The Pythagorean NFL Part 2: The Strike Years

By the way, I noticed a mistake I made in the seeds for the first part of this timeline. I had the Lions as the original five seed because I thought that they beat the Giants head-to-head when it was the other way around. It didn't end up changing anything, as the Lions finished 9-7 and made the playoffs, while the Giants finished 6-9 with one game canceled.
 
I've changed the TV schedule a bit. All times listed are Eastern.

Saturday, January 8:

11:30 AM: The NFL Today (CBS)

Noon: Eagles-Redskins (CBS)

3PM: 49ers-Packers (CBS)

5:30 PM: NFL '82 (NBC)

6PM: Chiefs-Dolphins (NBC)

9PM: Bengals-Raiders (NBC)

Sunday, January 9:

11:30 AM: NFL '82 (NBC)

Noon: Bills-Jets (NBC)

3PM: Chargers-Steelers (NBC)

5:30 PM: The NFL Today (CBS)

6PM: Vikings-Cowboys (CBS)

9PM: Lions-Giants (CBS)

Games coming soon. Stay tuned!
 
Now it's time for the second game of the first round of the 1982 AFC Super Bowl Tournament from the Orange Bowl in Miami, Game time temperature is 74 degrees, with mostly cloudy skies and an east wind at 7 MPH.

The Chiefs scored first after taking the opening kickoff. Steve Fuller, starting in place of the injured Bill Kenney who sprained his ankle in practice on Wednesday, completed passes of fifteen yards to wide receiver Carlos Carson to put the visitors in field goal range after Anthony Hancock's punt return gave them the ball at the Miami forty-yard line. The drive eventually stalled at the Fins' eighteen, and kicker Nick Lowery connected on a thirty-five yard field goal attempt to put Kansas City up 3-0 with 10:22 to play in the opening quarter.

The Fins answered with a field goal of their own just before the quarter expired. David Woodley completed key passes to Joe Rose for fourteen yards to get the ball across midfield and eleven yards to Jimmy Cefalo to give them a first and goal at the KC six-yard line. The Dolphs could only gain one more yard on three plays, and were forced to settle for a twenty-two yard field goal from Uwe von Schamann that tied the game at three after one quarter.

The Chiefs took a surprising halftime lead on the strength of another Lowery field goal. Fuller hit Henry Marshall for nineteen yards and a first down, then flipped a short pass to Hancock in the slot which turned into a thirty-eight yard catch-and-run and a first and ten at the Miami twenty-dix. The drive stalled at the six just before halftime, but Lowery's twenty-three yard attempt was good, and the Chiefs carried a 6-3 lead into the locker room.

Another field goal early in the third period extended the Kansas City lead. Fuller completed passes of seventeen yards to J.T. Smith and twelve yards to Carson, and Joe Delaney broke a draw play for eleven yards and another first down at the Fins' twenty. The drive was crippled when Fuller was thrown for an eleven-yard loss by reserve linebacker Charles Bowser, but Lowery saved the Chiefs' barbecue by hitting a forty-three yard field goal that extended their lead to 9-3 after three quarters.

We had our first touchdown of the day early in the final quarter, and it belonged to the visitors. A Woodley pass intended for Duriel Harris was picked off in the end zone by Gary Green, who returned it to the Chiefs' twelve-yard line. Fuller connected with Smith for seventeen yards and a first down immediately, and two plays later Delaney rumbled for nineteen yards on another draw play. Billy Jackson then replaced Delaney and drove through a hole on the right side of the Miami defense for fifteen yards and a first down at the Fins' twenty-one. From there it was back to the draw with Delaney, and he scampered through another chasm and into the end zone for the score. Lowery added the extra point, and with a little over ten minutes left in regulation the Chiefs now led 16-3.

The home squad needed a big play in a hurry, and they got it the next time they had the ball. Andra Franklin set things up by cutting back to the left on a sweep and gaining fifteen yards and a first down at the Miami thirty-six. At that point he left the game, and Tommy Vigorito, whose main job during the season was as a punt returner, replaced him. Here's Bob Costas with what happened next:

"Vigorito in the backfield on first and ten, with (Tony) Nathan the blocking back. He gets the call, and he has a hole on the right side. Over the forty, forty-five, and it's a little bigger than he thought......It's a little bigger than ANYONE thought! He's down to the thirty, twenty-five, twenty, and he's gone! The Dolphins get their big play in the form of a sixty-four yard touchdown run by Tommy Vigorito!"

Bob Trumpy: "Vigorito only carried nineteen times for ninety-nine yards all this season, and yet he's the guy who just might have saved the Dolphins' season. Great block by the right tackle Eric Laakso, Number 68. He makes the hole, and Vigorito pops through it. The Chiefs looked like they were expecting Franklin and had no idea who else could possibly carry the ball in that situation. What a mistake on their part."

von Schamann added the extra point, and the Fins were back within 16-10.

The Chiefs put the finishing touches on their comeback coming out of the two-minute warning. The Fins had just downed a punt at the Chiefs' five-yard line, and it's second and nine from the six as we pick up the call from Mr. Costas:

"The Chiefs can put the game away with a couple of first downs, but they need to get one first. Dolphins with two timeouts remaining. Fuller back to pass on second down, and he's scrambling. (A.J.) Duhe just missed him, fires out of the end zone...……….CAUGHT BY DIXON AT MIDFIELD! NO ONE'S NEAR HIM! HE'S GONNA GO ALL THE WAY, AND THIS GAME IS OVER!...…….A ninety-four yard touchdown pass is what they'll call it in the record books, but it should be a hundred or a hundred and one, because Fuller was in the end zone when he unloaded."

Trumpy: "A.J. Duhe came through untouched and almost had Fuller for the safety, which would have been two points and a free kick for Miami. Instead, Fuller throws it as far as he can, and Dixon is open from here to the bus in the parking lot. They were all trying for the sack on defense, and Dixon is totally left alone. The 4-5 Chiefs have all but officially pulled the big upset."

Lowery's extra point established our final score: Chiefs 23, Dolphins 10.

Fuller was named MVP by NBC. he finished his day fourteen of twenty-five for 235 yards and a touchdown. Naturally, Dixon was his leading receiver with 101 yards on just two catches. Delaney carried just thirteen times, but gained 110 yards and scored a touchdown. Fuller had his big day despite being sacked four times, of which Doug Betters had a pair.

For the Fins, Vigorito's touchdown run made him their leading rusher, as Franklin was held to fifty-two yards on twenty-two carries. Nathan had a slightly better day with forty-one yards on nine carries. Woodley wasn't awful; he completed sixteen of twenty-seven passes for 176 yards and two interceptions. Cefalo was his leading receiver with an even one hundred yards on four catches.

The Chiefs now await their opponent in the semifinals next weekend. They will face the highest remaining seed, and they will be on the road for the rest of their games no matter who they play. Their possible opponents are the Jets, Raiders, and Bengals.

Next: To be determined.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for the third quarterfinal game of the 1982 AFC Super Bowl Tournament from Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. Game time temperature is 35 degrees, with mostly cloudy skies and a northeast wind at 13 MPH.

The Jets got on the board first thanks to a Bills turnover. A Joe Ferguson pass intended for Frank Lewis went awry when Lewis lipped while running his route. Cornerback Bobby Jackson was on the spot for the interception, and he returned it to the Buffalo thirty-one yard line. The Bills stopped three running plays for no gain, which set up a forty-eight yard field goal for Pat Leahy. The kick just made it over the crossbar, and with 7:05 remaining in the opening period the Jets had a 3-0 lead.

The Bills tied the game with a field goal just before the quarter expired. A thirty-four yard attempt by Leahy on the Jets' next possession was blocked by Curtis Brown, and Ferguson went to work with short passes, hitting Lou Piccone for thirteen yards and Lewis for gains of eleven, ten, and ten. The drive stalled at the Jets' fifteen, but Efren Herrera was good from thirty-two yards out, and after one quarter we were deadlocked at three. Thee was no scoring in the second quarter, so the teams remained tied at halftime.

The Jets took the lead after Herrera missed wide left from forty-five yards out on the Bills first possession of the second half. Freeman McNeil gained eleven yards on a draw play, then teamed up with Richard Todd on a twenty-five yard catch-and-run. Todd then found Johnny "Lam" Jones for seventeen yards and a first and goal at the Bills' six. From there, Bruce Harper took it up the middle and into the end zone for the score. Leahy bounced the extra point off the left upright, so the Jets had to settle for a 9-3 lead with a little over nine minutes to play in the third period.

The Bills answered with a touchdown of their own. Ferguson hit Lewis for sixteen yards over the middle. Then, on first and ten from the New York forty-six, Cribbs spotted a huge hole up the middle and darted through it and into the secondary with no one pursuing him. He looked to be home free, but Ken Schroy put on a burst of speed and managed to bring him down just before he crossed the plane of the end zone. Cribbs got the last two inches on the next play, and we were tied at nine. It was Herrera's turn to shank the extra point, so it was still 9-9 with 4:06 left in the period.

The Jets retook the lead just before the quarter expired, thanks to a pair of huge runs by McNeil. First he picked up thirteen yards on a draw, then he found a hold off left tackle and pounded ahead for forty-eight yards and a first and goal at the Buffalo six. The Jets could only get as far as the three, but Leahy's twenty-yard chip shot put the Jets in front 12-9 after three quarters.

