Here are Sunday's early games from Week 16:
Eagles 26, Packers 23 (OT)
Tony Franklin's twenty-seven yard field goal on the final play of overtime lifted the Eagles to a huge upset win and left them with at least a mathematical chance in the NFC wild card race. The Pack was on its way to putting the game away leading 23-16 with a little over five minutes to play when Lynn Dickey's pass intended for John Jefferson was picked off by Herm Edwards, who raced sixty-seven yards for the tying touchdown. The other interception thrown by Dickey ended up costing the Pack the game, as cornerback Roynell Young stepped in front of Paul Coffman and picked off the pass intended for him. He sped all the way down to the Green Bay ten with just four seconds left in overtime, enough time for Franklin's foot to win the game.
The Philly offense was led by Harold Carmichael, who caught four passes for 127 yards, including a ninety-eight yard touchdown catch-and-run in the second quarter. Jaworski finished thirteen of twenty-two for 250 yards including the Carmichael big play. Ron Smith, who has been the main receiver for the Eagles over the last few weeks, added five catches for sixty-five yards. The Packer defense did its job on the Philly running game, holding Wilbert Montgomery to thirty-seven yards on sixteen carries. Perry Harrington's forty-six yards on eight carries led the way for Philly instead. The defense did its job as well, sacking an already injured Dickey six times, including three from Dennis Harrison. Despite the rough treatment he received, Dickey had a tremendous day, hitting on eighteen of his twenty-six passes for 295 yards and a touchdown to James Lofton. Eddie Lee Ivery was back on track, gaining 115 yards on twenty-four carries, while Jefferson caught five passes for ninety-eight yards and Lofton five more for seventy-seven. Phillip Epps added seventy-three yards on three catches. The game might have come down to a rare extra-point miss from Jan Stenerud, who hit the left upright with his PAT attempt after Dickey's touchdown pass to Lofton in the first quarter.
The Eagles are still a longshot to make the playoffs even with this win, and coach Dick Vermeil told his team after the game that this season will be his last regardless of how the Eagles finish. As of now, he's looking at a prime-time finale next Monday night at Three Rivers Stadium against the Steelers. The Pack blew its chance to wrap up the top seed in the NFC and get two weeks off for itself, since next week's game in Chicago would have been canceled. They'll need help from the Giants, whom the Cowboys must lose to later today for the Pack to gain home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. (They hold the expected wins tiebreaker over the Cowboys.)
PHI: 7-8 (at PIT 11/15)
GB: 11-4 (at CHI)
Bears 13, Vikings 10
Make it two major upsets so far, as the Bears stunned the Vikes and threw the race for the NFC's second wild card into even greater chaos. Walter Payton had a huge day, slicing and dicing the Purple People Eaters for 118 yards on fourteen carries. Second-in-command Matt Suhey added fifty more yards on ten carries. The Bears didn't get a lot from Jim McMahon; he completed ten of twenty-two passes for 112 yards and was sacked five times.. But it was his third-quarter touchdown pass to wide receiver Ken Margerum that tied the game at ten. John Roveto's forty-one yard field goal midway through the final period provided the winning margin. Emery Moorehead led the Bears with four catches for thirty-seven yards.
The Vikes got a good day from Ted Brown, who gained eighty-two yards on seventeen carries. Fellow running back Tony Galbreath scored from six yards out in the first quarter. Tommy Kramer could complete only thirteen of his thirty-one passes for 177 yards, and was picked off twice by cornerback Terry Schmidt. Sammy White led all receivers with seventy-nine yards on four catches.
The wild card race is so chaotic that it will be impossible to handicap until all the reports from today's games are in. However, the Vikes have definitely lost the inside track to the second wild card, and they have to hope for help from some combination of the Chargers, Colts, and Niners to regain it. They finish their season next week by going head-to-head with the Bucs at Tampa Stadium.
CHI: 4-11 (vs. GB)
MIN: 7-8 (at TB)
Rams 34, Cardinals 17
The Rams are still hanging on to playoff hopes after drubbing the Cards at Busch Stadium. This one belonged to the running game, as Mike Guman rushed for ninety-eight yards on just ten carries and Wendell Tyler added ninety-five yards on sixteen carries. Both men scored touchdowns, with Guman's coming from twenty-one yards out and Tyler's from fourteen. Bert Jones started at quarterback for the second week in a row, but he was plagued by a sore arm all day and only completed twelve of his twenty-six passes for 151 yards and was intercepted twice. On the good side, he threw short touchdowns to Willie Miller and tight end Mike Barber.
