Newsgroup: it.sport.americani
Titolo: Venghino, Siore e siori: infobeat del lunedi' mattina (contiene risultati nfl)

Grande Miami!!!!
Ciao tutti
            Sunday's Games
                  ATLANTA FALCONS 28, Indianapolis Colts 21 
                  Buffalo Bills 33, CINCINNATI BENGALS 20 
                  DENVER BRONCOS 35, Kansas City Chiefs 31 
                  JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 37, Detroit Lions 22 
                  MINNESOTA VIKINGS 48, Chicago Bears 22 
                  Miami Dolphins 27, OAKLAND RAIDERS 17 
                  NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 22, Dallas Cowboys 3 
                  NEW YORK JETS 32, Seattle Seahawks 31 
                  New England Patriots 23, PITTSBURGH STEELERS 9 
                  New York Giants 23, ARIZONA CARDINALS 19 
                  San Francisco 49ers 31, CAROLINA PANTHERS 28 (OT) 
                  TENNESSEE OILERS 16, Baltimore Ravens 14 
                  WASHINGTON REDSKINS 24, San Diego Chargers 20 
                                             Return to Top
            ATLANTA 28, INDIANAPOLIS 21
            (Box Score)
            ATLANTA (AP) - Chris Chandler would prefer to throw for
touchdowns, though he doesn't
            mind running to the end zone. Just don't expect him to do
the "Dirty Bird" when he gets
            there.
            The Atlanta quarterback, bouncing back from a sprained right
ankle, ran for one
            touchdown and threw for two more Sunday as the Falcons won
their sixth straight game,
            28-21 over the Indianapolis Colts. Chandler shook off five
sacks to complete 20-of-28
            passes for 297 yards, his best game in two years with
Atlanta. But it was his 3-yard
            scoring run on the final play of the first half that was key
for the NFC West-leading Falcons
            (11-2), who twice trailed by 14 points.
            "The last thing I expected was to run," said Chandler, who
didn't play the previous week.
            "They had all the receivers covered pretty well, but
fortunately I had room to run."
            Chandler held the ball high while crossing the goal line and
kept on running, throwing it
            off the wall behind the end zone before jumping against the
padding to complete his
            celebration. But he refused to perform the "Dirty Bird," the
Falcons trademark dance.
            "You're going to look long and hard before you see that,"
Chandler said with a grin. "The
            ball off the wall is about all you're going to get."
            Atlanta, which trailed 14-0 and 21-7, went ahead by scoring
three touchdowns in just
            over a three-minute span at the end of the first half and
beginning the second. Jamal
            Anderson, who rushed for 122 yards on 30 carries, brought
the Falcons to within 21-14
            on a 1-yard TD run with 1:21 left in the first half.
            The Colts went three-and-out and Atlanta took advantage with
a 66-yard scoring drive in
            35 seconds. Chandler threw a 33-yard pass to Tony Martin,
who was taken down by the
            facemask to give the Falcons another 15 yards on the
penalty. Chandler followed with a
            16-yard pass to Terance Mathis, but the Falcons appeared set
to go for a field goal after an
            incompletion at the 3 with just five seconds left. But coach
Dan Reeves decided to run
            another play. Chandler dropped back to pass, spotted the gap
up the middle and sprinted
            to the end zone as time expired.
            "That was the difference in the ballgame," Indianapolis
coach Jim Mora said. "We had a
            lead on them, and all of a sudden it's no lead at all."
            On the first play of the second half, Peyton Manning's pass
over the middle was picked off
            by Ray Buchanan, who returned it 18 yards to the Indy 14.
Three players later, Chandler
            put the Falcons ahead, connecting with Mathis on a 3-yard
scoring pass in the back of the
            end zone.
            Martin caught seven passes for 140 yards, including a
40-yard TD in the first half, and
            Anderson also had four receptions for 58 yards. Marshall
Faulk ran for a TD and caught
            another from Manning, who was 19-of-27 for 159 yards and a
TD to become the most
            prolific rookie passer in NFL history. But he also had two
interceptions as the Colts (2-11)
            lost by seven points or less for the seventh time in their
last eight defeats.
            "They get tougher and tougher as you play them closer and
closer," Manning said. "You
            feel like you deserve to win." 
                                             Return to Top 
            ATLANTA FALCONS 28, Indianapolis Colts 21
            (Recap)
                           1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH  FINAL
                           --- --- --- ---  -----
            Indianapolis   14   7   0   0    21
            Atlanta         7  14   7   0    28
            First Quarter
                  Ind-Faulk 11 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick),
11:52.
                  Ind-Small 30 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick),
5:36.
                  Atl-Martin 40 pass from Chandler (Andersen kick),
3:10.
            Second Quarter
                  Ind-Faulk 3 run (Vanderjagt kick), 5:10.
                  Atl-Anderson 1 run (Andersen kick), 1:21.
                  Atl-Chandler 3 run (Andersen kick), :00.
            Third Quarter
                  Atl-Mathis 3 pass from Chandler (Andersen kick),
13:17.
 
                                    Ind       Atl
                                    ---       ---
            FIRST DOWNS              17        27
             Rushing                  6         8
             Passing                  9        15
             Penalty                  2         4
            THIRD DOWN EFF          4-9      4-10
            FOURTH DOWN EFF         0-0       0-0
            TOTAL NET YARDS         244       394
             Total Plays             48        68
             Avg Gain               5.1       5.8
            NET YARDS RUSHING        85       137
             Rushes                  21        35
             Avg per rush           4.0       3.9
            NET YARDS PASSING       159       257
             Sacked-Yds lost        0-0      5-40
             Gross-Yds passing      159       297
             Completed-Att.       19-27     20-28
             Had Intercepted          2         1
             Yards-Pass Play        5.9       7.8
            KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB   4-4-1     4-4-4
            PUNTS-Avg.           4-51.5    3-46.3
             Punts blocked            0         0
            FGs-PATs blocked        0-0       0-0
            TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE     30       135
             Punts Returns          0-0      3-29
             Kickoffs Returns       0-0      3-88
             Interceptions         1-30      2-18
            PENALTIES-Yds          8-57      8-65
            FUMBLES-Lost            1-1       3-1
            TIME OF POSSESSION    24:23     35:37
            INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
            RUSHING-Indianapolis, Faulk 19-76, Manning 1-7, Small 1-2.
            Atlanta, Anderson 30-122, Chandler 4-14, Christian 1-1.
            PASSING-Indianapolis, Manning 19-27-2-159. Atlanta, Chandler
            20-28-1-297.
            RECEIVING-Indianapolis, Faulk 7-37, Dilger 5-45, Small 2-38,
            Pathon 2-16, G.Green 2-14, Pollard 1-9. Atlanta, Martin
7-140,
            Anderson 4-58, Mathis 4-51, Santiago 3-33, Christian 1-9,
            Kozlowski 1-6.
            PUNT RETURNS-Indianapolis, None. Atlanta, Dwight 3-29.
            KICKOFF RETURNS-Indianapolis, None. Atlanta, Dwight 3-88.
            INTERCEPTIONS-Indianapolis, Clark 1-30. Atlanta, Buchanan
1-18,
            Sauer 1-0.
            TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS-Indianapolis, Barber 8-2-0, Montgomery
            8-0-2, Poole 6-0-0, Hauck 5-1-0, Johnson 4-1-1, Berry 3-2-0,
            Jordan 2-3-0, Belser 4-0-0, Morrison 2-2-0, McCoy 3-0-0,
Clark
            2-1-0, Alexander 2-0-0, Chorak 1-0-0, Herrod 1-0-0, Shello
1-0-1,
            Tuinei 1-0-1, Banta 1-0-0, Blackmon 1-0-0, Elias 1-1-0,
Greene
            1-0-0, McElroy 1-0-0. Atlanta, Tuggle 7-3-0, White 5-0-0,
Hall
            4-1-0, Crockett 3-2-0, Bennett 3-0-0, Booker 3-0-0, Sauer
3-0-0,
            Buchanan 1-2-0, Robinson 1-1-0, Archambeau 1-0-0, Bradford
1-0-0,
            Burrough 1-0-0, Dronett 1-0-0.
            MISSED FIELD GOALS-Atlanta, Andersen 47 (WL).
            OFFICIALS-Referee Tony Corrente, Ump Ron Botchan, HL Mark
Baltz,
            LJ Tom Barnes, FJ Paul Baetz, SJ Ron Liebsack, BJ Don
Dorkowski.
            Time: 2:56. A-61,141. No-shows-NA.
                                             Return to Top 
            BUFFALO 33, CINCINNATI 20
            (Box Score)
            CINCINNATI (AP) - From the first play of the game, Doug
Flutie and Eric Moulds gave
            Cincinnati fans plenty of chances to vent their anger.
            Flutie and Moulds opened the game with a 55-yard completion
and made one big play
            after another Sunday, keeping the Buffalo Bills in the
playoff race with a 33-20 victory
            over the Bengals.
            Flutie and Moulds combined for a pair of touchdowns,
including a quick slant pass that
            turned into 70-yard play, as the Bills (8-5) picked apart
the NFL's lowest-rated defense in
            front of thousands of disgruntled fans.
            The victory wiped away the sting of a controversial loss to
New England a week earlier and
            kept the Bills in the thick of the AFC East race with eight
wins in their last 10 games.
            Owner Ralph Wilson, who was fined $50,000 for criticizing
the officials over a pass
            interference call that set up New England's win, received a
game ball from his players.
            "We all appreciated Ralph's comments," Flutie said. "That
says a lot. He stands up for the
            team when we have to bite our tongues. We really appreciated
it."
            The Bengals (2-11) lost their eighth in a row -- their
longest losing streak since 1994 --
            while about two dozen banners demanding change fluttered in
the warm December wind.
            "We're trying to stay focused. It's just been one of those
seasons where we don't make the
            plays and the other teams do," said cornerback Ashley
Ambrose, who was beaten on the
            game-opening play.
            Flutie directed an offense that scored in every quarter and
piled up a season-high 448
            yards. Flutie completed 18-of-30 for 319 yards -- his second
straight 300-yard game --
            but was intercepted a season-high three times.
            Flutie and Moulds set the tone on the first play, when the
third-year receiver ran past
            Ambrose and caught the 55-yard pass in stride to set up
Antowain Smith's 1-yard
            touchdown run. Moulds finished with six catches for a
career-high 196 yards and two
            touchdowns.
            Neil O'Donnell, starting for the first time in three games,
soothed the fans and stunned the
            Bills by throwing a pair of touchdown passes in the second
quarter for the Bengals' first
            lead in 17 quarters.
            It didn't even survive the half. Flutie and Moulds beat a
blitz and turned the game with
            their 70-yard touchdown with 1:41 left.
            "We had some trouble with tackling and we had some missed
calls, and the result was we
            gave them some big plays," coach Bruce Coslet said. "Moulds
ran a slant on an all-out
            blitz and you've simply got to get him on the ground."
            O'Donnell left the game with a hand injury early in the
fourth quarter. X-rays after the
            game found a fracture in his throwing hand that will likely
wipe out the rest of his season. 
                                             Return to Top 
            Buffalo Bills 33, CINCINNATI BENGALS 20
            (Recap)
                           1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH  FINAL
                           --- --- --- ---  -----
            Buffalo        10  10   6   7    33
            Cincinnati      0  13   0   7    20
            First Quarter
                  Buf-A.Smith 1 run (Christie kick), 12:44.
                  Buf-FG Christie 20, 8:48.
            Second Quarter
                  Cin-Scott 8 pass O'Donnell (kick failed), 14:10.
                  Cin-Pickens 3 pass from O'Donnell (Pelfrey kick),
9:13.
                  Buf-Moulds 70 pass from Flutie (Christie kick), 1:41.
                  Buf-FG Christie 52, :04.
            Third Quarter
                  Buf-FG Christie 46, 10:38.
                  Buf-FG Christie 34, 3:22.
            Fourth Quarter
                  Buf-Moulds 30 pass from Flutie (Christie kick), 12:12.
                  Cin-Dillon 3 run (Pelfrey kick), 1:42.
 
