The Pythagorean NFL
- Thread starter Garrett Garlits
- Start date
Now it's time for Super Bowl XLIV from Dolphin Stadium in Miami. Game time temperature is 57 degrees, with fair skies and a north wind at 3 MPH.
The Pack scored first after taking the opening kickoff. A holding call on the return forced them to start at their own five-yard line, but Ryan Grant got them out of trouble in a hurry when he found a hole off left tackle and scampered through it for a forty-one yard gain. Later in the drive, he gained thirteen more on a draw play for another first down. A thirteen-yard completion from Aaron Rodgers to Donald Driver gave the Pack a first down at the New England thirteen, but they didn't get another first down, and in fact lost a touchdown when replay determined that Jermichael Finley lost control of a Rodgers pass as he hit the ground. The drive stalled at the New England five, but Mason Crosby's twenty-two yard chip shot gave the Pack a 3-0 lead with 8:35 left in the opening quarter.
"Even though it only netted a field goal, that was a tremendous opening drive by the Packers." said CBS's Phil Simms. "To start at your own five-yard line and drive the length of the field is always an accomplishment. If this keeps up, they'll wear out the New England defense in a hurry."
The Pack added another field goal on their next possession. Jordy Nelson's punt return set up the offense at its own forty-eight, but Rodgers was sacked by reserve linebacker Derrick Burgess for a six-yard loss on first down. But on third and twelve from the Green Bay forty-six, Rodgers got more time to throw, and found Greg Jennings down the middle for twenty-four yards and a first down at the New England thirty. A holding penalty ended their chance for a touchdown, but Crosby converted a forty-one yard attempt to make it a 6-0 Green Bay lead with 3:19 left in the opening period.
The Pack was right back in scoring territory as the quarter ended, thanks to a twenty-six yard Rodgers-to-Finley strike for a first down at the Pats' forty-six. The Pack faced a third and seven at the forty-three as the second quarter began, and A-Rod zipped a sideline pass to Driver, who was finally brought down at the sixteen after a gain of twenty-seven. Grant's eleven-yard burst off the right side gave the NFC champs a first and goal at the five, and on second and goal from the one Grant squirmed through a hole on the left side and into the end zone for the touchdown. Crosby added the extra point, and with 12:44 left in the first half it was 13-0 Green Bay.
The Pack began their next drive at their own thirty, and Grant immediately ripped off a seventeen-yard gain on a draw play. On the next play, he caught a twelve-yard screen pass for another first down. Rodgers also completed ten-yard passes to Finley and Jennings. The drive stalled at the ten, but Crosby's third field goal of the half from twenty-seven yards out gave the Pack a 16-0 lead with 5:47 left in the opening half.
The NFC champs added one more field goal before halftime. Nelson's punt return set up the offense at its own forty-two, and Rodgers completed passes of ten yards to Grant and sixteen yards to James Jones. The drive reached the Pats' twenty-five at one point, but Rodgers was sacked by linebacker Tully Banta-Cain for an eight-yard loss. An encroachment penalty gave the Pack five of those yards back, which meant that Crosby faced a forty-five yard attempt on the final play of the half. The kick was good, and our halftime score was Green Bay 19, New England 0.
In case you're wondering why we haven't looked at the Pats' offense yet, the answer is that there wasn't any. In five first half possessions, the Pats went three-and-out three times and turned the ball over on downs twice. They gained a total of three yards in the first half, with their biggest play being Wes Welker's four-yard gain on an end around. In fact, that was their biggest play of the half. As for Tom Brady, he finished the first half zero for eight. He thus became the first quarterback in either applicable universe to go an entire half of a Super Bowl without completing a pass.
"If one of these teams was going to dominate the other, you'd think it would have been the Patriots," said Simms at halftime. "But they've gotten whipped from one end of the field to the other, and the Packers don't look like they're going to let up any time soon. This could be a rout of epic proportions before we're finished."
The bloodletting continued on the first Green Bay possession of the second half. Anther fabulous Nelson punt return gave the Pack the ball at the New England twenty-four, and three plays later Ahman Green pounded up the middle and into the end zone for the touchdown from twelve yards out. Crosby added the extra point, and with less than twelve minutes left in the third period the Pack's lead was 26-0.
The Pats finally crossed into Green Bay territory the next time they had the ball. They had to start at their own seven following a holding call on the kickoff, but Lawrence Maroney got them out of the shadow of their own goalposts by taking a sweep around left end for a gain of twenty-seven, the Pats' biggest gain on offense so far today. Brady then went to work, hitting Welker for thirteen yards and tight end Benjamin Watson for twenty-three more and a first down at the Green Bay twenty-seven.
But the drive came to a crashing halt when Welker was leveled after making a catch and lost the ball. A.J. Hawk made the hit, and cornerback Al Harris made the recovery at the Pack's fourteen. Another sack by Banta-Cain pushed the ball back to the eight, but linebacker Gary Guyton bailed the Pack out when he back-suplexed Green on a tackle, which meant a fifteen-yard unnecessary roughness penalty and a first down at the twenty-eight. Grant picked up the next fourteen yards on a draw, and Rodgers found Jennings for twenty-one yards, then hooked up with Grant on a screen for nineteen. On first and goal from the ten, he hit a wide-open Driver in the end zone for the touchdown. Crosby added the extra point, and with 6:45 left in the third quarter the Pack led 33-0.
The NFC champs were back in scoring position as the third period came to a close. Rodgers found Driver over the middle for twenty-one yards, and Grant took a pitch around right end for fifteen more. On the very next play, he ran the famed Packer Sweep around left end for sixteen yards and a first and goal at the New England two. Rodgers' short toss to Jennings took care of the touchdown from there, and with Crosby's extra point the Pack led 40-0 forty-eight seconds into the final period.
"At this point I'd take Aaron Rodgers and most of the first-team offense out," said Simms. "They've proven their point, they've thoroughly beaten the Patriots, and anything more would be considered running up the score, at least in my view."
Packers coach Mike McCarthy disagreed; he sent his first-teamers out for one more scoring drive. Grant slashed his way off right tackle for sixteen yards, and Rodgers found Finley for gains of ten and twenty-six. He also completed a fourteen-yard screen pass to reserve running back Brandon Jackson. The touchdown came on third and seven from the thirteen, as Rodgers and Driver connected for their second touchdown of the day. Crosby added one last extra point, and the demolition was complete. Rodgers took the field one more time after a Pats punt, only to turn around and come off to a standing ovation. He was followed by Driver, Finley, and Grant, all of whom had played major roles in this historic blowout. The unbelievable final score: Packers 47, Patriots 0.
By the way, the Pats crossed midfield for the second and final time midway through the final quarter thanks to a thirty-two yard catch-and-run by Randy Moss. But nothing came of it, and they punted.
Rodgers took home his second Super Bowl MVP trophy in this timeline. He finished twenty-five of thirty-eight for 333 yards and three touchdowns. Two of them went to Driver, who led the receivers with five catches for eighty-five yards. Finley added five more catches for eighty-one yards, and Jennings caught six balls for sixty-eight yards and a touchdown. As for the ground game, Grant had an MVP-caliber day of his own, gaining 186 yards on twenty-two carries with a touchdown. He also caught three passes for forty-one yards. As a team, the Pack gained 242 rushing yards on thirty-seven attempts with two touchdowns. This means that they gained 580 yards of total offense for the day.
For the Pats, Brady recovered slightly from his historically bad first half; he ended his day eight of twenty-six for 115 yards. Moss was his leading receiver with two catches for forty-five yards. Welker caught two for twenty-six, Watson two for twenty-three, and running back Sammy Morris two for twenty-one. Maroney was the team's leading rusher with thirty-six yards on nine carries, but the Pats as a team managed only forty-eight yards on eighteen attempts. The defense had things slightly better; they sacked Rodgers three times, with Banta-Cain notching a pair.
This is the Pack's sixth Super Bowl, second only to the Steelers' seven, and their sixteenth overall world championship, which ties them with the Bears for the most all-time in the Pythagorean universe. When you add their victory in Super Bowl XLV the following year, this gives them three Super Bowls in four years.
We've now contested fifty Super Bowls in the Pythagorean universe, and the NFC's all-time lead is back up to two at 26-24.
Next: To be determined.
Thoughts?
The Pack scored first after taking the opening kickoff. A holding call on the return forced them to start at their own five-yard line, but Ryan Grant got them out of trouble in a hurry when he found a hole off left tackle and scampered through it for a forty-one yard gain. Later in the drive, he gained thirteen more on a draw play for another first down. A thirteen-yard completion from Aaron Rodgers to Donald Driver gave the Pack a first down at the New England thirteen, but they didn't get another first down, and in fact lost a touchdown when replay determined that Jermichael Finley lost control of a Rodgers pass as he hit the ground. The drive stalled at the New England five, but Mason Crosby's twenty-two yard chip shot gave the Pack a 3-0 lead with 8:35 left in the opening quarter.
"Even though it only netted a field goal, that was a tremendous opening drive by the Packers." said CBS's Phil Simms. "To start at your own five-yard line and drive the length of the field is always an accomplishment. If this keeps up, they'll wear out the New England defense in a hurry."
The Pack added another field goal on their next possession. Jordy Nelson's punt return set up the offense at its own forty-eight, but Rodgers was sacked by reserve linebacker Derrick Burgess for a six-yard loss on first down. But on third and twelve from the Green Bay forty-six, Rodgers got more time to throw, and found Greg Jennings down the middle for twenty-four yards and a first down at the New England thirty. A holding penalty ended their chance for a touchdown, but Crosby converted a forty-one yard attempt to make it a 6-0 Green Bay lead with 3:19 left in the opening period.
The Pack was right back in scoring territory as the quarter ended, thanks to a twenty-six yard Rodgers-to-Finley strike for a first down at the Pats' forty-six. The Pack faced a third and seven at the forty-three as the second quarter began, and A-Rod zipped a sideline pass to Driver, who was finally brought down at the sixteen after a gain of twenty-seven. Grant's eleven-yard burst off the right side gave the NFC champs a first and goal at the five, and on second and goal from the one Grant squirmed through a hole on the left side and into the end zone for the touchdown. Crosby added the extra point, and with 12:44 left in the first half it was 13-0 Green Bay.
The Pack began their next drive at their own thirty, and Grant immediately ripped off a seventeen-yard gain on a draw play. On the next play, he caught a twelve-yard screen pass for another first down. Rodgers also completed ten-yard passes to Finley and Jennings. The drive stalled at the ten, but Crosby's third field goal of the half from twenty-seven yards out gave the Pack a 16-0 lead with 5:47 left in the opening half.
The NFC champs added one more field goal before halftime. Nelson's punt return set up the offense at its own forty-two, and Rodgers completed passes of ten yards to Grant and sixteen yards to James Jones. The drive reached the Pats' twenty-five at one point, but Rodgers was sacked by linebacker Tully Banta-Cain for an eight-yard loss. An encroachment penalty gave the Pack five of those yards back, which meant that Crosby faced a forty-five yard attempt on the final play of the half. The kick was good, and our halftime score was Green Bay 19, New England 0.
In case you're wondering why we haven't looked at the Pats' offense yet, the answer is that there wasn't any. In five first half possessions, the Pats went three-and-out three times and turned the ball over on downs twice. They gained a total of three yards in the first half, with their biggest play being Wes Welker's four-yard gain on an end around. In fact, that was their biggest play of the half. As for Tom Brady, he finished the first half zero for eight. He thus became the first quarterback in either applicable universe to go an entire half of a Super Bowl without completing a pass.
"If one of these teams was going to dominate the other, you'd think it would have been the Patriots," said Simms at halftime. "But they've gotten whipped from one end of the field to the other, and the Packers don't look like they're going to let up any time soon. This could be a rout of epic proportions before we're finished."
The bloodletting continued on the first Green Bay possession of the second half. Anther fabulous Nelson punt return gave the Pack the ball at the New England twenty-four, and three plays later Ahman Green pounded up the middle and into the end zone for the touchdown from twelve yards out. Crosby added the extra point, and with less than twelve minutes left in the third period the Pack's lead was 26-0.
The Pats finally crossed into Green Bay territory the next time they had the ball. They had to start at their own seven following a holding call on the kickoff, but Lawrence Maroney got them out of the shadow of their own goalposts by taking a sweep around left end for a gain of twenty-seven, the Pats' biggest gain on offense so far today. Brady then went to work, hitting Welker for thirteen yards and tight end Benjamin Watson for twenty-three more and a first down at the Green Bay twenty-seven.
But the drive came to a crashing halt when Welker was leveled after making a catch and lost the ball. A.J. Hawk made the hit, and cornerback Al Harris made the recovery at the Pack's fourteen. Another sack by Banta-Cain pushed the ball back to the eight, but linebacker Gary Guyton bailed the Pack out when he back-suplexed Green on a tackle, which meant a fifteen-yard unnecessary roughness penalty and a first down at the twenty-eight. Grant picked up the next fourteen yards on a draw, and Rodgers found Jennings for twenty-one yards, then hooked up with Grant on a screen for nineteen. On first and goal from the ten, he hit a wide-open Driver in the end zone for the touchdown. Crosby added the extra point, and with 6:45 left in the third quarter the Pack led 33-0.
The NFC champs were back in scoring position as the third period came to a close. Rodgers found Driver over the middle for twenty-one yards, and Grant took a pitch around right end for fifteen more. On the very next play, he ran the famed Packer Sweep around left end for sixteen yards and a first and goal at the New England two. Rodgers' short toss to Jennings took care of the touchdown from there, and with Crosby's extra point the Pack led 40-0 forty-eight seconds into the final period.
"At this point I'd take Aaron Rodgers and most of the first-team offense out," said Simms. "They've proven their point, they've thoroughly beaten the Patriots, and anything more would be considered running up the score, at least in my view."
Packers coach Mike McCarthy disagreed; he sent his first-teamers out for one more scoring drive. Grant slashed his way off right tackle for sixteen yards, and Rodgers found Finley for gains of ten and twenty-six. He also completed a fourteen-yard screen pass to reserve running back Brandon Jackson. The touchdown came on third and seven from the thirteen, as Rodgers and Driver connected for their second touchdown of the day. Crosby added one last extra point, and the demolition was complete. Rodgers took the field one more time after a Pats punt, only to turn around and come off to a standing ovation. He was followed by Driver, Finley, and Grant, all of whom had played major roles in this historic blowout. The unbelievable final score: Packers 47, Patriots 0.
By the way, the Pats crossed midfield for the second and final time midway through the final quarter thanks to a thirty-two yard catch-and-run by Randy Moss. But nothing came of it, and they punted.
Rodgers took home his second Super Bowl MVP trophy in this timeline. He finished twenty-five of thirty-eight for 333 yards and three touchdowns. Two of them went to Driver, who led the receivers with five catches for eighty-five yards. Finley added five more catches for eighty-one yards, and Jennings caught six balls for sixty-eight yards and a touchdown. As for the ground game, Grant had an MVP-caliber day of his own, gaining 186 yards on twenty-two carries with a touchdown. He also caught three passes for forty-one yards. As a team, the Pack gained 242 rushing yards on thirty-seven attempts with two touchdowns. This means that they gained 580 yards of total offense for the day.
For the Pats, Brady recovered slightly from his historically bad first half; he ended his day eight of twenty-six for 115 yards. Moss was his leading receiver with two catches for forty-five yards. Welker caught two for twenty-six, Watson two for twenty-three, and running back Sammy Morris two for twenty-one. Maroney was the team's leading rusher with thirty-six yards on nine carries, but the Pats as a team managed only forty-eight yards on eighteen attempts. The defense had things slightly better; they sacked Rodgers three times, with Banta-Cain notching a pair.
This is the Pack's sixth Super Bowl, second only to the Steelers' seven, and their sixteenth overall world championship, which ties them with the Bears for the most all-time in the Pythagorean universe. When you add their victory in Super Bowl XLV the following year, this gives them three Super Bowls in four years.
We've now contested fifty Super Bowls in the Pythagorean universe, and the NFC's all-time lead is back up to two at 26-24.
Next: To be determined.
Thoughts?
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Now it's time for Super Bowl XLVI from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis:
The Steelers scored first after Antonio Brown returned the opening kickoff all the way to the Saints' fourteen-yard line. Rashard Mendenhall gained ten yards up the middle on the first play from scrimmage, but the New Orleans defense tightened, pushing the Pittsburgh offense back three yards in the next three plays. This left Shaun Suisham with a twenty-four yard field goal attempt, which he converted to give the Steelers a 3-0 lead with 13:01 to play in the opening period.
"That's a win for the Saints," said NBC's Cris Collinsworth. "After Antonio Brown's kickoff return put the Steelers in such good scoring position, to hold them to three points should provide the Saints with a big lift. We'll see if it does."
It did indeed, as the Saints scored the game's first touchdown on the ensuing possession. Drew Brees found wideout Lance Moore for fifteen yards, fellow wideout Marques Colston for sixteen more, and Darren Sproles on a screen for twenty-three and a first and goal at the Pittsburgh six-inch line. Sproles squirmed into the end zone on the next play, and John Kasay added the extra point to put the Saints up 7-3 with 10:07 left in the first quarter.
The offensive back-and-forth continued, as the Steelers scored on their second possession. They used the draw play to devastating effect; running back Jonathan Dwyer picked up ten yards and a first down, fellow back Isaac Reman exploited a similar hole up the middle for fourteen yards, and soon after it was Rashard Mendenhall's turn for nineteen. Ben Roethlisberger mixed in an eleven-yard pass to Mike Wallace, and soon the Steelers had a first down at the Saints' twelve. On third and eight from the ten it was Mendenhall up the middle once more and into the end zone for the touchdown. Suisham added the extra point, and it was 10-7 Pittsburgh with 4:24 left in the first quarter.
