington ran for 40 yards on 8 carries with a TD and RB Tim Hightower had 35 yards on his 11 attempts.

For Seattle, Matt Hasselbeck was good on 17 of 29 passes for 170 yards with a TD and three interceptions (two by Rodgers-Cromartie). Deion Branch was the leading receiver with four catches for 54 yards. RB Julius Jones gained 19 yards on 10 carries to lead the team, and Hasselbeck was right behind with 17 yards on four attempts. While T.J. Duckett scored two short touchdowns, he had a total of five yards on as many carries.

The win for Arizona was as huge as the loss for the Seahawks was devastating. Any hopes for climbing back into the race were eliminated for Seattle, while the Cardinals appeared set to win the division.

It did not go so easily for Arizona the remainder of the regular season, however, as the club lost its next two games and four of the last six to end up at 9-7. While they won the NFC West title, it was widely anticipated that the Cardinals would be dispatched quickly in the postseason, but instead they defeated Atlanta, Carolina, and Philadelphia, respectively, to advance to and win the NFC Championship before barely succumbing to Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl. The Seahawks finished at 4-12 for third place in the division.

Kurt Warner ranked among the league leaders with 4583 yards and 30 touchdown passes while completing 67.1 % of his passes with only 14 interceptions. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2001.

Larry Fitzgerald led the NFL with 12 touchdown receptions (tied with Detroit’s Calvin Johnson) and the NFC with 1431 yards on his 96 catches. Anquan Boldin (pictured below) had 89 pass receptions for 1038 yards and 11 TDs despite missing four games due to injuries. Both also were chosen for the Pro Bowl, and Fitzgerald received All-NFL recognition as well.

1981: Jets and “New York Sack Exchange” Dominate Patriots

The 1981 season had not started out in a promising way for the New York Jets, as they lost their first three games and gave up a total of 100 points in the process. Head Coach Walt Michaels was on the hot seat. But by the time they took on the New England Patriots at Schaefer Stadium on November 15, the situation looked much better. The Jets had won four of their past five games and brought a 5-4-1 record into the contest.

The Jets offense was coming on thanks to improved play by QB Richard Todd and an outstanding line anchored by OT Marvin Powell and C Joe Fields. But it was the defense that drew attention, in particular the line that became known as “the New York Sack Exchange”, comprised of DE Joe Klecko, DT Marty Lyons, DT Abdul Salaam, and DE Mark Gastineau (pictured above in that order). The nickname was apt, as they were leading the league in sacks with 38.

The Patriots, under Head Coach Ron Erhardt, had been contenders in 1980 but had fallen on hard times in ’81. There was plenty of talent, as there had been through several prior underachieving seasons, but key injuries, poor play on the offensive line (other than All-Pro guard John Hannah), and a defense that couldn’t stop the run or mount a strong pass rush negated the benefits of a good offensive backfield and experienced and effective wide receivers in Stanley Morgan and Harold Jackson. Quarterback Steve Grogan missed half the season due to a knee injury, and third-year backup Matt Cavanaugh struggled in his place. They were ill-prepared to deal with the spirited team that they had already lost to once earlier in the season.

The weather was windy and rainy in Foxboro, Massachusetts, further favoring the defense. Neither team could mount much offense in a scoreless first quarter. In the second quarter, New England’s John Smith kicked a 42-yard field goal into the wind that just made it over the crossbar and gave the Patriots the lead.

Later in the period, New England drove to the Jets’ 19 yard line before LB Greg Buttle intercepted a pass from Grogan at the 15 and returned it 12 yards. 14 plays later, HB Bruce Harper ran four yards up the middle for a touchdown and the Jets were ahead 7-3 with 2:30 remaining in the period.

On the next series, Patriots RB Mosi Tatupu fumbled after catching a pass from Grogan at his own 36 yard line and Buttle recovered for the Jets. Pat Leahy kicked a 47-yard field goal with eight seconds left to play in the half, and New York took a 10-3 lead into the intermission. The defense had made the big plays, in particular Buttle, who set up possessions that resulted in 10 points with the interception and fumble recovery.

In the third quarter, FB Tom Newton capped another long drive by the Jets with a five-yard touchdown run to make the score 17-3. It was more than enough as the aggressive defense kept New England from threatening the rest of the way – all the Patriots could muster was another field goal by Smith, of 29 yards, and that provided the final score of 17-6. It was the first win for New York in Foxboro since 1975.

In all, on a day when conditions made it difficult for either offense, the Jets outgained the Patriots by 226 yards to 197. New York’s defense recorded eight sacks and forced two turnovers (as opposed to no sacks and one turnover for New England). Joe Klecko and Mark Gastineau had three sacks apiece (still a year away from being an official statistic). Following the game, Klecko was (unofficially) leading the NFL with 15.5 sacks with Gastineau right behind at 14.

As for the offense, Richard Todd completed just 6 of 13 passes for 56 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. WR Wesley Walker, normally a potent deep threat, gained just 25 yards on three catches with a long gain of 11 yards. Running effectively, the Jets gained a total of 166 yards on the ground, with rookie RB Freeman McNeil leading the way with 50 yards on 13 attempts and Tom Newton right behind at 45 yards on 14 carries.