                                    Buf       Cin
                                    ---       ---
            FIRST DOWNS              21        15
             Rushing                  8         4
             Passing                 13        10
             Penalty                  0         1
            THIRD DOWN EFF         5-13      3-12
            FOURTH DOWN EFF         0-0       1-2
            TOTAL NET YARDS         448       234
             Total Plays             66        59
             Avg Gain               6.8       4.0
            NET YARDS RUSHING       139        58
             Rushes                  34        17
             Avg per rush           4.1       3.4
            NET YARDS PASSING       309       176
             Sacked-Yds lost       2-10      6-38
             Gross-Yds passing      319       214
             Completed-Att.       18-30     22-36
             Had Intercepted          3         1
             Yards-Pass Play        9.7       4.2
            KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB   8-4-3     4-1-0
            PUNTS-Avg.           2-43.5    7-46.0
             Punts blocked            0         0
            FGs-PATs blocked        0-0       0-0
            TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE    126       144
             Punts Returns         2-30       0-0
             Kickoffs Returns      4-73     5-112
             Interceptions         1-23      3-32
            PENALTIES-Yds          8-38       1-5
            FUMBLES-Lost            0-0       2-0
            TIME OF POSSESSION    31:36     28:24
            INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
            RUSHING-Buffalo, A.Smith 18-77, Thomas 5-22, Flutie 5-21,
Linton
            5-17, Gash 1-2. Cincinnati, Dillon 11-43, Bieniemy 2-9,
Blake
            1-5, Milne 1-2, Bennett 1-0, O'Donnell 1-(minus 1).
            PASSING-Buffalo, Flutie 18-30-3-319. Cincinnati, O'Donnell
            19-31-1-168, Blake 3-5-0-46
            RECEIVING-Buffalo, Reed 7-68, Moulds 6-196, Thomas 3-14,
            Riemersma 1-28, K.Williams 1-13. Cincinnati, Pickens 8-97,
Scott
            6-93, Dillon 3-2, Battaglia 2-9, Milne 2-7, Bieniemy 1-6.
            PUNT RETURNS-Buffalo, K.Williams 2-30. Cincinnati, Gibson
0-0.
            KICKOFF RETURNS-Buffalo, K.Williams 3-73, H.Jones 1-0.
            Cincinnati, Gibson 3-72, Bennett 2-40.
            TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS-Buffalo, Schulz 8-1-0, Irvin 6-0-0,
            Cummings 5-0-0, P.Williams 4-0-3, Cowart 3-2-0, Hanson
3-1-0,
            Perry 3-0-0, H.Jones 2-0-0, Washington 2-0-1, Smedley 2-0-0,
Pike
            2-0-0, Rogers 1-0-1, W.Simmons 1-0-0, Wiley 1-0-1, R.Jackson
            1-0-0, Greer 0-1-0, B.Smith 0-1-0. Cincinnati, Ambrose
7-0-0,
            Wilson 7-0-1, Hawkins 5-0-0, Shade 4-1-0, Ross 4-0-0,
B.Simmons
            4-0-1, Randolph 4-0-0, Bankston 3-1-0, von Oelhoffen 3-0-0,
Myers
            3-0-0, Francis 2-0-0, Spikes 1-1-0, Bell 1-0-0, Purvis
1-0-0,
            Steele 1-0-0, Granville 1-1-0, Curtis 1-0-0.
            INTERCEPTIONS-Buffalo, Cowart 1-23. Cincinnati, B.Simmons
1-18,
            Ross 1-11, Copeland 1-3.
            MISSED FIELD GOALS-None.
            OFFICIALS-Referee Ron Blum, Ump Bob Wagner, HL Mark Hittner,
LJ
            Walt Anderson, FJ Al Jury, SJ Nate Jones, BJ Bill Schmitz.
            Time: 2:55. A-54,359. No-shows-NA.
                                             Return to Top 
            DENVER 35, KANSAS CITY 31
            (Box Score)
            DENVER (AP) - Just when they needed him most, John Elway
responded. In their first 12
            games, the unbeaten Denver Broncos did quite nicely without
Elway, who missed all or
            part of six of those games because of injuries.
            On Sunday, however, when it became clear it would be Elway
or no way for a Broncos
            team desperate to keep its perfect season intact, the
38-year-old quarterback rallied his
            team to a 35-31 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
            Elway drove his team to two touchdowns in the final 6:48 as
the Broncos became only the
            third 13-0 team in NFL history, joining the 1934 Chicago
Bears and 1972 Miami
            Dolphins.
            Denver, which overcame deficits of 14-0, 21-7 and 31-21,
clinched a first-round bye and
            home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Elway
completed 22-of-32 passes for 400
            yards and two scores, including the game-winner -- a 24-yard
pass to tight end Shannon
            Sharpe with 3:34 remaining.
            "To be able to come through when we needed the passing game,
it's nice to make the plays
            when you have to make them," Elway said. "It's been so long
since we've been in a game
            like this. This was fun."
            It was Denver's toughest game to date. The Broncos had
trailed in only three games all
            season, and never by more than six points.
            "They caught us off-balance early, and we fell behind,"
Broncos coach Mike Shanahan
            said. "But we felt if we just kept our composure and could
come up with a couple of plays
            down the stretch, we could win."
            Rod Smith caught eight passes for 165 yards, and Ed
McCaffrey caught six for 103 yards
            and a score.
            Terrell Davis, the NFL rushing leader, had 88 yards on 24
carries to boost his season total
            to 1,654 yards. Davis also scored on three 1-yard runs,
giving him 59 career touchdowns
            to break Marcus Allen's NFL record for most touchdowns in
the first four years of a career.
            Allen had 58.
            Denver's victory was its 18th straight, including
postseason, which ties an NFL record
            shared by four teams.
            Kansas City (5-8), the more emotional team in the early
going, built its early leads thanks
            to two touchdown passes from Rich Gannon and Bam Morris'
1-yard scoring run.
            Elway rallied the Broncos to two touchdowns in the second
quarter, making it 21-21 at
            intermission.
            Of Elway's 47 game-saving comeback drives, nine have come
against a Marty
            Schottenheimer-coached team, including two in Cleveland.
            "I have the greatest admiration in the world for him," the
Chiefs coach said of Elway. "It has
            nothing to do with his skill. It's that the guy is the most
competitive individual I have ever
            known. He is the finest competitor I have ever seen in
professional sports."
            Schottenheimer said he told his players "there are no losers
in our locker room. Our guys
            had nothing to play for but their pride. We were able to
stop them for a while, but big plays
            got us today. That's the bottom line." 
                                             Return to Top 
            DENVER BRONCOS 35, Kansas City Chiefs 31
            (Recap)
                           1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH  FINAL
                           --- --- --- ---  -----
            Kansas City    21   0   7   3    31
            Denver          7  14   0  14    35
            First Quarter
                  KC-Rison 26 pass from Gannon (Stoyanovich kick),
10:41.
                  KC-Anders 11 pass from Gannon (Stoyanovich kick),
6:29.
                  Den-T.Davis 1 run (Elam kick), 5:06.
                  KC-Morris 1 run (Stoyanovich kick), :12.
            Second Quarter
                  Den-T.Davis 1 run (Elam kick), 6:31.
                  Den-McCaffrey 13 pass from Elway (Elam kick), 3:00.
            Third Quarter
                  KC-Horn 26 pass from Gannon (Stoyanovich kick), 3:40.
            Fourth Quarter
                  KC-FG Stoyanovich 20, 8:25.
                  Den-T.Davis 1 run (Elam kick), 6:48.
                  Den-Sharpe 24 pass from Elway (Elam kick), 3:34.
 
                                    KC        Den
                                    ---       ---
            FIRST DOWNS              20        23
             Rushing                  6         8
             Passing                 12        14
             Penalty                  2         1
            THIRD DOWN EFF         3-13      7-13
            FOURTH DOWN EFF         3-4       0-1
            TOTAL NET YARDS         266       476
             Total Plays             64        63
             Avg Gain               4.2       7.6
            NET YARDS RUSHING        44        93
             Rushes                  17        29
             Avg per rush           2.6       3.2
            NET YARDS PASSING       222       383
             Sacked-Yds lost       4-18      2-17
             Gross-Yds passing      240       400
             Completed-Att.       27-43     22-32
             Had Intercepted          0         1
             Yards-Pass Play        4.7      11.3
            KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB   6-0-0     6-0-0
            PUNTS-Avg.           5-40.8    3-46.0
             Punts blocked            0         0
            FGs-PATs blocked        0-0       1-0
            TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE    213       180
             Punts Returns         3-52      3-33
             Kickoffs Returns     6-146     6-147
             Interceptions         1-15       0-0
            PENALTIES-Yds          4-35      6-86
            FUMBLES-Lost            2-1       2-2
            TIME OF POSSESSION    29:31     30:29
            INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
            RUSHING-Kansas City, Morris 7-14, Anders 3-13, Gannon 4-12,
            Bennett 3-5. Denver, T.Davis 24-88, Elway 4-5, Rouen 1-0.
            PASSING-Kansas City, Gannon 27-43-0-240. Denver, Elway
            22-32-1-400.
            RECEIVING-Kansas City, Rison 7-81, Alexander 6-68, Gonzalez
4-24,
            Anders 4-11, Horn 2-34, Morris 2-13, Popson 1-6, Bennett
1-3.
            Denver, R.Smith 8-165, McCaffrey 6-103, Davis 5-45, Green
1-50,
            Sharpe 1-24, Carswell 1-13.
            PUNT RETURNS-Kansas City, Vanover 3-52. Denver, Gordon 3-33.
            KICKOFF RETURNS-Kansas City, Vanover 6-146. Denver, Hebron
6-147.
            TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS-Kansas City, Carter 6-1-0, Woods
6-0-0,
            Edwards 5-1-0, McMillian 5-1-0, Tongue 4-3-0, O'Neal 4-0-0,
            A.Davis 2-1-1, Hasty 2-1-0, McDaniels 2-0-0, Favors 2-0-0,
            McGlockton 1-0-1, Crawford 1-0-0, Manusky 1-0-0, Tam 1-0-0,
            Warfield 1-0-0, R.Williams 1-0-0, Parten 0-1-0, Walker
0-1-0,
            Hugues 0-1-0. Denver, Gordon 9-0-0, Crockett 5-1-0, Cadrez
5-0-0,
            Mobley 4-2-0, Romanowski 4-1-1, Traylor 3-0-0, Braxton
2-0-0,
            Pryce 2-0-0, Washington 2-0-0, A.Williams 2-0-1, N.Smith
1-0-1,
            Tanuvasa 1-0-1, Lynn 1-1-0, D.Smith 1-1-0, Atwater 1-0-0,
Burns
            1-0-0, Carswell 1-0-0, Loville 1-0-0, Nalen 1-0-0, Rouen
1-0-0.
            INTERCEPTIONS-Kansas City, McMillian 1-15.
            MISSED FIELD GOALS-Denver, Elam 37 (BL).
            OFFICIALS-Referee Johnny Grier, Ump Jim Daopoulos, HL John
            Schleyer, LJ Gary Arthur, FJ Duke Carroll, SJ Neely Dunn, BJ
            Scott Green.
            Time: 3:06. A-75,919. No-shows-957.
                                             Return to Top 
            JACKSONVILLE 37, DETROIT 22
            (Box Score)
            JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Mark Brunell left the locker room
on crutches, a bad sign for a
            Jacksonville team talking about making a big playoff run
this season. The Jaguars may
            not have as much to worry about, however, if Fred Taylor and
backup quarterback Jamie
            Martin keep playing like they did Sunday.
            Pressed into emergency duty, Martin threw a 67-yard
touchdown pass on his second
            attempt and finished with 228 yards to lead the Jaguars to a
37-22 victory over the
            Detroit Lions. Taylor ran for a team-record 183 yards on 32
carries to surpass the
            1,000-yard mark as the Jaguars (10-3) all but clinched a
playoff spot and moved three
            games ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Central.
The Steelers lost 23-9 to New
            England.
            By now, Taylor's success is expected. Not so for Martin, a
fifth-year journeyman who had
            thrown just 34 NFL passes coming into this season.
            "I think I have the ability," Martin said. "Obviously, I
don't have Mark's talent or anything
            like that. But mentally, I've been around a couple years.
Given time to prepare, I think I
            can do some big things."
            Barry Sanders finished with 102 yards for the Lions (5-8),
but Detroit had its three-game
            winning streak halted along with almost any hope of a
sneaking into the playoffs.
            Brunell was diagnosed with a severely sprained left ankle,
caused when Lions lineman
            Robert Porcher came in from the quarterback's blind side and
bent him backwards, forcing
            the ankle to buckle underneath him on the game's second
play. It set the stage for Martin,
            who followed in the footsteps of Rob Johnson and Steve
Matthews, the one-game wonders
            who led the Jaguars to victories when Brunell injured a knee
last year.
            "He did everything he had to," said Jaguars coach Tom
Coughlin of Martin. "He came in
            and settled everybody down, which was really critical. I
can't say enough about the kid's
            poise. He came in as the backup, and he didn't know if he
was going to play or not, and he
            did an outstanding job."
            Helped by Taylor's rushing, Martin led the Jaguars to scores
on four of the first five drives
            he started. The first score came on a 25-yard post route to
Keenan McCardell, who caught
            the ball and outran the Lions secondary for a 67-yard TD. In
the second quarter, Martin
            hit Jimmy Smith with a touch pass to the corner of the end
zone for a 24-6 advantage.
            Minutes before Smith's TD, Sanders broke a 39-yard run --
his longest since Nov. 8 -- to
            get the ball to the 2. But Jacksonville held on three
straight plays, and a false start on
            fourth-and-goal forced the Lions to settle for a field goal.
Taylor capped an 80-yard march
            with an 11-yard touchdown run.
            "Taylor is a good back, a very elusive back," said Lions
receiver Herman Moore. "I'm not
            going to take anything away from him and I know our
defensive guys were doing
            everything they could to stop him. He's almost like Barry,
though. He makes people miss."
            Sanders went without a rushing touchdown for the seventh
straight game to stay stuck on
            99. Charlie Batch went 14-for-33 for 250 yards and two
touchdowns for Detroit. 
                                             Return to Top 
            JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 37, Detroit Lions 22
            (Recap)
                           1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH  FINAL
                           --- --- --- ---  -----
            Detroit         3   10  3   6    22
            Jacksonville   14   10  3  10    37
            First Quarter
                  Jac-McCardell 67 pass from Martin (Hollis kick),
10:56.
                  Jac-Taylor 1 run (Hollis kick), 6:05.
                  Det-FG Hanson 34, 3:36.
            Second Quarter
                  Jac-FG Hollis 44, 14:08.
                  Det-FG Hanson 24, 6:47.
                  Jac-J.Smith 11 pass from Martin (Hollis kick), 1:54.
                  Det-Crowell 27 pass from Batch (Hanson kick), :35.
            Third Quarter
                  Det-FG Hanson 45, 10:34.
                  Jac-FG Hollis 43, 5:46.
            Fourth Quarter
                  Jac-Taylor 11 run (Hollis kick), 13:13.
                  Det-H.Moore 20 pass from Batch (run failed), 10:43.
                  Jac-FG Hollis 30, 3:22.
 