It was the Saints' turn to score next, and their drive straddled the first and second quarters. Brees found Moore for twelve yards, Colston for fifteen, and wideout Robert Meachem over the middle for twenty-two yards and a first down at the Steelers' twenty-two. They got as far as the seventeen, but on third and five Brees' pass to Colston resulted in a two-yard loss. This left Kasay with a thirty-six yard attempt, which he converted to even things up at ten with 10:43 left in the first half.
The Steelers were next. Heath Miller contributed an eleven-yard catch-and run for a first down, and Ben connected with AB for twenty-four yards and a first down at the New Orleans twenty-eight, Then it was back to the run, as Redman galloped up the middle for twenty-one yards and a first and goal at the seven. Mendenhall found a similar hole up the middle and raced through it and into the end zone on the next play, and Suisham added the extra point. With 5:05 left until halftime, it was Steelers 17, Saints 10.
After five consecutive scoring drives between the two teams, the Saints became the first one to go three-and-out. When the Steelers got the ball back, the first thing they did was attack the middle of the Saints' defense with Redman, who gained eleven yards. Then came the biggest play of the half so far, as Wallace took the handoff on a reverse and streaked downfield for a forty-yard gain and a first down at the Saints' fifteen. Ben overthrew a wide-open Miller in the end zone on first down, and his second down pass to AB gained only four yards. His third down pass was spiked right back in his face by middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma. This left Suisham with a twenty-eight yard attempt. The kick was right down the middle, and the Steelers led 20-10 with thirty seconds left until halftime.
Everyone at Lucas Oil Stadium and all of those watching around the world expected Saints coach Sean Payton to kill the clock and go in at halftime trailing by ten. But with all three of his timeouts left, he instructed Brees to try and get his team into field goal range. This proved to be a huge mistake, as on first down Moore was popped by Ryan Clark as soon as he caught Brees' pass. The ball came loose, and it was immediately scooped up by cornerback William Gay at the New Orleans twenty-seven. There were only nine seconds left in the half by now, which figured to be time enough for one pass into the end zone and a Suisham field goal attempt. Here's what happened instead, as called by Al Michaels:
"First down at the twenty-seven. Mendenhall in the backfield, and they may use him to get a little closer for Suisham, since they have a time out left. That's what they do, but there's a huge hole up the middle, and THERE GOES MENDENHALL THROUGH IT! NO ONE'S NEAR HIM, AND HE'S INTO THE END ZONE FOR THE TOUCHDOWN!...….I'll ask you, Cris: Was that good blocking by the Steelers, or did the Saints' defense quit on the play?"
Collinsworth: "It wasn't that they quit, Al. Time was running out in the half, and I think they thought he'd go down to preserve Suisham's field goal attempt. There you see Jonathan Vilma trying to run Mendenhall down when he realizes that Rashard is still on his feet, but it's too late. For all of you youngsters out there, this is what happens when you take a play off or think that you don't need to give maximum effort. If it can cost the best players in the world, it can certainly cost you."
Suisham added the extra point, and the AFC champs had a 27-10 halftime lead.
Most of the halftime conversation centered around Payton's decision to try to get into field goal range at the end of the half. NBC's Tony Dungy summed up the consensus: "Sean Payton fell too much in love with the quick-strike capability of his offense. A ten-point deficit at the half isn't a bad thing, especially since you've proven that you can match the Steelers score for score. But now, instead of ten, you're trailing by seventeen, and that's a tall order even for Drew Brees to overcome."
"Especially if they can't stop the Pittsburgh running game," Rodney Harrison chimed in. "Mendenhall and Redman are good backs, but they're not the second coming of Gale Sayers and Jim Brown. There's no reason why they should be running all over the Saints' defense the way they are. The Saints need to clean that up in the second half, or the Steelers are gonna blow their butts right out of this stadium."
Unfortunately for the Saints, they left their offense in the locker room, as they went three-and-out to start the second half. AB returned the ensuing punt inside Saints' territory to the forty-eight, and it was right back to the draw, as Mendenhall zipped up the middle for ten yards and a first down. ben connected with Miller for fourteen more yards and a first down at the twenty-four, and although the offense didn't gain any more yards, Suisham was good from forty-one yards out to extend the Pittsburgh lead to 30-10 with just over twelve minutes left in the third period.
After another Saints three-and-out, the Steelers padded their lead even further. AB returned the punt to the Pittsburgh forty-one, and Ben hit Wallace for ten yards, Hines Ward for twelve, and Mendenhall on a screen for twenty and a first and goal at the New Orleans five. From there, it was Ben to Emmanuel Sanders in the end zone for the touchdown. Suisham added the extra point, and with 6:45 left in the third period the Steelers led 37-10.
The Steelers' final touchdown drive of the day extended into the fourth quarter. Ben connected with Sanders for sixteen yards, Wallace for sixteen more, and Wallace for twenty-one. The Saints also gave the Steelers two first downs via penalty; one came on a defensive holding call, while the other came on an illegal contact call that wiped out a third-down sack. The Saints had already turned the ball over to start the drive, as Meachem had bobbled, and eventually fumbled, a Brees pass, which was recovered by Troy Polamalu at the Steelers' twenty-three. The touchdown came from four yards out, as a wide-open Miller caught Ben's second and final touchdown pass of the day. Suisham added the extra point, and with less than twelve minutes left in regulation the Steelers led 44-10.
The Steelers put the capper on their day with one last field goal drive directed by backup quarterback and Pittsburgh native Charlie Batch. Batch threw on his first two plays, finding Wallace for thirteen yards and AB for twenty-seven, then let the running game take it from there. The drive stalled at the New Orleans seventeen, but Suisham converted from thirty-four yards out to establish our final score: Steelers 47, Saints 10. The Steelers have now won eight Super Bowls, which is a record in either applicable universe.
Mendenhall took home the MVP trophy after gaining 119 yards on twenty carries and scoring three touchdowns. Redman added sixty-six yards on nine carries, and the Steelers as a team carried forty-five times for 258 yards and three touchdowns. Ben finished sixteen of twenty-six for 185 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Wallace led the receiving corps with seventy-one yards on five catches. AB added four catches for sixty-three yards.
For the Saints, Brees was fourteen of twenty-seven for 193 yards. Most of this came in the first half, as the Saints didn't cross midfield again once they tied the game at ten. Meacham lad the receivers with sixty-seven yards on two catches, and Sproles caught four passes for forty-five yards. Anemic may be too kind of a word to describe the running game, which managed only fifteen yards on fourteen attempts. Pierre Thomas led the individual rushers with just nine yards on six carries, and Sproles was held to three yards on five carries with a touchdown. The defense had a couple of bright spots; reserve linebacker Jonathan Casillas registered two of the team's three sacks, and strong safety Roman Harper recorded ten solo tackles and the other sack.
We've now played fifty-one Super Bowls in the Pythagorean universe, and the NFC's all-time lead is down to one at 26-25.
Next: To be determined.
Thoughts?
The Steelers scored first after Antonio Brown returned the opening kickoff all the way to the Saints' fourteen-yard line. Rashard Mendenhall gained ten yards up the middle on the first play from scrimmage, but the New Orleans defense tightened, pushing the Pittsburgh offense back three yards in the next three plays. This left Shaun Suisham with a twenty-four yard field goal attempt, which he converted to give the Steelers a 3-0 lead with 13:01 to play in the opening period.
"That's a win for the Saints," said NBC's Cris Collinsworth. "After Antonio Brown's kickoff return put the Steelers in such good scoring position, to hold them to three points should provide the Saints with a big lift. We'll see if it does."
It did indeed, as the Saints scored the game's first touchdown on the ensuing possession. Drew Brees found wideout Lance Moore for fifteen yards, fellow wideout Marques Colston for sixteen more, and Darren Sproles on a screen for twenty-three and a first and goal at the Pittsburgh six-inch line. Sproles squirmed into the end zone on the next play, and John Kasay added the extra point to put the Saints up 7-3 with 10:07 left in the first quarter.
The offensive back-and-forth continued, as the Steelers scored on their second possession. They used the draw play to devastating effect; running back Jonathan Dwyer picked up ten yards and a first down, fellow back Isaac Reman exploited a similar hole up the middle for fourteen yards, and soon after it was Rashard Mendenhall's turn for nineteen. Ben Roethlisberger mixed in an eleven-yard pass to Mike Wallace, and soon the Steelers had a first down at the Saints' twelve. On third and eight from the ten it was Mendenhall up the middle once more and into the end zone for the touchdown. Suisham added the extra point, and it was 10-7 Pittsburgh with 4:24 left in the first quarter.
It was the Saints' turn to score next, and their drive straddled the first and second quarters. Brees found Moore for twelve yards, Colston for fifteen, and wideout Robert Meachem over the middle for twenty-two yards and a first down at the Steelers' twenty-two. They got as far as the seventeen, but on third and five Brees' pass to Colston resulted in a two-yard loss. This left Kasay with a thirty-six yard attempt, which he converted to even things up at ten with 10:43 left in the first half.
The Steelers were next. Heath Miller contributed an eleven-yard catch-and run for a first down, and Ben connected with AB for twenty-four yards and a first down at the New Orleans twenty-eight, Then it was back to the run, as Redman galloped up the middle for twenty-one yards and a first and goal at the seven. Mendenhall found a similar hole up the middle and raced through it and into the end zone on the next play, and Suisham added the extra point. With 5:05 left until halftime, it was Steelers 17, Saints 10.
After five consecutive scoring drives between the two teams, the Saints became the first one to go three-and-out. When the Steelers got the ball back, the first thing they did was attack the middle of the Saints' defense with Redman, who gained eleven yards. Then came the biggest play of the half so far, as Wallace took the handoff on a reverse and streaked downfield for a forty-yard gain and a first down at the Saints' fifteen. Ben overthrew a wide-open Miller in the end zone on first down, and his second down pass to AB gained only four yards. His third down pass was spiked right back in his face by middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma. This left Suisham with a twenty-eight yard attempt. The kick was right down the middle, and the Steelers led 20-10 with thirty seconds left until halftime.
Everyone at Lucas Oil Stadium and all of those watching around the world expected Saints coach Sean Payton to kill the clock and go in at halftime trailing by ten. But with all three of his timeouts left, he instructed Brees to try and get his team into field goal range. This proved to be a huge mistake, as on first down Moore was popped by Ryan Clark as soon as he caught Brees' pass. The ball came loose, and it was immediately scooped up by cornerback William Gay at the New Orleans twenty-seven. There were only nine seconds left in the half by now, which figured to be time enough for one pass into the end zone and a Suisham field goal attempt. Here's what happened instead, as called by Al Michaels:
"First down at the twenty-seven. Mendenhall in the backfield, and they may use him to get a little closer for Suisham, since they have a time out left. That's what they do, but there's a huge hole up the middle, and THERE GOES MENDENHALL THROUGH IT! NO ONE'S NEAR HIM, AND HE'S INTO THE END ZONE FOR THE TOUCHDOWN!...….I'll ask you, Cris: Was that good blocking by the Steelers, or did the Saints' defense quit on the play?"
Collinsworth: "It wasn't that they quit, Al. Time was running out in the half, and I think they thought he'd go down to preserve Suisham's field goal attempt. There you see Jonathan Vilma trying to run Mendenhall down when he realizes that Rashard is still on his feet, but it's too late. For all of you youngsters out there, this is what happens when you take a play off or think that you don't need to give maximum effort. If it can cost the best players in the world, it can certainly cost you."
Suisham added the extra point, and the AFC champs had a 27-10 halftime lead.
Most of the halftime conversation centered around Payton's decision to try to get into field goal range at the end of the half. NBC's Tony Dungy summed up the consensus: "Sean Payton fell too much in love with the quick-strike capability of his offense. A ten-point deficit at the half isn't a bad thing, especially since you've proven that you can match the Steelers score for score. But now, instead of ten, you're trailing by seventeen, and that's a tall order even for Drew Brees to overcome."
"Especially if they can't stop the Pittsburgh running game," Rodney Harrison chimed in. "Mendenhall and Redman are good backs, but they're not the second coming of Gale Sayers and Jim Brown. There's no reason why they should be running all over the Saints' defense the way they are. The Saints need to clean that up in the second half, or the Steelers are gonna blow their butts right out of this stadium."
Unfortunately for the Saints, they left their offense in the locker room, as they went three-and-out to start the second half. AB returned the ensuing punt inside Saints' territory to the forty-eight, and it was right back to the draw, as Mendenhall zipped up the middle for ten yards and a first down. ben connected with Miller for fourteen more yards and a first down at the twenty-four, and although the offense didn't gain any more yards, Suisham was good from forty-one yards out to extend the Pittsburgh lead to 30-10 with just over twelve minutes left in the third period.
After another Saints three-and-out, the Steelers padded their lead even further. AB returned the punt to the Pittsburgh forty-one, and Ben hit Wallace for ten yards, Hines Ward for twelve, and Mendenhall on a screen for twenty and a first and goal at the New Orleans five. From there, it was Ben to Emmanuel Sanders in the end zone for the touchdown. Suisham added the extra point, and with 6:45 left in the third period the Steelers led 37-10.
The Steelers' final touchdown drive of the day extended into the fourth quarter. Ben connected with Sanders for sixteen yards, Wallace for sixteen more, and Wallace for twenty-one. The Saints also gave the Steelers two first downs via penalty; one came on a defensive holding call, while the other came on an illegal contact call that wiped out a third-down sack. The Saints had already turned the ball over to start the drive, as Meachem had bobbled, and eventually fumbled, a Brees pass, which was recovered by Troy Polamalu at the Steelers' twenty-three. The touchdown came from four yards out, as a wide-open Miller caught Ben's second and final touchdown pass of the day. Suisham added the extra point, and with less than twelve minutes left in regulation the Steelers led 44-10.
The Steelers put the capper on their day with one last field goal drive directed by backup quarterback and Pittsburgh native Charlie Batch. Batch threw on his first two plays, finding Wallace for thirteen yards and AB for twenty-seven, then let the running game take it from there. The drive stalled at the New Orleans seventeen, but Suisham converted from thirty-four yards out to establish our final score: Steelers 47, Saints 10. The Steelers have now won eight Super Bowls, which is a record in either applicable universe.
Mendenhall took home the MVP trophy after gaining 119 yards on twenty carries and scoring three touchdowns. Redman added sixty-six yards on nine carries, and the Steelers as a team carried forty-five times for 258 yards and three touchdowns. Ben finished sixteen of twenty-six for 185 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Wallace led the receiving corps with seventy-one yards on five catches. AB added four catches for sixty-three yards.
For the Saints, Brees was fourteen of twenty-seven for 193 yards. Most of this came in the first half, as the Saints didn't cross midfield again once they tied the game at ten. Meacham lad the receivers with sixty-seven yards on two catches, and Sproles caught four passes for forty-five yards. Anemic may be too kind of a word to describe the running game, which managed only fifteen yards on fourteen attempts. Pierre Thomas led the individual rushers with just nine yards on six carries, and Sproles was held to three yards on five carries with a touchdown. The defense had a couple of bright spots; reserve linebacker Jonathan Casillas registered two of the team's three sacks, and strong safety Roman Harper recorded ten solo tackles and the other sack.
We've now played fifty-one Super Bowls in the Pythagorean universe, and the NFC's all-time lead is down to one at 26-25.
Next: To be determined.
Thoughts?
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Now it's time for Super Bowl 50 from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Game time temperature is 59 degrees, with fair skies and an east wind at 3 MPH.
The Steelers scored first after taking the opening kickoff. On the first play of the game, former Panther DeAngelo Williams welcomed his former teammates to the Super Bowl by gaining sixteen yards up the middle. Later in the drive, LeVeon Bell found a hole off right tackle and bucked his way through it for twelve yards and another first down. The drive got as far as the Carolina twenty-six, but Bell was tackled for a two-yard loss on second down and couldn't reach high enough for Ben Roethlisberger's pass on third down. That left Chris Boswell with a forty-five yard field goal attempt, which he snuck just inside the right upright to give the Black and Gold a 3-0 lead with 9:18 left in the opening quarter.
The Panthers crossed midfield on their second possession thanks to reserve running back Fozzy Whittaker's seventeen-yard bolt up the middle, but ended up punting from the Pittsburgh forty-eight. They got the ball back quickly, however, as Ben's pass intended for Antonio Brown was picked off by Charles "Peanut" Tillman, who returned the ball to the Pittsburgh thirty-one, Cam Newton's twenty-five yard strike to tight end Greg Olsen gave the Cats a first and goal at the six, and after a running play was stopped for no gain on first down, Cam found wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. in the end zone for the touchdown. Kicker Graham Gano added the extra point, and with 2:39 left in the first quarter the NFC champs led 7-3.
"That was a textbook example of how turnovers change momentum," said CBS's Phil Simms. "Tillman's interception woke up everybody on the bench, and the Panthers drove right down and scored. Now let's see if they can keep it going when they're back on defense."
The Steelers' Dri Archer returned the ensuing kickoff to his own thirty-six, and Ben had his offense across midfield by the time the first quarter ended. He went to work on the Panthers' secondary once the second quarter began, completing passes of eleven yards to Martavis Bryant and fourteen yards to fellow wideout Sammie Coates. A screen pass to Bell gained ten yards and gave the Steelers a first and goal at the Carolina nine. Bell only gained a yard on first down, but on second down backup Fitzgerald Toussiant spelled him and picked his way up the middle and into the end zone for the touchdown. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin then surprised a worldwide audience by deciding to go for two. Bell took the direct snap and walked into the end zone for the conversion, and with 9:37 left in the first half the Steelers had an 11-7 lead.