The Jets turned another Ferguson interception into a touchdown early in the final period. Joe's target this time was Cribbs in the flat, but Jerry Holmes stepped in front of Cribbs, and picked the ball off on the dead run. He was brought down at the Bills' thirty-four. We pick up Don Criqui's call on third and six from the thirty:

"McNeil behind Todd on third and six from the Bills' thirty-yard line. Another touchdown would definitely put the Bills on the ropes with under ten minutes to play in the game. The Jets will run with the second man through Augustyniak, and he finds nothing, cuts it back to the left, and there's a big hole. Over the twenty-five, the twenty, the fifteen, the ten, the five, TOUCHDOWN NEW YORK JETS!...…..There was no hole on the right, so Mike Augustyniak cut it back to the left, found the hole, and the rest was history."

John Brodie: "Augustyniak's not known as a nifty runner because he's a fullback, but here he cuts back like a halfback. There's no hole on the right, so he cuts back left, and there's no one over there for the tackle. He's got a ton of momentum, and that's what carries him into the end zone."

Leahy added the extra point, and with 8:53 left in the game the Jets led 19-9.

The Bills were down to short strokes, and because of that they made one last mistake. Ferguson tried to throw downfield for Jerry Butler, but Holmes camped on the ball and picked it off for his second interception in as many drives. He returned the ball to the Jets' forty-seven, and McNeil took care of the rest:

Criqui: "First down and ten from the forty-seven of the Jets, clock ticking with seven and a half minutes remaining. Freeman McNeil gets the call, and look at the hole up the middle! He's down to the forty-five, the forty, the thirty-five, the thirty, and he's got nothing but green in front of him! Freeman McNeil will take it fifty-three yards for the touchdown, and the Jets have put this one on ice!"

Brodie: "He's one of the best backs in the NFL, Donnie, and yet even though he plays in New York, he's not mentioned with the likes of Franco Harris and Tony Dorsett. Hopefully this game will change that, because he's been brilliant. That was a big hole, but a lot of times backs don't get through those holes quickly because they think they have clear sailing. McNeil bursts through the hole, and from there he won't be caught."

Leahy tacked on one last extra point, and the Jets had wrapped up a 26-9 win. They'll take on the Chiefs next weekend here at Shea Stadium in the AFC semifinals. The date and time of the game will be determined later.

McNeil was named MVP by NBC. He gained 160 yards on just sixteen carries with a touchdown. Todd was slightly above average, completing fourteen of his twenty-five passes for 161 yards with an interception. Derrick Gaffney led the Jets' receivers with two catches for forty yards. While Todd was slightly above average, Ferguson's three interceptions cost the Bills the game. He completed just ten of his twenty-five passes for 120 yards. Mark Brammer caught three balls for fifty-one yards, while Lewis caught four for forty-seven but was shut out for most of the second half. Cribbs had his usual stellar day on the ground, gaining 129 yards on twenty-two carries with a touchdown.

Next: We wrap up the AFC quarterfinals, as the Bengals visit the Raiders.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for the fourth quarterfinal in the 1982 AFC Super Bowl Tournament from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Game time temperature is 64 degrees, with a wind of unknown direction at 13 MPH. Precipitation information is also unknown.

The Bengals scored first when nose tackle Wilson Whitley hit Marcus Allen while he was carrying the ball and caused him to fumble. Linebacker Bo Harris recovered for the visitors at the Raiders' twenty-five yard line. Pete Johnson gained four yards on three straight carries, which set up a thirty-eight yard field goal attempt by Jim Breech. The kick was good, and after one quarter the Bengals led 3-0.

The Raiders were in the middle of a scoring drive when the first quarter ended. The biggest play happened on the first play of the second quarter, though; Kenny King cut a sweep back to the left and took it for twenty-one yards and a first down at the Cincy eighteen. The touchdown came from five yards out, as Jim Plunkett hooked up with Malcolm Barnwell for the score. Chris Bahr added the extra point, and the Raiders had a 7-3 halftime lead.

The Raiders added to their lead with a third-quarter touchdown. Greg Pruitt's punt return set up the offense at its own forty-six, and Plunkett completed passes of sixteen yards to Barnwell and twelve yards to Cliff Branch. That set up another five-yard touchdown pass for Plunkett, this one to Todd Christensen. Bahr added the extra point, and the Raiders led 14-3 after three quarters.

The Bengals cut into their deficit a bit with a field goal early in the final period. Mike Fuller returned Ray Guy's punt into Raiders territory at the forty-eight. and Kenny Anderson immediately connected with Cris Collinsworth for sixteen yards and a first down. Charles Alexander's twelve-yard burst up the middle gave the Bengals a first and ten at the Raiders' twenty, but defensive end Archie Reese sacked Anderson for a seven-yard loss on third down to stall the drive. Breech converted a forty-four yard attempt to save some points for the Bengals and cut the Raiders' lead to 14-6 with 9:29 left in regulation time.

The Raiders out the game away with a touchdown later in the period. Pruitt retuned a Pat McInally punt to his own forty-five, and King got them across midfield with a ten-yard gain on a pitchout to the right. Plunkett then completed passes of twelve yards to Christensen and twenty-six yards to Branch. Clifford was brought down at the Cincy six-inch line, and from there Plunkett tossed his second touchdown pass to Christensen and his third of the evening. Bahr added a final extra point, and the Raiders had wrapped up a rather easy 21-6 victory.

Plunkett was named MVP by NBC despite his rather pedestrian stats: thirteen of twenty-one for 137 yards and three short touchdowns. Branch was his leading receiver in terms of yardage with fifty-two yards on three catches, while Christensen led the way in terms of receptions with four for thirty-four yards and a pair of touchdowns. Allen was held to just forty-four yards on twenty-one carries, but he helped out in the passing game by catching three passes for twenty-six yards. King was the Raiders' leading rusher with fifty-four yards on twelve carries.

As for the visitors, Anderson was uncharacteristically awfully, completing just nine of his twenty-two passes for 117 yards. Isaac Curtis was the only Cincy receiver to catch more than one pass; he had three for fifty-three yards. Johnson was held to just thirty-six yards on seventeen carries, but that was still enough to head the Cincy ground attack.

Here's next weekend's AFC semifinal schedule. The numbers before the teams indicate their seeds. All times are Eastern:

Saturday, January 15:

(6) Chargers at (4) Raiders, 4, NBC- Dick Enberg, Merlin Olsen, Mike Adamle (sideline reporter)

Sunday, January 16:

(8) Chiefs at (2) Jets, 12:30, NBC- Don Criqui, John Brodie, Bob Trumpy (sideline reporter)

Next: The first AFC semifinal, as the Jets host the Chiefs.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for the first semifinal in the 1982 AFC Super Bowl Tournament from Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. Game time tempeature is 33 degrees, with partly cloudy skies and a northwest wind gusting to 29 MPH. Wind chill at kickoff is nineteen degrees.

The Jets scored first after taking the opening kickoff, Bruce Harper's punt return gave them the ball at their own forty-four, and Richard Todd connected with Wesley Walker for twenty-six yards and a first down at the Kansas City twenty-eight. It's second and nine from the twenty-seven as we pick up the call from Dick Enberg:

"Second down and nine from the twenty-seven. Harper and Augustyniak the running backs, as McNeil's getting his ankle retaped. Give to Harper......up the middle, twenty, fifteen, ten, five, TOUCHDOWN JETS!...…..Bruce Harper puts the Jets on the board, as McNeil claps for his mates from the sideline."

Merlin Olsen: "This is a play we normally see from Freeman McNeil, but Harper runs it perfectly. Mike Augustyniak takes out the linebacker, (Number) 52 Thomas Howard, and the hole's wide open for Harper, who was the main runner for the Jets before McNeil got here last year."

Pat Leahy added the extra point, and after one quarter of play the Jets led 7-0.

The Jets put together another drive that straddled the first and second quarters. After Nick Lowery missed a forty-seven yard field goal attempt, Todd went to work, hitting on twelve-yard passes to Jerome Barkum and Johnny "Lam" Jones, then going downfield to connect with Derrick Gaffney for twenty-nine. On first and goal from the Kansas City three, McNeil bulled his way off the right side and into the end zone for the touchdown. Leahy shanked the extra point, so the score was 13-0 Jets just three seconds into quarter number two.

The Jets added to their lead with another touchdown before halftime. Scott Dierking's twenty-six yard catch-and-run was the big play, and Jones was denied a touchdown from fourteen yards out when he was ruled to be down by contact at the one-foot line. McNeil took care of that last foot on the next play, and the Jets led 19-0. Leahy made his first extra point attempt, but it was nullified by a false start. The second time wasn't the charm, as this attempt was blown wide left by a strong gust. At halftime, it was still Jets 19, Chiefs 0.

The Chiefs got on the board with a field goal after taking the second half kickoff. Bill Kenney, who was back at quarterback for the Chiefs after missing last week's game with a badly sprained ankle, was deadly accurate on the drive, hitting Carlos Carson for twelve yards, Al Dixon for fifteen, J.T. Smith for thirteen, and Anthony Hancock for nineteen and a first and goal at the Jets' nine-yard line. The New York Sack Exchange stopped them cold after that, bur Lowery converted a twenty-six yard field goal attempt to get the Chiefs on the board at 19-3 with 7:55 left in the third quarter.