                                    Det       Jac
                                    ---       ---
            FIRST DOWNS              17        24
             Rushing                  3        12
             Passing                 12         8
             Penalty                  2         4
            THIRD DOWN EFF         6-15      8-13
            FOURTH DOWN EFF         1-2       0-0
            TOTAL NET YARDS         332       426
             Total Plays             60        68
             Avg Gain               5.5       6.3
            NET YARDS RUSHING       120       205
             Rushes                  22        43
             Avg per rush           5.5       4.8
            NET YARDS PASSING       212       221
             Sacked-Yds lost       5-38       1-7
             Gross-Yds passing      250       228
             Completed-Att.       14-33     15-24
             Had Intercepted          0         0
             Yards-Pass Play        5.6       8.8
            KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB   6-2-1     8-3-1
            PUNTS-Avg.           3-39.3    2-40.5
             Punts blocked            0         0
            FGs-PATs blocked        0-0       0-0
            TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE    216       107
             Punts Returns         2-18      2-26
             Kickoffs Returns     6-198      5-81
             Interceptions          0-0       0-0
            PENALTIES-Yds          9-76      7-45
            FUMBLES-Lost            0-0       0-0
            TIME OF POSSESSION    24:21     35:39
            INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
            RUSHING-Detroit, Sanders 18-102, Batch 2-17, Rivers 1-1,
Vardell
            1-0. Jacksonville, Taylor 32-183, Jones 7-26, Martin
3-(minus 3),
            Whitted 1-(minus 1).
            PASSING-Detroit, Batch 14-33-0-250. Jacksonville, Brunell
            0-1-0-0, Martin 15-23-0-228.
            RECEIVING-Detroit, H.Moore 7-116, Crowell 2-72, Morton 1-31,
            Sloan 1-13, Rasby 1-7, Rivers 1-6, Sanders 1-5.
Jacksonville,
            J.Smith 7-112, McCardell 3-84, Taylor 3-23, Mitchell 2-9.
            PUNT RETURNS-Detroit, Fair 2-18. Jacksonville, Barlow 2-26.
            KICKOFF RETURNS-Detroit, Fair 5-175, Vardell 1-23.
Jacksonville,
            Logan 2-41, Barlow 2-40, Jones 1-0.
            TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS-Detroit, Boyd 7-1-0, Fredrickson
5-0-0,
            Westbrook 5-0-0, Rice 4-1-1, Fair 4-0-0, Scroggins 4-0-0,
            Waldroup 4-0-0, Aldridge 3-1-0, Ellis 3-0-0, Jeffries 3-0-0,
            Porcher 3-0-0, Holland 2-0-0, Bailey 2-0-0, Abrams 2-0-0,
            Schlesinger 2-0-0, Kowalkowski 1-0-0, Spindler 0-1-0.
            Jacksonville, Schwartz 5-0-0, Thomas 5-0-0, Beasley 4-1-0,
Hardy
            4-1-0, White 4-0-1, Hudson 4-0-0, Darius 3-0-0, Logan 3-0-0,
Paup
            2-0-1, Wynn 2-0-1, Smeenge 1-1-1/2, Brackens 1-0-1, Hollis
1-0-0,
            Jones 1-0-0, Lowe 1-0-0, W.Moore 1-0-0, Settles 1-0-0,
Jurkovic
            0-1-1/2, Mason 0-1-0.
            INTERCEPTIONS-None.
            MISSED FIELD GOALS-Detroit, Hanson 47 (WL).
            OFFICIALS-Referee Larry Nemmers, Ump Jeff Rice, HL Dale
Hamer, LJ
            Ron Marinucci, FJ Boris Cheek, SJ Ricky Patterson, BJ Bobby
            Skelton.
            Time: 3:14. A-70,717. No-shows-1,992.
                                             Return to Top 
            MINNESOTA 48, CHICAGO 22
            (Box Score)
            MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - When one of the best receivers in NFL
history was injured in
            pre-game warmups, a rookie said he was ready to take over.
            With Cris Carter forced to join three other ailing offensive
starters on the sidelines, Randy
            Moss caught three touchdown passes for the second straight
game as the Vikings beat the
            Chicago Bears 48-22 Sunday night to clinch their first NFC
Central title since 1994.
            "I told Cris that if I have to tote the load, I'm willing to
do that," Moss said.
            Along with its division title -- Minnesota (12-1) guaranteed
itself a first-round playoff bye,
            the first time it has earned that during coach Dennis
Green's seven seasons.
            Moss, who burned Dallas for 163 yards and three TDs on
Thanksgiving, caught scoring
            passes of 6, 3 and 34 yards against the overmatched Bears
(3-10), who lost their fifth
            straight.
            That gave him an NFL-best 14 TD catches, breaking the league
rookie mark of 13 set by
            Green Bay's Bill Howton in 1952 and matched by San Diego's
John Jefferson in 1979.
            "I don't think anybody's doing more in the league than Randy
right now," said Chicago
            receiver Bobby Engram.
            Randall Cunningham, who has started all but two games this
season because of injuries to
            Brad Johnson, threw four TD passes for the second straight
week and fourth time this
            season, setting a team record. One of them went to running
back Leroy Hoard, who was
            subbing for the injured Robert Smith. Hoard scored twice.
            "If you told us before the season that at some point in time
we'd lose our starting
            quarterback, our two starting receivers and our starting
running back and we'd be 12-1, I
            would never have believed it," Cunningham said.
            The Vikings outgained the Bears 341-14 on the way to a 27-0
halftime lead. The defense
            also capped the team's highest-scoring game in 10 years with
Dwayne Rudd's
            franchise-record 94-yard fumble return for a touchdown late
in the fourth quarter.
            Bobby Engram led Chicago with a career-best nine catches for
140 yards, including a
            47-yard touchdown early in the third quarter.
            "They put it on us, that's the only way to describe it,"
said Bears offensive tackle Andy
            Heck. "It's very disappointing, especially against a
division rival that we know something
            about."
            Moe Williams went 64 yards with a screen pass on the game's
first play to set up
            Cunningham's 6-yard pass to Moss. Hoard's first TD catch in
2 1/2 seasons with the
            Vikings, a 24-yarder, made it 14-0.
            Moss' 3-yard TD catch came with 18 seconds left in the first
half and made it 27-0. After
            Engram beat Jimmy Hitchcock for the Bears' first score,
Moss' 34-yarder made it 34-14
            with 12:14 left in the third quarter. 
                                             Return to Top 
            MINNESOTA VIKINGS 48, Chicago Bears 22
            (Recap)
                           1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH  FINAL
                           --- --- --- ---  -----
            Chicago         0   0  14   8    22
            Minnesota      14  13   7  14    48
            First Quarter
                  Min-Moss 6 pass from Cunningham (Anderson kick),
13:14.
                  Min-Hoard 24 pass from Cunningham (Anderson kick),
6:20.
            Second Quarter
                  Min-FG Anderson 30, 12:21. Drive: 11 plays, 49 yards,
6:28.
                  Min-FG Anderson 20, 8:35. Drive: 7 plays, 37 yards,
2:35.
                  Min-Moss 3 pass from Cunningham (Anderson kick), :18.
            Third Quarter
                  Chi-Engram 47 pass from Stenstrom (Jaeger kick),
13:33.
                  Min-Moss 34 pass from Cunningham (Anderson kick),
12:14.
                  Chi-Bennett 5 run (Jaeger kick), 5:03.
            Fourth Quarter
                  Min-Hoard 8 run (Anderson kick), 11:31.
                  Min-Rudd 94 fumble return (Anderson kick), 5:46.
                  Chi-Stenstrom 4 run (Penn pass from Stenstrom), 2:38
                                     Chi      Min
                                     ---      ---
            FIRST DOWNS              19        23
             Rushing                  4         7
             Passing                 13        14
             Penalty                  2         2
            THIRD DOWN EFF         0-13      6-10
            FOURTH DOWN EFF         4-6       0-0
            TOTAL NET YARDS         339       458
             Total Plays             69        58
             Avg Gain               4.9       7.9
            NET YARDS RUSHING        67       109
             Rushes                  24        27
             Avg per rush           2.8       4.0
            NET YARDS PASSING       272       349
             Sacked-Yds lost       3-31      0-00
             Gross-Yds passing      303       349
             Completed-Att.       25-42     21-31
             Had Intercepted          1         1
             Yards-Pass Play        6.0      11.3
            KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB   4-0-0     9-6-5
            PUNTS-Avg.           6-46.5    2-44.0
             Punts blocked            0         0
            FGs-PATs blocked        0-0       0-0
            TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE    119        92
             Punts Returns          1-8      5-41
             Kickoffs Returns     4-109      3-51
             Interceptions          1-2       1-0
            PENALTIES-Yds          5-65    10-123
            FUMBLES-Lost            1-1       0-0
            TIME OF POSSESSION    31:17     28:43
            INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
            RUSHING-Chicago, Bennett 12-21, Hallock 3-17, Stenstrom
4-15,
            J.Allen 4-11, Engram 1-3. Minnesota, Hoard 19-69, Cunningham
            1-19, Palmer 2-13, Evans 3-10, Fiedler 2-(minus 2).     
            PASSING-Chicago, Stenstrom 25-42-1-303. Minnesota,
Cunningham
            21-31-1-349
            RECEIVING-Chicago, Engram 9-140, Conway 4-44, Bennett 3-34,
Penn
            3-32, Hallock 3-6, J.Allen 2-36, Mayes 1-11. Minnesota, Moss
            8-106, Hoard 4-63, Hatchette 3-26, Glover 2-55, M.Williams
1-64,
            Walsh 1-25, DeLong 1-6, Palmer 1-4.
            PUNT RETURNS-Chicago, Milburn 1-8. Minnesota, Palmer
5-41.      
            KICKOFF RETURNS-Chicago, Milburn 4-109. Minnesota, Palmer
3-51.         
            TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS-Chicago, Minter 5-1-0, M.Carter 3-3-0,
            W.Harris 5-0-0, Parrish 4-1-0, Wells 4-0-0, S.Harris 3-1-0,
            Thierry 3-1-0, Collins 2-2-0, Robinson 3-0-0, L.Hall 3-0-0,
            Hallock 2-1-0, Hilliard 2-0-0, Lee 2-0-0, R.Bell 2-0-0,
            Ri.McDonald 0-2-0, Cousin 1-0-0, Flanigan 1-0-0, Forbes
1-0-0,
            Austin 0-1-0, Grasmanis 0-1-0, Schwantz 0-1-0. Minnesota,
            E.McDaniel 5-4-11/2, Fuller 7-0-0, Houston 3-2-0, Randle
3-1-1
            1/2,Butler 4-0-0, Rudd 3-0-0, Banks 3-0-0, Alexander 2-1-0,
            Bercich 2-1-0, Clemons 2-1-0, Edwards 2-1-0, Ra.McDonald
2-1-0,
            T.Williams 2-1-0, Fisk 1-2-0, Thomas 1-1-0, Hitchcock 0-2-0,
Mays
            1-1-0, Colinet 1-0-0, Wong 1-0-0, Griffith 0-1-0, team
1-0-0.   
            INTERCEPTIONS-Chicago, W.Harris 1-2. Minnesota, Hitchcock
1-0.  
            MISSED FIELD GOALS-None.
            OFFICIALS-Referee Bob McElwee, Ump Scott Dawson, HL Tom
Stabile,
            LJ Ron Phares, FJ Bill Lovett, SJ Larry Rose, BJ Billy
Smith.   
            Time: 3:10. A-64,247. No-shows-NA.
                                             Return to Top 
            MIAMI 27, OAKLAND 17
            (Box Score)
            OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Sometimes there are advantages to
being a relatively little guy in a
            big man's sport.
            Zach Thomas, an undersized linebacker at 5-foot-11, strolled
about six inches with an
            interception for a touchdown as the Miami Dolphins defeated
the Oakland Raiders 27-17
            Sunday to stay tied with the New York Jets atop the AFC
East. Oakland quarterback
            Donald Hollas was scrambling in the end zone when he lofted
a pass right to Thomas a few
            inches from the goal line.
            "He didn't see me, I guess, because I'm so short," Thomas
said. "I guess that helps
            sometimes."
            Miami linebacker Robert Jones also returned an interception
for a score and Miami turned
            four first-half turnovers into 24 points. Thomas and Jones
each had another interception
            in the second half and the Dolphins had a team record-tying
six overall, raising their
            NFL-leading total to 26 this season.
            The Dolphins (9-4), who play the Jets this coming Sunday in
Miami, had just nine first
            downs in the game -- as compared to 20 for Oakland -- and
hardly seemed to need Dan
            Marino.
            "Our defense was able to force them to make crucial
mistakes. They've carried us for
            several games," said Marino, who had a 19-yard scoring pass
to Oronde Gadsden. "We're
            tied for first and now we get to play for the title."
            Olindo Mare kicked field goals of 47 and 25 yards for the
Dolphins, who were missing
            three injured offensive line starters, but still did not
allow a sack of Marino for the second
            straight week.
            "To know that your offense is banged up, we needed the
defense to step up," said Jones,
            part of a defense that ranked second in the league coming
into the weekend. "That's what
            we talked about all week."
            Hollas had a 7-yard scoring pass to Tim Brown, and Greg
Davis kicked a 40-yard field
            goal for the Raiders (7-6), who have lost four of five,
including two straight at home, and
            are struggling to stay in the hunt for their first playoff
spot since 1993.
            Hollas, making his sixth start in place of the injured Jeff
George, was 12-of-31 for 152
            yards and all six interceptions before being replaced by
Wade Wilson in the fourth quarter.
            Wilson had a 2-yard TD pass to Brown with 1:27 left in the
game. Hollas was sacked eight
            times.
            "After my sixth sack, I started to watch the seagulls above
the stadium each time I was
            taken down," Hollas said. "Even if you're rushed, six
interceptions is unacceptable at this
            level. I wasn't adding them up until they pulled me out of
the ballgame."
            Raiders coach Jon Gruden said he expects Hollas to start
again next week at Buffalo,
            though he did not rule out Wilson.
            Marino was 22-of-33 for 170 yards, with no interceptions.
Karim Abdul-Jabbar ran 19
            times for 94 yards for the Dolphins. 
                                             Return to Top 
            Miami Dolphins 27, OAKLAND RAIDERS 17
            (Recap)
                               1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH  FINAL
                               --- --- --- ---  -----
            Miami              17   7   0   3    27
            Oakland             0   3   7   7    17
            First Quarter
                  Mia-FG Mare 25, 3:36.
                  Mia-Z.Thomas 1 interception return (Mare kick), 2:50.
                  Mia-Gadsden 19 pass from Marino (Mare kick), 1:46.
            Second Quarter
                  Oak-FG G.Davis 40, 5:27.
                  Mia-R.Jones 14 interception return (Mare kick), 2:38.
            Third Quarter
                  Oak-T.Brown 7 pass from Hollas (G.Davis kick), 10:01.
            Fourth Quarter
                  Mia-FG Mare 47, 3:14. Drive: 10 plays, 36 yards, 6:04.
                  Oak-T.Brown 2 pass from Wilson (G.Davis kick), 1:27.
                                    Mia       Oak
                                    ---       ---
            FIRST DOWNS               9        20
             Rushing                  2         7
             Passing                  7        12
             Penalty                  0         1
            THIRD DOWN EFF         5-18      7-16
            FOURTH DOWN EFF         0-1       0-0
            TOTAL NET YARDS         260       314
             Total Plays             64        75
             Avg Gain               4.1       4.2
            NET YARDS RUSHING        90       107
             Rushes                  31        23
             Avg per rush           2.9       4.7
            NET YARDS PASSING       170       207
             Sacked-Yds lost        0-0      8-47
             Gross-Yds passing      170       254
             Completed-Att.       22-33     22-41
             Had Intercepted          0         6
             Yards-Pass Play        5.2       4.0
            KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB   6-2-2     4-1-1
            PUNTS-Avg.           8-35.1    5-46.8
             Punts blocked            1         0
            FGs-PATs blocked        0-0       0-0
            TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE    169        86
             Punts Returns         4-61      3-23
             Kickoffs Returns      3-45      4-63
             Interceptions         6-63       0-0
            PENALTIES-Yds          4-25      6-43
            FUMBLES-Lost            2-1       2-1
            TIME OF POSSESSION    33:44     26:16
            INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
            RUSHING-Miami, Abdul-Jabbar 19-94, McDuffie 1-2, Avery
6-(minus
            2), Marino 4-(minus 4), Pritchett 1-0. Oakland, H.Williams
6-55,
            Kaufman 10-26, Hollas 3-15, Ritchie 2-6, Wilson 2-5.
            PASSING-Miami, Marino 22-33-0-170. Oakland, Hollas
12-31-6-152,
            Wilson 8-12-0-75, H.Williams 1-1-0-27.
            RECEIVING-Miami, McDuffie 5-45, Parmalee 4-35, Perry 3-19,
            Pritchett 3-9, Gadsden 2-22, Abdul-Jabbar 2-21, L.Thomas
2-15,
            Avery 1-4. Oakland, T.Brown 9-104, H.WIlliams 4-28, Ritchie
4-23,
            Jett 2-49, Mickens 1-29, Shedd 1-21.
            PUNT RETURNS-Miami, McDuffie 3-23, Buckley 1-38. Oakland,
T.Brown
            3-23.
            KICKOFF RETURNS-Miami, Avery 2-45, Buckley 1-0. Oakland,
            R.Williams 4-63.
            TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS-Miami, Taylor 6-2-2 1/2, Walker 5-0-0,
            Z.Thomas 4-3-1/2, Surtain 5-0-0, Armstrong 4-0-2, Rodgers
4-0-0,
            Jones 4-1-1 1/2, Marion 3-1-0, Buckley 3-0-0, Madison 3-0-1,
            Owens 2-0-0, Bromell 2-0-0, Mixon 2-0-0, Parmalee 2-0-0
Gardener
            1-1-1/2, Jackson 1-1-0, Tanner 1-1-0, Wilson 1-1-0, Brigance
            1-0-0, Izzo 1-0-0. Oakland, Biekert 9-1-0, Wooden 6-0-0,
Woodson
            5-0-0, Lewis 3-2-0, Newman 3-2-0, Brooks 3-0-0, Jackson
3-0-0,
            Johnstone 3-0-0, Harris 2-2-0, Maryland 2-1-0, Walker 2-1-0,
            Riddick 2-1-0, Carter 2-0-0, Russell 2-0-0, Mickens 1-1-0,
            T.Brown 1-0-0, Folston 1-0-0, Kennedy 1-0-0, Morton 1-0-0,
Shedd
            1-0-0, Trapp 1-0-0, Treu 1-0-0, Wisniewski 1-0-0.
            INTERCEPTIONS-Miami, R.Jones 2-14, Z.Thomas 2-4, Buckley
1-45,
            Madison 1-0. Oakland, None.
            MISSED FIELD GOALS-Oakland, G.Davis 48 (WL). Miami, Mare 46
(WR),
            43 (WR).
            OFFICIALS-Referee Walt Coleman, Ump Garth DeFelice, HL Paul
            Weidner, LJ Dave Anderson, FJ Dick Creed, SJ Terry McAulay,
BJ
            Bob Lawing.
            Time: 3:19. A-61,254. No-shows-NA.
                                             Return to Top 
            NEW ORLEANS 22, DALLAS 3
            (Box Score)
            NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Just when the Dallas Cowboys were getting
their old strut back, the
            New Orleans Saints knocked them flat. The Saints held the
Cowboys without a touchdown,
            Troy Aikman to 16 completions and Emmitt Smith to just 6
yards rushing in a 22-3 rout
            on Sunday.
            "We got the dog beat out of us," Cowboys coach Chan Gailey
said. "We've got a lot of work
            to do to get ourselves back to where we think we've got a
chance to compete in the
            playoffs."
            The victory kept the Saints (6-7), who lost seven of their
previous nine games, alive in the
            NFC playoff race. The Cowboys (8-5) could have clinched the
25th playoff berth in their
            39-year history with a victory.
            "We didn't come in here thinking what we should be thinking,
that we're just a decent team
            trying to get better," Cowboys guard Nate Newton said. "They
came in lit up, feeling good,
            looking good and left strutting like gamecocks."
            Dallas, which scored 30 or more points in five of the first
six games Troy Aikman played
            this season, converted just 4-of-14 third downs. It was the
first time Dallas failed to score
            a touchdown since Oct. 26, 1997, against Philadelphia.
            "There was no turning point," Smith said. "We led 3-2 at one
point, that's it. There were no
            positives."
            "This is the best defensive game I've seen in a long time,"
Saints coach Mike Ditka said after
            the Saints held Dallas to 8 yards rushing. "You'd have to
take me back to the '50s or the
            '80s. This is the best I've seen."
            Aikman completed just 16-of-32 passes for 192 yards and was
sacked twice. Smith, who
            has scored 123 career rushing TDs, one away from the career
NFL record, was held to 6
            yards on 15 carries. It was Smith's worst game with 10 or
more rushes since he had 18
            yards on 11 carries against the New York Giants in 1996.
            "Our goal was to come in and try to take him out of the
game," Saints defensive lineman
            La'Roi Glover said. "Every time he touched the ball we
wanted to put 11 men on him. I
            think we did that."
            The Saints, who have not allowed a touchdown in the
Superdome since Week 5 against
            San Francisco, brought heat from the opening play, when
Smith was hit for a 4-yard loss.
            On the second play, Glover grabbed Aikman in the end zone,
and he drew an intentional
            grounding call for a safety when he tried to get rid of the
ball before he went down.
            The Saints' defense had scored six of the team's 24 TDs
coming into the game. But in the
            second quarter on third-and-goal from the 4, Kerry Collins
passed to Aaron Craver in the
            end zone. Collins, who was 16-of-28 for 239 yards and one
interception, also hit Andre
            Hastings with an 89-yard TD pass and Doug Brien added a
53-yard field goal with no
            time left for a 19-3 halftime lead. Brien added a second
53-yarder in the second half. 
                                             Return to Top 
            NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 22, Dallas Cowboys 3
            (Recap)
                           1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH  FINAL
                           --- --- --- ---  -----
            Dallas          3   0   0   0     3
            New Orleans     2  17   3   0    22
            First Quarter
                  NO-Safety, Aikman intentional grounding in end zone,
14:05.
                  Dal-FG Cunningham 33, 1:13.
            Second Quarter
                  NO-Craver 4 pass from Collins (Brien kick), 7:54.
                  NO-Hastings 89 pass from Collins (Brien kick), 1:49.
                  NO-FG Brien 53, :00.
            Third Quarter
                  NO-FG Brien 53, 8:41.
 