Simms: "It was a strange call to say the least, but if it works you can't fault a coach for doing it. Now the Panthers need a touchdown to take the lead, which is why Tomlin did it in the first place."
The Panthers answered with a scoring drive that took over seven minutes off the clock. Newton connected with Olsen for ten yards, reserve running back Cameron Artis-Payne for nineteen on a screen, and wide receiver Corey Brown for twenty-five, which gave the Cats a first down at the Pittsburgh nineteen. A pass to running back Jonathan Stewart went in the books as a six-yard gain, even though most of the gain came after Stewart fumbled and Newton beat two Steeler defenders to the loose ball. Cam's second down scramble lost a yard, and his third down pass was batted down by defensive end Cam Heyward. The Panthers thus settled for Gano's thirty-one yard field goal and an 11-10 deficit with 2:16 left in the first half.
The Steelers answered that field goal with one of their own just before the half. Bell caught a screen pass for ten yards and a first down, and Ben connected with AB for fifteen yards and reserve wideout Markus Wheaton for twenty-seven more and a first down at the Panthers' nineteen. But Bell was stopped for no gain, Ben's second down throw into the end zone was broken up by free safety Kurt Coleman, and he couldn't hit Wheaton on third down. it was up to Boswell, who hit from thirty-six yards out to give the Steelers a 14-10 halftime lead.
At halftime, Ben was eleven of sixteen for 114 yards and an interception, while Cam was seven of nine for ninety yards and a touchdown after starting seven for seven. Neither running game had gotten untracked as yet, with Williams' sixteen-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage serving as the high-water mark for both teams. "Both teams played tight for the most part," said Simms. "Cam started hot, but he was mostly throwing short and medium. Ben really hasn't let it go downfield, but that may be because Antonio Brown's still not fully recovered from his concussion. LeVeon Bell's been tentative as well because of his knee. The team that lets itself open up and play freely on offense is the team that will win this game."
Neither team heeded Phil's advice; there was no further scoring until less than a minute remained in regulation time. Newton's eleven-yard pass to former Steelers receiver Jerricho Cotchery got the Panthers across midfield after they tby ook the second half kickoff, but they punted from the Pittsburgh forty-one. The Panthers breached midfield again as the third period wound down thanks to Whittaker's ten-yard burst off left tackle and a fourteen-yard gain on a draw by Stewart, but ended up punting once again.
The Steelers didn't cross midfield again until there were less than ten minutes to play. Ben and AB connected on three straight passes for sixteen, nineteen, and fifteen yards, but a sack by defensive end Jared Allen for a seven-yard loss on a key third down forced the Steelers to kick it away. They got the ball back with 3:26 left after a shanked Carolina punt gave them the ball at the Panthers' forty-five, but on second and eight from the twenty-eight Wheaton lost the ball while trying for a few extra yards following a reception, Strong safety Roman Harper recovered for the Panthers at their own ten as we hit the two-minute warning.
As we join Jim Nantz, the Panthers face a second and one at their own thirty-nine with 1:07 to play:
"Panthers in hurry-up mode. They need a touchdown, but so far they've only reached their own thirty-nine, and time's a-wastin'. Newton in the gun, takes the snap, they're coming after him......unloads it to Olsen for a first down at midfield, and he's still on his feet! Forty, thirty-five, thirty, gets a downfield block, and he's at the sideline! Twenty, fifteen, ten, five, stretches the ball...….HE'S IN FOR THE TOUCHDOWN! He lost his feet at about the three and had to stretch the ball across the goal line, but he made it, Phil."
Simms: "He sure did, Jim, but the tackling by the Steelers was poor to say the least. (Linebacker) Arthur Moats misses a tackle, then it's (safety) Mike Mitchell, and then a complete whiff downfield by (cornerback) William Gay. It was probably too late by then anyway, but the point is that you can't be that sloppy on defense in the last minute of a Super Bowl if you want to win. Now it's up to Roethlisberger to get them down the field for a possible tying field goal."
Gano's extra point gave Carolina a 17-14 lead with fifty-eight seconds remaining in regulation.
The Steelers got the field goal they were looking for. Williams bulled his way up the middle for nineteen yards, and Ben connected with AB for fifteen yards and backup receiver Darius Heyward-Bey for fourteen more. The Steelers had pushed all the way to the Panthers' fourteen with three seconds left, and Boswell hit from thirty-one yards out as the final gun sounded to tie the game at seventeen and send us to overtime.
The Panthers got the ball first in overtime, but could only return the kickoff to their own nine, and sacks by Gay and James Harrison forced them to punt from their own three. Archer's return set up the Steelers' offense at the Carolina forty-eight, but from there disaster struck:
Nantz: "The Steelers need only about fifteen yards to set up Boswell, maybe even a little less. They're going empty backfield. Four-man rush for Carolina......Ben scrambling, trying to find someone, gets rid of it......IT'S INTERCEPTED BY TILLMAN! His second of the game! He's over midfield, down to the forty-five, forty, and he's tackled by Bell at the thirty-eight! Now the Panthers need only about ten yards for Gano."
Simms: "Ben looked and looked, but couldn't find anybody, but instead of getting out of bounds, he tried to force it to Heath Miller, I think it was, only he wasn't there. Tillman steps into that spot and has the easy intrerception. This reminds me of Super Bowl XLII, Jim."
Nantz: "A.J. Hawk of the Packers with the overtime interception of Roethlisberger in that game, and it led to the game-winning field goal for Green Bay."
And so it would here. After a string of running plays netted a first down, Gano faced a forty-one yard attempt to win the game. We rejoin Jim after the Steelers took a time out to freeze Gano:
Nantz: "A second try for Gano from forty-one yards out. He made the first one, but Tomlin called time out. A little over eight and a half minutes left in the first overtime, and here we go. Snap is down, kick is up...…... AND GOOD! For the first time, the Lombardi Trophy is going to Carolina!"
Simms: "What a wonderful moment for the Carolina franchise, and especially the owner Jerry Richardson, who won two championships with the Colts in the fifties. As for the Steelers, as great as Ben Roethlisberger unquestionably is, he's just become the first quarterback in Super Bowl history to blow two games with costly interceptions in overtime. Being daring and a gunslinger is all well and good when it works, but when it costs your team not only games, but championships, you may have to rethink your approach in the future."
Our final in overtime: Panthers 20, Steelers 17.
Tillman was named Super Bowl MVP for picking Ben off twice, one of which led to the game-winning field goal. Harper led the defense with twelve solo tackles. As for the offense, Cam finished eleven of eighteen for 182 yards and two touchdowns. Olsen was his leading target with four catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. Stewart led the rushing attack with forty-nine yards on twenty carries.
For the Steelers, Ben was twenty of twenty-nine for 234 yards and two interceptions. AB led the receivers with eighty-seven yards on seven catches, and Wheaton added fifty-one yards on three catches. Williams was the Steelers' leading rusher with fifty-five yards on thirteen carries, while Bell was held to thirty-nine yards on seventeen carries. Lawrence Timmons led the defense with eleven solo tackles.
We've now contested fifty-two Super Bowls in the Pythagorean universe, and the all-time score is NFC 27, AFC 25.
Next: We begin our look at 2017.
Thoughts?
The Steelers scored first after taking the opening kickoff. On the first play of the game, former Panther DeAngelo Williams welcomed his former teammates to the Super Bowl by gaining sixteen yards up the middle. Later in the drive, LeVeon Bell found a hole off right tackle and bucked his way through it for twelve yards and another first down. The drive got as far as the Carolina twenty-six, but Bell was tackled for a two-yard loss on second down and couldn't reach high enough for Ben Roethlisberger's pass on third down. That left Chris Boswell with a forty-five yard field goal attempt, which he snuck just inside the right upright to give the Black and Gold a 3-0 lead with 9:18 left in the opening quarter.
The Panthers crossed midfield on their second possession thanks to reserve running back Fozzy Whittaker's seventeen-yard bolt up the middle, but ended up punting from the Pittsburgh forty-eight. They got the ball back quickly, however, as Ben's pass intended for Antonio Brown was picked off by Charles "Peanut" Tillman, who returned the ball to the Pittsburgh thirty-one, Cam Newton's twenty-five yard strike to tight end Greg Olsen gave the Cats a first and goal at the six, and after a running play was stopped for no gain on first down, Cam found wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. in the end zone for the touchdown. Kicker Graham Gano added the extra point, and with 2:39 left in the first quarter the NFC champs led 7-3.
"That was a textbook example of how turnovers change momentum," said CBS's Phil Simms. "Tillman's interception woke up everybody on the bench, and the Panthers drove right down and scored. Now let's see if they can keep it going when they're back on defense."
The Steelers' Dri Archer returned the ensuing kickoff to his own thirty-six, and Ben had his offense across midfield by the time the first quarter ended. He went to work on the Panthers' secondary once the second quarter began, completing passes of eleven yards to Martavis Bryant and fourteen yards to fellow wideout Sammie Coates. A screen pass to Bell gained ten yards and gave the Steelers a first and goal at the Carolina nine. Bell only gained a yard on first down, but on second down backup Fitzgerald Toussiant spelled him and picked his way up the middle and into the end zone for the touchdown. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin then surprised a worldwide audience by deciding to go for two. Bell took the direct snap and walked into the end zone for the conversion, and with 9:37 left in the first half the Steelers had an 11-7 lead.
Simms: "It was a strange call to say the least, but if it works you can't fault a coach for doing it. Now the Panthers need a touchdown to take the lead, which is why Tomlin did it in the first place."
The Panthers answered with a scoring drive that took over seven minutes off the clock. Newton connected with Olsen for ten yards, reserve running back Cameron Artis-Payne for nineteen on a screen, and wide receiver Corey Brown for twenty-five, which gave the Cats a first down at the Pittsburgh nineteen. A pass to running back Jonathan Stewart went in the books as a six-yard gain, even though most of the gain came after Stewart fumbled and Newton beat two Steeler defenders to the loose ball. Cam's second down scramble lost a yard, and his third down pass was batted down by defensive end Cam Heyward. The Panthers thus settled for Gano's thirty-one yard field goal and an 11-10 deficit with 2:16 left in the first half.
The Steelers answered that field goal with one of their own just before the half. Bell caught a screen pass for ten yards and a first down, and Ben connected with AB for fifteen yards and reserve wideout Markus Wheaton for twenty-seven more and a first down at the Panthers' nineteen. But Bell was stopped for no gain, Ben's second down throw into the end zone was broken up by free safety Kurt Coleman, and he couldn't hit Wheaton on third down. it was up to Boswell, who hit from thirty-six yards out to give the Steelers a 14-10 halftime lead.
At halftime, Ben was eleven of sixteen for 114 yards and an interception, while Cam was seven of nine for ninety yards and a touchdown after starting seven for seven. Neither running game had gotten untracked as yet, with Williams' sixteen-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage serving as the high-water mark for both teams. "Both teams played tight for the most part," said Simms. "Cam started hot, but he was mostly throwing short and medium. Ben really hasn't let it go downfield, but that may be because Antonio Brown's still not fully recovered from his concussion. LeVeon Bell's been tentative as well because of his knee. The team that lets itself open up and play freely on offense is the team that will win this game."
Neither team heeded Phil's advice; there was no further scoring until less than a minute remained in regulation time. Newton's eleven-yard pass to former Steelers receiver Jerricho Cotchery got the Panthers across midfield after they tby ook the second half kickoff, but they punted from the Pittsburgh forty-one. The Panthers breached midfield again as the third period wound down thanks to Whittaker's ten-yard burst off left tackle and a fourteen-yard gain on a draw by Stewart, but ended up punting once again.
The Steelers didn't cross midfield again until there were less than ten minutes to play. Ben and AB connected on three straight passes for sixteen, nineteen, and fifteen yards, but a sack by defensive end Jared Allen for a seven-yard loss on a key third down forced the Steelers to kick it away. They got the ball back with 3:26 left after a shanked Carolina punt gave them the ball at the Panthers' forty-five, but on second and eight from the twenty-eight Wheaton lost the ball while trying for a few extra yards following a reception, Strong safety Roman Harper recovered for the Panthers at their own ten as we hit the two-minute warning.
As we join Jim Nantz, the Panthers face a second and one at their own thirty-nine with 1:07 to play:
"Panthers in hurry-up mode. They need a touchdown, but so far they've only reached their own thirty-nine, and time's a-wastin'. Newton in the gun, takes the snap, they're coming after him......unloads it to Olsen for a first down at midfield, and he's still on his feet! Forty, thirty-five, thirty, gets a downfield block, and he's at the sideline! Twenty, fifteen, ten, five, stretches the ball...….HE'S IN FOR THE TOUCHDOWN! He lost his feet at about the three and had to stretch the ball across the goal line, but he made it, Phil."
Simms: "He sure did, Jim, but the tackling by the Steelers was poor to say the least. (Linebacker) Arthur Moats misses a tackle, then it's (safety) Mike Mitchell, and then a complete whiff downfield by (cornerback) William Gay. It was probably too late by then anyway, but the point is that you can't be that sloppy on defense in the last minute of a Super Bowl if you want to win. Now it's up to Roethlisberger to get them down the field for a possible tying field goal."
Gano's extra point gave Carolina a 17-14 lead with fifty-eight seconds remaining in regulation.
The Steelers got the field goal they were looking for. Williams bulled his way up the middle for nineteen yards, and Ben connected with AB for fifteen yards and backup receiver Darius Heyward-Bey for fourteen more. The Steelers had pushed all the way to the Panthers' fourteen with three seconds left, and Boswell hit from thirty-one yards out as the final gun sounded to tie the game at seventeen and send us to overtime.
The Panthers got the ball first in overtime, but could only return the kickoff to their own nine, and sacks by Gay and James Harrison forced them to punt from their own three. Archer's return set up the Steelers' offense at the Carolina forty-eight, but from there disaster struck:
Nantz: "The Steelers need only about fifteen yards to set up Boswell, maybe even a little less. They're going empty backfield. Four-man rush for Carolina......Ben scrambling, trying to find someone, gets rid of it......IT'S INTERCEPTED BY TILLMAN! His second of the game! He's over midfield, down to the forty-five, forty, and he's tackled by Bell at the thirty-eight! Now the Panthers need only about ten yards for Gano."
Simms: "Ben looked and looked, but couldn't find anybody, but instead of getting out of bounds, he tried to force it to Heath Miller, I think it was, only he wasn't there. Tillman steps into that spot and has the easy intrerception. This reminds me of Super Bowl XLII, Jim."
Nantz: "A.J. Hawk of the Packers with the overtime interception of Roethlisberger in that game, and it led to the game-winning field goal for Green Bay."
And so it would here. After a string of running plays netted a first down, Gano faced a forty-one yard attempt to win the game. We rejoin Jim after the Steelers took a time out to freeze Gano:
Nantz: "A second try for Gano from forty-one yards out. He made the first one, but Tomlin called time out. A little over eight and a half minutes left in the first overtime, and here we go. Snap is down, kick is up...…... AND GOOD! For the first time, the Lombardi Trophy is going to Carolina!"
Simms: "What a wonderful moment for the Carolina franchise, and especially the owner Jerry Richardson, who won two championships with the Colts in the fifties. As for the Steelers, as great as Ben Roethlisberger unquestionably is, he's just become the first quarterback in Super Bowl history to blow two games with costly interceptions in overtime. Being daring and a gunslinger is all well and good when it works, but when it costs your team not only games, but championships, you may have to rethink your approach in the future."
Our final in overtime: Panthers 20, Steelers 17.
Tillman was named Super Bowl MVP for picking Ben off twice, one of which led to the game-winning field goal. Harper led the defense with twelve solo tackles. As for the offense, Cam finished eleven of eighteen for 182 yards and two touchdowns. Olsen was his leading target with four catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. Stewart led the rushing attack with forty-nine yards on twenty carries.
For the Steelers, Ben was twenty of twenty-nine for 234 yards and two interceptions. AB led the receivers with eighty-seven yards on seven catches, and Wheaton added fifty-one yards on three catches. Williams was the Steelers' leading rusher with fifty-five yards on thirteen carries, while Bell was held to thirty-nine yards on seventeen carries. Lawrence Timmons led the defense with eleven solo tackles.
We've now contested fifty-two Super Bowls in the Pythagorean universe, and the all-time score is NFC 27, AFC 25.
Next: We begin our look at 2017.
Thoughts?
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Wow. I come back from vacation and see what, half a dozen Super Bowls? This is amazing.
I lose track of the dates with just the numbers of the Super Bowls, but wow, my friend Rick, who died of cancer in early 2017, gets some amazing stuff to celebrate whenever those 3 in 4 years were. (He first was diagnosed in '14). Maybe a list of Super B owls chronologically aat the end will help.
Of course I haven't done that for World Series in my "spoiled Peach TL but I may continue it soon, I haave an idea where I think it'd go with the Athletics.
Brett Favre can't even stand to retire if it's on top. Well, I can see how he'd feel his life would really be complete if he takes over a moribund franchise.
Is Big Ben seen as the ultimate QB gunslinger in this universe instead of Favre?
Nice to see defensive players getting more MVPs. I could never vote a kicker MVP unless it's something sever like that 6-field goaal game. That, I could see.
And the Patriots shut out - not the first (the first was that Twilight Zone-level 3-0 DOlphins with with Marino) but surely the most satisflying.
I know, someone will say "Stop calling me Shirley."
I lose track of the dates with just the numbers of the Super Bowls, but wow, my friend Rick, who died of cancer in early 2017, gets some amazing stuff to celebrate whenever those 3 in 4 years were. (He first was diagnosed in '14). Maybe a list of Super B owls chronologically aat the end will help.