Neil Lomax was better in a losing cause; he completed fifteen of thirty-three for 239 yards, but was also picked off twice. He was also sacked four times, with linebacker George Andrews recording two of them. Ottis Anderson rushed for ninety-two yards on twenty-ne carries, and scored on a thirty-five yard run in the third quarter. Pat Tilley led all receivers with six catches for eighty-seven yards, while Roy Green added eighty-one yards on just three catches.
The Rams host the Falcons next Sunday in what all of a sudden is shaping up as a do-or-die game for both teams. The Cardinals have been eliminated, and they'll make the trip to the Meadowlands to face the Giants next Sunday only if the game impacts the G-Men's playoff hopes.
LA Rams: 7-8 (vs. ATL)
STL: 5-10 (at NYG)
Lions 37, Colts 3
The Lions had a good time with the Colts, who played like a team that had spent the last week picketing in front of team facilities instead of practicing. Gary Danielson completed fourteen of his twenty-two passes for 176 yards and a pair of touchdown passes, and added a three-yard touchdown run to boot. Billy Sims was also a dual threat, gaining ninety-one yards on twenty-two carries to lead the rushing attack and catching five passes for forty-seven yards and a touchdown to lead all receivers. Danielson's other scoring pass went to Leonard Thompson. Robbie Martin returned a punt sixty-seven yards for a touchdown, his second of the year. Three Bob Thomas field goals finished he scoring for the home squad.
Art Schichter started at quarterback for Baltimore, and he was awful all day long, completing just eight of his seventeen passes for ninety-nine yards and throwing three interceptions. Reserve defensive back Bobby Watkins picked him off twice. Each of his eight completions went to a different receiver. Miraculously, he was only sacked once. Zack Dixon led the rushing "attack" with forty-four yards on seven carries.
The Lions are the clubhouse leaders in the fight for the second wild card in the NFC, but they'll have to sweat out both the Chargers-Falcons game later today and tomorrow night's clash between the Niners and Bucs to see just how much next week's finale in Miami will mean to them. As for the Colts, they're waiting for the Patriots-Bills result to see if they'll need to play next week's home date against Buffalo at all.
DET: 8-7 (at MIA)
BAL: 2-12 (vs. BUF)
Bills 28, Patriots 13
The Bills accumulated 263 yards rushing and scored three times on the ground as they steamrollered the listless Pats. Joe Cribbs rushed twenty-two tomes for 127 yards and scored from thirty-seven yards out early in the first quarter, while running mate Roosevelt Leaks amassed 118 yards on fifteen carries and scored twice. This meant that Joe Ferguson only threw when he had to, and he completed twelve of his twenty-four passes for 134 yards with a Hail Mary touchdown to Frank Lewis from fifty-three yards out on the final play of the first half. Lewis finished his day with three catches for seventy-five yards.
As for the Pats, Steve Grogan was awful in the first half, and his replacement Matt Cavanaugh wasn't much better in the second half. They combined to complete just eight of twenty-five passes for 103 yards and were picked off three times. Stanley Morgan was the most productive receiver with three catches for thirty-five yards. On the bright side, Tony Collins outrushed both Cribbs and Leaks, gouging the Bills' defense for 140 yards on eighteen carries. Mark van Eeghen added sixty-one yards on ten carries, including a forty-one yard touchdown burst in the third quarter. The offensive line managed to get Grogan sacked only twice and kept Cavanaugh completely clean, but it didn't do much good. Coach Ron Meyer refused to name a starter for the season finale against the Bengals next Sunday at Schaefer Stadium. For their part, the Bills need a ton of help in order to play next week's game against Baltimore, which they'll only do if they're still in playoff contention.