                                    Dal       NO
                                    ---       ---
            FIRST DOWNS              10        17
             Rushing                  1         6
             Passing                  8        10
             Penalty                  1         1
            THIRD DOWN EFF         4-14      8-15
            FOURTH DOWN EFF         0-1       1-2
            TOTAL NET YARDS         182       328
             Total Plays             52        66
             Avg Gain               3.5       5.0
            NET YARDS RUSHING         8       113
             Rushes                  18        36
             Avg per rush           0.4       3.1
            NET YARDS PASSING       174       215
             Sacked-Yds lost       2-18      2-24
             Gross-Yds passing      192       239
             Completed-Att.       16-32     16-28
             Had Intercepted          0         1
             Yards-Pass Play        5.1       7.2
            KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB   3-2-2     4-3-2
            PUNTS-Avg.           7-45.6    3-51.0
             Punts blocked            0         0
            FGs-PATs blocked        0-0       0-0
            TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE     52        59
             Punts Returns          1-9      3-25
             Kickoffs Returns      2-43      1-34
             Interceptions          1-0       0-0
            PENALTIES-Yds          9-84      7-37
            FUMBLES-Lost            2-0       2-1
            TIME OF POSSESSION    25:47     34:13
            INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
            RUSHING-Dallas, E.Smith 15-6, S.Williams 2-2, Aikman 1-0.
New
            Orleans, Perry 12-38, Davis 13-36, Hastings 1-16, Craver
5-14,
            Collins 4-10, L.Smith 1-(minus 1).
            PASSING-Dallas, Aikman 16-32-0-192. New Orleans, Collins
            16-28-1-239.
            RECEIVING-Dallas, Irvin 5-74, Jeffers 3-40, B.Davis 3-36,
            S.Willimas 3-26, LeFleur 1-12, Bjornson 1-4. New Orleans,
Craver
            5-19, Hastings 4-122, Guliford 4-62, Dawkins 2-27, T.Davis
1-9.
            PUNT RETURNS-Dallas, Hughes 1-9. New Orleans, Guliford 3-25.
            KICKOFF RETURNS-Dallas, Hughes 2-43. New Orleans, Guliford
1-34.
            TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS-Dallas, Strickland 7-5-0, Teague
5-3-2,
            C.Williams 7-0-0, Woodson 6-1-0, Coakley 4-0-0, Ellis 3-2-0,
            Godfrey 3-1-0, Mathis 3-1-0, Hennings 3-0-0, Lett 2-1-0,
A.Smith
            2-1-0, Wheaton 2-0-0, Myers 1-2-0, McCormick 1-1-0, Brown
1-0-0,
            K.Pittman 1-0-0, Gowin 1-0-0, Hellestrae 1-0-0, Mobely
1-0-0,
            Ogden 1-0-0, Stoutmire 0-1-0, Thomas 0-1-0. New Orleans,
            Drakeford 6-0-0, Bordano 5-0-0, Cherry 4-1-0, Weary 4-0-0,
Glover
            3-1-2, Fields 3-0-0, Cota 2-2-0, Martin 2-1-0, Johnson
2-0-0,
            Knight 2-0-0, Molden 1-2-0, Kevin Mitchell 1-1-0, Keith
Mitchell
            1-1-0, Robbins 1-1-0, Tomich 1-0-0, Bech 1-0-0, Turley
1-0-0.
            INTERCEPTIONS-Dallas, Mathis 1-0.
            MISSED FIELD GOALS-None.
            OFFICIALS-Referee Jerry Markbreit, Ump Ed Fiffick, HL Terry
            Gierke, LJ Mark Steinkerchner, FJ Bob McGrath, SJ Don
Carlsen, BJ
            Don Hakes.
            Time: 2:58. A-65,065. No-shows-NA.
                                             Return to Top 
            N.Y. JETS 32, SEATTLE 31
            (Box Score)
            EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - On a day when he nearly wore
out his arm, Vinny
            Testaverde used his legs to lift the New York Jets to a wild
comeback victory. And in this
            season of officiating bobbles, Testaverde got a kind boost
from the head linesman. A boost?
            Some say a gift.
            "People told me it looked like it wasn't in," Testaverde
said after his 5-yard sneak on fourth
            down with 20 seconds left Sunday was ruled a touchdown,
giving the Jets a 32-31
            decision over the Seattle Seahawks. "I got knocked around
and sometimes you can't see
            the refs. There were a lot of questions whether I was in or
not, which is all the more reason
            for instant replay."
            Television replays clearly showed he didn't reach the end
zone.
            "It makes you sick," Seahawks coach Dennis Erickson said.
After being informed what the
            replay indicated, he added, "It makes you even sicker."
            The Jets' AFC East championship hopes are healthy thanks to
the last-minute call.
            Testaverde called his own number after throwing a
career-high 63 times, completing 42 for
            418 yards and two TDs. And head linesman Earnie Frantz
immediately signaled the AFC's
            leading passer had won the game with his run.
            "He called it right away and signaled," said referee Phil
Luckett, who also conducted the
            now-infamous coin toss on Thanksgiving Day at Detroit.
"There was a pileup, but the head
            linesman had already called a touchdown for the ball
breaking the plane (of the goal line)."
            Seahawks cornerback Shawn Springs wondered if the officials
had been "intimidated."
            "The refs should really let the players decide the game,"
Springs said. "Don't make a call
            that determines the outcome."
            It was New York's sixth straight home victory and kept it
atop the AFC East at 9-4. It was
            constructed by the league's sixth-ranked offense, which
committed three turnovers, but
            had the moxie to overcome them.
            "That's certainly many more passes than I've thrown in a
game," Testaverde said. "I hope
            there aren't many games like this, where I have to throw 60
times."
            Testaverde found Keyshawn Johnson nine times for 114 yards
and the TD that closed the
            Jets to 31-26. He calmly led them downfield on their final
drive, and drove a stake in the
            playoff hopes of the Seahawks (6-7).
            Joey Galloway burned Aaron Glenn, New York's best cover
cornerback, on almost identical
            first-quarter TDs. He ran under Jon Kitna's 70-yard pass to
tie the game at 7. Then
            Galloway beat Glenn on a 57-yard TD bomb. Glenn later
sprained his right ankle while
            making a leaping interception. Seattle's Ricky Watters broke
a 39-yard run on
            fourth-and-1 to make it 21-10 at the half.
            Anthony Simmons picked off a sloppy Testaverde pass and
rambled into the end zone on
            the fourth play of the second half. Curtis Martin ran in
from the 1, but Fred Baxter tripped
            and dropped a 2-point conversion pass, making it 28-19. 
                                             Return to Top 
            NEW YORK JETS 32, Seattle Seahawks 31
            (Recap)
                           1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH  FINAL
                           --- --- --- ---  -----
            Seattle        14   7  10   0    31
            N.Y. Jets       7   6   6  13    32
            First Quarter
                  NY-Byars 3 pass from Testaverde (Hall kick), 7:13.
                  Sea-Galloway 70 pass from Kitna (Peterson kick), 5:38.
                  Sea-Calloway 57 pass from Kitna (Peterson kick), 2:46.
            Second Quarter
                  NY-FG Hall 20, 9:50.
                  Sea-Watters 39 run (Peterson kick), 1:56.
                  NY-FG Hall 20, :00.
            Third Quarter
                  Sea-Simmons 36 interception return (Peterson kick),
13:34.
                  NY-Martin 1 run (pass failed), 7:45.
                  Sea-FG Peterson 50, 2:05.
            Fourth Quarter
                  NY-K.Johnson 16 pass from Testaverde (Hall kick),
12:22.
                  NY-Testaverde 5 run (run failed), :20.
 
