Author Archives: bboyd31573

About bboyd31573

I'm a resident of Mission, SD, which is in the south-central part of the state along the Nebraska border. I am a literature teacher at my hometown high school. I just retired from 25 years a very successful coaching career - basketball and football. I have two children. My daughter is a physical therapist living in Phoenix, AZ, and my son recently graduated from Notre Dame and is working in Wisconsin in the political arena. I am an owner of the Green Bay Packers, and I am a huge LA Lakers fan. I have a beautiful husky dog named Oakley. I have been playing APBA football since I was 13 and my first set was the 1985 NFL season.

1997 Game 191 (Week 14) Miami at Oakland

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Dolphins roll the Raiders

All season long, the Miami Dolphins have been waiting to have a huge offensive day and they finally got that Sunday in Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum as the Dolphins came out victorious 31-18.

Dolphin QB Dan Marino had his best game of his season as he threw for 224 yards on 18 of 31 passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Marino has been delighted with the acquisition of WR Brett Perriman. In this game, Perriman caught five passes for 79 yards and three touchdowns. Since joining the Dolphins five games ago, Perriman has caught 20 passes for 272 yards and six TDs.

The Dolphins also got a huge rushing game against the worst rushing defense in the NFL. The Dolphins rushed for 199 yards on the day. Karim Abdul-Jabbar had his best game of the season as he rushed for 186 yards on 32 carries with a TD.

On defense, the Dolphins hounded QB Jeff George all day. The Dolphins sacked him six times and intercepted him late in the game. George has only thrown three INTs all season long.

As for the Raiders, they still are getting great offensive production from QB Jeff George and WR Tim Brown. George was 20 of 34 for 304 yards and 2 TDs, while Brown caught 8 passes for 119 yards. On the season, Brown has caught 100 passes for 1,421 yards and six touchdowns.

The Dolphins (6-7) will have a huge test next Sunday night as they take on the Detroit Lions. The Raiders (3-10) will travel to take on the AFC leading Kansas City Chiefs.

1997 Game 191 Stats

1997 Game 190 (Week 14) Atlanta at Seattle

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Seahawks blow past the Falcons; stay in playoff hunt

One of the best free agent acquisitions this offseason has to be the Seattle Seahawks signing veteran QB Warren Moon, who has found chemistry in the Emerald City with his receivers. Moon and the Hawks won their fourth straight game and seventh of their last eight as they defeated the Atlanta Falcons 38-17 Sunday in the Kingdome. The Hawks are in the thick of the Wildcard race in the AFC as they are now 9-4 on the season.

Moon was outstanding on Sunday as he torched the Falcons for 231 yards on 23 of 29 passing and 3 touchdown passes. Moon had a QB rating of 134.3 on the day. Earlier in the season, Moon was throwing interceptions, which really hurt the Hawks. On this four-game winning streak, Moon has thrown eight TD passes and only two interceptions.

The Seahawks also got their running game going on Sunday as they piled up 199 yards on the ground. RB Lamar Smith led the way with 86 yards on 13 carries with a TD. RB Chris Warren carried the ball 20 times for 42 yards and a TD. Steve Broussard chipped in 40 yards on five carries.

As for Atlanta, QB Chris Chandler had a decent day. He was 22 of 39 passing for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns. RB Jamal Anderson rushed for 98 yards on 10 carries, but the Falcons got behind early and could not lean on their running game to keep in the game.

The Seahawks will try to keep things rolling as they go on the road for the next two weeks. Next Sunday they travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens and then in two weeks they travel to take on arch-rival the Oakland Raiders. The Falcons are now 5-8 on the season and they will travel to San Diego next Sunday.

1997 Game 190 Stats

1997 Game 189 (Week 14) San Francisco at Kansas City

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Chiefs win the battle of Super Powers

The entire football world was peering into Arrowhead Stadium Sunday as the 11-1 Kansas City Chiefs took on the 10-2 San Francisco 49ers in a battle of NFL super heavyweights. As expected, the game was dominated by the defenses and it took a late 4th quarter drive by the Chiefs to secure the victory, 13-6.