Steve Grogan and Matt Cavanaugh combined threw 34 passes and completed just 14 of them for 153 yards and with one picked off, thanks to Greg Buttle. RB Andy Johnson was New England’s leading receiver with 6 catches out of the backfield for 61 yards. Only one pass was completed to a wide receiver (Stanley Morgan) and it gained just four yards. RB Tony Collins gained 66 rushing yards on 13 attempts.

“It's nice to come up here and finally beat them,” said Buttle (pictured at bottom) afterward. “It's also a lot easier to play in November when you have something to play for and this is the first time since I've been here (six years) that we have something to play for in November.”

“The weather wasn't pretty. The game wasn't as scientific as we'd like it to be. But the most important thing is we're in the middle of the playoff race,” summed up Walt Michaels. “We said all along that if we continued to work hard and play hard and be aggressive, we would start turning things around. And we have.”

“We were pretty well dominated on both sides,” said New England Coach Erhardt. “We just couldn't stop them once they got going. They throttled us up both ways. Give the Jets credit. They are playing good football. There are a lot of people who think they may be the best team in the division right now.”

The Jets stayed hot, losing just once more in the regular season to finish second in the AFC East with a 10-5-1 record, their best since 1969. Qualifying for a wild card berth in the postseason, they lost to Buffalo in the first round. Things continued to go badly for the Patriots, who ended up at the bottom of the division along with the Colts with a league-worst 2-14 tally (Erhardt was dismissed as head coach).

“The New York Sack Exchange” continued to terrorize quarterbacks for the remainder of the season, as the Jets easily led the NFL with 66 sacks (runner-up Oakland had 52).

List of the Day: Evolution of Individual Season FG Record

Neil Rackers

NOTE: While the NFL adopted AFL (1960-69) records retroactively at the time of the 1970 merger, I have chosen to treat the AFL as a separate entity. The NFL list reflects that distinction.

NFL
5- Dutch Sternaman, Chicago Staleys, 1921
5- Elmer Oliphant, Buffalo All-Americans, 1921

8- Paddy Driscoll, Chicago Cardinals, 1922

10- Paddy Driscoll, Chicago Cardinals, 1923

11- Paddy Driscoll, Chicago Cardinals, 1925

12- Paddy Driscoll, Chicago Bears, 1926

13- Lou Groza, Cleveland Browns, 1950
(19 att., 68.4 %)
13- Bob Waterfield, Los Angeles Rams, 1951
(23 att., 56.5 %)

19- Lou Groza, Cleveland Browns, 1952
(33 att., 57.6 %)

23- Lou Groza, Cleveland Browns, 1953
(26 att., 88.5 %)

26- Lou Michaels, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1962
(42 att., 61.9 %)

28- Bruce Gossett, Los Angeles Rams, 1966
(49 att., 57.1 %)

30- Fred Cox, Minnesota Vikings, 1970
(46 att., 65.2 %)
30- Jan Stenerud, Kansas City Chiefs, 1970
(42 att., 71.4 %)

33- Chester Marcol, Green Bay Packers, 1972
(48 att., 68.8 %)

35- Ali Haji-Sheikh, New York Giants, 1983
(42 att., 83.3 %)
35- Jeff Jaeger, Los Angeles Raiders, 1993
(44 att., 79.5 %)

37- John Kasay, Carolina Panthers, 1996
(45 att., 82.2 %)

39- Olindo Mare, Miami Dolphins, 1999
(46 att., 84.8 %)
39- Jeff Wilkins, St. Louis Rams, 2003
(42 att., 92.9 %)

40- Neil Rackers, Arizona Cardinals, 2005
(42 att., 95.2 %)


Paddy Driscoll


Lou Groza

AFL (1926)
9- Joey Sternaman, Chicago Bulls

AFL (1936-37)
6- Harry Newman, Brooklyn/Rochester Tigers, 1936

AFL (1940-41)
5- Bob Eckl, Milwaukee Chiefs, 1940

9- Phil Martinovich, New York Americans, 1941

AAFC (1946-49)
13- Lou Groza, Cleveland Browns, 1946
(29 att., 44.8 %)

15- Ben Agajanian, Los Angeles Dons, 1947
(24 att., 62.5 %)


Ben Agajanian

AFL (1960-69)
18- Gene Mingo, Denver Broncos, 1960
(28 att., 64.3 %)

27- Gene Mingo, Denver Broncos, 1962
(39 att., 69.2 %)

28- Pete Gogolak, Buffalo Bills, 1965
(46 att., 60.9 %)

34- Jim Turner, New York Jets, 1968
(46 att., 73.9 %)


Jim Turner

WFL (1974-75)
18- Grant Guthrie, Jacksonville/Birmingham, 1974

USFL (1983-85)
28- David Trout, Philadelphia Stars, 1983
(42 att., 66.7 %)

XFL (2001)
20- Jose Cortez, Los Angeles Xtreme
(25 att., 80.0 %)