                                    Sea       NY
                                    ---       ---
            FIRST DOWNS              13        31
             Rushing                  5         5
             Passing                  6        21
             Penalty                  2         5
            THIRD DOWN EFF          1-9     10-19
            FOURTH DOWN EFF         1-1       3-4
            TOTAL NET YARDS         377       488
             Total Plays             47        86
             Avg Gain               8.0       5.7
            NET YARDS RUSHING       106        70
             Rushes                  22        23
             Avg per rush           4.8       3.0
            NET YARDS PASSING       271       418
             Sacked-Yds lost        1-7       0-0
             Gross-Yds passing      278       418
             Completed-Att.       17-24     42-63
             Had Intercepted          2         1
             Yards-Pass Play       10.8       6.6
            KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB   6-0-0     6-3-1
            PUNTS-Avg.           4-47.5    3-45.0
             Punts blocked            0         0
            FGs-PATs blocked        0-0       0-0
            TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE    157       184
             Punts Returns         1-12      4-40
             Kickoffs Returns     5-109     6-123
             Interceptions         1-36      2-21
            PENALTIES-Yds          8-84      7-49
            FUMBLES-Lost            2-2       2-2
            TIME OF POSSESSION    22:14     37:46
            INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
            RUSHING-Seattle, Watters 18-84, Kitna 3-25, Galloway
1-(minus 3).
            New York, Martin 17-37, L.Johnson 3-19, Testaverde 2-14,
Lucas
            1-0.
            PASSING-Seattle, Kitna 17-24-2-278. New York, Testaverde
            42-63-1-418.
            RECEIVING-Seattle, Pritchard 9-69, Fauria 3-26, Galloway
2-127,
            Blades 1-47, Watters 1-6, Crumpler 1-3. New York, K.Johnson
            9-114, Chrebet 7-74, Martin 6-47, Brady 4-47, Byars 4-33,
Ward
            4-27, Van Dyke 3-21, Sowell 3-20, L.Johnson 2-35.
            PUNT RETURNS-Seattle, Galloway 1-12. New York, L.Johnson
4-40.
            KICKOFF RETURNS-Seattle, Green 3-66, Broussard 2-43. New
York,
            Ward 3-60, Glenn 2-44, L.Johnson 1-19.
            INTERCEPTIONS-Seattle, Simmons 1-36. New York, Henderson
1-21,
            Glenn 1-0.
            TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS-Seattle, D.Williams 7-5-0, C.Brown
9-2-0,
            Bellamy 6-4-0, Thomas 6-1-0, Joseph 6-0-0, W.Williams 6-0-0,
            Springs 6-0-0, Simmons 5-3-0, Kennedy 3-1-0, Adams 3-0-0,
            McDaniel 3-0-0, Myles 2-2-0, Sinclair 2-1-0, Daniels 1-0-0,
            Butler 1-1-0, Smith 1-0-0, Fauria 1-0-0, Galloway 1-0-0,
Strong
            1-0-0, Wilson 1-0-0, R.Brown 0-1-0, Croel 0-1-0, McKnight
0-1-0.
            New York, Smith 8-0-0, Ferguson 5-0-0, Cascadden 4-1-1,
Green
            4-1-0, Lyle 4-1-0, Pleasant 3-2-0, Henderson 3-1-0, Lewis
3-1-0,
            Gordon 2-2-0, Hayes 3-0-0, Cox 1-2-0, Mickens 1-0-0, Brady
1-0-0,
            Frost 1-0-0, P.Johnson 0-1-0, Bruce 0-1-0, C.Brown 0-2-0,
            L.Johnson 0-1-0.
            MISSED FIELD GOALS-None.
            OFFICIALS-Referee Phil Luckett, Ump Hendi Ancich, HL Earnie
            Frantz, LJ Dale Orem, FJ Jim Saracino, SJ Laird Hayes, BJ
Ron
            Spitler.
            Time: 3:19. A-72,200. No-shows-4,269.
                                             Return to Top 
            NEW ENGLAND 23, PITTSBURGH 9
            (Box Score)
            PITTSBURGH (AP) - Drew Bledsoe didn't need a questionable
call, a debatable penalty or
            the full use of all the fingers on his passing hand. He
didn't even need the fourth quarter.
            Bledsoe ignored a non-stop blitz and a fractured right index
finger that throbbed on every
            throw to lead the New England Patriots to a critical 23-9
victory Sunday over the Steelers
            -- their first win in Pittsburgh since 1986.
            Bledsoe, the first NFL quarterback since 1960 to throw
last-minute game-winning
            touchdown passes in consecutive games, didn't wait until the
last minute to win this one.
            Terry Glenn caught an 86-yard TD pass late in the second
quarter among his team-record
            193 receiving yards as the Patriots (8-5) won their third in
a row since Bledsoe was hurt
            leading the first of consecutive last-minute victories over
Miami and Buffalo.
            This time, the big plays came earlier and without argument,
unlike the much-debated Hail
            Mary pass interference penalty that led to Bledsoe's
game-winning 1-yard TD pass against
            Buffalo last week.
            "They were blitzing some guys at different times and our
guys were able to pick them up,
            and if I have that much time, generally I'm going to be
effective," said Bledsoe, sacked only
            twice while going 21-of-34 for 327 yards. "We made some big
plays that way, including
            the one to Terry."
            Glenn's catch behind safety Darren Perry on second-and-9
with 1:56 left before halftime
            clearly surprised the Steelers defense. Bledsoe stood up to
the blitz just long enough to
            allow Glenn to get 10 yards behind Perry as the Patriots led
13-6 at the half.
            "We had a couple of miracles happen in the last two games
and that tells you anything can
            happen," Patriots coach Pete Carroll said. "We know we're
right in it and, hopefully, we can
            find a place in the playoffs."
            The Steelers (7-6) might not. They have lost two in a row
for the first time since December
            1996 and are in danger of missing the postseason for the
first time in Bill Cowher's seven
            seasons as coach. They trail Jacksonville by three games
with three to play in the AFC
            Central.
            "I was not pleased with this performance," Cowher said. "I'm
going to sit down, evaluate it
            and make some changes accordingly."
            The Steelers again didn't have enough offense. They have
scored only two TDs in their last
            14 quarters and, trailing only 13-9, turned the ball over on
consecutive second-half
            possessions to set up 10 momentum-swinging Patriots points.
Ty Law's interception and
            Lawyer Malloy's fumble recovery swung the momentum and set
up Adam Vinatieri's third
            field goal and Robert Edwards' TD run, respectively.
            Pittsburgh's Kordell Stewart was 21-of-45 for 206 yards and
two interceptions. Jerome
            Bettis was held to 48 yards on 12 carries and gave up the
fumble that Malloy recovered.
            Norm Johnson provided the Steelers scoring with three field
goals. 
                                             Return to Top 
            New England Patriots 23, PITTSBURGH STEELERS 9
            (Recap)
                           1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH  FINAL
                           --- --- --- ---  -----
            New England     3  10   0  10    23
            Pittsburgh      0   6   3   0     9
            First Quarter
                  NE-FG Vinatieri 21, 5:26.
            Second Quarter
                  NE-FG Vinatieri 29, 13:38.
                  Pit-FG N.Johnson 49, 2:58.
                  NE-Glenn 86 pass from Bledsoe (Vinatieri kick), 1:56.
                  Pit-FG N.Johnson 26, :07.
            Third Quarter
                  Pit-FG N.Johnson 43, 8:34.
            Fourth Quarter
                  NE-FG Vinatieri 35, 12:55.
                  NE-Edwards 4 run (Vinatieri kick), 9:20.
 