Not much was happening on the offensive side of the ball in this game. The Chiefs managed a mere 233 total yards, while the 49ers were worse at 191. The Chiefs managed a little bit of a running game as they pounded the rock 32 times for 94 yards, while the 49ers were held to just 26 yards rushing. The Niners came into the game averaging 141 on the ground, while the Chiefs were among the league’s best at 151 per game.

The difference in the game was the constant pass rush on 49ers’ QB Steve Young. The Chiefs’ defense pounded Young throughout the game. They sacked Young seven times and forced him to throw an ill-advised interception because of the pass rush that thwarted a 49er drive. Young had his worst passing efficiency game of the year with a quarterback rating of 76.

The Chiefs got the drive they needed late in the 4th quarter. They were leading 6-3 and they finally got their offense going with a mix of a running and passing. The biggest play in the drive was a strike from QB Rich Gannon to WR Andre Rison for 30 yards on a crucial third -down play that set the Chiefs up at the 49ers one-yard line!  On the next play, RB Marcus Allen leaped over the pile and scored the only touchdown of the game giving the Chiefs’ a 13-3 lead with just 2:45 remaining.

Young led the 49ers down the field with a barrage of completions to the Chiefs’ 25-yard line with 45 seconds to play. Kicker Gary Anderson drilled a 42-yard field goal to cut the lead to 13-6; however, the Chiefs recovered the ensuing onside kick and ended the game.

The Chiefs are now 11-1 and are in the driver’s seat for the #1 seed in the AFC. They host the Oakland Raiders next weekend. The 49ers are still atop the NFC West as they are now 10-3 and they will face the Minnesota Vikings at home in Candlestick with a chance to lockdown the #2 seed in the NFC.

1997 Game 189 Stats

1997 Game 188 (Week 14) St. Louis at Washington

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Redskins blow an opportunity

The Washington Redskins came into Sunday afternoon’s game against the St. Louis Rams leading the NFC East with an 8-4 record. The Rams were 2-10 on the season and many predicted the Redskins to have an easy victory at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, BUT… the Rams shocked the Redskins and defeated them 13-3 in a lackluster game for the Redskins.

The Redskins couldn’t get anything going all day offensively as the Rams’ defense dominated them. The Rams held the Redskins to just 232 total yards and only 88 on the ground. The Rams held RB Terry Allen to just 21 yards on 11 carries. Linebacker Mike Jones had two huge sacks on Redskins’ QB Gus Frerotte to stop drives.

As for the Rams, they came into the game as one of the worst rushing offenses in football, but they picked up 107 on the ground. Jerald Moore paced them with 78 yards on 14 carries.

The lone touchdown of the game happened just into the fourth quarter. QB Tony Banks hit RB Amp Lee on a swing pass and he took it in for the only TD of the game to give the Rams a 10-3 lead. Banks, who completed zero passes in 13 attempts to start last week’s game, faired a little bit better today as he threw for 162 yards today on 19 of 39 passing with a TD and an INT.

The Redskins (8-5) will try to stay atop the NFC East next Sunday when they take on the Arizona Cardinals in the desert. The Rams (3-10) will travel to the Louisianna Superdome to take on the Saints.

1997 Game 188 Stats

1997 Game 187 (Week 14) NY Jets at Buffalo

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O’Donnell takes down the Bills in a heroic final drive

With 3:13 left in the 4th quarter, the Buffalo Bills kicked a field goal and took a 19-14 lead Sunday afternoon at Rich Stadium. The New York Jets and QB Neill O’Donnell took over at their own 20-yard line with the Bills’ mafia rocking the stadium and the Jets needing a TD to win the game.

O’Donnell, who has been hot all year long, began a methodical drive that took them to the Bills’ 32-yard line with just a minute to play. On 4th and 12 and the game on the line, O’Donnell stood in the pocket and delivered a strike to WR Wayne Chrebet, who was tackled at the Bills’ 4-yard line, giving the Jets new life.