Of course I haven't done that for World Series in my "spoiled Peach TL but I may continue it soon, I haave an idea where I think it'd go with the Athletics.
Brett Favre can't even stand to retire if it's on top. Well, I can see how he'd feel his life would really be complete if he takes over a moribund franchise.
Is Big Ben seen as the ultimate QB gunslinger in this universe instead of Favre?
Nice to see defensive players getting more MVPs. I could never vote a kicker MVP unless it's something sever like that 6-field goaal game. That, I could see.
And the Patriots shut out - not the first (the first was that Twilight Zone-level 3-0 DOlphins with with Marino) but surely the most satisflying.
I know, someone will say "Stop calling me Shirley."
Good idea about the list of champions. Of course, since I went out of order I'll have to dig through the thread to find a few.
I think it's possible that Favre's retirement may have stuck if he'd won the Super Bowl in his last game. That leads to an interesting question: Would the Packers have dumped Favre coming off of a Super Bowl win in the first place, assuming he still wanted to play? Maybe Rodgers is the one who eventually ends up in Minnesota instead.
The offensive stats generated by WhatIfSports are a bit off. I don't think I've simmed a four hundred- yard passing game yet, and I only have one more year to go. Sacks are also down, to the point where I've made a practice of slightly elevating the totals. What all of this means is that defensive players and kickers stand out more in this universe. (By the way, am I the only one who thinks that Adam Vinatieri should have at least one real-life Super Bowl MVP award?)
Ben wouldn't really have the gunslinger reputation to the extent that Favre did, but he had two of his worst gunslinger moments in overtime at the Super Bowl, and those are the types of mistakes that stay with you.
Brady is an interesting case; in this universe, he's a four-time Super Bowl MVP. but he's also had some shockingly awful games that I don't think the real Brady would have allowed himself to have. Overall, Brady, Rodgers, and Ben would be the top three quarterbacks in this universe presently, with guys like Cam Newton and Russell Wilson in the next tier. The guy who would take the biggest hit is Eli Manning; instead of a two-time Super Bowl champion and a Giants legend, he's a mediocre quarterback who's never even sniffed a Super Bowl, let alone won one. Both he and Tom Coughlin would most likely have been chased out of New York sometime in the late aughts.
I think it's possible that Favre's retirement may have stuck if he'd won the Super Bowl in his last game. That leads to an interesting question: Would the Packers have dumped Favre coming off of a Super Bowl win in the first place, assuming he still wanted to play? Maybe Rodgers is the one who eventually ends up in Minnesota instead.
The offensive stats generated by WhatIfSports are a bit off. I don't think I've simmed a four hundred- yard passing game yet, and I only have one more year to go. Sacks are also down, to the point where I've made a practice of slightly elevating the totals. What all of this means is that defensive players and kickers stand out more in this universe. (By the way, am I the only one who thinks that Adam Vinatieri should have at least one real-life Super Bowl MVP award?)
Ben wouldn't really have the gunslinger reputation to the extent that Favre did, but he had two of his worst gunslinger moments in overtime at the Super Bowl, and those are the types of mistakes that stay with you.
Brady is an interesting case; in this universe, he's a four-time Super Bowl MVP. but he's also had some shockingly awful games that I don't think the real Brady would have allowed himself to have. Overall, Brady, Rodgers, and Ben would be the top three quarterbacks in this universe presently, with guys like Cam Newton and Russell Wilson in the next tier. The guy who would take the biggest hit is Eli Manning; instead of a two-time Super Bowl champion and a Giants legend, he's a mediocre quarterback who's never even sniffed a Super Bowl, let alone won one. Both he and Tom Coughlin would most likely have been chased out of New York sometime in the late aughts.
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Now it's time to look at 2017. We'll start in the NFC for a change. Here's the East:
Philadelphia Eagles: 12-4 (-1)
Dallas Cowboys: 9-7 (0)
Washington Redskins: 7-9 (0)
New York Giants: 4-12 (+1)
The only movement here happens at the top, where the champion Eagles shed a game, and at the bottom, where the cellar-dwelling G-Men pick one up. There will be a new man in charge pf the Giants next season, as former Browns head coach Pat Shurmur takes over for the combination of Ben McAdoo and Steve Spagnuolo (who served as interim coach after McAdoo was fired).
Now, the North:
Minnesota Vikings: 12-4 (-1)
Detroit Lions: 9-7 (0)
Green Bay Packers: 6-10 (-1)
Chicago Bears: 6-10 (+1)
The Vikes' one-game slide means that their margin of victory over the motionless Lions is three. In other news, the Pack drops a game while the Bears add one to create a tie for third. This spells the end of John Fox in the Windy City; Matt Nagy will be the Bears' new boss come 2018.
We go to the expected wins tiebreaker to settle the tie for third, and the Pack prevails, 6.3 to 6.2.
Next, the South:
New Orleans Saints: 11-5 (0)
Carolina Panthers: 9-7 (-2)
Atlanta Falcons: 9-7 (-1)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 7-9 (+2)
The only team that stays put here is the champion Saints. Instead of tying for the division title, the Panthers' two-game drop means that they tie for second with the Falcons, who shed one. The last-place Bucs pick up a pair to make themselves look more respectable, but they still finish under .500.
We go to the expected wins tiebreaker to settle the tie for second, and it goes to the Falcons by a hair, 9.1 to 9.0.
Finally, the West:
Los Angeles Rams: 11-5 (0)
Seattle Seahawks: 9-7 (0)
Arizona Cardinals: 6-10 (-2)
San Francisco 49ers: 7-9 (+1)
The top two teams remain the same. The big story in this division is the Cards' two-game drop, which robs them of a .500 season. The Niners pick up a game in coach Kyle Shanahan's initial season, but still finish under .500 and in the cellar.
Seeds:
1. Eagles (NFC East champs): 12-4
2. Vikings (NFC North champs): 12-4
3. Rams (NFC West champs): 11-5
4. Saints (NFC South champs): 11-5
5. Falcons (NFC South second place; won five-way tiebreaker with Panthers, Seahawks, Lions, and Cowboys): 9-7
6. Panthers (NFC South third place; finished second in five-way tiebreaker): 9-7
The Eagles hold the expected wins tiebreaker for the one seed over the Vikings, 11.8 to 11.7.
The Rams hold the expected wins tiebreaker for the three seed over the Saints, 11.3 to 10.9.
There's a five-way tie for the two wild card spots among the Cowboys, Lions, Panthers, Falcons, and Seahawks. We turn to the expected wins tiebreaker to settle it, and we find that the five seed goes to the Falcons at 9.1, while the six seed goes to the Panthers at 9.0. The Seahawks finish third at 8.9, followed by the Lions at 8.8 and the Cowboys at 8.6.
Wild Card schedule (all times Eastern):
Saturday, January 6:
Falcons-Saints, 8:15, NBC- Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya (sideline reporter)
Sunday, January 7:
Panthers-Rams, 4:30, Fox- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews (sideline reporter), Chris Myers (sideline reporter)
Next: We look at the AFC.
Thoughts?
Philadelphia Eagles: 12-4 (-1)
Dallas Cowboys: 9-7 (0)
Washington Redskins: 7-9 (0)
New York Giants: 4-12 (+1)
The only movement here happens at the top, where the champion Eagles shed a game, and at the bottom, where the cellar-dwelling G-Men pick one up. There will be a new man in charge pf the Giants next season, as former Browns head coach Pat Shurmur takes over for the combination of Ben McAdoo and Steve Spagnuolo (who served as interim coach after McAdoo was fired).
Now, the North:
Minnesota Vikings: 12-4 (-1)
Detroit Lions: 9-7 (0)
Green Bay Packers: 6-10 (-1)
Chicago Bears: 6-10 (+1)
The Vikes' one-game slide means that their margin of victory over the motionless Lions is three. In other news, the Pack drops a game while the Bears add one to create a tie for third. This spells the end of John Fox in the Windy City; Matt Nagy will be the Bears' new boss come 2018.
We go to the expected wins tiebreaker to settle the tie for third, and the Pack prevails, 6.3 to 6.2.
Next, the South:
New Orleans Saints: 11-5 (0)
Carolina Panthers: 9-7 (-2)
Atlanta Falcons: 9-7 (-1)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 7-9 (+2)
The only team that stays put here is the champion Saints. Instead of tying for the division title, the Panthers' two-game drop means that they tie for second with the Falcons, who shed one. The last-place Bucs pick up a pair to make themselves look more respectable, but they still finish under .500.
We go to the expected wins tiebreaker to settle the tie for second, and it goes to the Falcons by a hair, 9.1 to 9.0.
Finally, the West:
Los Angeles Rams: 11-5 (0)
Seattle Seahawks: 9-7 (0)
Arizona Cardinals: 6-10 (-2)
San Francisco 49ers: 7-9 (+1)
The top two teams remain the same. The big story in this division is the Cards' two-game drop, which robs them of a .500 season. The Niners pick up a game in coach Kyle Shanahan's initial season, but still finish under .500 and in the cellar.
Seeds:
1. Eagles (NFC East champs): 12-4
2. Vikings (NFC North champs): 12-4
3. Rams (NFC West champs): 11-5
4. Saints (NFC South champs): 11-5
5. Falcons (NFC South second place; won five-way tiebreaker with Panthers, Seahawks, Lions, and Cowboys): 9-7
6. Panthers (NFC South third place; finished second in five-way tiebreaker): 9-7
The Eagles hold the expected wins tiebreaker for the one seed over the Vikings, 11.8 to 11.7.
The Rams hold the expected wins tiebreaker for the three seed over the Saints, 11.3 to 10.9.
There's a five-way tie for the two wild card spots among the Cowboys, Lions, Panthers, Falcons, and Seahawks. We turn to the expected wins tiebreaker to settle it, and we find that the five seed goes to the Falcons at 9.1, while the six seed goes to the Panthers at 9.0. The Seahawks finish third at 8.9, followed by the Lions at 8.8 and the Cowboys at 8.6.
Wild Card schedule (all times Eastern):
Saturday, January 6:
Falcons-Saints, 8:15, NBC- Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya (sideline reporter)
Sunday, January 7:
Panthers-Rams, 4:30, Fox- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews (sideline reporter), Chris Myers (sideline reporter)
Next: We look at the AFC.
Thoughts?
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Now let's look at the AFC. We begin in the East:
New England Patriots: 12-4 (-1)
Buffalo Bills: 6-10 (-3)
New York Jets: 6-10 (+1)
Miami Dolphins: 5-11 (-1)
The Pats drop a game, which means that they only win the division by six. The big change is in Buffalo, where the Bills fall off by three and go from an over-.500 team which made the playoffs in real life to a team that's tied for second with the lifeless Jets, who add a game. The Fins shed a game to fall into the basement by themselves.
We go to the expected wins tiebreaker to settle the tie for second, and it goes to the Bills, 6.4 to 5.7.
Next, the North:
Pittsburgh Steelers: 11-5 (-2)
Baltimore Ravens: 10-6 (+1)
Cincinnati Bengals: 6-10 (-1)
Cleveland Browns: 3-13 (+3)
The Steelers take a two-game drop, but still prevail by a game over the Ravens, who take a one-game bump. It's four back from there to the third-place Bengals, who shed a game. Finally, the Browns experience a three-game surge for the second year in a row; this one saves them from a winless season.
Now, the South:
Jacksonville Jaguars: 12-4 (+2)
Tennessee Titans: 7-9 (-2)
Houston Texans: 6-10 (+2)
Indianapolis Colts: 4-12 (0)
First, the last-place Colts stay where they are. Next, the Jags improve by a pair, which means that they run away from the second-place Titans by five games. Third, the Titans' two-game drop costs them their .500 season and will almost certainly cost them their real-life playoff berth. Last, the Texans manage to pick up a pair, but still finish in third place with double-digit losses.
Finally, the West:
Kansas City Chiefs: 10-6 (0)
Los Angeles Chargers: 10-6 (+1)
Oakland Raiders: 6-10 (0)
Denver Broncos: 5-11 (0)
The only movement in this division comes from the newly-relocated Bolts, who add a game and thus celebrate their return to Los Angeles by tying for the division title. The big news comes out of Oakland, where Jon Gruden will return as head coach in 2018, replacing the fired Jack Del Rio.
We go to the expected wins tiebreaker to determine the division champion, and the Chargers prevail, 10.4 to 9.9.
Seeds:
1. Patriots (AFC East champs): 12-4
2. Jaguars (AFC South champs): 12-4
3. Steelers (AFC North champs): 11-5
4. Chargers (AFC West champs): 10-6
5. Ravens (AFC North second place): 10-6
6. Chiefs (AFC West second place): 20-6
The Ravens hold the expected wins tiebreaker for the five seed over the Chiefs, 10.4 to 9.9.
The Patriots and Jaguars have tied for the top seed at 12-4. We turn to the expected wins tiebreaker, and we find that both teams finish with 11.8. The two teams didn't play in the regular season, so the head-to-head tiebreakers don't apply. Next we go to conference record, The Pats finished 10-2 in the AFC, while the Jags finished 9-3. Therefore, the Pats take the top seed and the Jags the two seed.
Wild Card Weekend schedule (all times Eastern):
Saturday, January 6:
Ravens-Chargers, 4:30, ESPN/ABC- Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters (sideline reporter)
Sunday, January 7:
Chiefs-Steelers, 1, CBS- Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson (sideline reporter), Jay Feely (kicking game analyst)
Note: WhatIfSports doesn't recognize the Chargers' home stadium, the StubHub Center in Carson, California. Therefore, they'll play their home playoff games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Since the Rams are also playing there on Wild Card Weekend, the NFL has ordered that each team play at 4:30 PM Eastern to give Coliseum personnel ample time to clean the facility and re-prepare the field between games. The Rams, who are the full-time occupants of the Coliseum at this moment, had their choice of which day they wanted to play, and they chose Sunday.
Next: To be determined.
Thoughts?
New England Patriots: 12-4 (-1)
Buffalo Bills: 6-10 (-3)
New York Jets: 6-10 (+1)
Miami Dolphins: 5-11 (-1)
The Pats drop a game, which means that they only win the division by six. The big change is in Buffalo, where the Bills fall off by three and go from an over-.500 team which made the playoffs in real life to a team that's tied for second with the lifeless Jets, who add a game. The Fins shed a game to fall into the basement by themselves.
We go to the expected wins tiebreaker to settle the tie for second, and it goes to the Bills, 6.4 to 5.7.
Next, the North:
Pittsburgh Steelers: 11-5 (-2)
Baltimore Ravens: 10-6 (+1)
Cincinnati Bengals: 6-10 (-1)
Cleveland Browns: 3-13 (+3)
The Steelers take a two-game drop, but still prevail by a game over the Ravens, who take a one-game bump. It's four back from there to the third-place Bengals, who shed a game. Finally, the Browns experience a three-game surge for the second year in a row; this one saves them from a winless season.
Now, the South:
Jacksonville Jaguars: 12-4 (+2)
Tennessee Titans: 7-9 (-2)
Houston Texans: 6-10 (+2)
Indianapolis Colts: 4-12 (0)
First, the last-place Colts stay where they are. Next, the Jags improve by a pair, which means that they run away from the second-place Titans by five games. Third, the Titans' two-game drop costs them their .500 season and will almost certainly cost them their real-life playoff berth. Last, the Texans manage to pick up a pair, but still finish in third place with double-digit losses.
Finally, the West:
Kansas City Chiefs: 10-6 (0)
Los Angeles Chargers: 10-6 (+1)
Oakland Raiders: 6-10 (0)
Denver Broncos: 5-11 (0)
The only movement in this division comes from the newly-relocated Bolts, who add a game and thus celebrate their return to Los Angeles by tying for the division title. The big news comes out of Oakland, where Jon Gruden will return as head coach in 2018, replacing the fired Jack Del Rio.
We go to the expected wins tiebreaker to determine the division champion, and the Chargers prevail, 10.4 to 9.9.
Seeds:
1. Patriots (AFC East champs): 12-4
2. Jaguars (AFC South champs): 12-4
3. Steelers (AFC North champs): 11-5
4. Chargers (AFC West champs): 10-6
5. Ravens (AFC North second place): 10-6
6. Chiefs (AFC West second place): 20-6
The Ravens hold the expected wins tiebreaker for the five seed over the Chiefs, 10.4 to 9.9.
The Patriots and Jaguars have tied for the top seed at 12-4. We turn to the expected wins tiebreaker, and we find that both teams finish with 11.8. The two teams didn't play in the regular season, so the head-to-head tiebreakers don't apply. Next we go to conference record, The Pats finished 10-2 in the AFC, while the Jags finished 9-3. Therefore, the Pats take the top seed and the Jags the two seed.
Wild Card Weekend schedule (all times Eastern):
Saturday, January 6:
Ravens-Chargers, 4:30, ESPN/ABC- Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters (sideline reporter)
Sunday, January 7:
Chiefs-Steelers, 1, CBS- Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson (sideline reporter), Jay Feely (kicking game analyst)
Note: WhatIfSports doesn't recognize the Chargers' home stadium, the StubHub Center in Carson, California. Therefore, they'll play their home playoff games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Since the Rams are also playing there on Wild Card Weekend, the NFL has ordered that each team play at 4:30 PM Eastern to give Coliseum personnel ample time to clean the facility and re-prepare the field between games. The Rams, who are the full-time occupants of the Coliseum at this moment, had their choice of which day they wanted to play, and they chose Sunday.
Next: To be determined.
Thoughts?
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Now it's time for the first 2017 AFC Wild Card Game from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Game time temperature is 59 degrees, with mostly cloudy skies and a west wind at 9 MPH.