                                    NE        Pit
                                    ---       ---
            FIRST DOWNS              19        13
             Rushing                  4         3
             Passing                 13        10
             Penalty                  2         0
            THIRD DOWN EFF         6-17      4-13
            FOURTH DOWN EFF         0-0       0-1
            TOTAL NET YARDS         377       249
             Total Plays             70        61
             Avg Gain               5.4       4.1
            NET YARDS RUSHING        73        54
             Rushes                  34        13
             Avg per rush           2.1       4.2
            NET YARDS PASSING       304       195
             Sacked-Yds lost       2-23      3-11
             Gross-Yds passing      327       206
             Completed-Att.       21-34     21-45
             Had Intercepted          3         2
             Yards-Pass Play        8.4       4.1
            KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB   6-1-0     4-0-0
            PUNTS-Avg.           3-54.3    5-41.6
             Punts blocked            0         0
            FGs-PATs blocked        0-0       0-0
            TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE     75       182
             Punts Returns          2-7      2-22
             Kickoffs Returns      4-57     6-109
             Interceptions         2-11      3-51
            PENALTIES-Yds         12-77      6-56
            FUMBLES-Lost            2-0       1-1
            TIME OF POSSESSION    38:24     21:36
            INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
            RUSHING-New England, Edwards 28-66, Cullors 1-6, Bledsoe
5-1.
            Pittsburgh, Bettis 12-48, McAfee 1-6.
            PASSING-New England, Bledsoe 21-34-3 327. Pittsburgh,
Stewart
            21-45-2 206.
            RECEIVING-New England, Glenn 9-193, Coates 6-78, Jefferson
2-29,
            Simmons 1-12, Edwards 1-6, Floyd 1-6, Carter 1-3.
Pittsburgh,
            C.Johnson 5-61, Hawkins 4-30, Blackwell 3-47, Bruener 3-29,
Ward
            2-19, Dunn 2-18, Witman 2-2.
            PUNT RETURNS-New England, Canty 2-7. Pittsburgh, Hawkins
2-22.
            KICKOFF RETURNS-New England, Cullors 2-37, Canty 1-15,
Sullivan
            1-5. Pittsburgh, Dunn 3-67, Blackwell 3-42.
            TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS-New England, Eaton 8-0-3, Law 6-0-0,
Milloy
            4-2-0, Clay 4-1-0, Jones 4-1-0, Israel 2-0-0, Thomas 1-2-0,
            T.Collins 1-1-0, Sullivan 1-1-0, Moore 1-1-0, Whigham 1-1-0,
            Bruschi 1-0-0, Slade 1-0-0, Armstrong 1-0-0, Bartrum 1-0-0,
            Carter 1-0-0, Coates 1-0-0, Cullors 1-0-0, Shaw 1-0-0,
Vinatieri
            1-0-0, F.Collins 0-1-0, Spires 0-1-0, Canty 0-1-0, Floyd
0-1-0.
            Pittsburgh, Kirkland 8-4-0, Flowers 7-0-0, Lake 5-0-0, Henry
            4-1-1, Perry 4-1-0, Gildon 3-1-0, Steed 3-0-0, Emmons 2-2-0,
            Harrison 2-0-0, Washington 2-0-0, Holmes 1-5-0, Siala 1-2-0,
            Townsend 1-1-0, Ward 1-1-0, Roye 1-0-1, Gibson 1-0-0, Bettis
            1-0-0, Bruener 1-0-0, Huntley 1-0-0, C.Johnson 1-0-0,
Orlando
            1-0-0, Brown 0-1-0, McAfee 0-1-0, Vrabel 0-1-0.
            INTERCEPTIONS-New England, Law 1-10, Israel 1-1. Pittsburgh,
            Holmes 1-36, Oldham 1-14, Kirkland 1-1.
            MISSED FIELD GOALS-None.
            OFFICIALS-Referee Dick Hantak, Ump Carl Madsen, HL Dale
Williams,
            LJ Byron Boston, FJ Lloyd McPeters, SJ Gary Lane, BJ Richard
            Reels.
            Time: 3:08. A-58,632. No-shows-978.
                                             Return to Top 
            N.Y. GIANTS 23, ARIZONA 19
            (Box Score)
            TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - Once again, the Arizona Cardinals
couldn't beat the New York Giants.
            As a result, the Cardinals once again may miss the playoffs.
            Charles Way ran in the go-ahead touchdown in the third
quarter and Brad Daluiso kicked
            three field goals as the Giants beat the Cardinals 23-19
Sunday. The Giants (5-8), who
            had lost four of their previous five games, hurt Arizona's
playoff chances by beating the
            Cardinals (6-7) for the fourth straight time and seventh
time in their last eight meetings.
            "These games always seem to come down to the wire," said
Giants defensive end Michael
            Strahan. "I think it's because we're two teams that have
struggled lately, and we both want
            to win real bad. There's just a slight difference between
us, but it's almost like whoever
            makes the biggest plays in the game is going to win."
            The Giants offense made the big play early -- an 87-yard,
first-quarter touchdown that
            started as a screen pass from Kent Graham to Tiki Barber.
The defense took over in the
            second half, holding the Cardinals to 9 yards rushing.
            The loss dropped Arizona into a tie with New Orleans in the
race for the final NFC
            wild-card spot. The Cardinals, who play the Saints in two
weeks, haven't made the playoffs
            in a non-strike year since 1975.
            "You have to win out, I think," coach Vince Tobin said of
Arizona's playoff chances. "I have
            no way of knowing what's going to happen. I know there's
three games left."
            J.J. McCleskey's interception gave Arizona the ball on the
Giants' 40-yard line in the
            closing minutes. Quarterback Jake Plummer ran 30 yards to
the 4, but the play was
            wiped out because receiver Ronnie Anderson lined up in the
neutral zone. Arizona got a
            first down at the 13, but Rob Moore came down out of bounds
after a catch in the end
            zone and linebacker Corey Widmer knocked down a pass
intended for Frank Sanders on
            fourth down with 1:54 left.
            "We just didn't make the plays when we needed to," Sanders
said. "We just didn't get it
            done offensively. They didn't do anything that took us out
of the ball game. We hurt
            ourselves."
            Gary Brown rushed for 124 yards for the Giants, who finished
with 200 yards on the
            ground on a rainy day.
            "With the weather the way it was, and we were running the
ball well, why change it?" said
            Graham, who completed only 8-of-23 passes for 144 yards with
two interceptions.
            New York trailed 17-7 before rallying to take the lead on a
pair of field goals by Daluiso
            and Way's 8-yard TD run with 4:08 left in the third. The
Giants increased their lead to
            23-17 on Daluiso's 45-yard field goal early in the fourth.
            The Cardinals took a 17-10 halftime lead on two TDs by
Adrian Murrell and Chris Jacke's
            21-yard field goal. Murrell scored on a 20-yard catch and an
8-yard run. Plummer was
            18-of-40 for 263 yards with two interceptions. 
                                             Return to Top 
            New York Giants 23, ARIZONA CARDINALS 19
            (Recap)
                           1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH  FINAL
                           --- --- --- ---  -----
            N.Y. Giants     7   3  10   3    23
            Arizona        14   3   0   2    19
            First Quarter
                  Ari-Murrell 20 pass from Plummer (Jacke kick), 3:50.
                  NY-Barber 87 pass from Graham (Daluiso kick), 2:42.
                  Ari-Murrell 8 run (Jacke kick), 1:15.
            Second Quarter
                  Ari-FG Jacke 21, 11:15.
                  NY-FG Daluiso 51, 0:00.
            Third Quarter
                  NY-FG Daluiso 28, 9:09.
                  NY-Way 8 run (Daluiso kick), 4:08.
            Fourth Quarter
                  NY-FG Daluiso 45, 11:34.
                  Ari-Safety, Maynard stepped out of end zone, :17.
 
                                    NY        Ari
                                    ---       ---
            FIRST DOWNS              15        18
             Rushing                  9         6
             Passing                  4        10
             Penalty                  2         2
            THIRD DOWN EFF         4-14      5-16
            FOURTH DOWN EFF         0-2       1-2
            TOTAL NET YARDS         344       328
             Total Plays             65        68
             Avg Gain               5.3       4.8
            NET YARDS RUSHING       200        75
             Rushes                  42        26
             Avg per rush           4.8       2.9
            NET YARDS PASSING       144       253
             Sacked-Yds lost        0-0      2-10
             Gross-Yds passing      144       263
             Completed-Att.        8-23     18-40
             Had Intercepted          2         2
             Yards-Pass Play        6.3       6.0
            KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB   6-1-0     4-0-0
            PUNTS-Avg.           5-47.6    6-38.0
             Punts blocked            0         0
            FGs-PATs blocked        0-0       0-0
            TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE     63       164
             Punts Returns         2-13      3-27
             Kickoffs Returns      4-48     6-136
             Interceptions          2-2       2-1
            PENALTIES-Yds        13-100      4-43
            FUMBLES-Lost            1-0       2-1
            TIME OF POSSESSION    29:55     30:05
            INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
            RUSHING-New York, Brown 25-124, Way 13-60, Graham 2-19,
Barber
            1-2, Maynard 1-(minus 5). Arizona, Murrell 16-53, Plummer
4-18,
            Bates 4-4, Centers 2-0.
            PASSING-New York, Graham 8-23-2-144. Arizona, Plummer
            18-40-2-263.
            RECEIVING-New York, Callaway 3-35, Barber 2-91, Cross 1-9,
Haase
            1-6, Hillard 1-3. Arizona, Centers 5-68, Sanders 5-62, Moore
            2-49, Gedney 2-34, Metcalf 2-15, Murrell 1-20, McWilliams
1-15.
            PUNT RETURNS-New York, Toomer 2-13. Arizona, Metcalf 3-27.
            KICKOFF RETURNS-New York, Patten 4-48. Arizona, Metcalf
6-136.
            TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS-New York, Strahan 6-1-1, C.Hamilton
5-2-0,
            Ellsworth 5-1-0, Peter 3-3-0, Armstead 4-1-0, Sparks 4-0-0,
            Garnes 3-0-0, Phillips 3-0-0, Bratzke 2-1-0, M.Buckley
2-1-0,
            K.Hamilton 2-0-0, Widmer 2-0-0, S.Williams 2-0-0, Wooten
1-1-0,
            Colman 1-1-0, Jones 1-0-1, Lincoln 1-0-0, C.Buckley 1-0-0,
            Callaway 1-0-0, Hillard 1-0-0, Holsey 1-0-0, Way 1-0-0,
B.Sanders
            0-1-0. Arizona, Swinger 5-6-0, Bennett 5-4-0, Lassiter
7-2-0,
            Miller 5-3-0, Maddox 6-2-0, Sapp 3-5-0, A.Williams 3-1-0,
Tillman
            3-1-0, Wadsworth 2-2-0, Irving 2-2-0, Simpson 2-1-0, Smith
2-1-0,
            McCleskey 2-1-0, Chavous 2-0-0, Rice 2-0-0, Wilson 2-0-0,
L.Brown
            1-0-0, team 1-0-0, Junkin 0-1-0.
            INTERCEPTIONS-New York, S.Williams 1-6, Lincoln 1-(minus 4).
            Arizona, McCleskey 1-1, Chavous 1-0.
            MISSED FIELD GOALS-None.
            OFFICIALS-Referee Tom White, Ump Jim Quirk, HL James Wilson,
LJ
            Ben Montgomery, FJ Scott Steenson, SJ Dave Wyant, BJ Bob
            Waggoner.
            Time: 3:15. A-46,128. No-shows-NA.
                                             Return to Top 
            SAN FRANCISCO 31, CAROLINA 28 (OT)
            (Box Score)
            CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - The San Francisco 49ers showed signs
of missing Bryant Young
            on Sunday, and he let them know about it. Six days after
losing their defensive leader for
            the season with a broken leg, the 49ers blew a 21-point lead
in the final 16 minutes of
            regulation before defeating Carolina 31-28 in overtime.
            As bad as the 49ers' defensive performance was, coach Steve
Mariucci quickly discovered
            that there was more embarrassment still to come. When the
49ers got back in their locker
            room, Mariucci telephoned Young to let the player know his
teammates were thinking
            about him.
            "He told us we gave him a lot of pain today, squirming
around in his bed," Mariucci said.
            Carolina, the NFL's worst rushing team, ran for 203 yards
against San Francisco -- 131
            more than the Panthers' average and 66 more than their
previous best this season.
            "No question, we missed B.Y.," said Gabe Wilkins, who
started at left tackle in place of
            Young. "But he's still with us. He's in our spirit, he's in
our minds, he's in our hearts. He's
            everywhere."
            A Carolina fumble set up Wade Richey's 23-yard field goal on
San Francisco's first
            possession of the extra period, securing a victory that
assures the 49ers (10-3) of at least a
            wild-card berth in the playoffs.
            "We're excited about it," quarterback Steve Young said.
"We're going to get the best of
            everybody, so we should be proud of being 10-3. Now it's
time to get that much more
            gritty about our performances and about toughness."
            The 49ers finished with 236 yards rushing, the most allowed
by Carolina in its nearly
            four-year history. Young threw for 213 yards and two
touchdowns and Garrison Hearst
            rushed for 139 yards and a score as the 49ers extended their
NFL record of consecutive
            10-victory seasons to 16. The 49ers' Terry Kirby added 68
yards rushing and a halfback
            option pass for another score.
            While the 49ers are headed to the postseason for the seventh
consecutive year, Carolina
            (2-11) has already locked up the worst record in its
four-year history. The Panthers have
            been plagued all year with injuries and poor execution, and
Sunday's loss featured more
            of the same.
            "We gave up big plays for touchdowns. We turned the ball
over in critical situations," coach
            Dom Capers said. "You can't have that kind of execution and
beat a team like San
            Francisco."
            Steve Beuerlein, who threw for 235 yards and three TDs,
started the Panthers comeback
            with a 38-yard TD pass to Anthony Johnson. After Carolina
forced a San Francisco punt,
            Raghib Ismail got behind the 49ers' secondary for a 40-yard
touchdown pass. Tshimanga
            Biakabutuka scored on a 10-yard burst and John Kasay's kick
tied it with 6:20
            remaining.
            Carolina got back into scoring range in regulation, but
Kasay was wide right on a 47-yard
            field goal with 22 seconds left. 
                                             Return to Top 
            San Francisco 49ers 31, CAROLINA PANTHERS 28 (OT)
            (Recap)
                           1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH OT   FINAL
                           --- --- --- --- ---  -----
            San Francisco   7  14   7   0   3    31
            Carolina        7   0   7  14   0    28
            First Quarter
                  Car-Muhammad 12 pass from Beuerlein (Kasay kick),
8:21.
                  SF-Stokes 2 pass from Young (Richey kick), 2:37.
            Second Quarter
                  SF-Owens 28 pass from Kirby (Richey kick), 13:47.
                  SF-Stokes 33 pass from Young (Richey kick), 1:23.
            Third Quarter
                  SF-Hearst 71 run (Richey kick), 12:44.
                  Car-Johnson 38 pass from Beuerlein (Kasay kick), :52.
            Fourth Quarter
                  Car-Ismail 40 pass from Beuerlein (Kasay kick), 11:34.
                  Car-Biakabutuka 10 run (Kasay kick), 6:20.
            Overtime
                  SF-FG Richey 23, 10:44.
 