The Chiefs hit the board again with another field goal before the end of the third quarter. Hancock's punt return set them up at the Jets' forty-five, and Kenney hit Carson for thirteen yards and a first down. A twelve-yard burst off the left side by running back James Hadnot got them into Lowery's range, and from the twenty Nick hit a thirty-seven yard field goal to cut the Jets' lead to 19-6 at the end of three quarters.

The Jets answered with a field goal of their own early in the final period. McNeil started things off with an eleven-yard catch-and-run, and Todd connected with Jerome Barkum on a pair of key passes, one for twelve yards and the other for twenty-five and a first down at the Kansas City twenty. The drive stalled at the eighteen, but Leahy was good from thirty-five yards out to extend the New York lead to 22-6 with 10:46 left in regulation time.

The Chiefs needed a big beak to get back in the game, and they got it from Gary Barbaro, Here's Dick Enberg's call:

"Second and ten from the Jets' forty-one. Time becoming a factor, as we're down to 9:15 left in regulation. Todd back to throw, he's looking for Walker...….INTERCEPTED! Gary Barbaro with the football, and he's got blockers! Forty, thirty-five, thirty, twenty-five, and only Todd can catch him...….NO! ALL THE WAY FOR A TOUCHDOWN!...…...That's a forty-seven yard return for Gary Barbaro, and with 8:06 still left in regulation the Chiefs have life."

Olsen: "Walker cut off the route too soon and left Barbaro waiting for Todd's pass. The pickoff was easy, and then the defense of the Chiefs forms a wall of blockers. Soon there's only one guy left to try for the tackle, and I'm not sure (Jets coach) Walt Michaels wants Richard Todd trying to make tackles at this point. The Chiefs are right back in this ballgame."

Lowery added the extra point, and the Chiefs were back to within 22-13.

The Jets answered right away with a touchdown of their own. Harper retuned the ensuing kickoff all the way to the Jets' forty-nine, and the big play of the drive was a twenty-seven yard catch-and-run by Walker. The touchdown came on second and goal from the Chiefs' three, when Todd flipped the ball to Augustyniak standing by himself in the end zone. Leahy added the extra point, and with 4:46 to play the Jets led 29-13.

Gang Green put the finishing touches on its win with one last touchdown. A desperation pass from Kenney was picked off by Ken Schroy, who returned the ball to the Chiefs' twenty-eight. Three plays later, Todd threw a screen pass to Harper, who cut back to the sideline and rumbled into the end zone from nineteen yards out. Leahy added one last extra point, and we had our final score: Jets 36, Chiefs 13. The Jets will host either the Raiders or the Chargers in next Sunday's AFC Championship Game. Kickoff is set for 12:30 PM Eastern on NBC, and Dick and Merlin will once again be on hand to describe the action.

Todd was named MVP by NBC. He completed fifteen of his twenty passes for 246 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Walker was his main target, catching four passes for sixty-three yards. McNeil led the ground attack with seventy-three yards on nineteen carries and a pair of touchdowns, while Harper scored touchdowns both on the ground and through the air in addition to some fine kick returns.

For the Chiefs, Kenney completed thirteen of his twenty passes, but only managed 118 yards and an interception. He was clearly bothered by his ankle, and was unable to scramble or step into his throws properly. Smith was his leading receiver with thirty-five yards on three catches. On the ground, Joe Delaney managed fifty-six yards on twelve carries, and Billy Jackson added fifty-five yards on nine carries. Sadly, this would be Delaney's last game, as he drowned on June 29 while trying to save three small children from the same fate.

Next: The Chargers battle the Raiders in the other AFC semifinal.

Thoughts?
 
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I'm going to switch gears and start the NFC tournament. The first quarterfinal game is at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. Game time temperature is 61 degrees, with fair skies and a southeast wind at 8 MPH.

The Cowboys scored first. They exploited the middle of the Minnesota defense on consecutive draw plays, with Tony Dorsett gaining twelve yards and Ron Springs sixteen. Danny White's sixteen-yard pass to Tony Hill gave the Boys a first down at the Vikings' thirty-four. It's third and five from the twenty-nine as we pick up Pat Summerall's call:

"Butch Johnson to the left and Drew Pearson to the right on third and five. White will throw...….has Johnson...…..GOT IT! TOUCHDOWN DALLAS!...….Johnson caught that ball on the dead run and coasted into the end zone, and the Cowboys strike first."

Tom Brookshier: "Danny White has gotten a bum rap the last few years because he's not our friend Roger Staubach. But he's closer than you might think. Look at this ball, perfectly thrown to hit Butch Johnson on the dead run. I don't know of too many who can do it better."

John Madden: "The offensive line gave White all the time he needed, and that's when you can make perfect throws like he just did, when you have the tine to thread the needle."

Rafael Septien added the extra point, and after one quarter it was Cowboys 7, Vikings 0.

The Boys added a field goal early in the second quarter, as Hall of Famer Randy White knocked the ball loose from Vikings running back Ted Brown. Linebacker Bob Breunig made the recovery at the Vikes' sixteen, and three plays later from the ten Septien connected on a twenty-seven yard field goal to put the Boys up 10-0 with 9:22 left in the first half.

The Vikes answered with a touchdown of their own. Tommy Kramer used the screen pass to get his team downfield, hitting Brown for twelve yards and Darrin Nelson for fifteen more. Then he opened things up a little, connecting with Sammy White for twenty-three yards and a first and goal at the Dallas seven. Nelson scored from four yards out one play later, and Rick Danmeier added the extra point to cut the Boys' lead to 10-7 with 4:44 to play in the half.

It was the home squad's turn to score next. Danny hit passes of ten yards to Pearson and twenty-seven yards to Tony Hill, then found tight end Doug Cosbie for fourteen more and a first and goal from the Minnesota seven. From there, Danny sent Dorsett out of the backfield and into the end zone, then hit him with another perfect pass for the touchdown. The extra point was no good, but the Cowboys still led 16-7 with 3:16 left in the half.

The Vikes struck quickly to get back into the game just before halftime. On the first play from scrimmage from his own twenty-seven, Brown found a hole in the middle of the Dallas defense and raced through it for thirty-nine yards. Before the Boys could recover, Kramer went to the air and fired a twenty-three yard strike to Ahmad Rashad for a first down at the Dallas eleven with twenty seconds left in the first half. The Vikes lost a yard on the next two plays, and most observers thought they'd send Danmeier out for a twenty-nine yard field goal to cut their deficit to six at the half. Instead, coach Bud Grant told Kramer to go back to the air, and he hit a wide-open Sammy in the end zone for the touchdown as time expired. Danmeier added the extra point, and at halftime our score was Cowboys 16, Vikings 14.

The visitors took the lead with a touchdown late in the third quarter. Eddie Payton's punt return gave them the ball at their own forty-nine, and Kramer connected with Rashad for thirteen yards and a first down at the Dallas twenty-five. On the next play, Tony Galbreath was stopped for a one-yard gain, but Ed "Too Tall" Jones was penalized fifteen yards for unnecessary roughness when he punched Vikings center Dennis Swilley after the play was over. That penalty gave the Vikes a first and goal at the nine. On second and goal Kramer flipped the ball to Brown, who broke Dennis Thurman's tackle at the three and went into the end zone for the touchdown. Danmeier's extra point put the Vikes in front 21-16 with 3:03 left in the third period.

The Boys came right back with a touchdown of their own to retake the lead, Fellows returned the kickoff to the Dallas forty-one, and on second and nine from the forty-two Danny threw short to Cosbie, who turned the pass into a thirty-yard catch and run. It's first and ten from the twenty-eight as we join Pat:

"First and ten for the Cowboys from the Vikings' twenty-eight. White gives to Dorsett......nothing......wait a minute, cuts back to the right, and now he has a lane! Twenty, fifteen, ten, five, and you can put it in the books! The Cowboys retake the lead!"

Brookshier: "Not quite ninety-nine yards and a half like it was on Monday night, but Dorsett has the Vikings' number. Look at him cut back to the right when there was no hole up the middle. This is the kind of runner Tony Dorsett is. When there's no hole, he'll find one somewhere, and most of the time he'll take it to paydirt."

Madden: "Great blocks by Springs and center Tom Rafferty to clear the hole for Dorsett. You're right, Tommy, the Vikings have no answer for him right now."

Septien tacked on the extra point, and after three quarters it was Dallas 23, Minnesota 21.

The Boys successfully played ball control for most of the fourth quarter, but with less than four minutes left they faced a third and eleven at their own twenty-six. Here's Pat:

"White goes to the shotgun on third and eleven. Snap back to him.....he has time.....looking for Pearson, and it's intercepted! (Free safety) John Turner with the ball, and he's at the thirty-five, the thirty, the twenty-five, the twenty, and he'll take it all the way back!...……... TOUCHDOWN MINNESOTA!"

Brookshier: That's a forty-yard return, and I think I saw Drew slip, Pat. Yep, there he goes. He doesn't go down, but it's enough to throw him off stride and make the interception easy for John Turner. Nobody's able to come within five yards of him while he has the ball, and the Vikings have the lead with 3:35 left. We could be looking at another upset of a one seed."

Madden: "Yeah, the (Miami) Dolphins went down last night against the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Vikings have played a better ballgame than the Chiefs did. It should be a heck of a finish."