The Ravens scored first after taking the opening kickoff. Running back Alex Collins took a sweep around left end for twenty-one yards, then gained thirty-one yards up the middle on the next play. The drive stalled at the Chargers' twenty-two, but Justin Tucker booted a thirty-nine yard field goal to give the Ravens a 3-0 lead with less then eleven minutes left in the opening period.
The Bolts answered with a field goal of their own. Melvin Gordon's forty-yard catch-and-run got them across midfield, and Phillip Rivers completed consecutive passes to Keenan Allen which gained ten and fifteen yards respectively. The drive reached the Baltimore twenty before stalling, and kicker Nick Rose connected from thirty-seven yards out to tie the game at three after one quarter.
The Chargers took the lead with another field goal just before the half. The key plays were Rivers' fifteen-yard pass to Tyrell Williams and a twenty-three yard gain around left end by reserve fullback Derek Ward. The drive stalled at the Ravens' thirty-five , and Rose was called on for a fifty-two yard attempt on the half's final play. The kick snuck just inside the left upright to give the home squad a 6-3 halftime lead.
The Bolts extended their lead with another field goal after taking the second half kickoff. Rivers found longtime favorite target Antonio Gates over the middle for seventeen yards and a first down, and reserve running back Austin Exeler made two big plays, catching a twelve-yard screen pass and gaining fifteen yards on a draw play to give the Chargers a first down at the Baltimore twenty-seven. The drive stalled at the twenty, but Rose converted his third field goal attempt of the day from thirty-seven yards out to make it 9-3 Bolts with 7:42 to play in the third quarter.
The next Ravens drive lasted just two plays, as Joe Flacco was intercepted by cornerback Casey Heyward, who returned the ball to the Baltimore thirty. Five plays later from the twenty-two, Rose converted his fourth field goal of the day from thirty-nine yards out to extend the Bolts lead to 12-3 with 4:47 left in the third period.
The Ravens' next drive lasted only two plays, as Danny Woodhead was stripped by linebacker Kyle Emanuel after he already had a first down. Free safety Tre Boston recovered at the LA forty-nine, and Rivers immediately connected with tight end Hunter Henry on a thirty-eight yard catch-and-run for a first down at the Ravens' thirteen. A holding penalty ended their chance at a touchdown, but Rose's forty-two yard field goal made it 15-3 Los Angeles after three quarters.
The Ravens were driving toward a touchdown when the third period ended. Chris Moore returned the ensuing kickoff to his own forty-four, and Flacco's sixteen-yard pass to Jeremy Maclin gave them a first down at the Chargers' thirty-seven. That's where we pick up Sean McDonough's call:
"Ravens finally on the move with less than twelve minutes remaining, Collins out of the game for the moment, he's replaced by Javorius Allen on first and ten from the Chargers' thirty-seven. He'll get the call on first down, and he goes right up the middle! Thirty, twenty-five, twenty, puts a move on, AND HE'S GONE! TOUCHDOWN BALTIMORE!...……..Just like that the visiting Ravens are back in the game, and Javorius Allen really looked like a beast on that run, Jon."
Jon Gruden: "Alex Collins has earned the right to be the starter in Baltimore, but this guy's more than a capable backup. Look at him hit the hole, and once he does he's able to outrun the secondary people to the end zone. He's nice and big, six feet tall and 218 pounds, and if Collins goes down he'll fit very well in this offense."
Tucker added the extra point, and less than a minute into the final period the Chargers' lead was down to 15-10.
The Ravens cut further into their deficit after forcing a turnover on the Chargers' next possession. Reserve cornerback Marlon Humphrey picked off Rivers' pass intended for and returned it to the Ravens' thirty-seven. Allen's twenty-yard dash up the middle got the Ravens across midfield, and the drive reached the Los Angeles eighteen before it stalled. Tucker was called on for a thirty-five yard attempt, which he converted to cut the Bolts' lead to 15-13 with less than eleven minutes left in regulation time.
The Ravens took the lead after forcing another turnover. Ekeler was popped by middle linebacker C.J. Moseley and lost the ball. Fellow linebacker Matt Judon dove on it and the LA twenty-two, but two incomplete passes and a third-down sack for a seven-yard loss by linebacker Chris McCain pushed the ball back to the twenty-nine, which left Tucker with a forty-six yard attempt. The kick was right down the middle, and the Ravens took a 16-15 lead with a little over eight minutes still remaining.
The Chargers scored what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown on the ensuing possession. Gordon gained thirteen and twelve yards respectively on consecutive draw plays, and Rivers found Williams over the middle for fourteen more yards and a first down at the Baltimore eleven. On the next play, reserve running back Branden Oliver streaked up the middle and into the end zone for the score. Rose added the extra point, and the Bolts led 22-16 with a little less than four minutes remaining. They stopped the Ravens' last drive just past midfield, then knelt out the clock to preserve their victory.
Gordon was named the final Gruden Grinder by the MNF crew, He led the Chargers' rushing game with sixty-eight yards on twenty-one carries and added fifty-six more yards on three receptions. Rivers finished sixteen of twenty-five for 218 yards and an interception. Henry led the receiving corps with fifty-eight yards on four catches.
The Ravens gouged the Chargers' defense for 247 yards on just thirty attempts. Collins was the leading individual rusher with 101 yards on just eleven carries, and Allen added sixty-seven yards on eight carries with a touchdown. Terrance West returned from a calf injury to carry seven times for fifty yards. Baltimore's biggest problem was that their passing game was nonexistent; Flacco only completed five of his sixteen passes for thirty-one yards with two interceptions despite only having average pressure put on him by the Bolts' defense; he was only sacked twice. Maclin caught three passes for seventeen yards, and Benjamin Watson caught the other two for fourteen.
The Chargers' next opponent will be determined by who wins tomorrow's second Wild Card Game between the Chiefs and the Steelers. If the Steelers win as expected, the Bolts travel to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots next Saturday night. If the Chiefs pull the upset, the Western champs will travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars at EverBank Field next Sunday.
Next: To be determined.
Thoughts?
The Ravens scored first after taking the opening kickoff. Running back Alex Collins took a sweep around left end for twenty-one yards, then gained thirty-one yards up the middle on the next play. The drive stalled at the Chargers' twenty-two, but Justin Tucker booted a thirty-nine yard field goal to give the Ravens a 3-0 lead with less then eleven minutes left in the opening period.
The Bolts answered with a field goal of their own. Melvin Gordon's forty-yard catch-and-run got them across midfield, and Phillip Rivers completed consecutive passes to Keenan Allen which gained ten and fifteen yards respectively. The drive reached the Baltimore twenty before stalling, and kicker Nick Rose connected from thirty-seven yards out to tie the game at three after one quarter.
The Chargers took the lead with another field goal just before the half. The key plays were Rivers' fifteen-yard pass to Tyrell Williams and a twenty-three yard gain around left end by reserve fullback Derek Ward. The drive stalled at the Ravens' thirty-five , and Rose was called on for a fifty-two yard attempt on the half's final play. The kick snuck just inside the left upright to give the home squad a 6-3 halftime lead.
The Bolts extended their lead with another field goal after taking the second half kickoff. Rivers found longtime favorite target Antonio Gates over the middle for seventeen yards and a first down, and reserve running back Austin Exeler made two big plays, catching a twelve-yard screen pass and gaining fifteen yards on a draw play to give the Chargers a first down at the Baltimore twenty-seven. The drive stalled at the twenty, but Rose converted his third field goal attempt of the day from thirty-seven yards out to make it 9-3 Bolts with 7:42 to play in the third quarter.
The next Ravens drive lasted just two plays, as Joe Flacco was intercepted by cornerback Casey Heyward, who returned the ball to the Baltimore thirty. Five plays later from the twenty-two, Rose converted his fourth field goal of the day from thirty-nine yards out to extend the Bolts lead to 12-3 with 4:47 left in the third period.
The Ravens' next drive lasted only two plays, as Danny Woodhead was stripped by linebacker Kyle Emanuel after he already had a first down. Free safety Tre Boston recovered at the LA forty-nine, and Rivers immediately connected with tight end Hunter Henry on a thirty-eight yard catch-and-run for a first down at the Ravens' thirteen. A holding penalty ended their chance at a touchdown, but Rose's forty-two yard field goal made it 15-3 Los Angeles after three quarters.
The Ravens were driving toward a touchdown when the third period ended. Chris Moore returned the ensuing kickoff to his own forty-four, and Flacco's sixteen-yard pass to Jeremy Maclin gave them a first down at the Chargers' thirty-seven. That's where we pick up Sean McDonough's call:
"Ravens finally on the move with less than twelve minutes remaining, Collins out of the game for the moment, he's replaced by Javorius Allen on first and ten from the Chargers' thirty-seven. He'll get the call on first down, and he goes right up the middle! Thirty, twenty-five, twenty, puts a move on, AND HE'S GONE! TOUCHDOWN BALTIMORE!...……..Just like that the visiting Ravens are back in the game, and Javorius Allen really looked like a beast on that run, Jon."
Jon Gruden: "Alex Collins has earned the right to be the starter in Baltimore, but this guy's more than a capable backup. Look at him hit the hole, and once he does he's able to outrun the secondary people to the end zone. He's nice and big, six feet tall and 218 pounds, and if Collins goes down he'll fit very well in this offense."
Tucker added the extra point, and less than a minute into the final period the Chargers' lead was down to 15-10.
The Ravens cut further into their deficit after forcing a turnover on the Chargers' next possession. Reserve cornerback Marlon Humphrey picked off Rivers' pass intended for and returned it to the Ravens' thirty-seven. Allen's twenty-yard dash up the middle got the Ravens across midfield, and the drive reached the Los Angeles eighteen before it stalled. Tucker was called on for a thirty-five yard attempt, which he converted to cut the Bolts' lead to 15-13 with less than eleven minutes left in regulation time.
The Ravens took the lead after forcing another turnover. Ekeler was popped by middle linebacker C.J. Moseley and lost the ball. Fellow linebacker Matt Judon dove on it and the LA twenty-two, but two incomplete passes and a third-down sack for a seven-yard loss by linebacker Chris McCain pushed the ball back to the twenty-nine, which left Tucker with a forty-six yard attempt. The kick was right down the middle, and the Ravens took a 16-15 lead with a little over eight minutes still remaining.
The Chargers scored what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown on the ensuing possession. Gordon gained thirteen and twelve yards respectively on consecutive draw plays, and Rivers found Williams over the middle for fourteen more yards and a first down at the Baltimore eleven. On the next play, reserve running back Branden Oliver streaked up the middle and into the end zone for the score. Rose added the extra point, and the Bolts led 22-16 with a little less than four minutes remaining. They stopped the Ravens' last drive just past midfield, then knelt out the clock to preserve their victory.
Gordon was named the final Gruden Grinder by the MNF crew, He led the Chargers' rushing game with sixty-eight yards on twenty-one carries and added fifty-six more yards on three receptions. Rivers finished sixteen of twenty-five for 218 yards and an interception. Henry led the receiving corps with fifty-eight yards on four catches.
The Ravens gouged the Chargers' defense for 247 yards on just thirty attempts. Collins was the leading individual rusher with 101 yards on just eleven carries, and Allen added sixty-seven yards on eight carries with a touchdown. Terrance West returned from a calf injury to carry seven times for fifty yards. Baltimore's biggest problem was that their passing game was nonexistent; Flacco only completed five of his sixteen passes for thirty-one yards with two interceptions despite only having average pressure put on him by the Bolts' defense; he was only sacked twice. Maclin caught three passes for seventeen yards, and Benjamin Watson caught the other two for fourteen.
The Chargers' next opponent will be determined by who wins tomorrow's second Wild Card Game between the Chiefs and the Steelers. If the Steelers win as expected, the Bolts travel to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots next Saturday night. If the Chiefs pull the upset, the Western champs will travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars at EverBank Field next Sunday.
Next: To be determined.
Thoughts?
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Now it's time for the first 2017 NFC Wild Card Game from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans:
The only scoring in the first half happened on its final play. The key plays of the drive were a pair of passes from Drew Brees to Ted Ginn Jr. One covered twelve yards, while the other covered thirty, of which fifteen came as a result of a facemask penalty on Falcons cornerback Robert Alford. The Saints thus had a first and goal at the Atlanta four-yard line, butt they only had time for one play with four seconds left in the half. Saints coach Sean Payton called on kicker Wil Lutz, who converted a twenty-one yard field goal attempt to give the Saints a 3-0 halftime lead.
The Falcons scored for the first time in the game after receiving the second half kickoff. Matt Ryan completed a pair of key passes; one went to Taylor Gabriel for ten yards, while the other want to Julio Jones for twenty-one and a first down at the Saints' seventeen. On second and three from the ten, Ryan hit reserve running back Teron Ward circling out of the backfield. Ward broke a tackle at the three and made it into the end zone for the touchdown. Matt Bryant added the extra point, and with 10:07 left in the third period the Falcons led 7-3.
The Falcons scored again before the end of the third period. Ryan found Jones for an eleven-yard gain, and running back Devonta Freeman took a pitch around right end for twelve more and a first down at the New Orleans thirty-two. That's where we join Al Michaels:
"Freeman exits now, and Tevin Coleman into the backfield on first and ten. The Falcons have controlled the ball for most of this third quarter, which has less than two minutes left now. Three wide receivers for Ryan, but he goes back to the run, and look at the hole up the middle for Coleman! Twenty-five, twenty, fifteen, ten, AND HE'S GONE! TOUCHDOWN FALCONS!......Two tremendous touchdown drives by Atlanta here in the third quarter, and they've taken control of this one, Cris."
Cris Collinsworth: "And they've done it on the ground, Al, which no one expected. Great blocking by the Falcons' offensive line, led by (center) Alex Mack, and Tevin Coleman doesn't even need to be slippery. He just accelerates through the hole, and comes out the other side all alone in the Saints' secondary. From there, it's an easy touchdown."
Bryant added the extra point, and after three quarters the Falcons had a 14-3 lead.
The Saints made it closer after Bryant's forty-nine yard field goal attempt sailed wide left with less than three minutes remaining. A pair of Brees passes put them in scoring range; the first went to reserve wideout Brandon Coleman (no relation that I know of to Tevin) for twenty yards, while the other went to Tommylee Lewis for twenty-two and a first and goal from the Atlanta half-yard line. Mark Ingram was stacked up on a first-and-goal running play, bit on second and goal Brees flipped the ball to him for the easy touchdown. Lutz added the extra point, and the Saints were back within 14-10 with 2:45 remaining in regulation. Unfortunately for them, the Falcons picked up two first downs on their next possession, which was enough for them to run out the clock. Final score: Atlanta 14, New Orleans 10.
Ryan's picture was put on the Horse Trailer by the SNF crew. He finished seventeen of twenty-two for 240 yards and a touchdown. Jones led the receivers with eighty yards on five catches, and Mohamed Sanu added sixty-nine yards on four more catches. Devonta Freeman led the running game with forty-five yards on fourteen carries, while Coleman carried nine times for forty-three yards and a touchdown.
For the Saints, Brees was sixteen of twenty-six for an even two hundred yards with a touchdown and an interception. Michael Thomas was his leading receiver with fifty-six yards on five catches, and Brandon caught three more passes for forty-two yards. Ingram had a spectacular day on the ground, carrying twenty-four times for 120 yards. He also caught a touchdown pass.
The Falcons' next opponent depends on what happens in tomorrow's second wild card game between the Panthers and the Rams in Los Angeles. If the Rams win as expected, the Falcons will head to Philadelphia next Saturday afternoon to face the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. If the Panthers pull the upset, the Falcons will travel to Minneapolis to take on the Vikings next Sunday.
Note: WhatIfSports doesn't recognize U.S. Bank Stadium, so in this universe the Vikings are still playing outdoors at TCF Bank Stadium, which will also host Super Bowl LII (with extra seats added, of course.)
Next: To be determined.
Thoughts?
The only scoring in the first half happened on its final play. The key plays of the drive were a pair of passes from Drew Brees to Ted Ginn Jr. One covered twelve yards, while the other covered thirty, of which fifteen came as a result of a facemask penalty on Falcons cornerback Robert Alford. The Saints thus had a first and goal at the Atlanta four-yard line, butt they only had time for one play with four seconds left in the half. Saints coach Sean Payton called on kicker Wil Lutz, who converted a twenty-one yard field goal attempt to give the Saints a 3-0 halftime lead.
The Falcons scored for the first time in the game after receiving the second half kickoff. Matt Ryan completed a pair of key passes; one went to Taylor Gabriel for ten yards, while the other want to Julio Jones for twenty-one and a first down at the Saints' seventeen. On second and three from the ten, Ryan hit reserve running back Teron Ward circling out of the backfield. Ward broke a tackle at the three and made it into the end zone for the touchdown. Matt Bryant added the extra point, and with 10:07 left in the third period the Falcons led 7-3.
The Falcons scored again before the end of the third period. Ryan found Jones for an eleven-yard gain, and running back Devonta Freeman took a pitch around right end for twelve more and a first down at the New Orleans thirty-two. That's where we join Al Michaels:
"Freeman exits now, and Tevin Coleman into the backfield on first and ten. The Falcons have controlled the ball for most of this third quarter, which has less than two minutes left now. Three wide receivers for Ryan, but he goes back to the run, and look at the hole up the middle for Coleman! Twenty-five, twenty, fifteen, ten, AND HE'S GONE! TOUCHDOWN FALCONS!......Two tremendous touchdown drives by Atlanta here in the third quarter, and they've taken control of this one, Cris."
Cris Collinsworth: "And they've done it on the ground, Al, which no one expected. Great blocking by the Falcons' offensive line, led by (center) Alex Mack, and Tevin Coleman doesn't even need to be slippery. He just accelerates through the hole, and comes out the other side all alone in the Saints' secondary. From there, it's an easy touchdown."