After RB Adrian Murrell was stuck for no gain and O’Donnell threw incomplete, the Jets were forced into another pressure situation on 3rd and goal. This time, O’Donnell threw a pass to the corner of the end zone and hit was hauled in by WR Jeff Graham for the game-winning four-yard TD catch with 15 seconds remaining! The Jets failed on their two-point conversion and led 20-19. The Bills tried one last gasp bomb and it fell incomplete giving the Jets the victory.

O’Donnell finished the game 24 of 41 for 208 yards and 3 TDs. He worked the underneath coverage the entire game and it paid off on the final drive. O’Donnell now has the NFL record for the most consecutive passing attempts without an interception.  He has thrown 359 passes this season without an interception. O’Donnell has completed 55% of his passes for 2,237 yards with 12 TDs and no interceptions.

The Jets hold one of the AFC Wildcard positions at 8-5. They will host Indianapolis next week and then Tampa Bay the week after. They will finish the season with a big-time game at Detroit. As for the Bills, they are now 4-9 and will travel to Chicago next weekend.

1997 Game 187 Stats

1997 Game 186 (Week 14) New Orleans at Carolina

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Saints hold off Panthers to stay in the playoff hunt

Mike Ditka won the NFL Coach of the Year in 1985 after his destructible Bears tore through the NFL to a World Title. He is on the short list for this year’s COTY honors as his New Orleans Saints has defied all the naysayers and are in the middle of the playoff picture in the NFC with another victory Sunday afternoon. The Saints beat the Panthers 24-19 in Ericsson Stadium and are now 8-5 on the season. Ditka has transformed the Saints from last year’s 3-13 team into a contender.

Saints’ QB Billy Jo Hobert had a great three quarters in the victory where he was 11 of 22 for 157 yards and 3 TDs, which gave the Saints a 24-10 lead. Then Hobert nearly threw the game away in the fourth quarter. He went 1 of 5 for 10 yards and three interceptions in the final period. Luckily, the Saints’ defense held off the Panthers for the win.

The Saints got a strong running effort in this one. They rushed for 147 yards as a team and RB Ray Zellars paced the Saints with 88 individual yards. Troy Davis chipped in with 60 yards on the ground.

Defensively, the Saints showed up again. They sacked Panther QBs six times and intercepted backup Steve Beuerlein twice.

The Saints will try to position themselves into a wildcard spot next week as they host the St. Louis Rams. The Panthers, now 3-10, will travel to Big D to take on the Cowboys on Monday Night Football.

1997 Game 186 Stats

1997 Game 185 (Week 14) New England at Indianapolis

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Bledsoe rips the Colts

The New England Patriots are the defending AFC Champions, and they are beginning to look like they will contend for it again as they came back to defeat the Indianapolis Colts, 28-24, Sunday afternoon at Foxboro behind a big performance from Drew Bledsoe.

Trailing 24-21 midway through the 4th quarter, Drew Bledsoe showed why he is a contender for the league’s MVP. He zipped a 15-yard pass to TE Ben Coates and then connected with WR Shawn Jefferson for another 17 yards. Another completion to Jefferson and the Patriots were at the Colt 27-yard line. With the Colts in man-to-man coverage, Bledsoe found a matchup he liked. RB Dave Meggett was matched up with a linebacker and Bledsoe took advantage of it. Meggett went on a wheel-route and Bledsoe hit him in stride for a 27-yard touchdown! The Patriots took a 28-24 lead.

The Patriot defense stepped up on the Colts next possession and forced a punt. They never saw the ball again. With 4:10 on the clock, Bledsoe and the Patriots ran an awesome 4-minute offense and kept the ball away from the Colts. RB Curtis Martin kept the chains moving and the Patriots ran out the clock to secure the victory.

Martin rushed for 103 yards on 24 carries on the day. Bledsoe threw for 306 yards on 20 of 32 passing with four touchdowns.

The Colts got a big passing day from QB Jim Harbaugh. He passed for 341 yards on 23 of 37 passing with two touchdowns and an Interception.

The Patriots have control over the AFC East with a 10-3 record with three games remaining. Next week, they travel to Jacksonville, while the Colts (4-9) travel to New York to play the Jets.