Danmeier added the extra point, and the Vikes led 28-23.

The Boys got a lot of help on their quest when Fellows returned the kickoff to his own forty-seven. A nineteen-yard catch-and-run by Dorsett figured to put them in fine shape,, but the offense went backward from there. After defensive end Mark Mullaney sacked Danny for a five-yard loss, it was down to one play for the Boys from the Minnesota thirty-four:

Summeall: "We've seen this before. One more play for Dallas from the Vikings' thirty-four."

Brookshier: "It's gonna be a convention in the end zone, Patrick."

Madden: "White will be looking for Drew Pearson, I would think."

Summerall: "Seems like a safe assumption. Here we go. Who knows how many in the end zone. White back to throw, he'll step up, he'll heave it...…."

Brookshier: "Jump ball!"

Summerall: "Batted around, and it's.....who's got it......DALLAS HAS IT! We don't know who!"

Madden: "It's Doug Donley, Pat. Number 83."

Summerall: "Right you are, John, and they've done it again!"

Brookshier: "Somehow you knew it would end this way, guys. Danny did it two years ago in the playoffs against Atlanta, but this time it's not Pearson, it's Doug Donley. Let's see it come down...…..He reached up over Willie Teal, Number 37, and outfought him for it. Oh my gosh, Teal tipped it back to him! We were watching the scrum, but the action was off to the right, as Teal had his fingertips on it and tipped it into the hands of Doug Donley. He'll be sick until next training camp."

Madden: "That's the heartbreak of this game. The Vikings were so close to a huge upset of the best team in football, and it just got away from them by inches."

Summerall: "Donley caught only two passes in the regular season, to add to the weirdness of it all."

Somewhere in the pandemonium, Septien added the extra point, and the Cowboys had pulled out a 30-28 thriller.

Danny was named Player of the Game by CBS. He completed fourteen of nineteen for 254 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Johnson was his leading receiver by yardage with sixty-two on two catches and a touchdown, and Hill was his leading receiver by catches, with four for fifty-six yards. Cosbie added three catches for fifty-two yards. Almost overlooked in the classic finish was Dorsett's rushing day; he gained 107 yards on twenty carries with a touchdown, and also caught three passes for forty yards with another score. The amazing part of Danny's performance was that he achieved it while being sacked six times. Defensive end Doug Martin had three of them.

Offensively for Minnesota, Kramer finished twenty of twenty-six for 233 yards and two touchdowns. Sammy was his leading receiver with five catches for fifty-five yards, and Rashad added three more for fifty-one yards. Brown led the running game with seventy-seven yards on eighteen carries, and also caught four passes for thirty-one yards and a touchdown. For all of that, it may have come down to the kicking game for the Vikes, as Danmeier missed field goals of forty-five and fifty yards.

Next: The Redskins host the Eagles in Game 2 of the NFC quarterfinals.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for the second quarterfinal game in the 1982 NFC Super Bowl Tournament from RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Game time temperature is 46 degrees, with cloudy skies and a northwest wind at 13 MPH.

The Eagles scored first less than two minutes into the game. John Riggins was blasted by Eagles linebacker Frank LeMaster and lost control of the ball. Fellow linebacker John Bunting recovered at the Philly forty-seven, and the Eagles' offense wasted no time taking advantage. Here's the call from Jack Buck:

"First down and ten for the Eagles from their own forty-seven. The give is to Wilbert Montgomery, and he's past midfield. The hole opens and LOOK AT HIM GO! He's down to the forty, the thirty-five, the thirty, and only one man to beat in Darrell Green......he did! It's a touchdown for the Eagles! A fifty-three yard gallop by Wilbert Montgomery, and that's the way this one starts!"

Hank Stram: "The Eagles' offensive line does a great job of blocking, especially the center, Number 50 Guy Morriss. Montgomery's the one who makes this offense go, and he's very hard to catch and bring down once he has a head of steam, even by someone as fast as the rookie cornerback Darrell Green."

Tony Franklin missed the extra point, so the Eagles had to settle for a 6-0 lead with 13:02 left in the opening quarter. There was no further scoring in the period.

The visitors added a field goal early in the second quarter. The drive's key play was a thirty-two yard gain on a pitch to the right by Perry Harrington. The drive stalled at the Washington thirty, but Franklin hit a forty-seven yard field goal to make it 9-0 Philly with 9:55 left in the first half.

The Eagles expanded their lead on their next possession Harrington once again played a key role, cutting a sweep back to the left for nineteen yards, then catching a thirteen-yard screen pass from Ron Jaworski. That play gave the Eagles a first down at the Skins' twenty-five, but the offense only gained one more yard, so Franklin was called on for a forty-one yard attempt. The kick was good, and the Eagles led 12-0 exactly halfway through the second quarter.

The Skins struck for their first big play of the game after the ensuing kickoff, as Joe Theismann threw for the bundle on first down from his own twenty-four and hooked up with Charlie Brown, who caught the ball at the Eagles' forty and raced all the way down to the eleven before he was pushed out of bounds. Riggins rumbled up the middle and into the end zone from eight yards out two plays later, and Mark Moseley added the extra point to cut the Skins' deficit to 12-7 at the half.

The Eagles added a field goal early in the third quarter. Jaworski connected with Harold Carmichael for gains of ten and fifteen, then hit John Spagnola for fourteen more. The drive reached the Skins' nine yard-line before stalling, but Franklin was good from twenty-six yards out to increase the Eagles' lead to 15-7 with 9:01 to play in the third quarter.

The Skins answered with a field goal of their own. Mike Nelms returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to his own forty-eight, and Riggins immediately busted his way off the right side for sixteen yards and a first down. This drive stalled at the Philly thirty-three, but Moseley boomed a fifty-yarder to cut the visitors' lead to 15-10 with exactly four minutes left in the third.

The Skins took the lead for the first time in the game just before the end of the period. Brown caught a fourteen-yard pass, as did Joe Washington. A seventeen-yard reception by Art Monk gave the Skins a first and goal at the Philly seven, and one play later from the six Theismann hit Brown for the touchdown. A jubilant RFK Stadium quieted somewhat when Moseley's extra point attempt bounced off the crossbar, but the home squad still led 16-15 at the end of three quarters.

Before the third quarter ended, the Eagles were putting together their response. The two biggest plays of the drive were a twenty-yard pass to Carmichael and a twenty-five yard scamper up the middle by reserve running back Louie Giammona. That gave the Eagles a first and ten at the Washington seventeen, and on the next play, which was the first play of the final period, Jaworski threw short to Spagnola, who broke two tackles on his way into the end zone for the Eagles' touchdown. Franklin added the extra point, and the Eagles had a 22-16 lead just seven seconds into the final quarter.

The Skins answered with a field goal of their own. Nelms ran the kickoff back to his own forty, and Riggins gained eleven yards off tackle on the first play from scrimmage. From the Philly forty-nine, Theismann faked to Riggins, then handed to the second man through, Washington. With the help of a crushing block from The Diesel, Little Joe accelerated once he hit the hole and sped downfield until he was tackled by Herm Edwards at the six, a gain of forty-three. Dennis Harrison sacked Theismann on third and goal from the five for a six-yard loss, but Moseley converted from twenty-eight yards out to cut the Eagles' lead to 22-19 with 9;41 left in regulation.

The Skins took the lead again with a touchdown on their next possession. Joe ran the same draw play he'd run on the last drive for fourteen yards and a first down, and a thirty-two yard catch-and-run by Monk gave the home squad a first down at the Philly thirty-three. A twelve-yard screen pass to Riggins netted another first down, then Theismann fired into the end zone looking for Brown. Cornerback Roynell Young had the interception in his hands, but couldn't squeeze it, and Brown caught the ball as it tumbled out of Roynell's hands, then rolled over and held it up. The officials originally ruled it incomplete, the changed their minds after a conference as Dick Vermeil, coaching what turned out to be his last game for the Eagles, went absolutely berserk. Moseley added the extra point while Vermeil was still losing his mind, and with 5:51 left it was Washington 26, Philadelphia 22.

The Eagles' best chance to win the game came with less than two minutes left. They got as far as the Washington thirty-three before Harrington was stripped by defensive tackle Dave Butz. Rich Milot recovered for Washington at their own thirty-nine, and Theismann wasted no time putting the game away. Here's Jack:

"First and ten from the thirty-nine. Last play before the two-minute warning, 2:08 on the clock. Will they even snap it......yes, they will, and Theismann is back. He's looking long...…..there's Monk...…..WIDE OPEN AT THE TEN, AND HE'LL SCORE! TOUCHDOWN REDSKINS!...……….The only question was whether he'd catch it. He was open from here to Baltimore, Henry."

Stram: "Sometimes receivers don't catch balls like that, Jack. They're caught daydreaming, or try to run before they have the ball. What I don't understand is how Monk got that open in the first place. It was like the Eagles didn't think the Redskins were gonna snap it before the two-minute warning, and they were completely out to lunch."

Buck: "Dick Vermeil can't blame the officials for that one, certainly."

Moseley added one last extra point, and the Redskins had survived a tough one, 33-22.

Theismann was named Player of the Game by CBS. He only completed eleven of his nineteen passes, but they went for 257 yards and three touchdowns. Monk led the way with four catches for 119 yards and a touchdown, while Brown caught four for 106 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Joe ended up the Skins' leading rusher with seventy yards on seven carries; Riggins was held to fifty-four yards on twenty-one carries, though he scored a touchdown.