Bryant added the extra point, and after three quarters the Falcons had a 14-3 lead.
The Saints made it closer after Bryant's forty-nine yard field goal attempt sailed wide left with less than three minutes remaining. A pair of Brees passes put them in scoring range; the first went to reserve wideout Brandon Coleman (no relation that I know of to Tevin) for twenty yards, while the other went to Tommylee Lewis for twenty-two and a first and goal from the Atlanta half-yard line. Mark Ingram was stacked up on a first-and-goal running play, bit on second and goal Brees flipped the ball to him for the easy touchdown. Lutz added the extra point, and the Saints were back within 14-10 with 2:45 remaining in regulation. Unfortunately for them, the Falcons picked up two first downs on their next possession, which was enough for them to run out the clock. Final score: Atlanta 14, New Orleans 10.
Ryan's picture was put on the Horse Trailer by the SNF crew. He finished seventeen of twenty-two for 240 yards and a touchdown. Jones led the receivers with eighty yards on five catches, and Mohamed Sanu added sixty-nine yards on four more catches. Devonta Freeman led the running game with forty-five yards on fourteen carries, while Coleman carried nine times for forty-three yards and a touchdown.
For the Saints, Brees was sixteen of twenty-six for an even two hundred yards with a touchdown and an interception. Michael Thomas was his leading receiver with fifty-six yards on five catches, and Brandon caught three more passes for forty-two yards. Ingram had a spectacular day on the ground, carrying twenty-four times for 120 yards. He also caught a touchdown pass.
The Falcons' next opponent depends on what happens in tomorrow's second wild card game between the Panthers and the Rams in Los Angeles. If the Rams win as expected, the Falcons will head to Philadelphia next Saturday afternoon to face the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. If the Panthers pull the upset, the Falcons will travel to Minneapolis to take on the Vikings next Sunday.
Note: WhatIfSports doesn't recognize U.S. Bank Stadium, so in this universe the Vikings are still playing outdoors at TCF Bank Stadium, which will also host Super Bowl LII (with extra seats added, of course.)
Next: To be determined.
Thoughts?
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Now it's time for the second 2017 NFC Wild Card Game from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Game time temperature is 63 degrees, with cloudy skies and calm winds.
The Panthers scored first thanks to their opportunistic defense. Linebacker Luke Kuechly picked off a Jared Goff pass and returned it all the way to the Rams' fourteen-yard line. Three plays later on third and nine from the thirteen, Cam Newton found wideout Kelvin Benjamin wide open in the end zone for the touchdown. Graham Gano added the extra point, and at the end of one quarter the visitors led 7-0.
The Panthers added a field goal midway through the second quarter. They started from their own eleven-yard line and on the fist play Newton connected with Benjamin again for twenty-seven yards and a first down. Later in the drive, running back Jonathan Stewart gained twenty-five yards on a sweep to the left, which turned into forty yards thanks to a facemask penalty on Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The drive eventually stalled at the LA fifteen, but Gano converted from thirty-two yards out to give the Panthers a 10-0 halftime lead.
The Rams got back into the game with a touchdown after receiving the second half kickoff. Goff completed consecutive passes to reserve wideout Cooper Kupp for gains of eleven and fifteen yards, then found Robert Woods for fifteen more. Todd Gurley's seventeen-yard burst off left tackle gave the Rams a first down at the Carolina thirty-three, and the drive reached the twenty-eight before reserve running back Lance Dunbar was tackled for a two-yard loss on third down. This left kicker Greg Zuerlein with a forty-seven yard field goal attempt, which he knocked through the uprights to cut the Carolina lead to 10-3 with 8:17 left in the third quarter.
The ensuing Carolina drive lasted just two plays. Stewart had a first down up the middle when he was hit by Donald and lost the ball. After a brief scrum, linebacker Alec Ogletree recovered for the Rams at the Panthers' twenty-six. Gurley took care of the rest in three draw plays; his longest run of the three was eighteen yards, and he scored the touchdown from seven yards out. Zuerlein added the extra point, and after three quarters we were tied at ten.
The Rams took the lead with a touchdown midway through the final period. The key plays were a pair of passes from Goff to Woods. First, the two hooked up over the middle for fifteen yards and a first down. Then, Goff let the long bomb fly, and Woods made the catch for a first down at the Carolina eleven after a gain of forty-five. On second and seven from the eight, Goff threw a screen pass to Gurley, who made the catch at the four and outraced his pursuers into the end zone for the score. Zuerlein added the extra point, and with 8:52 left in regulation time the home squad took a 17-10 lead.
The Rams added an insurance touchdown in the final ninety seconds. Goff hit Kupp with a pair of fourteen-yard passes, then found reserve wideout Tyler Higbee for ten yards and another first down. A twelve-yard screen pass to Gurley, the same play that they'd scored their last touchdown on, gave the Rams a first and goal at the Panthers' five, and on third and goal from the four Goff found wide receiver Sammy Watkins all alone in the end zone for the score. Zuerlein's extra point gave us our final score: Rams 24, Panthers 10.
Gurley was named MVP by Fox. He scored touchdowns both on the ground and through the air, leading the LA ground attack with ninety-one yards on nineteen carries. Goff finished nineteen of twenty-five for 221 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and Woods was his leading receiver with ninety-four yards on five catches. Kupp caught four more passes for fifty-four yards. On defense, Newton was sacked five times; Donald had three, while reserve defensive end Ethan Westbrooks had two.
Speaking of Newton, he completed ten of his nineteen passes for only ninety-three yards and a touchdown to Benjamin, who led the Panthers' receivers with four catches for sixty-three yards. Stewart led the running game with sixty-five yards on twelve carries, and Newton carried eight times for forty-three yards. The Panthers as a team rushed for 161 yards on thirty-six attempts.
Divisional Weekend in the NFC began the following Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, where the Eagles topped the visiting Falcons 15-10. Nick Foles, starting at quarterback for the injured Carson Wentz, completed twenty-three of his thirty passes for 246 yards. Alshon Jeffery led the receivers with sixty-one yards on four catches, and Jay Ajayi paced the ground offense with fifty-four yards of fifteen carries while also catching three passes for fifty-four yards. Fellow running back LaGarrette Blount scored the Eagles' only touchdown, and Jake Elliott kicked three field goals to provide the margin of victory.
For the Falcons, Matt Ryan was twenty-two of thirty-six for 210 yards and a touchdown to Devonta Freeman. Julio Jones had a great receiving day, finishing with nine catches for 101 yards. Mohamed Sanu caught three more passes for fifty yards, while Tevin Coleman led the ground attack with seventy-nine yards on ten carries.
As for the Rams, their next stop is TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, where they'll face the Vikings in the second NFC Divisional Playoff next Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:40 PM Eastern on Fox, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman calling the action. Erin Andrews and Chris Myers will serve as sideline reporters.
Next: To be determined.
Thoughts?
The Panthers scored first thanks to their opportunistic defense. Linebacker Luke Kuechly picked off a Jared Goff pass and returned it all the way to the Rams' fourteen-yard line. Three plays later on third and nine from the thirteen, Cam Newton found wideout Kelvin Benjamin wide open in the end zone for the touchdown. Graham Gano added the extra point, and at the end of one quarter the visitors led 7-0.
The Panthers added a field goal midway through the second quarter. They started from their own eleven-yard line and on the fist play Newton connected with Benjamin again for twenty-seven yards and a first down. Later in the drive, running back Jonathan Stewart gained twenty-five yards on a sweep to the left, which turned into forty yards thanks to a facemask penalty on Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The drive eventually stalled at the LA fifteen, but Gano converted from thirty-two yards out to give the Panthers a 10-0 halftime lead.
The Rams got back into the game with a touchdown after receiving the second half kickoff. Goff completed consecutive passes to reserve wideout Cooper Kupp for gains of eleven and fifteen yards, then found Robert Woods for fifteen more. Todd Gurley's seventeen-yard burst off left tackle gave the Rams a first down at the Carolina thirty-three, and the drive reached the twenty-eight before reserve running back Lance Dunbar was tackled for a two-yard loss on third down. This left kicker Greg Zuerlein with a forty-seven yard field goal attempt, which he knocked through the uprights to cut the Carolina lead to 10-3 with 8:17 left in the third quarter.
The ensuing Carolina drive lasted just two plays. Stewart had a first down up the middle when he was hit by Donald and lost the ball. After a brief scrum, linebacker Alec Ogletree recovered for the Rams at the Panthers' twenty-six. Gurley took care of the rest in three draw plays; his longest run of the three was eighteen yards, and he scored the touchdown from seven yards out. Zuerlein added the extra point, and after three quarters we were tied at ten.
The Rams took the lead with a touchdown midway through the final period. The key plays were a pair of passes from Goff to Woods. First, the two hooked up over the middle for fifteen yards and a first down. Then, Goff let the long bomb fly, and Woods made the catch for a first down at the Carolina eleven after a gain of forty-five. On second and seven from the eight, Goff threw a screen pass to Gurley, who made the catch at the four and outraced his pursuers into the end zone for the score. Zuerlein added the extra point, and with 8:52 left in regulation time the home squad took a 17-10 lead.
The Rams added an insurance touchdown in the final ninety seconds. Goff hit Kupp with a pair of fourteen-yard passes, then found reserve wideout Tyler Higbee for ten yards and another first down. A twelve-yard screen pass to Gurley, the same play that they'd scored their last touchdown on, gave the Rams a first and goal at the Panthers' five, and on third and goal from the four Goff found wide receiver Sammy Watkins all alone in the end zone for the score. Zuerlein's extra point gave us our final score: Rams 24, Panthers 10.
Gurley was named MVP by Fox. He scored touchdowns both on the ground and through the air, leading the LA ground attack with ninety-one yards on nineteen carries. Goff finished nineteen of twenty-five for 221 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and Woods was his leading receiver with ninety-four yards on five catches. Kupp caught four more passes for fifty-four yards. On defense, Newton was sacked five times; Donald had three, while reserve defensive end Ethan Westbrooks had two.
Speaking of Newton, he completed ten of his nineteen passes for only ninety-three yards and a touchdown to Benjamin, who led the Panthers' receivers with four catches for sixty-three yards. Stewart led the running game with sixty-five yards on twelve carries, and Newton carried eight times for forty-three yards. The Panthers as a team rushed for 161 yards on thirty-six attempts.
Divisional Weekend in the NFC began the following Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, where the Eagles topped the visiting Falcons 15-10. Nick Foles, starting at quarterback for the injured Carson Wentz, completed twenty-three of his thirty passes for 246 yards. Alshon Jeffery led the receivers with sixty-one yards on four catches, and Jay Ajayi paced the ground offense with fifty-four yards of fifteen carries while also catching three passes for fifty-four yards. Fellow running back LaGarrette Blount scored the Eagles' only touchdown, and Jake Elliott kicked three field goals to provide the margin of victory.
For the Falcons, Matt Ryan was twenty-two of thirty-six for 210 yards and a touchdown to Devonta Freeman. Julio Jones had a great receiving day, finishing with nine catches for 101 yards. Mohamed Sanu caught three more passes for fifty yards, while Tevin Coleman led the ground attack with seventy-nine yards on ten carries.
As for the Rams, their next stop is TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, where they'll face the Vikings in the second NFC Divisional Playoff next Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:40 PM Eastern on Fox, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman calling the action. Erin Andrews and Chris Myers will serve as sideline reporters.
Next: To be determined.
Thoughts?
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Hey, a Super Bowl outdoorws worked once in New York, where they really lucked out with weather, they can esily figure "why not?" And, the winds are going to be less then 10 MPH. But, that temperature, according to this...
Cue the Dan LeBtard Show making jokes all week about how this was finaly a Super Bowl they want to talk about before the game, but then all they can talk about is things like plus or minus on number of limbs lost due to frostbite.
Hey, a Super Bowl outdoorws worked once in New York, where they really lucked out with weather, they can esily figure "why not?" And, the winds are going to be less then 10 MPH. But, that temperature, according to this...
Cue the Dan LeBtard Show making jokes all week about how this was finaly a Super Bowl they want to talk about before the game, but then all they can talk about is things like plus or minus on number of limbs lost due to frostbite.
Hey, be lucky they didn't host the Super Bowl this year, with it being after the polar vortex, where temperatures got down to -28 in Minneapolis, and where it was so cold in spots that the US Postal Service canceled mail delivery (guess we finally learned what can stop the mail--for several days, anyway...
Now it's time for the second 2017 AFC Wild Card Game from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. Game time temperature is 23 degrees, with cloudy skies and a south wind at 7 MPH.
The Steelers scored first after taking the opening kickoff. Ben Roethlisberger completed a pair of fifteen-yard passes to Antonio Brown and fellow wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster respectively to get the Steelers into the red zone, and on second and three from the Chiefs' twenty he found tight end Jesse James over the middle. Jesse caught the ball in stride at the eight and raced into the end zone for the touchdown. Chris Boswell added the extra point, and the Steelers led 7-0 with 9:29 left in the opening period.
The Chiefs answered with a touchdown of their own. The key plays were both made by running back Kareem Hunt. First, he gained fourteen yards on a sweep to the left. He then turned a short pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes into a twenty-yard catch-and-run. The touchdown came o a first and ten from the Pittsburgh twelve, when Mahomes completed a screen pass to running back Spencer Ware, who broke a tackle at the five and made his way into the end zone for the touchdown. Kicker Harrison Butker added the extra point, and with 3:50 left in the opening quarter we were tied at seven.
The Steelers took the lead on their next possession, which straddled the first and second quarters. Ben found wide receiver Eil Rogers for ten yards and a first down, and running back Stevan Ridley gained twelve yards up the middle. The key play of the drive was another run up the middle, this one by LeVeon Bell for thirty-two yards that gave the Steelers a first and goal at the Kansas City eight-yard line. The drive got as far as the three before stalling, and Boswell's twenty-yard field goal gave the Steelers a 10-7 lead with 13:03 left in the first half.
The Chiefs answered with another touchdown. Mahomes completed passes of twenty and twenty-one yards to Tyreek Hill to get his offense into Pittsburgh territory, then turned things over to Hunt, who took a handoff on second and inched from the Steelers twenty-four and zipped through the middle and into the end zone for the touchdown. Butker's extra point gave the Chiefs a 14-10 lead with less than nine minutes left in the first half.
It was the Steelers' turn to answer, and they did so successfully. Bell found a hole off left tackle for fourteen yards, and Ridley did the same for elven more. Bell then stormed up the middle for thirteen yards. The key pass of the drive came on third and eight from the Chiefs' forty-three, as Ben evaded a strong Kansas City rush and fired a bullet to JuJu, who made a sliding catch at the seventeen for twenty-six yards and a first down. On third and three from the ten, Ben found a wide-open AB in the end zone for the touchdown. Boswell added the extra point, and the Steelers took a 17-14 halftime lead.
The Chiefs took the lead once more after receiving the second half kickoff. Mahomes found Travis Kelce for ten yards, then completed screen passes to Hill for ten yards and Hunt for twenty-four. Mahomes almost scored on a run from fifteen yards out, but was ruled out of bounds at the six-inch line. Hunt took it the rest of the way on the next play. and Buttker's extra point put the Chiefs up 21-17 with 11:22 left in the third period.
The Steelers answered with a touchdown of their own. Bell knifed his way off left tackle for a pair of ten-yard runs, and Ben connected with AB over the middle for twenty yards and a first down at the Chiefs twenty-nine. On third and seven from the twenty-six, Ben connected with JuJu, who caught the pass on the run at the ten and sped into the end zone for the touchdown. Boswell's extra point put the Steelers back in the lead 24-21 with 7:4 left in the third period.
After a Kansas City three-and out, the Steelers scored again. Ben hit Martavis Bryant for gains of thirteen and fourteen on consecutive passes, then found AB over the middle for nineteen and a first down at the Chiefs' thirty-four. That's where we join Jim Nantz:
Nantz: "The Steelers now down to the Kansas City thirty-four, where it's first and ten. AB out wide left along with Bryant, while Schuster and Rogers to the right. Empty backfield, and he takes the snap...….lots of time, now he throws downfield...…..AND IT'S CAUGHT BY BROWN! HE'LLL GO IN FOR THE TOUCHDOWN!...…….Antonio Brown claims another victim, and for the first time today the Steelers have some breathing room, Phil."
Simms: "He beat the best the Chiefs have right now, Jim, as he's at least five yards behind (cornerback) Marcus Peters when he makes this catch. How he got that kind of separation.....I was looking for a push-off, but it seems like he was just quicker than Peters, which should never happen to a Pro Bowl corner. Now the Chiefs have to answer, but they have plenty of weapons to work with. This one's not over by any means."
Boswell's extra point gave the Steelers a ten-point lead at 31-21 with less than two minutes to play in the third period.
The Chiefs only need one play to get that touchdown back. It's first and ten from the KC thIrty-four as we rejoin Jim:
Nantz: "The Chiefs go back to work from their own thirty-four. They have over a quarter to go, so they're by no means out of this. Handoff to Hunt on first down, now he reverse, and Hill's got a lane....midfield, forty, thirty-five, thirty, and he's all alone in the secondary! The Chiefs get right back on the board, thanks to Tyreek Hill! TOUCHDOWN KANSAS CITY!.....It's hard not to sound like the radio voice of the Chiefs, Mitch Holthus, especially after a big play like that."
Simms: "This is how dynamic the Chiefs are: Kareem Hunt, who could have made the same type of play, hands off to Tyreek Hill. It would have worked either way, because bot of these guys have the same kind of breakaway speed. Once he outruns that last Steeler just past midfield, no one's getting back into the chase. We have a ballgame again, Jim."
Buttker's extra point cut the Steelers' lead to 31-28 after three quarters. That was also the final, as the fourth quarter was scoreless.