                                    SF        Car
                                    ---       ---
            FIRST DOWNS              22        22
             Rushing                  9         8
             Passing                 13        13
             Penalty                  0         1
            THIRD DOWN EFF         5-11      7-14
            FOURTH DOWN EFF         0-0       0-0
            TOTAL NET YARDS         474       429
             Total Plays             68        69
             Avg Gain               7.0       6.2
            NET YARDS RUSHING       236       203
             Rushes                  35        36
             Avg per rush           6.7       6.0
            NET YARDS PASSING       238       226
             Sacked-Yds lost        1-3       2-9
             Gross-Yds passing      241       235
             Completed-Att.       20-32     18-33
             Had Intercepted          1         1
             Yards-Pass Play        7.2       6.5
            KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB   6-5-3     5-3-1
            PUNTS-Avg.           5-46.6    5-42.2
             Punts blocked            0         0
            FGs-PATs blocked        0-0       0-0
            TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE    106       162
             Punts Returns          2-2      4-50
             Kickoffs Returns     4-104      3-69
             Interceptions         1-00      1-43
            PENALTIES-Yds          7-50      3-20
            FUMBLES-Lost            1-1       3-2
            TIME OF POSSESSION    33:04     31:12
            INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
            RUSHING-San Francisco, Hearst 20-139, Kirby 9-68, Young
6-29.
            Carolina, Biakabutuka 22-81, Johnson 7-66, Ismail 1-36,
Beuerlein
            3-17, Floyd 1-3.
            PASSING-San Francisco, Young 19-31-1-213, Kirby 1-1-0-28.
            Carolina, Beuerlein 18-33-1-235.
            RECEIVING-San Francisco, Rice 5-36, Owens 4-53, Stokes 4-53,
            Kirby 2-29, Hearst 2-28, Clark 1-16, Edwards 1-16, Smith
1-10.
            Carolina, Muhammad 8-73, Walls 4-47, Ismail 2-47, Johnson
2-41,
            Biakabutuka 1-16, Hayes 1-11.
            PUNT RETURNS-San Francisco, McQuarters 2-2. Carolina, Oliver
            4-50.
            KICKOFF RETURNS-San Francisco, Kirby 4-104. Carolina, Stone
2-47,
            Floyd 1-22.
            TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS- San Francisco, Norton 10-0-0,
McQuarters
            8-0-0, McDonald 6-0-1, Tubbs 4-1-0, Walker 4-1-0, Doleman
3-0-1,
            Wilkins 3-0-0, Barker 3-0-0, Legette 2-0-0, Woodall 2-0-0,
            Williams 2-0-0, Bonham 2-0-0, Edwards 1-1-0. Posey 1-0-0,
Richie
            1-0-0, Bryant 1-0-0, Hearst 1-0-0, Kirby 1-0-0, Peterson
1-0-0,
            Schulters 1-0-0, Hanks 0-1-0. Carolina, Brady 7-2-0, McGill
            7-1-0, Davis 6-0-0, Richardson 4-1-0, Peter 4-0-0, Wheeler
3-0-0,
            Miller 3-0-0, Terry 3-0-0, Gilbert 2-0-1, Greene 2-0-0,
Tatum
            2-0-0, Lloyd 2-0-0, Stone 2-0-0, Alexander 1-1-0, Lofton
1-0-0,
            Muhammad 1-0-0, Minter 1-0-0, Barrow 0-4-0, Fox 0-1-0.
            INTERCEPTIONS-San Francisco, Hanks 1-0. Carolina, Brady
1-43.
            MISSED FIELD GOALS-Carolina, Kasay 47 (WR).
            OFFICIALS-Referee Gerry Austin, Ump Jim Duke, HL Tom
Johnson, LJ
            Ron Baynes, FJ Kevin Mack, SJ Tommy Moore, BJ Jack Vaughan.
            Time: 3:13. A-63,332. No shows-NA.
                                             Return to Top 
            TENNESSEE 16, BALTIMORE 14
            (Box Score)
            NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Oilers' playoff hopes
are alive for at least another
            week. Al Del Greco kicked three field goals, including two
48-yarders, as the Oilers broke a
            two-game losing skid Sunday with a 16-14 victory over the
Baltimore Ravens.
            "There was a lot of pressure to win this ball game,"
Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher said. "Now
            to win the remaining three seems a lot easier than it did to
win the remaining four."
            But the Oilers (7-6), who lost on a last-second field goal a
week ago at Seattle, had to hold
            off one last comeback bid by Baltimore's Jim Harbaugh. He
moved the Ravens (5-8) 80
            yards and hit Floyd Turner with a 20-yard touchdown pass,
his second of the game, with
            1:46 left to make it 16-14.
            The Ravens forced Tennessee to punt, and Harbaugh got the
ball back with 1:18 to go.
            Two plays later, he tried to find Eric Green down the
middle. But rookie cornerback Samari
            Rolle tipped the ball, and Steve Jackson dove and grabbed it
for the interception at the
            Oilers 40 to seal the victory with 43 seconds left.
            The tip capped Rolle's best game this season as he also had
a game-high two sacks.
            "He was the X-factor," linebacker Joe Bowden said.
            The Oilers knew chances at their first playoff berth since
1993 would evaporate if they lost
            to Baltimore, which came in having won three of four. So
they scored on their first three
            possessions and played keep-away by holding the ball for
more than 38 minutes, a
            season-high.
            Tennessee also turned in its best defensive performance this
year with a season-high six
            sacks against a Baltimore team playing without two of its
top receivers in Jermaine Lewis
            and Michael Jackson.
            Harbaugh, who rallied the Ravens for a 38-31 victory over
Indianapolis a week ago, only
            got untracked late in the game. The Ravens went
three-and-out on the game's opening
            possession, and they had just one first down and 11 yards
offense in the first quarter.
            He finished 15-of-28 for 214 yards, with most of the yardage
coming on a 66-yard TD
            toss to Turner in the third quarter and the final TD drive.
            Baltimore coach Ted Marchibroda, whose job may have been
decided by the loss, said part
            of the problem was a banged-up offensive line. Guard Jeff
Blackshear went out, and tackle
            Jonathan Ogden injured ligaments in his ankle and missed the
second half. Wally Williams
            also left with an injury, and Jeff Mitchell replaced him.
            Harbaugh refused to blame the offensive line, and he said he
wished he had faked the
            throw to Turner and gone to James Roe on the sideline.
            "What hurts the most is that we had the ball at the last
minute," Turner said. "We had the
            chance to put the nail in the coffin and come out with a
victory, and we fell short." 
                                             Return to Top 
            TENNESSEE OILERS 16, Baltimore Ravens 14
            (Recap)
                               1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH  FINAL
                               --- --- --- ---  -----
            Baltimore           0   0   7   7    14
            Tennessee          10   3   0   3    16
            First Quarter
                  Ten-FG Del Greco 48, 9:26.
                  Ten-George 2 run (Del Greco kick), :41.
            Second Quarter
                  Ten-FG Del Greco 48, 9:36.
            Third Quarter
                  Bal-Turner 66 pass from Harbaugh (Stover kick), 10:56.
            Fourth Quarter
                  Ten-FG Del Greco 34, 3:34.
                  Bal-Turner 20 pass from Harbaugh (Stover kick), 1:46.
                                    Bal       Ten
                                    ---       ---
            FIRST DOWNS              10        19
             Rushing                  2         6
             Passing                  8        12
             Penalty                  0         1
            THIRD DOWN EFF         2-11      5-16
            FOURTH DOWN EFF         0-0       1-1
            TOTAL NET YARDS         221       291
             Total Plays             48        77
             Avg Gain               4.6       3.8
            NET YARDS RUSHING        58        78
             Rushes                  14        33
             Avg per rush           4.1       2.4
            NET YARDS PASSING       163       213
             Sacked-Yds lost       6-51      0-00
             Gross-Yds passing      214       213
             Completed-Att.       15-28     25-44
             Had Intercepted          1         1
             Yards-Pass Play        4.8       4.8
            KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB   3-2-2     5-4-4
            PUNTS-Avg.           9-40.6    7-46.1
             Punts blocked            0         0
            FGs-PATs blocked        0-0       0-0
            TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE     42        48
             Punts Returns         4-40      6-30
             Kickoffs Returns       1-0      1-18
             Interceptions          1-2       1-0
            PENALTIES-Yds          6-35      6-64
            FUMBLES-Lost            0-0       0-0
            TIME OF POSSESSION    21:23     38:37
            INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
            RUSHING-Baltimore, Harbaugh 3-31, Holmes 11-27. Tennessee,
            E.George 27-63, Archie 1-10, McNair 5-5.
            PASSING-Baltimore, Harbaugh 15-28-1-214. Tennessee, McNair
            25-44-1-213.
            RECEIVING-Baltimore, Turner 4-108, Holmes 4-34, Green 4-28,
Roe
            2-33, Potts 1-11. Tennessee, Wycheck 7-74, Roan 4-29,
E.George
            4-19, Davis 3-29, Thigpen 2-31, Mason 2-19, Harris 2-7,
Archie
            1-5.
            PUNT RETURNS-Baltimore, Roe 3-34, Johnson 1-6. Tennessee,
Mason
            6-30.
            KICKOFF RETURNS-Baltimore, Johnson 1-0. Tennessee, Archie
1-18.
            TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS-Baltimore, Harris 8-7-0, R.Lewis
9-2-0,
            Moore 5-2-0, Woodson 4-3-0, Jones 5-0-0, Boulware 4-1-0,
Sharper
            4-1-0, Williams 4-0-0, Jenkins 3-1-0, Burnett 2-1-0, McCrary
            2-1-0, Starks 2-0-0, Siragusa 1-1-0, Staten 1-0-0, Brown
1-0-0,
            Peters 1-0-0, Washington 1-0-0. Tennessee, Bishop 6-0-0,
Bowden
            6-0-0, D.Walker 3-1-0, G.Walker 2-1-0, Holmes 1-2-1/2,
Robinson
            1-2-0, Cook 2-0-1, Evans 2-0-1, Jackson 2-0-0, Sidney 2-0-0,
            Rolle 2-0-2, Lyons 1-1-1/2, Marts 1-1-1, Robertson 1-0-0,
Dorsett
            1-0-0, S.George 1-0-0, Stallings 1-0-0, Ford 0-1-0.
            INTERCEPTIONS-Baltimore, Woodson 1-2. Tennessee, Jackson
1-0.
            MISSED FIELD GOALS-None.
            OFFICIALS-Referee Ed Hochuli, Ump Chad Brown, HL George
Hayward,
            LJ Bill Spyksma, FJ Peter Morelli, SJ Tom Fincken, BJ Don
Carey.
            Time: 3:20. A-31,124. No-shows-NA.
                                             Return to Top 
            WASHINGTON 24, SAN DIEGO 20
            (Box Score)
            LANDOVER, Md. (AP) - Needing a touchdown against the NFL's
top-ranked defense to win
            the game, Trent Green implored his offensive line to block.
Norv Turner, out of receivers,
            made a deal with his coaches to send a player with a
fractured collar bone on the field as a
            decoy.
            Then, improbably, the Washington Redskins pulled off their
first fourth-quarter winning
            drive since Turner became coach in 1994. With 1:54
remaining, Green found Leslie
            Shepherd wide open in the right corner of the end zone for a
20-yard touchdown in
            Sunday's 24-20 victory over the San Diego Chargers.
            The winning catch was set up by a 17-yard punt return by
Brian Mitchell, who also ran
            back a kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown in the first half.
After Mitchell got the ball to San
            Diego's 44 with 2:34 to play, Green had a message for a line
that earlier had allowed a
            franchise-record 54th sack.
            "He got in there and really laid the law down," guard Joe
Patton said. "He told us he
            needed time to get the ball completed, and the offensive
line stepped up and give him time."
            On the field was James Thrash, who had played decoy the
entire second half since
            breaking his clavicle in the second quarter. Turner needed
him because Michael
            Westbrook had left with a jammed neck in the first quarter
and Albert Connell was inactive
            with a knee injury, leaving just two healthy receivers.
            "He couldn't raise his arm," Turner said. "The coaches kept
saying, 'You can't put him in.' I
            was stubborn and said, 'Put him in and I promise I won't
throw him the ball.'"
            So, on the final drive, Green threw for 18 yards to Chris
Thomas, then hit Shepherd on a
            play installed just last week. The cornerback, biting on the
pump fake to Thomas, let
            Shepherd stroll alone in the end zone.
            "Communication lines broke down," San Diego linebacker
Junior Seau said. "If you're
            asking who's right, we're all wrong. That guy was clear by a
mile. That doesn't happen. It
            shouldn't happen."
            The Redskins (4-9), winning back-to-back games for the first
time this season, are 4-2
            since starting 0-7 and have never lost to the Chargers (5-8)
in six meetings.
            The Chargers were hurt by two plays in which they let a
receiver run into the end zone
            uncovered, and by their inability to convert promising
drives into touchdowns. John
            Carney kicked four field goals, including a 25-yarder with
4:31 left to give San Diego a
            20-17 lead. He missed a fifth attempt, a 20-yard chip shot
with 7:30 remaining.
            "This hurts real bad," quarterback Craig Whelihan said. "You
get so close. Offensively, we
            were moving the ball. We got down there in the red zone and
we're trading 7s for 3s, and
            we can't do that."
            Terrell Fletcher ran for 122 yards, the first 100-yard game
of his career, and threw an
            awkward touchdown pass -- his first NFL pass attempt -- on a
halfback option for the
            Chargers.
            Green, who completed 18-of-37 passes for 235 yards with two
TDs and one interception,
            has 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions in his last six
games. 
                                             Return to Top 
            WASHINGTON REDSKINS 24, San Diego Chargers 20
            (Recap)
                               1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH  FINAL
                               --- --- --- ---  -----
            San Diego           3  11   3   3    20
            Washington          7  10   0   7    24
            First Quarter
                  SD-FG Carney 32, 6:20.
                  Was-Thrash 25 pass from T.Green (Blanchard kick), :49.
            Second Quarter
                  SD-FG Carney 27, 10:42.
                  Was-Mitchell 101 kickoff return (Blanchard kick),
10:24.
                  SD-F.Jones 23 pass from Fletcher (Jones pass from
                     Whelihan), 5:01.
                  Was-FG Blanchard 35, :06.
            Third Quarter
                  SD-FG Carney 41, 10:21.
            Fourth Quarter
                  SD-FG Carney 25, 4:31.
                  Was-Shepherd 20 pass from T.Green (Blancard kick),
1:54.
                                    SD        Was
                                    ---       ---
            FIRST DOWNS              21        17
             Rushing                  8         2
             Passing                 10        15
             Penalty                  3         0
            THIRD DOWN EFF         7-18      4-11
            FOURTH DOWN EFF         1-1       0-0
            TOTAL NET YARDS         344       278
             Total Plays             78        56
             Avg Gain               4.4       5.0
            NET YARDS RUSHING       127        66
             Rushes                  38        16
             Avg per rush           3.3       4.1
            NET YARDS PASSING       217       212
             Sacked-Yds lost       2-18      2-23
             Gross-Yds passing      235       235
             Completed-Att.       21-38     19-38
             Had Intercepted          1         1
             Yards-Pass Play        5.4       5.3
            KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB   6-3-1     5-0-0
            PUNTS-Avg.           5-46.4    7-38.1
             Punts blocked            0         0
            FGs-PATs blocked        0-0       0-0
            TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE    119       236
             Punts Returns          1-1      3-37
             Kickoffs Returns     5-118     5-189
             Interceptions          1-0      1-10
            PENALTIES-Yds          2-10      5-39
            FUMBLES-Lost            2-1       2-1
            TIME OF POSSESSION    38:31     21:29
            INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
            RUSHING-San Diego, Fletcher 34-122, Whelihan 3-3, Bynum 1-2.
            Washington, Allen 9-28, Shepherd 1-25, T.Green 2-9, Mitchell
1-6,
            S.Davis 1-0, Hicks 2-(minus 2).
            PASSING-San Diego, Whelihan 20-37-1-212, Fletcher 1-1-0-23.
            Washington, T.Green 18-37-1-235, Mitchell 1-1-0-0.
            RECEIVING-San Diego, C.Jones 5-72, F.Jones 5-53, Ricks 4-76,
            Fletcher 4-10, Thelwell 2-19, W.Davis 1-5. Washington,
Thrash
            4-66, Thomas 4-62, Shepherd 3-39, Alexander 3-32, Westbrook
2-23,
            Allen 1-11, Mitchell 1-2, T.Green 1-0.
            PUNT RETURNS-San Diego, Gaiter 1-1. Washington, Mitchell
3-37.
            KICKOFF RETURNS-San Diego, Gaiter 4-101, C.Jones 1-17.
            Washington, Mitchell 5-189.
            TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS-San Diego, Harrison 9-0-0, Seau 5-0-1,
            Dimry 3-0-0, Jackson 3-0-0, Dixon 2-1-0, Johnson 2-0-1,
Gouveia
            2-0-0, Spencer 2-0-0, Turner 2-0-0, Mohring 2-0-0, Coleman
1-0-0,
            Hand 1-0-0, Parrella 1-0-0, J.Willimas 1-0-0, Dodge 1-0-0,
Lee
            1-0-0, Tovar 1-0-0, G.Williams 0-1-0, Burgess 0-1-0.
Washington,
            Patton 7-0-0, Evans 6-0-0, D.Green 6-0-0, Pounds 6-0-0, Duff
            5-2-2, Smith 5-1-0, Brown 4-1-0, Richard 4-1-0, Barber
4-0-0,
            Boutte 4-0-0, Dishman 4-0-0, G.Jones 2-0-0, G.Evans 2-0-0,
Kalu
            1-3-0, Wilkinson 1-0-0, Burnett 1-0-0, Conway 1-0-0.
            INTERCEPTIONS-San Diego, Jackson 1-0. Washington, L.Evans
1-10.
            MISSED FIELD GOALS-San Diego, Carney 20 (WL).
            OFFICIALS-Referee Ron Winter, Ump Ed Coukart, HL Sanford
Rivers,
            LJ Jeff Bergman, FJ Steven Zimmer, SJ Ken Baker, BJ Jeff
            Triplette.
            Time: 3:19. A-65,713. No-shows-NA.
                                             Return to Top