Montgomery was the Eagles' leading ground gainer with ninety-two yards on nineteen carries, but fifty-three of those yards came on his touchdown run in the first two minutes. Jaworski finished his day eighteen of thirty for 216 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Carmichael was his favorite target with six catches for seventy-four yards, and Spagnola caught four for forty-six yards and a touchdown. Harrison led the way on defense, sacking Theismann twice.

Next: The Lions take on the Giants in Game 3 of the NFC quarterfinals.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for the third quarterfinal round game in the 1982 NFC Super Bowl Tournament from Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Game time temperature is 35 degrees, with cloudy skies and a east wind at 10 MPH.

The Giants scored first after linebacker Brian Kelley picked off a Gary Danielson pass on the Lions' opening drive and returned the ball to his own forty-one. Scott Brunner completed passes of thirteen yards to Earnest Gray and seventeen yards to fellow wideout John Mistler. that combined to give the Giants a first and goal at the Detroit seven-yard line. The offense was only able to gain one additional yard, but Joe Danelo connected from twenty-three yards out to give the G-Men a 3-0 lead with 6:34 to play in the opening period.

The Lions evened the score just before the quarter ran out. Danielson completed passes of twenty-five yards to Freddie Scott, seventeen yards to Leonard Thompson, and fourteen yards to reserve wideout Mark Nichols. The drive reached as far as the Giants' nine yard line, but a holding call penalized the Lions half the distance to the goal and stopped their momentum cold. Bob Thomas salvaged three points with his thirty-five yard field goal, and we were even at three after one.

The score remained unchanged until midway through the final quarter, when the two-time defending world champions took the lead. Danielson hit Scott for ten yards and a first down, and Billy Sims broke his biggest run of the night so far when he barged off left tackle for twenty-seven yards and a first down at the Giants' fourteen. The drive got as far as the five before it stalled, but Thomas was good from twenty-two yards out to give the visitors a 6-3 lead with 9:10 to play in regulation.

The Giants tied the game again just before the two-minute warning. Brunner completed an eleven-yard screen pass to Butch Woolfolk, and Gray contributed a twenty-two yard catch-and-run. This drive ended at the Detroit twenty-nine, but Danelo was good from forty-six yards away to tie the game at six just as the clock hit two minutes exactly.

The Lions were driving for a possible winning score when Danielson badly overthrew Sims in the flat. Cornerback Terry Jackson was there to make the interception and return the ball past midfield to the Lions forty-five. Rob Carpenter's twelve-yard burst gave the home squad time for one last play from the thirty-three. Here's how Dick Stockton called it:

"What a way to end this magnificent weekend. We've already had one Hail Mary win this weekend with the Cowboys beating the Vikings just a few hours ago, and now it's time for the Giants to match it if they can."

Roger Staubach: "The best way to run this play is to put a guy at about the two or three-yard line so he can avoid the tip drill."

Stockton: "That's how you did it with Drew Pearson against Minnesota, right?"

Staubach: "Exactly."

Stockton: "We'll see if the Giants follow your advice. Here's the snap. Brunner's gonna fire long downfield, into the crowd it goes, and...…......CAUGHT FOR THE TOUCHDOWN! JOHNNY PERKINS WINS IT FOR THE NEW YORK GIANTS!...…..The Lions' dreams of a third straight Super Bowl come to an end here at Giants Stadium thanks to a second miracle finish in as many games. What are the odds?"

Staubach: "Nothing you'd want to take to Atlantic City, for sure. I'm not even sure this ball was tipped, Dick. I think Perkins caught it on the fly, if you can believe it. Yes, he just outreached Jimmy Allen of the Lions for the football. A great one-on-one play amidst all the chaos in the end zone."

Once the field was cleared of delirious Giants fans, Danelo added the extra point to establish the final margin of victory: Giants 13, Lions 6.

Jackson and Kelly shared CBS' MVP honors. They combined for six interceptions of Danielson, who completed just twelve of his thirty-five passes on the night for 133 yards and was picked off no less than seven times, with the other going to future Hall of Famer Harry Carson. Scott was his leading receiver with two catches for thirty-five yards. Sims managed sixty-nine yards on twenty-two carries, but the Lions attempted only eight other rushes all evening and gained just twelve yards. Danielson was also sacked six times, with Lawrence Taylor recording three of them.

Brunner completed exactly the same number of passes as Danielson with four more attempts, which translated into a twelve of thirty-nine performance for 167 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Gray led the passing attack with two catches for thirty-five yards, but the New York running game was nonexistent, as Woolfolk gained more yards receiving (thirty-three on three catches) than he did rushing (twenty-three on eleven carries, which still made him the Giants' leading rusher). All told, the Giants rushed for just fifty-three yards on twenty-six attempts. Brunner was also sacked six times, with defensive end Al "Bubba" Baker notching a pair.

Who the Giants play next has already been determined, but we'll talk about what happened in Green Bay between the Niners and the Packers next time. If the Packers won, the Giants will go to Dallas next weekend. If the Niners won, they'll go to Washington.

Next: The Niners and Packers wrap up the NFC quarterfinals at Lambeau.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for the fourth and last quarterfinal in the 1982 NFC Super Bowl Tournament from Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Game time temperature is 27 degrees, with cloudy skies and a south-southwest wind at 13 MPH. Wind chill at kickoff is eight degrees above zero.

The Packers scored first. Eddie Lee Ivery turned a dumpoff pass from Lynn Dickey into a thirteen-yard gain, and Dickey also connected with Paul Coffman for elven yards and John Jefferson for eighteen. The drvie reached the Niners' eight-yard line, but a false start penalty and a seven-yard sack of Dickey by Niners defensive end Lawrence Pillers pushed the ball back to the twenty, which made it a thirty-seven yard field goal attempt for Jan Stenerud. He made it with room to spare, and the Pack led 3-0 with 6:25 to play in the opening period.

The Niners tied the game on their next possession, thanks in large part to a pair of eleven-yard passes by Joe Montana for first downs. One went to Dwight Clark, while the other went to Freddie Solomon. The drive stalled at the Packers' twenty-eight, but Ray Wersching was good from forty-five yards out to tie the game at three after one quarter.

The Pack took the lead with a touchdown midway through the second quarter. Dickey completed key passes to Coffman for fourteen yards and James Lofton for sixteen, and Ivery gained twelve yards up the middle. Jefferson then took a short pass and turned it into a seventeen-yard catch and run that gave the Pack a first and goal at the Frisco nine. On second and goal from the two, Dickey flipped another short pass, this time to Ivery for the touchdown. Stenerud's extra point put the home squad in front 10-3 with 5:42 left in the first half.

The Niners went on a fifteen-play drive to tie the game just before halftime. The two biggest plays were a pair of screen passes to Jeff Moore. for ten and sixteen yards respectively. The latter play gave the visitors a first down at the Packers' fifteen, and Montana went right back to Moore, who broke a tackle at the five and went into the end zone for the touchdown. Wersching added the extra point, and we were tied 10-10 at the half.

The third quarter was scoreless, but the Pack took the lead for good midway through the final period. Starting at their own thirty-nine after a Phillip Epps punt return, Dickey threw an eleven-yard screen pass to Gerry Ellis that got the ball to midfield. On third and nine from the Frisco forty-nine, Ellis tore through a gaping hole in the middle of the defense and wasn't stopped until he'd gotten to the two-yard line, a gain of forty-seven. On the next play, Dickey handed off to Ivery, who took one step back and threw a strike to Lofton in the end zone for the touchdown as Lambeau Field went bonkers. Stenerud added the extra point, and the Pack had a 17-10 lead with just under ten minutes left in regulation.

The home squad put the game away on their next possession. Ivery broke off gains of ten and eleven on draw plays, and an eighteen-yard pass to Jefferson gave the Pack a first down at the Niners' thirty-three. The drive stalled at the twenty-nine, but Stenerud booted the Green and Gold into the semifinals with a forty-six yard field goal. Our final score: Green Bay 20, San Francisco 10.

Ivery was named Player of the Game by CBS. He was a true triple-threat back today, gaining sixty-nine yards on sixteen carries, catching three passes for seventeen yards and a touchdown, and completing a pass for another score. Ellis finished with sixty-six yards on eleven carries. Dickey finished fourteen of twenty-five for 159 yards with a touchdown and an interception; Jefferson was his leading receiver with four catches for sixty yards.

The Niners were held to ninety yards on the ground in thirty-five team attempts. Bill Ring was their leading individual rusher with thirty-three yards on seven carries. Like Dickey, Montana also finished fourteen of twenty five, but he threw for 162 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Clark was his leading receiver with sixty-two yards on six catches, while Moore caught four passes for fifty-one yards and a touchdown. On defense, Pillers sacked Dickey twice.

The Pack met the Washington Redskins in the semifinals at RFK Stadium the next week, and as we saw earlier in this thread the Skins prevailed 23-7. They'll take on the winner of the January 16 semifinal game between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game. Kickoff at Texas Stadium is scheduled for 4PM Eastern on CBS, with Pat Summerall and John Madden on hand to call the action.