1997 Game 185 Stats

1997 Game 184 (Week 14) Cincinnati at Philadelphia

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Bengals win their fifth straight

The hottest team in the NFL is the Cincinnati Bengals. With a 38-28 win over the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday at Veteran’s Stadium, the Bengals have now five in a row and eight of their last nine games. They lead the AFC Central with a 9-4 record, despite losing their starting quarterback to injury.

QB Boomer Esiason is reliving his glory days in Cincinnati. He has taken over from Jeff Blake and has been on fire. On Sunday, he was the benefactor of a tremendous running game as the Bengals pounded the Eagles for 160 yards on the ground. Esiason threw for 207 yards on 18 of 29 passing with an interception.

As for their running game, the Bengals got a career-day from RB Corey Dillon, who rushed for only 88 yards but scored four rushing touchdowns! Dillon now has 12 rushing TDs on the season. The Bengals got another rushing touchdown from WR Darnay Scott on an end around.

As for the Eagles, they got a big rushing day as well. They rushed for 183 yards as a team with 85 coming from RB Ricky Watters. QB Bobby Hoying threw for 216 yards on 16 of 37 passing with three touchdowns and an interception.

The Bengals are in a divisional race with the Pittsburgh Steelers and will put their first-place spot on the line next week when they host the Tennessee Oilers. The Eagles are now 5-8 and will host the New York Giants next Sunday.

1997 Game 184 Stats

1997 Game 183 (Week 14) Baltimore at Jacksonville

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Jaguars take a bite out of the Ravens

Jacksonville Jaguars’ QB Mark Brunell had his best game of the season in a Jaguar 38-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens Sunday at Alltel Stadium.

Brunell threw for 334 yards on 20 of 28 passing with four touchdowns on the day. He and WRs Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell were in sync all game long. Smith caught seven passes for 158 yards and a TD, while McCardell caught five passes for 63 yards and a TD.

The Jaguars also got 81 yards rushing from RB Natrone Means on 25 carries and a touchdown. RB James Stewart rushed for 23 yards on 10 carries.

As for the Ravens, they lost QB Vinny Testaverde in the second quarter with an injury. Eric Zeier replaced him and got his first action of the season. Zeier threw for 166 yards on 17 of 30 passing with a TD and an interception.

The Jaguars are now 5-8 on the season and they host the New England Patriots next Sunday. The Ravens are now 5-8 also and they will host the red-hot Seattle Seahawks next week.

1997 Game 183 Stats

1997 Game 182 (Week 14) Tennessee at Dallas

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Aikman leads Cowboys to thrilling win on Thanksgiving!

The Dallas Cowboys and the Tennessee Oilers gave the American viewers a heck of a game in the 2nd game on Thanksgiving Holiday. Nothing like turkey and football! The Cowboys showed their Championship Moxey as they came-from-behind to beat the Oilers 26-25 in the final seconds at Texas Stadium.

The Oilers took the lead, 25-20, with 3:30 in the fourth quarter when QB Steve McNair hooked up with WR Chris Sanders on a 16-yard touchdown. McNair was fabulous on the drive as he used his legs and his arm to put the Oilers into position to win the game.

With 3:30 on the clock, future Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman went to work. On the first play of the drive, Aikman hooked up with little used tight end David LeFleur for 23 yards. On a second down play, Aikman rifled a shot to the other tight end Eric Bjornson for 14 yards and then a 16-yard pass to RB Hershal Walker that set the Cowboys up at the 20-yard line. On a second down play, Aikman threw the ball to the corner of the end zone where WR Anthony Miller plucked the ball out of the air for the game-winning touchdown with just four seconds remaining. The Cowboys failed on their two-point try and won the game 26-25 in thrilling fashion.

The Cowboys are now 6-7 and face the struggling Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football next week in Charlotte. With three games to play, the Cowboys have an outside shot at winning the NFC East. As for the Oilers, the loss hinders their chances in the AFC playoffs as they are now 5-8. The Oilers will travel to Cincinnati next Thursday night.

1997 Game 182 Stats