                  San Francisco 49ers 31, CAROLINA PANTHERS 28 (OT) 
 
I Niners come l'Inter? ANche ieri partita assurda,solita secondaria
assurda, stavolta niente rimonta ma vittoria in overtime dopo avere
avuto 21 punti di vantaggio all'inizio de quarto quarto.Seguire poi
una partita del genere su Internet è stato un autentico strazio nonchè
materia per cardiologi.
Anche Tshimanga Biakabutuka (se è scritto giusto è un miracolo;mi
piacerebbe sentire la pronuncia americana del nome!) ha giocato
discretamente,almeno a leggere le cifre.MAh! continuiamo
così:facciamoci del male.
La nota positiva è che siamo ancora in scia per vincere la
division,abbiamo un posto nei playoff ed è la sedicesima stagione in
fila da almeno dieci vittorie.Si sa che noi tifosi dei Niners siamo
dei maledetti pieropipetta )))
Domanda x gli esperti:in caso di parità alla fine della regular
season, qual'è il criterio usato per assegnare la vittoria di
didivision?
HOOP RULES
           Doc
De Marco Johnson De Marco Johnson De Marco Johnson
Niners in 99 baby

            Doc
Record nella division
Record nella conference
Scontri diretti
....almeno penso....
Bye.
Mauro

On Mon, 07 Dec 1998 11:03:38 GMT, 
hoop....@flashnet.it
 (Doc) wrote:
#Domanda x gli esperti:in caso di parità alla fine della regular
#season, qual'è il criterio usato per assegnare la vittoria di
#didivision?
A memoria, senza essere esperto dico:
1) scontri diretti
2) vittorie totali tra squadre della stessa division
3) differenza punti fatti/subiti ?
go BILLS
almeno i playoffs !
Gianni

Mentre postavo questo messaggio, ero collegamo al sito NFL ed ho trovato la
risposta; attacco parte della pagina "
www.nfl.com/news/tiebreakers
"
                 NFL tiebreaking procedures 
                 The following procedures will be used to break standings ties
for postseason
                 playoffs and to determine regular-season schedules. 
                 NOTE: Tie games count as one-half win and one-half loss for
both clubs. 
                 TO BREAK A TIE WITHIN A DIVISION
                 If, at the end of the regular season, two or more clubs in the
same division finish
                 with identical won-lost-tied percentages, the following steps
will be taken until a
                 champion is determined. 
                 Two Clubs
                 1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between
the clubs).
                 2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the
division.
                 3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the
conference.
                 4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, if
applicable.
                 5. Best net points in division games.
                 6. Best net points in all games.
                 7. Strength of schedule.
                 8. Best net touchdowns in all games.
                 9. Coin toss. 
                 Three or More Clubs
                 (Note: If two clubs remain tied after third or other clubs are
eliminated during any
                 step, tie breaker reverts to step 1 of the two-club format).
                 1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games among
the clubs).
                 2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the
division.
                 3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the
conference.
                 4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
                 5. Best net points in division games.
                 6. Best net points in all games.
                 7. Strength of schedule.
                 8. Best net touchdowns in all games.
                 9. Coin toss. 


>                  9. Coin toss. 
MAAAAAGGGGRRRRRAAAAZZZIIIIIEEEEE!!!!! (:-DDDD
Chi potrebbe chiedere di piu'? Dopo un'intera regular season di botte...il
lancio della monetina!
Qualcuno ricorda a memoria di libro se cio' e mai avvenuto?
Ciao,
Bruine (:-)

> Qualcuno ricorda a memoria di libro se cio' e mai avvenuto?
Scusate ma mo sono dimenticato l'accento sulla e...sapete, al momento non
ho tempo di procedere con il mio corso di italiano per corrispondenza. (:-(
Vabbe', cambiero' tastiera....(:-)
Ciao,
Bruine (:-)