Next: To be determined.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for the second semifinal game in the 1982 NFC Super Bowl Tournament from Texas Stadium in Irving Texas. Game time temperature is 57 degrees, with fair skies and a southwest wind at 5 MPH.

The Giants scored first after Leon Bright returned Danny White's punt to midfield. The key play of the drive was Rob Carpenter's fourteen-yard catch-and-run. The drive reached the Dallas twenty-nine before stalling, and Joe Danelo's forty-six yard field goal was good to give the G-Men a 3-0 lead with a little over ten minutes to play in the opening quarter.

The Giants added another touchdown before the end of the period. Scott Brunner completed a twenty-one yard pass to last week's Hail Mary hero Johnny Perkins, then scrambled out of a Randy White sack and picked up fifteen yards and a first down. A ten-yard completion to Earnest Gray gave the visitors a first and goal at the Cowboys' eight, and on the next play Brunner connected with John Mistler for the touchdown. Danelo added the extra point, and the Giants had a surprising 10-0 lead after one quarter.

The Giants added anther touchdown late in the second quarter after Rafael Septien was short from forty-seven yards out for the Cowboys. Brunner completed key passes to Perkins for eleven yards and Floyd Eddings for eighteen. The drive got as far as the Cowboys' fourteen before Brunner was sacked for a six-yard loss by reserve defensive end Don Smerek. On third and fourteen from the twenty, Brunner avoided another sack, this one from defensive tackle John Dutton, and fired for Eddings in the back of the end zone. Floyd made a diving catch just before he hit the ground out of bounds, and after what seemed like an eternity the back judge signaled that it was a touchdown, although Cowboys coach Tom Landry thought otherwise and protested vociferously, at least for him. Regardless, Danelo's extra point was good, and the Giants led 17-0 at the half.

The Giants added one last sore on their first second-half possession. It took them just three plays, thanks to a fifty-two yard gain on a draw play by Butch Woolfolk that gave Big Blue a first down at the Dallas twelve. Carpenter took it into the end zone right through the middle of the Doomsday defense on the next play, and Danelo added the extra point to make it 24-0 New York. There was no further scoring, and soon the Giants were headed to the NFC Championship Game for the first time in ten years.

Woolfolk was named Player of the Game by CBS. He finished the day with 110 yards on seventeen carries, and Carpenter added eighty-three more yards on eighteen carries plus a touchdown. Brunner had a much better day than he did last week against the Lions, finishing sixteen of twenty-six for 177 yards and two touchdowns, plus gaining thirty-one yards on three carries. All told, the Giants gashed the Dallas defense for 228 yards on forty rushing attempts. Gray was their leading receiver with three catches for forty yards.

For the Cowboys, White was held to fourteen of twenty-nine passing for 135 yards and an interception. Ron Springs was their leading rusher with forty-five yards on just four carries, as Tony Dorsett was held to forty-two yards on seventeen carries and the Boys were held to just ninety-six total yards on the ground. Drew Pearson led the air attack with thirty-seven yards on three catches. The only true bright spot for the top seeds was their pass rush, which got to Brunner five times.

The upstart Giants will now travel to RFK Stadium to take on the Washington Redskins in next week's NFC Championship Game. Due to other commitments by CBS, the game has been moved to Saturday, January 22. Kickoff is still scheduled for 12:30 PM Eastern, and Pat and John will once again call the action.

Next: To be determined.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for the second semifinal in the 1982 AFC Super Bowl Tournament from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Game time temperature is 68 degrees, with fair skies and a wind of unknown direction at 9 MPH.

The Raiders scored first. Marcus Allen busted off left tackle for thirty-three yards and a first down in Chargers territory, then picked up ten more yards on a draw play. A thirteen-yard pass from Jim Plunkett to Todd Christensen gave the Raiders a first down at the San Diego twenty-three, and the drive reached the sixteen before stalling. Chris Bahr's thirty-three yard field goal was good, and the Raiders led 3-0 with a little over nine minutes left in the opening quarter.

The Raiders added another field goal before the end of the period. They took over at the Chargers' nineteen after the visitors turned the ball over on downs, and the offense reached the thirteen before Bahr kicked a thirty-yard field goal to increase the Los Angeles lead to 6-0 after one quarter.

The Silver and Black reached the end zone midway through the second quarter after Greg Pruitt returned Maury Buford's punt all the way to the San Diego nineteen. Three plays later, Kenny King bolted up the middle and into the end zone from five yards out, and Bahr added the extra point to extend the Raiders' lead to 13-0 with 8:24 left in the first half.

The home squad added another touchdown just before the end of the first half. None of the plays gained at least ten yards except for the touchdown itself, which was a twenty-two yarder from Plunkett to Christensen. Bahr's extra point gave the Raiders a 20-0 halftime lead.

The Raiders scored one last touchdown after taking the second half kickoff. Plunkett was the driving force, completing passes of fourteen and thirteen yards to Malcolm Barnwell, fifteen yards to Christensen, and fourteen yards to Cliff Branch. The touchdown came on a swing pass to Allen out of the backfield from four yards out. Bahr tacked on the extra point and at the end of three quarters it was Los Angeles 27, San Diego 0.

The Chargers avoided a shutout with a sparkling special teams play midway through the final quarter. Here's how Don Criqui called it:

"Ray Guy back to punt for the Raiders, and there you see James Brooks standing at the twenty-yard line. Snap is back to Guy, and there's the kick. A bit high, end-over-end, and Brooks takes it at his twenty. Twenty-five, thirty, some blocking develops, and he's got a lane at the thirty-five, Forty, forty-five, and he could be gone! One last block, and now he's all by himself! James Brooks is going to take this all the way for the Chargers touchdown! They're officially calling it an eighty-one yard return, and if nothing else the Chargers won't be shut out today."

John Brodie: "A great punt return, obviously. He gets some great blocking on his own side of the field, and as a running back he knows exactly how to cu back to where there's plenty of green grass. Matt Millen tries to run him down at the last second, but he's too late."

Rolf Benirschke's extra point established our final score: Raiders 27, Chargers 7.

Plunkett was named MVP by NBC. He completed seventeen of his twenty-six passes for 230 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Branch led the receiving corps in yardage with sixty-two yards on three catches, while Christensen caught four balls for sixty-one yards and a touchdown. Barnwell added four catches for forty-four yards. Allen had a good day on both sides of the ball, gaining eighty-three yards on twenty-one carries and catching four passes for twenty-seven yards with a touchdown.

Meanwhile, the Chargers' vaunted Air Coryell offense was almost completely stifled. Dan Fouts completed only nine of his eighteen passes for 112 yards with an interception. Worse yet, the ground game was no help, as Brooks "led" the way with only twenty-three yards on eight carries, while feature back Chuck Muncie was held to just nineteen yards on thirteen carries. The San Diego ground game totaled just fifty-four yards on twenty-five attempts. Charlie Joiner was just about the only productive offensive player the Bolts had, as he caught four passes for sixty-two yards. If you take away the fifteen yards in sacks that the Raiders accrued, the Chargers gained just 151 yards of total offense for the game.

As we saw earlier in this timeline, the Raiders advanced to the AFC Championship Game on January 23 at Shea Stadium, where the Jets defeated them 17-14 to advance to Super Bowl XVII.

Next: To be determined.

Thoughts?
 
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I've decided to skip ahead and do the 1987 AFC Wild Card Game from the Kingdome in Seattle:

The Patriots scored first after taking the opening kickoff. Quarterback Steve Grogan connected on passes of thirteen and sixteen yards to wide receiver Cedric Jones, then threw to fellow wide receiver Stephen Starring for the touchdown from fifteen yards out. Tony Franklin added the extra point, and the Pats had a 7-0 lead after one quarter.

The Pats added another touchdown midway through the second quarter. Irving Fryar returned Ruben Rodriguez's punt to his own forty-four, and from there Grogan hit Fryar for seventeen yards and Stanley Morgan for twenty-four more. On first and goal from the Seattle four, Mosi Tatupu knifed his way off right tackle and into the end zone for the score. Franklin's extra point was good, and with a little over nine minutes left in the first half the Pats led 14-0.

The Seahawks got back into the game with a field goal just before the half. Quarterback Dave Krieg completed a pair of eleven-yard passes to get his team into field goal range; one went to Steve Largent, the other to John L. Williams. The drive ended at the Pats' fourteen, but Norm Johnson's thirty-one yard field goal cut the New England lead to 14-3 at the half.

The Hawks provided the final three points of the day with another field goal on the final play of the third quarter. They got the ball at their own thirty-two after Franklin missed from forty-two yards out, Curt Warner's twelve-yard catch-and-run provided on first down, and two plays later Krieg connected with Largent for twenty-four yards and a first down at the Pats' thirty-two. The offense lost a yard in the next three plays, but Johnson's fifty-yarder brought the home squad within eight at 14-6, which was our final score.

Grogan was named Player of the Game by NBC after completing fourteen of his twenty-eight passes for 190 yards and a touchdown. Morgan was his leading receiver with four catches for fifty-three yards. Tony Collins led the ground attack with eighty-one yards on sixteen carries, with Tatupu adding forty-six yards on eleven carries with a touchdown.

For the Hawks, Krieg was twelve of twenty-four for 161 yards and an interception before leaving late in the third quarter with a bruised knee and being replaced by Jeff Kemp, who was four of six for thirty-seven yards. Warner was their leading rusher with fifty-three yards on twenty carries, and Largent led all receivers with five catches for eighty-four yards. On defense, the Hawks sacked Grogan four times, with linebacker Fredd Young recording a pair.