Ben was named MVP by CBS. He completed twenty-three of his twenty-nine passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns. AB had a spectacular receiving day, catching seven passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns. JuJu caught five passes for eighty-two yards and a score, and Bryant caught five passes for seventy-two yards. Bell had a huge day on the ground, gaining 145 yards on twenty-three carries. The Steelers as a team rushed for 182 yards on thirty-six attempts.
For the Chiefs, Mahomes finished nineteen of twenty-seven for 209 yards and a touchdown. Hunt was his leading receiver with eighty-five yards on five catches, while Hill caught five more passes for fifty-one yards. Hunt was the team's leading rusher with seventy-two yards on seventeen carries with two touchdowns, and the Chiefs as a team gained 156 yards on twenty-two attempts.
The Steelers' playoff run ended the following week in Jacksonville, where they fell to the Jaguars 45-42.
Next: To be determined.
Thoughts?
The Steelers scored first after taking the opening kickoff. Ben Roethlisberger completed a pair of fifteen-yard passes to Antonio Brown and fellow wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster respectively to get the Steelers into the red zone, and on second and three from the Chiefs' twenty he found tight end Jesse James over the middle. Jesse caught the ball in stride at the eight and raced into the end zone for the touchdown. Chris Boswell added the extra point, and the Steelers led 7-0 with 9:29 left in the opening period.
The Chiefs answered with a touchdown of their own. The key plays were both made by running back Kareem Hunt. First, he gained fourteen yards on a sweep to the left. He then turned a short pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes into a twenty-yard catch-and-run. The touchdown came o a first and ten from the Pittsburgh twelve, when Mahomes completed a screen pass to running back Spencer Ware, who broke a tackle at the five and made his way into the end zone for the touchdown. Kicker Harrison Butker added the extra point, and with 3:50 left in the opening quarter we were tied at seven.
The Steelers took the lead on their next possession, which straddled the first and second quarters. Ben found wide receiver Eil Rogers for ten yards and a first down, and running back Stevan Ridley gained twelve yards up the middle. The key play of the drive was another run up the middle, this one by LeVeon Bell for thirty-two yards that gave the Steelers a first and goal at the Kansas City eight-yard line. The drive got as far as the three before stalling, and Boswell's twenty-yard field goal gave the Steelers a 10-7 lead with 13:03 left in the first half.
The Chiefs answered with another touchdown. Mahomes completed passes of twenty and twenty-one yards to Tyreek Hill to get his offense into Pittsburgh territory, then turned things over to Hunt, who took a handoff on second and inched from the Steelers twenty-four and zipped through the middle and into the end zone for the touchdown. Butker's extra point gave the Chiefs a 14-10 lead with less than nine minutes left in the first half.
It was the Steelers' turn to answer, and they did so successfully. Bell found a hole off left tackle for fourteen yards, and Ridley did the same for elven more. Bell then stormed up the middle for thirteen yards. The key pass of the drive came on third and eight from the Chiefs' forty-three, as Ben evaded a strong Kansas City rush and fired a bullet to JuJu, who made a sliding catch at the seventeen for twenty-six yards and a first down. On third and three from the ten, Ben found a wide-open AB in the end zone for the touchdown. Boswell added the extra point, and the Steelers took a 17-14 halftime lead.
The Chiefs took the lead once more after receiving the second half kickoff. Mahomes found Travis Kelce for ten yards, then completed screen passes to Hill for ten yards and Hunt for twenty-four. Mahomes almost scored on a run from fifteen yards out, but was ruled out of bounds at the six-inch line. Hunt took it the rest of the way on the next play. and Buttker's extra point put the Chiefs up 21-17 with 11:22 left in the third period.
The Steelers answered with a touchdown of their own. Bell knifed his way off left tackle for a pair of ten-yard runs, and Ben connected with AB over the middle for twenty yards and a first down at the Chiefs twenty-nine. On third and seven from the twenty-six, Ben connected with JuJu, who caught the pass on the run at the ten and sped into the end zone for the touchdown. Boswell's extra point put the Steelers back in the lead 24-21 with 7:4 left in the third period.
After a Kansas City three-and out, the Steelers scored again. Ben hit Martavis Bryant for gains of thirteen and fourteen on consecutive passes, then found AB over the middle for nineteen and a first down at the Chiefs' thirty-four. That's where we join Jim Nantz:
Nantz: "The Steelers now down to the Kansas City thirty-four, where it's first and ten. AB out wide left along with Bryant, while Schuster and Rogers to the right. Empty backfield, and he takes the snap...….lots of time, now he throws downfield...…..AND IT'S CAUGHT BY BROWN! HE'LLL GO IN FOR THE TOUCHDOWN!...…….Antonio Brown claims another victim, and for the first time today the Steelers have some breathing room, Phil."
Simms: "He beat the best the Chiefs have right now, Jim, as he's at least five yards behind (cornerback) Marcus Peters when he makes this catch. How he got that kind of separation.....I was looking for a push-off, but it seems like he was just quicker than Peters, which should never happen to a Pro Bowl corner. Now the Chiefs have to answer, but they have plenty of weapons to work with. This one's not over by any means."
Boswell's extra point gave the Steelers a ten-point lead at 31-21 with less than two minutes to play in the third period.
The Chiefs only need one play to get that touchdown back. It's first and ten from the KC thIrty-four as we rejoin Jim:
Nantz: "The Chiefs go back to work from their own thirty-four. They have over a quarter to go, so they're by no means out of this. Handoff to Hunt on first down, now he reverse, and Hill's got a lane....midfield, forty, thirty-five, thirty, and he's all alone in the secondary! The Chiefs get right back on the board, thanks to Tyreek Hill! TOUCHDOWN KANSAS CITY!.....It's hard not to sound like the radio voice of the Chiefs, Mitch Holthus, especially after a big play like that."
Simms: "This is how dynamic the Chiefs are: Kareem Hunt, who could have made the same type of play, hands off to Tyreek Hill. It would have worked either way, because bot of these guys have the same kind of breakaway speed. Once he outruns that last Steeler just past midfield, no one's getting back into the chase. We have a ballgame again, Jim."
Buttker's extra point cut the Steelers' lead to 31-28 after three quarters. That was also the final, as the fourth quarter was scoreless.
Ben was named MVP by CBS. He completed twenty-three of his twenty-nine passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns. AB had a spectacular receiving day, catching seven passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns. JuJu caught five passes for eighty-two yards and a score, and Bryant caught five passes for seventy-two yards. Bell had a huge day on the ground, gaining 145 yards on twenty-three carries. The Steelers as a team rushed for 182 yards on thirty-six attempts.
For the Chiefs, Mahomes finished nineteen of twenty-seven for 209 yards and a touchdown. Hunt was his leading receiver with eighty-five yards on five catches, while Hill caught five more passes for fifty-one yards. Hunt was the team's leading rusher with seventy-two yards on seventeen carries with two touchdowns, and the Chiefs as a team gained 156 yards on twenty-two attempts.
The Steelers' playoff run ended the following week in Jacksonville, where they fell to the Jaguars 45-42.
Next: To be determined.
Thoughts?
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Now it's time for the second 2017 NFC Wild Card Game from TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Game time temperature is 17 degrees, with light snow and a southeast wind at 3 MPH.
The Rams scored first after taking the opening kickoff. Jared Goff completed passes of fourteen yards to Robert Woods and sixteen yards to Tyler Higbee, and the drive reached the Vikes' twenty-seven before stalling. Greg Zuerlein's forty-four yard field goal attempt was right down the middle, and the Rams led 3-0 with 10:14 left in the opening period.
The Vikes answered with a touchdown. The key play of the drive was made by running back Latavius Murray. who bolted up the middle on a draw play for forty-four yards and a first down at the Rams' fourteen, On second and nine from the thirteen, Murray ran the same play into the end zone for the touchdown. The extra point snap was muffed, but holder Ryan Quigley rescued it and threw a pass to reserve running back Dalvin Cook, who made the catch at the goal line and stepped into the end zone for the two-point conversion. With 7:24 left in the opening period, the Vikes had an 8-3 lead.
The Rams answered with a field goal. Pharoh Cooper returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to his own forty-nine, and Goff immediately completed a twenty-three yard pass to Cooper Kupp. The drive eventually reached the Minnesota twenty-six, but Todd Gurley was thrown for a four-yard loss on first down, and a pair of false starts ended their touchdown hopes. The drive eventually got back to the thirty-five, where Zuerlein faced a fifty-two yard attempt into the teeth of a snow squall. The kick started out wide left, but reversed course and went through the uprights at the last moment. With 5:04 left in the opening quarter, it was Vikes 8, Rams 6.
The Vikes' next touchdown drive straddled the first and second quarters. Quarterback Case Keenum was on fire, completing all six of his passes. Adam Thielen caught a pair for twelve and fifteen yards, and Stefon Diggs caught three for twelve, eleven, and fifteen, the latter going for the touchdown. For the second time, there was a bad snap on the extra point attempt, and Kai Forbath's kick sailed wide right. With 13:41 left in the first half, the Vikes led 14-6.
The Rams answered with a touchdown of their own, Goff found Sammy Watkins over the middle for twenty yards, and Gurley caught a fifteen-yard screen pass that gave the Rams a first down at the Vikes' thirteen. From there, Goff found a wide-open Woods in the end zone for the score. Coach Sean McVay decided to kick the extra point instead of going for two, and Zuerlein converted to cut the Minnesota lead to 14-13 with less than ten minutes to play in the half.
The Rans took the lead with another touchdown just before the half. Running back Jerick McKinnon was stripped of the ball by Aaron Donald, and strong safety John Johnson made the recovery at the Minnesota thirty-three. Goff connected with Woods for twelve yards and a first down, and two plays later from the nineteen he fired for Kupp, who made a diving one-handed catch in the end zone for the score. Zuerlein's extra point gave the Rams a 20-14 halftime lead.
The Rams added a field goal midway through the third quarter. Goff found Kupp with a pair of key passes; one went for seventeen yards, while the other went for twenty-five and a first down at the Vikes' twenty-eight. The drive stalled at the twenty-six, but Zuerlein connected from forty-three yards out to extend the Rams' lead to 23-14 with exactly seven minutes left in the third period.
The Vikes countered with a field goal of their own. McKinnon's kickoff return set up the offense at their own thirty-six, and the drive's big play was Keenum's forty-six yard bomb to reserve wideout Jarius Wright, which gave the Vikes a first and goal at the LA nine-yard line. The drive reached inside the one before a third-down screen pass to McKinnon lost two yards. Forbath was thus faced with a twenty-yard attempt, which he converted to cut the Rams' lead to 23-17 with 1:54 left in the quarter.
The Rams' next drive straddled the third and fourth quarters. Goff found Higbee for thirteen yards and a first down, and Gurley burst up the middle for eighteen yards and a first and goal at the Minnesota eleven. The drive stalled at the six, but Zuerlein's twenty-three yard chip shot extended the Rams' led to 26- 17 with 13:19 left in regulation time.
The Vikes answered with a field goal. The drive's biggest play came on third and twenty-three from the Minnesota thirty-five, as Keenum hit wide receiver Adam Thielen down the left sideline for a gain of twenty-seven. A sixteen-yard completion to Diggs gave the Purple Gang a first down at the Rams' twenty-two, but the offense could only gain one more yard. Forbath connected from thirty-eight yards out to bring the Vikes within 26-20 with 9:02 to play.
After the defense forced a three-and out, the Vikes scored again to take the lead. Keenum hit tight end Kyle Rudolph for gains of ten and twenty-two, then connected with Murray out of the backfield for fourteen more. McKinnon gained twelve on a draw play to give the Vikes a first down at the Rams' thirteen, and on the next play Cook raced through the middle and into the end zone for the touchdown. Forbath's extra point put the Vikes up 27-26 with less than four minutes remaining. The Rams got as far as the Minnesota eight on their final drive, but Goff's fourth-down pass was broken up in the end zone as time ran out, and the Vikes had survived. Final score: Minnesota 27, Los Angeles 26.
This report took more than one sim to put together for technical reasons, so there's no MVP and no statistics.
The following week, the Vikes traveled to Philadelphia to meet the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. Nick Foles completed twenty-six of his thoirty-three passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns. Two of them went to Alshon Jeffery, who caught five passes for eighty-five yards, and one went to Torrey Smith, who caught five passes for sixty-nine yards. LaGarrette Blount added a rushing touchdown, and cornerback Patrick Robinson returned a Keenum interception fifty yards for a touchdown. The Vikes scored first on a twenty-five yard touchdown pass from Keenum to Rudolph, but didn't come close to scoring again.
The Eagles will represent the NFC in Super Bowl LII here at TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday, February 4.
Next: The Pats host the Chargers in the first AFC Divisional Playoff.
Thoughts?
The Rams scored first after taking the opening kickoff. Jared Goff completed passes of fourteen yards to Robert Woods and sixteen yards to Tyler Higbee, and the drive reached the Vikes' twenty-seven before stalling. Greg Zuerlein's forty-four yard field goal attempt was right down the middle, and the Rams led 3-0 with 10:14 left in the opening period.
The Vikes answered with a touchdown. The key play of the drive was made by running back Latavius Murray. who bolted up the middle on a draw play for forty-four yards and a first down at the Rams' fourteen, On second and nine from the thirteen, Murray ran the same play into the end zone for the touchdown. The extra point snap was muffed, but holder Ryan Quigley rescued it and threw a pass to reserve running back Dalvin Cook, who made the catch at the goal line and stepped into the end zone for the two-point conversion. With 7:24 left in the opening period, the Vikes had an 8-3 lead.
The Rams answered with a field goal. Pharoh Cooper returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to his own forty-nine, and Goff immediately completed a twenty-three yard pass to Cooper Kupp. The drive eventually reached the Minnesota twenty-six, but Todd Gurley was thrown for a four-yard loss on first down, and a pair of false starts ended their touchdown hopes. The drive eventually got back to the thirty-five, where Zuerlein faced a fifty-two yard attempt into the teeth of a snow squall. The kick started out wide left, but reversed course and went through the uprights at the last moment. With 5:04 left in the opening quarter, it was Vikes 8, Rams 6.
The Vikes' next touchdown drive straddled the first and second quarters. Quarterback Case Keenum was on fire, completing all six of his passes. Adam Thielen caught a pair for twelve and fifteen yards, and Stefon Diggs caught three for twelve, eleven, and fifteen, the latter going for the touchdown. For the second time, there was a bad snap on the extra point attempt, and Kai Forbath's kick sailed wide right. With 13:41 left in the first half, the Vikes led 14-6.
The Rams answered with a touchdown of their own, Goff found Sammy Watkins over the middle for twenty yards, and Gurley caught a fifteen-yard screen pass that gave the Rams a first down at the Vikes' thirteen. From there, Goff found a wide-open Woods in the end zone for the score. Coach Sean McVay decided to kick the extra point instead of going for two, and Zuerlein converted to cut the Minnesota lead to 14-13 with less than ten minutes to play in the half.
The Rans took the lead with another touchdown just before the half. Running back Jerick McKinnon was stripped of the ball by Aaron Donald, and strong safety John Johnson made the recovery at the Minnesota thirty-three. Goff connected with Woods for twelve yards and a first down, and two plays later from the nineteen he fired for Kupp, who made a diving one-handed catch in the end zone for the score. Zuerlein's extra point gave the Rams a 20-14 halftime lead.
The Rams added a field goal midway through the third quarter. Goff found Kupp with a pair of key passes; one went for seventeen yards, while the other went for twenty-five and a first down at the Vikes' twenty-eight. The drive stalled at the twenty-six, but Zuerlein connected from forty-three yards out to extend the Rams' lead to 23-14 with exactly seven minutes left in the third period.
The Vikes countered with a field goal of their own. McKinnon's kickoff return set up the offense at their own thirty-six, and the drive's big play was Keenum's forty-six yard bomb to reserve wideout Jarius Wright, which gave the Vikes a first and goal at the LA nine-yard line. The drive reached inside the one before a third-down screen pass to McKinnon lost two yards. Forbath was thus faced with a twenty-yard attempt, which he converted to cut the Rams' lead to 23-17 with 1:54 left in the quarter.
The Rams' next drive straddled the third and fourth quarters. Goff found Higbee for thirteen yards and a first down, and Gurley burst up the middle for eighteen yards and a first and goal at the Minnesota eleven. The drive stalled at the six, but Zuerlein's twenty-three yard chip shot extended the Rams' led to 26- 17 with 13:19 left in regulation time.
The Vikes answered with a field goal. The drive's biggest play came on third and twenty-three from the Minnesota thirty-five, as Keenum hit wide receiver Adam Thielen down the left sideline for a gain of twenty-seven. A sixteen-yard completion to Diggs gave the Purple Gang a first down at the Rams' twenty-two, but the offense could only gain one more yard. Forbath connected from thirty-eight yards out to bring the Vikes within 26-20 with 9:02 to play.
After the defense forced a three-and out, the Vikes scored again to take the lead. Keenum hit tight end Kyle Rudolph for gains of ten and twenty-two, then connected with Murray out of the backfield for fourteen more. McKinnon gained twelve on a draw play to give the Vikes a first down at the Rams' thirteen, and on the next play Cook raced through the middle and into the end zone for the touchdown. Forbath's extra point put the Vikes up 27-26 with less than four minutes remaining. The Rams got as far as the Minnesota eight on their final drive, but Goff's fourth-down pass was broken up in the end zone as time ran out, and the Vikes had survived. Final score: Minnesota 27, Los Angeles 26.
This report took more than one sim to put together for technical reasons, so there's no MVP and no statistics.