BUF: 8-7 (at BAL)
NE: 5-10 (vs. CIN)
Jets 50, Oilers 0
The Jets won this one before the Oilers ever got off the bus. They were certainly good for whatever was ailing Richard Todd, who completed eighteen of twenty-seven for an even three hundred yards and four touchdowns. Jerome Barkum caught two of Todd's touchdown throws, while Wesley Walker and backup wide receiver Derrick Gaffney snagged one apiece. Walker caught five passes total on the afternoon for 108 yards. But it was Freeman McNeil who truly stole the show, finishing the day with twenty-two carries for 241 yards and two touchdowns. He could have threatened Walter Payton's record of 275 yards for a game if coach Walt Michaels hadn't taken him out of the game for his own safety after three quarters. Mike Augustyniak took his place and ended up with sixty-one yards on ten carries plus a touchdown. The only concern for the Jets was the continued extra-point problems of Pat Leahy, who missed two more today in much calmer winds than last week's.
The Oilers, meanwhile, ended up throwing Gifford Nielsen to the wolves. He completed only eleven of thirty-one passes for 137 yards and threw three interceptions. The New York Sack Exchange got to him only three times, but he was hurried into more than a few bad throws and was knocked down after almost every pass. Earl Campbell was the lone offensive bright spot, as he picked up seventy-one hard-fought yards on eighteen carries. The lone defensive bright spot was backup linebacker John "Sack Man" Corker, who recorded eleven tackles.
What exactly the Jets will be playing for next week when they host the Broncos will be known later today, but they'll win the AFC East today if the Bengals beat the Dolphins in Cincinnati. They could be playing for home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs if the Raiders are upset by the Saints later.
NYJ: 11-4 (vs. DEN)
HOU: 2-11 (at KC)
Redskins 20, Browns 13
Unlike the Colts and Oilers, the Browns came back from their union-imposed layoff ready to play, and the Skins were pushed to the limit before scoring thirteen points in the fourth quarter to take the victory. Joe Theismann was limited by the stomach flu, but he still completed nine of his thirteen passes for 118 yards and a touchdown pass to John Riggins, who also rushed for eighty-eight yards and a touchdown on nineteen carries. Joe Washington added another score on the ground. It was Riggins' one-yard touchdown plunge with 2:44 left in regulation that decided the issue. Brian Sipe had a good day through the air for Cleveland, completing twenty of thirty-four for 229 yards and a touchdown to wide receiver Dave Logan. But it was Ozzie Newsome who was Sipe's main target; he pulled in eight passes for 107 yards. Wide receiver Ricky Feacher added fifty-six yards on four catches. Sipe's and Newsome's performances masked a poor day from the running game, as Mike Pruitt was held to just forty-one yards on twenty carries.
The Skins are eagerly awaiting next Sunday's possible showdown for the NFC East title against the Cowboys at Texas Stadium, while the Browns will only play next week's season finale against the Raiders in Los Angeles if the Raiders haven't wrapped up the top seed in the AFC before that.
WSH: 11-4 (at DAL)
CLE: 3-10 (at LA Raiders)
Bengals 14, Dolphins 7
Kenny Anderson's six-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Curtis with 1:53 to play was the winning score, and it means that the Bengals are still very much alive for an AFC wild card berth and the Jets are the AFC East champs. Anderson had his usual patently efficient game, completing seventeen of twenty-four for 178 yards and the winning touchdown. Cris Collinsworth was his main target, catching six passes for sixty-eight yards, and Dan Ross caught five more passes for sixty yards. Pete Johnson scored the other Cincy touchdown on an eighteen-yard gallop in the first quarter, and finished with sixty-three yards on nineteen carries.
David Woodley didn't lose this one for the Dolphs, completing twelve of his twenty-three passes for 151 yards and throwing a third-quarter touchdown pass to Jimmy Cefalo that tied the game at seven. Cefalo ended up Miami's leading receiver for the day with three catches for thirty-nine yards. Andra Franklin fared much better on the ground with eighty-one yards on nineteen carries,
Both the Dolphins and Bengals are now 9-6, and they're the clubhouse leaders for the two AFC wild card spots. As of now, the Bengals would host if the two teams finished tied. But there are two more big games yet to be played that will determine just who will be playing for what in the AFC come Week 17: Chargers-Falcons and Chiefs-Seahawks.
CIN: 9-6 (at NE)
MIA: 9-6 (vs. DET)
Next: Sunday's late games from Week 16.
Thoughts?