The Pats' next stop is Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, where they'll take on the Browns in the first AFC Divisional Playoff game next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 PM Eastern on NBC, with Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy set to call the action.

Next: To be determined.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for the 1982 NFC Championship Game from RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Game time temperature is 38 degrees, with cloudy skies and a north-northeast wind at 7 MPH.

The first quarter was scoreless, but the Redskins were driving for a field goal by the end of it. Joe Theismann connected with Art Monk for gains of twelve and nineteen, and John Riggins took a pitchout around right end for fourteen yards at a first down at the Giants' twelve-yard line. On second down from the thirteen, Theismann hit a wide open Monk in the end zone for a touchdown, but the play was called back because of a holding call on right tackle George Starke. On the first play of the second quarter from the twenty-one, Mark Moseley kicked a thirty-eight yard field goal to put the Skins up 3-0.

The Skins added another field goal midway through the second quarter after a fake punt by the Giants was stopped at their own fourteen. Three plays later, Moseley was good from thirty-one yards out to make it 6-0 Skins with just over six minutes remaining in the first half.

The home squad added a third field goal just before halftime. John Riggins gained thirteen yards on a draw play, and from the Giants' thirty-three Theismann threw short to Don Warren, who turned the play into a thirty-yard catch-and-run that gave the Skins a first and goal. Riggins was held for no gain on first down, and with time ticking down in the first half Skins coach Joe Gibbs decided to take three points in the form of a twenty-yard field goal. Everything worked for Moseley, and at halftime the Skins led 9-0.

The Skins added a fourth field goal on their first possession of the third quarter. They got into field goal position thanks to back-to-back draw plays; first Riggins gained nineteen yards, then Joe Washington gained seventeen. The two runs netted the Skins a first down at the New York seventeen. The Skins gained four yards in the next three plays, which meant that Moseley was left with a thirty-yard attempt. The kick was good, and with exactly twelve minutes left in the third period it was Skins 12, G-Men 0.

The Skins added a fifth field goal midway through the period. Mike Nelms returned Dave Jennings' punt to his own forty-two, and Theismann completed passes of ten yards to Monk and twenty-three yards to Charlie Brown. A thirteen-yard run by Theismann put the Skins back in Moseley's range, and Mark once again hit a thirty-yarder to make it 15-0 Skins with 5:59 left in the third.

The Giants got on the board with a field goal just before the end of the third quarter. Butch Woolfolk did most of the work, gaining ten yards on a draw play and catching passes of fifteen and thirteen yards from Scott Brunner. The drive stalled at the Skins' twenty-nine, but Joe Danelo's forty-six yard field goal cut the Washington lead to 15-3 after three quarters.

The Skins put the game away early in the final period. Riggins' twenty-five yard gain on a draw gave the Skins a first down at the New York thirty-three, and two plays later backup Clarence Harmon would get his time in the sun. Here's Pat Summerall:

"Second and nine. Clarence Harmon giving Riggins a rest in the backfield, with Monk split left and Brown to the right. Harmon...…..he's got a hole on the right side, and he's already loose! Twenty-five, twenty, fifteen, ten, and that's all she wrote! TOUCHDOWN REDSKINS...…...Thirty-two yards on the run, and there's the Diesel, the first to give Harmon a slap on the rear for a job well done."

John Madden: "You know, Pat, people think that John Riggins is the only decent back the Redskins have. That's not true; they have Joe Washington and they have this guy Clarence Harmon. The Giants are so tired from chasing Riggins that Harmon has it pretty easy once he gets past the line of scrimmage. He accelerates a little just to make sure right there, and everyone in this stadium's thinking Super Bowl right now."

Moseley added one last extra point, and we had our final score: Washington 22, New York 3.

Riggins was named MVP by CBS after gaining 128 yards on twenty-five carries. Theismann also performed well, completing thirteen of his twenty-two passes for 191 yards with an interception. Brown was his leading receiver with eighty-eight yards on five catches, while Monk caught four passes for fifty-seven yards. On defense, reserve defensive tackle Tony McGee sacked Brunner twice.

Speaking of Brunner, he was even worse than he was against the Lions, completing just eight of twenty-seven passes for sixty-nine yards. Woolfolk was both the Giants' leading rusher and their leading receiver, gaining thirty-six yards on twelve carries and catching three passes for thirty-five yards. The New York running game was held to fifty-nine yards on twenty-eight attempts, while the Skins gouged Big Blue's defense for 230 yards on forty-eight rushing attempts with a touchdown.

As we saw earlier in this thread, the Skins advanced to Super Bowl XVII, where the Jets defeated them 26-7.

Next: The Pats meet the Browns in the first 1987 AFC Divisional Playoff.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for the first 1987 AFC Divisional Playoff from Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. Game time temperature is 20 degrees, with cloudy skies and a west wind at 10 MPH. Wind chill at kickoff is four degrees above zero.

The Pats scored first after taking the opening kickoff. Steve Grogan completed passes of ten and sixteen yards to Stanley Morgan, and Mosi Tatupu gained eleven yards on a draw play. Tony Collins' thirteen-yard gain on the same play gave the Pats a first and goal at the Browns' three-yard line. A pass to Irving Fryar on first down lost four yards, but Grogan tried again on second down, and this time Fryar beat Browns cornerback Hanford Dixon and made the catch for the touchdown. Tony Franklin added the extra point, and the Pats led 7-0 with 7:39 to play in the opening quarter.

The Browns evened the score before the end of the period thanks to Gerald "The Ice Cube" NcNeil, who returned a Rich Camarillo punt all the way down to the New England twelve-yard line. Three plays later from the four, Bernie Kosar hit Earnest Byner circling out of the backfield for the touchdown. Jeff Jaeger added the extra point, and we were even at seven after one quarter. There was no scoring in the second quarter.

The Browns took a lead that they wouldn't relinquish with a third-quarter touchdown. Kosar completed a nineteen-yard pass to Webster Slaughter, and Byner cut a sweep back to the left and raced through the New England defense for a forty-eight yard gain and a first and goal at the Pats' seven-yard line. Kevin Mack broke two tackles on his way up the middle and into the end zone on the next play, and Jaeger added the extra point to give the Brownies a 14-7 lead after three quarters.

The Browns were on their way to a field goal when the third quarter expired. McNeil returned another punt into Pats' territory at the thirty-four, and after a holding call pushed the Browns back, Kosar got them out of trouble by hitting Slaughter over the middle for twenty-five yards and a first down. Mack's twelve-yard gain on a draw play was good for a first and goal at the seven, but the offense couldn't gain another yard. Fortunately, an encroachment call against the Pats on Jaeger's first field goal attempt moved the ball half the distance to the goal, which meant Jaeger could try again from just twenty yards out. The chip shot was good, and with 8:33 to play in regulation it was Cleveland 17, New England 7.

The Browns added another field goal after the Pats went three-and-out. Another fabulous McNeil punt return gave the Browns the ball at their own forty-four, and two plays later Byner roared through a gaping hole off left tackle for forty-four more yards and a first and goal at the Pats six. The Browns lost a yard over the next three plays, but Jaeger connected from twenty-four yards out to extend the Browns' lead to 20-7 with 4:33 left.

The Browns added one last touchdown after the Pats turned the ball over on downs at the Cleveland forty-six. Mack barged through a hole in the middle of the exhausted New England defense for forty-six yards and a first and goal at the Pats' eight, and on the next play Kosar delivered the clincher by hittling a wide-open Slaughter in the end zone. Jaeger added one last extra point, and we had our final score: Browns 27, Patriots 7.

Byner and Mack shared NBC's Player of the Game honors. Byner gained 140 yards on just eleven carries, while Mack carried twenty-one times for 126 yards and a touchdown. All told, the Browns totaled 288 rushing yards on forty-three attempts. Kosar didn't have to do much, but he did what he did well, completing eleven of nineteen for 124 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Slaughter led the receiving corps with four catches for sixty-seven yards and a touchdown.

The bright spot for the Pats was their defense, which sacked Kosar four times. On offense, Tony Collins led the ground game with sixty-three yards on thirteen carries. As for Grogan, to call hos day wretched would be charitable; he completed just six of his thirteen passes for seventy-three yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Morgan was the only New England receiver to catch more than one pass; he snagged three for thirty-six yards. To add to their woes, Camarillo had a terrible day punting, which led to eight McNeil punt returns for seventy-six yards.

As we saw earlier in this thread, the Browns moved on to the AFC Championship Game, where they defeated the Indianapolis Colts 38-21. The Colts had defeated the Denver Broncos 45-24 in the other AFC Divisional Playoff at Mile High Stadium. The NFC playoffs happened the same way as they did both in real life and in our full Pythagorean season, which meant that the Washington Redskins faced the Browns in Super Bowl XXII at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego on January 31. The Browns prevailed 24-13 to claim their first-ever Super Bowl championship.

That's all for this thread, folks. If you'd like more Pythagorean NFL action, check out my main thread, which is updated daily. Thanks for reading and commenting!
 