The following week, the Vikes traveled to Philadelphia to meet the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. Nick Foles completed twenty-six of his thoirty-three passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns. Two of them went to Alshon Jeffery, who caught five passes for eighty-five yards, and one went to Torrey Smith, who caught five passes for sixty-nine yards. LaGarrette Blount added a rushing touchdown, and cornerback Patrick Robinson returned a Keenum interception fifty yards for a touchdown. The Vikes scored first on a twenty-five yard touchdown pass from Keenum to Rudolph, but didn't come close to scoring again.
The Eagles will represent the NFC in Super Bowl LII here at TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday, February 4.
Next: The Pats host the Chargers in the first AFC Divisional Playoff.
Thoughts?
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Now it's time for the first 2017 AFC Divisional Playoff from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Game time temperature is 22 degrees, with fair skies and a northwest wind gusting to 20 MPH. Wind chill at kickoff is seven degrees above zero.
The Pats scored after taking the opening kickoff. Tom brady hit Rob Gronkowski over the middle for nineteen yards and a first down, and Dion Lewis raced through the middle on a draw play for twenty more and a first down at the Chargers' sixteen. On second and ten, Brady connected with Brandin Cooks in the end zone for the touchdown, and Stephen Gostkowski added the extra point to give the Pats a 7-0 lead with 11:41 to play in the opening quarter.
The Pats got the ball back after Nick Rose's fifty-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left. They took over at their own forty, and Brady's fifteen-yard pass to Chris Hogan got them across midfield. Lewis gained ten yards up the middle on the next play, and the drive reached the Chargers' thirty-three before stalling. It was Gostkowski's turn to try a fifty-yard field goal, and this kick was successful to give the Pats a 10-0 after one quarter.
The Pats added a touchdown later in the period. Brady hit Hogan once again for twelve yards, then found Danny Amendola for eleven. After a sack and a holding penalty threatened to derail the drive, James White got them out of trouble by catching Brady's short screen and turning it into a twenty-two yard catch-and-run. Then the ground game took over, as Lewis raced through the middle on a draw for fifteen yards and fellow running back Mike Gillislee banged off right tackle for eleven. The touchdown came from five yards out, as Gillislee found another hole off right tackle and barged his way through it and into the end zone. Gostkowski added the extra point, and with 9:37 left in the first half the Pats were now up 17-0.
The Chargers answered with a touchdown of their own. Desmond King's kickoff return set up the offense at its own thirty-seven, and Rivers found Hunter Henry over the middle for fifteen yards and a first down in New England territory. Rivers also completed eighteen-yard passes to both Austen Ekeler and Tyrell Williams respectively for a first and goal at the New England nine-yard line. Three plays later, it was fourth and goal at the two, and Bolts coach Anthony Lynn decided to go for the touchdown. Rivers flipped a short pass to Melvin Gordon in the end zone for the score, and the Chargers were on the board. Unfortunately for them, Rose missed the extra point, so the visitors still trailed 17-6 with less than six minutes left in the first half.
The Chargers were able to add a field goal just before the half. The key plays were a pair of Rivers passes: a twenty-yarder to Ekeler out of the backfield and a twenty-seven yarder over the middle to Keenan Allen. The latter pass gave the Chargers a first down at the Pats' twenty-one. The drive stalled at the fifteen, but Rose was good from thirty-two yards out to make our halftime score Pats 17, Chargers 9.
The Pats put a touchdown on the board late in the third quarter after their defense executed a goal-line stand that kept the Bolts from potentially tying the game. Starting inches from his own goal line, Brady fired a pair of passes to Amendola for twelve and fifteen yards to get his team out of trouble. Later in the drive, Rex Burkhead stormed up the middle for a twenty-nine yard gain and a first down at the LA thirty-nine. That's where we join Jim Nantz:
"The Patriots have taken the ball from their own six-inch line all the way to the Chargers' thirty-nine, where it's first and ten. Lewis in the backfield behind Brady, with two receivers right and one to the left. Lewis takes the handoff, nothing there....cuts back left, and THERE'S THE HOLE! Thirty, twenty-five, twenty, and he's going all the way in for the touchdown! What a night for Dion Lewis, and what a drive for the Patriots! Ninety-nine yards on just seven plays. and their lead is a whole lot more comfortable."
Tony Romo: "Wow, what a run by Dion Lewis! Watch him pick his hole, Jim, just before the defense can get to him up the middle, he finds a hole off left tackle and goes right through it. Once he finds himself in the secondary, he knows he's got a clear road to the end zone, since almost all of the Chargers' defenders were stuck at the line of scrimmage. Once they knew where Lewis was going, it was too late to get there and stop him."
Gostkowski added the extra point, and after three quarters the Pats had a 24-9 lead.
The Pats added a fourth-quarter safety after the Chargers were inside their own one-yard line following a punt. Two plays into the drive, Malcolm Butler sacked Rivers on a corner blitz for the game's final two points. Our final: Patriots 26, Chargers 9.
Lewis was named MVP by CBS after gaining eighty-six yards on eleven carries with a touchdown. White added fifty-four yards on just four carries, and the Pats as a team rushed for 198 yards on thirty-one attempts with two touchdowns. Brady completed nineteen of his twenty-five passes for 188 yards and a touchdown, and Amendola was his leading receiver with four catches for forty-two yards.
For the Chargers, Rivers finished eighteen of twenty-four for 228 yards and a touchdown. Allen led his receivers with seventy-one yards on five catches, while Henry caught four passes for fifty-three yards and Ekeler snagged three passes for forty-five yards. Gordon led the LA rushing attack with forty-eight yards on fourteen carries, but the Bolts as a team managed only fifty yards on twenty-five attempts.
The following week, the Pats welcomed the Jaguars for the AFC Championship Game and survived a back-and-forth battle, eventually prevailing 24-20. Brady finished twenty-six of thirty-eight for 290 yards and two touchdowns to Amendola, who caught seven passes for eighty-four yards. Cooks led the receivers with an even hundred yards on six catches. The Jags made it close thanks to one of quarterback Blake Bortles' best days as a pro; he finished twenty-three of thirty-six for 293 yards and a touchdown. Allen Hurns led the Jags' receivers with six catches for eighty yards, and running back Corey Grant caught three passes for fifty-nine yards. The Jags' Leonard Fournette was the game's leading rusher with seventy-six yards on twenty-four carries with a touchdown. Brady's four-yard touchdown pass to Amendola with 2:48 to play was the game winner.
Two weeks later in Super Bowl LII, the Eagles and Patriots engaged in an offensive shootout despite the frigid conditions at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The Eagles prevailed 41-33 due to an MVP performance from quarterback Nick Foles. who completed twenty-eight of his forty-three passes for 373 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Brady's day was even better in a losing cause; he finished twenty-eight of forty-eight for 505 yards and three touchdowns. Amendola, Hogan and Gronkowski all had over a hundred receiving yards apiece. I almost forgot to mention "The Philly Special". the play on which Foles became the first quarterback in either applicable universe to catch a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl.
This is the Eagles' first-ever Super Bowl championship. As for the all-time race, the NFC leads 28-25.
That's it until the day after Super Bowl LIV. In the meantime, if anyone wants to use this thread as a basis for timelines of their own, they should feel free. Just put "Pythagorean" somewhere in the title so everyone knows that it comes from this universe.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Thoughts?
The Pats scored after taking the opening kickoff. Tom brady hit Rob Gronkowski over the middle for nineteen yards and a first down, and Dion Lewis raced through the middle on a draw play for twenty more and a first down at the Chargers' sixteen. On second and ten, Brady connected with Brandin Cooks in the end zone for the touchdown, and Stephen Gostkowski added the extra point to give the Pats a 7-0 lead with 11:41 to play in the opening quarter.
The Pats got the ball back after Nick Rose's fifty-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left. They took over at their own forty, and Brady's fifteen-yard pass to Chris Hogan got them across midfield. Lewis gained ten yards up the middle on the next play, and the drive reached the Chargers' thirty-three before stalling. It was Gostkowski's turn to try a fifty-yard field goal, and this kick was successful to give the Pats a 10-0 after one quarter.
The Pats added a touchdown later in the period. Brady hit Hogan once again for twelve yards, then found Danny Amendola for eleven. After a sack and a holding penalty threatened to derail the drive, James White got them out of trouble by catching Brady's short screen and turning it into a twenty-two yard catch-and-run. Then the ground game took over, as Lewis raced through the middle on a draw for fifteen yards and fellow running back Mike Gillislee banged off right tackle for eleven. The touchdown came from five yards out, as Gillislee found another hole off right tackle and barged his way through it and into the end zone. Gostkowski added the extra point, and with 9:37 left in the first half the Pats were now up 17-0.
The Chargers answered with a touchdown of their own. Desmond King's kickoff return set up the offense at its own thirty-seven, and Rivers found Hunter Henry over the middle for fifteen yards and a first down in New England territory. Rivers also completed eighteen-yard passes to both Austen Ekeler and Tyrell Williams respectively for a first and goal at the New England nine-yard line. Three plays later, it was fourth and goal at the two, and Bolts coach Anthony Lynn decided to go for the touchdown. Rivers flipped a short pass to Melvin Gordon in the end zone for the score, and the Chargers were on the board. Unfortunately for them, Rose missed the extra point, so the visitors still trailed 17-6 with less than six minutes left in the first half.
The Chargers were able to add a field goal just before the half. The key plays were a pair of Rivers passes: a twenty-yarder to Ekeler out of the backfield and a twenty-seven yarder over the middle to Keenan Allen. The latter pass gave the Chargers a first down at the Pats' twenty-one. The drive stalled at the fifteen, but Rose was good from thirty-two yards out to make our halftime score Pats 17, Chargers 9.
The Pats put a touchdown on the board late in the third quarter after their defense executed a goal-line stand that kept the Bolts from potentially tying the game. Starting inches from his own goal line, Brady fired a pair of passes to Amendola for twelve and fifteen yards to get his team out of trouble. Later in the drive, Rex Burkhead stormed up the middle for a twenty-nine yard gain and a first down at the LA thirty-nine. That's where we join Jim Nantz:
"The Patriots have taken the ball from their own six-inch line all the way to the Chargers' thirty-nine, where it's first and ten. Lewis in the backfield behind Brady, with two receivers right and one to the left. Lewis takes the handoff, nothing there....cuts back left, and THERE'S THE HOLE! Thirty, twenty-five, twenty, and he's going all the way in for the touchdown! What a night for Dion Lewis, and what a drive for the Patriots! Ninety-nine yards on just seven plays. and their lead is a whole lot more comfortable."
Tony Romo: "Wow, what a run by Dion Lewis! Watch him pick his hole, Jim, just before the defense can get to him up the middle, he finds a hole off left tackle and goes right through it. Once he finds himself in the secondary, he knows he's got a clear road to the end zone, since almost all of the Chargers' defenders were stuck at the line of scrimmage. Once they knew where Lewis was going, it was too late to get there and stop him."
Gostkowski added the extra point, and after three quarters the Pats had a 24-9 lead.
The Pats added a fourth-quarter safety after the Chargers were inside their own one-yard line following a punt. Two plays into the drive, Malcolm Butler sacked Rivers on a corner blitz for the game's final two points. Our final: Patriots 26, Chargers 9.
Lewis was named MVP by CBS after gaining eighty-six yards on eleven carries with a touchdown. White added fifty-four yards on just four carries, and the Pats as a team rushed for 198 yards on thirty-one attempts with two touchdowns. Brady completed nineteen of his twenty-five passes for 188 yards and a touchdown, and Amendola was his leading receiver with four catches for forty-two yards.
For the Chargers, Rivers finished eighteen of twenty-four for 228 yards and a touchdown. Allen led his receivers with seventy-one yards on five catches, while Henry caught four passes for fifty-three yards and Ekeler snagged three passes for forty-five yards. Gordon led the LA rushing attack with forty-eight yards on fourteen carries, but the Bolts as a team managed only fifty yards on twenty-five attempts.
The following week, the Pats welcomed the Jaguars for the AFC Championship Game and survived a back-and-forth battle, eventually prevailing 24-20. Brady finished twenty-six of thirty-eight for 290 yards and two touchdowns to Amendola, who caught seven passes for eighty-four yards. Cooks led the receivers with an even hundred yards on six catches. The Jags made it close thanks to one of quarterback Blake Bortles' best days as a pro; he finished twenty-three of thirty-six for 293 yards and a touchdown. Allen Hurns led the Jags' receivers with six catches for eighty yards, and running back Corey Grant caught three passes for fifty-nine yards. The Jags' Leonard Fournette was the game's leading rusher with seventy-six yards on twenty-four carries with a touchdown. Brady's four-yard touchdown pass to Amendola with 2:48 to play was the game winner.
Two weeks later in Super Bowl LII, the Eagles and Patriots engaged in an offensive shootout despite the frigid conditions at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The Eagles prevailed 41-33 due to an MVP performance from quarterback Nick Foles. who completed twenty-eight of his forty-three passes for 373 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Brady's day was even better in a losing cause; he finished twenty-eight of forty-eight for 505 yards and three touchdowns. Amendola, Hogan and Gronkowski all had over a hundred receiving yards apiece. I almost forgot to mention "The Philly Special". the play on which Foles became the first quarterback in either applicable universe to catch a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl.
This is the Eagles' first-ever Super Bowl championship. As for the all-time race, the NFC leads 28-25.
That's it until the day after Super Bowl LIV. In the meantime, if anyone wants to use this thread as a basis for timelines of their own, they should feel free. Just put "Pythagorean" somewhere in the title so everyone knows that it comes from this universe.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Thoughts?
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Just because it's cold doesn't mean it has to be low scoring, so it makes sense that could happen outdoors, too - the offensive guys will want to run around just to keep warm, in fact.
Now it's time for our Roll Call of Champions. Let's begin with the AAFC:
1946: Cleveland Browns (1) Defeated New York Yankees 14-9 to win championship.
1947: Cleveland Browns (2) Defeated New York Yankees 14-3 to win championship.
1948: Cleveland Browns (3) Defeated Buffalo Bills 49-7 to win championship.
1949: Cleveland Browns (4) Defeated San Francisco 49ers 21-7 to win championship.
Next: We document the six non-Super Bowl seasons (1960-65) of the AFL.
Thoughts?
1946: Cleveland Browns (1) Defeated New York Yankees 14-9 to win championship.
1947: Cleveland Browns (2) Defeated New York Yankees 14-3 to win championship.
1948: Cleveland Browns (3) Defeated Buffalo Bills 49-7 to win championship.
1949: Cleveland Browns (4) Defeated San Francisco 49ers 21-7 to win championship.
Next: We document the six non-Super Bowl seasons (1960-65) of the AFL.
Thoughts?
Now for the six non Super Bowl seasons of the AFL. Different Champions are in bold caps; different runners-up are in regular bold:
1960: Houston Oilers (1) Defeated Dallas Texans 7-0 to win championship
1961: Houston Oilers (2) Defeated San Diego Chargers 10-3 to win championship.
1962: Dallas Texans (1) Defeated Houston Oilers 20-17 in double overtime to win championship.
1963: San Diego Chargers (1) Defeated Boston Patriots 51-10 to win championship.
1964: Buffalo Bills (1) Defeated Kansas City Chiefs 10-3 to win championship.
1965: Buffalo Bills (2) Defeated San Diego Chargers 23-0 to win championship.
Note: The Dallas Texans moved to Kansas City in 1963 and became known as the Chiefs.
Next: We run down the NFL from 1920 to 1929.
Thoughts?
1960: Houston Oilers (1) Defeated Dallas Texans 7-0 to win championship
1961: Houston Oilers (2) Defeated San Diego Chargers 10-3 to win championship.
1962: Dallas Texans (1) Defeated Houston Oilers 20-17 in double overtime to win championship.
1963: San Diego Chargers (1) Defeated Boston Patriots 51-10 to win championship.
1964: Buffalo Bills (1) Defeated Kansas City Chiefs 10-3 to win championship.
1965: Buffalo Bills (2) Defeated San Diego Chargers 23-0 to win championship.
Note: The Dallas Texans moved to Kansas City in 1963 and became known as the Chiefs.
Next: We run down the NFL from 1920 to 1929.
Thoughts?
Here are the NFL/APFA champions from 1920 to 1929. Champions different from real life are in bold caps:
1920: DECATUR STALEYS (1)
1921: BUFFALO ALL-AMERICANS (1) Won expected wins tiebreaker over Akron Pros, 11.9 to 11.7.
1922: Canton Bulldogs (1)
1923: Canton Bulldogs (2)
1924: Cleveland Bulldogs (1)
1925: POTTSVILLE MAROONS (1)
1926: Frankford Yellow Jackets (1)
1927: New York Giants (1)
1928: Providence Steam Roller (1)
1929: Green Bay Packers (1)
Note 1: The NFL was known as the APFA in 1920 and 1921.
Note 2: The Canton Bulldogs of 1922-23 and the Cleveland Bulldogs of 1924 are different franchises.
Next: We document 1930-1939.
Thoughts?
1920: DECATUR STALEYS (1)
1921: BUFFALO ALL-AMERICANS (1) Won expected wins tiebreaker over Akron Pros, 11.9 to 11.7.
1922: Canton Bulldogs (1)
1923: Canton Bulldogs (2)
1924: Cleveland Bulldogs (1)
1925: POTTSVILLE MAROONS (1)
1926: Frankford Yellow Jackets (1)
1927: New York Giants (1)
1928: Providence Steam Roller (1)
1929: Green Bay Packers (1)
Note 1: The NFL was known as the APFA in 1920 and 1921.
Note 2: The Canton Bulldogs of 1922-23 and the Cleveland Bulldogs of 1924 are different franchises.
Next: We document 1930-1939.
Thoughts?
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