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I've decided to play the meaningless games in these two seasons, mostly to make things as realistic as possible. I'm going to start with 1987, since there's only one week of games and I can fit everything in one post. We begin in the AFC with the Jets taking on the Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium. The date is Sunday, September 27:

Steelers 14, Jets 10 (NBC: Sam Nover, Dave Casper)

The Steelers sent John Stallworth and Donnie Shell out winners by downing the Jets at Three Rivers. Walter Abercrombie ran for a thirty-one yard touchdown in the second quarter, and Earnest Jackson scored from a yard out with 2:26 left in the third quarter for the game-winning touchdown. Abercrombie finished with fifty-four yards on twelve carries, while Jackson added forty-eight yards on sixteen carries. Fullback Roger Vick scored the Jets' only touchdown from nine yards out late in the first quarter. Quarterback Kenny O'Brien was twenty-one of twenty-nine for 232 yards in losing cause; Al Toon led the Jets with six catches for sixty-seven yards. Meanwhile, the Steelers' Mark Malone was ten of eighteen for 157 yards and was intercepted twice; Stallworth caught three passes for thirty-seven yards in his final pro game, while Shell made a pair of solo tackles. The Steelers' defense held Freeman McNeil to forty-eight yards on fifteen carries. Weegie Thompson's single catch for fifty-one yards made him the Steelers' leading receiver.

PIT: 8-8
NYJ: 7-9

Bengals 27, Rams 24 (OT; NBC: Tom Hammond, Sam Rutigliano)

Jim Breech kicked a twenty-nine yard field goal at the 8:12 mark of overtime to give the visiting Bengals the victory. Boomer Esiason finished fifteen of twenty-one for 237 yards and three touchdown passes. One of them went to Cris Collinsworth, who led the Cincy receivers with eighty-six yards on just four catches. The other two went to fellow wideout Eddie Brown and James Brooks, who also gained forty-seven yards on fourteen carries. Larry Kinnebrew was the Bengals' leading rusher with forty-eight yards on eighteen carries. The Bengals had to survive one of the best days of Charles White's career, as he gained 122 yards on twenty-seven carries with two touchdowns and also caught four passes for 101 yards. Quarterback Jim Everett's twelve-yard touchdown pass to wideout Ron Brown keyed a ten-point fourth quarter comeback by the Rams, who tied the game at twenty-four with seven seconds to play on Mike Lansford's twenty-four yard field goal. Everett finished seventeen of twenty-eight for 229 yards and a touchdown.

CIN: 6-10
LA Rams: 6-10

Now to the NFC, beginning in San Francisco with the NFC West champion Niners hosting the Eagles:

49ers 30, Eagles 3 (CBS: Jim Lampley, Ken Stabler)

This one was over at the half, as the Niners scored all of their points in the first thirty minutes. Running back Roger Craig was the star of the game, carrying eighteen times for 105 yards and three touchdowns. Former replacement player Mike Varajon scored a fourth touchdown on the ground. Joe Montana threw sparingly but effectively, finishing eleven of fourteen for 105 yards. Future Hall of Famer Jerry Rice was his leading receiver with three catches for thirty-eight yards. On defense, reserve defensive end Jeff Stover sacked Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham twice. Cunningham completed just five of his sixteen passes on the day for just sixty-five yards and was intercepted twice. Running back Anthony Toney carried thirteen times for forty-four yards and also caught three passes for thirty-one yards, leading the visitors in both categories. On defense, future Hall of Famer Reggie White sacked Montana twice.

SF: 13-3
PHI: 6-10

Buccaneers 13, Packers 10 (CBS: James Brown, Dan Jiggetts)

Tampa took the latest round in the Battle of the Bays. Reserve running back Bobby Howard scored the Bucs' only touchdown, and Steve DeBerg completed seventeen of his twenty-three passes for 203 yards and an interception. Wideout Mark Carrier led the Tampa receivers with forty-eight yards on three catches, and running back Jeff Smith led the running game even though he gained just twenty-four yards on ten carries. Veteran James Wilder gained just thirteen yards on fifteen carries. For Green, quarterback Randy Wright finished fourteen of twenty-four for 179 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Wide receiver Walter Stanley caught three passes for forty-four yards, while running back Kenneth Davis carried fourteen times for forty-four yards and also caught Wright's touchdown pass. Fullback Jessie Clark led the Green Bay running game with sixty-six yards on eight carries.

With the win, the Bucs clinched third place in the NFC Central.

Fun Fact: It was ninety degrees at kickoff, which makes this the hottest football game I've ever simmed.

TB: 7-9
GB: 6-10

Saints 38, Falcons 7 (CBS: Jack Buck, Will McDonough)

The Saints tuned up for the playoffs by drubbing their archrivals. Running back Reuben Mayes gained 131 yards on twenty-five carries, and fellow running back Dalton Hilliard carried thirteen times for eighty-four yards and scored three touchdowns. Quarterback Bobby Hebert completed fourteen of his twenty-three passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Hilliard caught one touchdown, giving him a total of four on the day, and wide receiver Eric Martin caught the other. He ended his day with four catches for sixty-three yards. For the Falcons, Gerald Riggs gained sixty-seven yards on seventeen carries, but quarterback Scott Campbell could only complete nine of his twenty-five passes for ninety-two yards and a touchdown to wide receiver Stacy Bailey. He was also sacked four times. Fellow wideout Aubrey Matthews led the Atlanta receiving corps with forty-eight yards on three catches.

NO: 12-4
ATL: 2-14

Next: The final AFC standings for 1987.

Thoughts?
 
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Here are the final AFC standings for 1987:

East:

Colts: 11-5
Dolphins: 9-7
Patriots: 8-8
Jets: 7-9
Bills: 6-10

Central:

Browns: 11-5
Oilers: 8-8
Steelers: 8-8
Bengals: 6-10

The Oilers finish second because they hold the expected wins tiebreaker over the Steelers, 8.4 to 8.1.

The West standings remain unchanged.

Next: The final NFC standings for 1987.

Thoughts?
 
Here are the final 1987 NFC standings:

East:

Redskins: 11-5
Cowboys: 8-8
Cardinals: 7-9
Giants: 7-9
Eagles: 6-10

The Cardinals finish third because they hold the expected wins tiebreaker over the Giants, 7.4 to 6.5.

Central:

Bears: 11-5
Vikings: 9-7
Buccaneers: 7-9
Packers: 6-10
Lions: 5-11

West:

49ers: 13-3
Saints: 12-4
Rams: 6-10
Falcons: 2-14

Next: We start to finish 1982.

Thoughts?
 
We restart our 1982 campaign by looking at the two "canceled" games from Week 15. We begin at the Astrodome, where the Oilers are hosting the Broncos:

Broncos 23, Oilers 0 (NBC: Phil Stone, Gene Washington)

The hapless just keep becoming more so, as the Broncos ended their season by rolling over the Oilers at a half-empty (to be charitable) Astrodome. The Broncos as a team rushed for exactly 150 yards; Gerald Willhite led the individuals with eighty-five yards on twelve carries, and Dave Preston scored a short-yardage touchdown. Steve DeBerg was fourteen of twenty-three for 187 yards and a touchdown to Rick Upchurch, and Steve Watson caught four passes for seventy-nine yards. Earl Campbell managed fifty-six yards on sixteen carries for the home squad, but Archie Manning was as awful as ever, completing just seven of his twenty passes for ninety-five yards and two interceptions. Mike Renfro caught three of those passes for thirty-four yards to lead the Houston receivers.

Next up for the Oilers: a two-game road trip to Cleveland and Kansas City that mercifully finishes their season.

DEN: 5-11
HOU: 2-12

Now to Cleveland, where the Browns are entertaining the Colts:

Colts 21, Browns 17 (NBC: Marv Albert, Jim Turner)

Zach Dixon's twenty-five yard touchdown scamper with eighteen seconds to play capped off a surprisingly entertaining game at Municipal Stadium. Dixon finished with 120 yards on just eight carries, and the Colts as a team racked up 195 yards rushing. Mike Pagel continued his learning curve, completing thirteen of his twenty-two passes for 178 yards and a touchdown to tight end Tim Sherwin, who caught three passes for forty-five yards. Matt Bouza led the Colts' receivers with three caches for fifty-one yards.

The Browns wasted a superb performance from Brian Sipe, who finished twenty of twenty-six for 279 yards and a pair ot touchdowns to Ricky Feacher, including a forty-seven yard strike that gave the Browns a 17-14 lead with 1:39 remaining. Feacher caught four passes for seventy-seven yards, and Dave Logan caught four more for eighty-two to lead the Cleveland receivers. Ozzie Newsome added four more catches for seventy-four yards. Mike Pruitt led the ground attack with seventy-one yards on seventeen carries.

The Browns host the Oilers next week in a game that could decide third place in the AFC Central.

BAL: 3-13
CLE: 3-12

Next: The up-to-date AFC standings.

Thoughts?
 
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Here are your AFC standings to the moment:

East:

Jets: 12-4
Bills: 9-7
Dolphins: 9-7
Patriots: 5-11
Colts: 3-13

The Bills hold the expected wins tiebreaker for second place over the Dolphins, 9.4 to 8.5.

Central:

Steelers: 11-5
Bengals: 10-6
Browns; 3-12
Oilers: 2-12

West:

Raiders: 12-4
Chargers: 10-6
Seahawks: 9-7
Chiefs: 6-9
Broncos: 5-11

Next: To be determined.

Thoughts?
 
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