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 130 (Week 10) Dallas at San Francisco

Posted on by
Reply

49ers rout Cowboys in Rivalry Game!

The San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys have been the class of the NFL in the 1990s; however, it is evident after nine games this season that the teams are heading in opposite directions. The two teams renewed their rivalry at Candlestick Park on Sunday and the 49ers trounced the Cowboys 26-16. With the win, the 49ers have won seven games in a row and are now 7-2 on the season, while the Cowboys have lost five in a row and are now 3-6.

The 49ers dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Niners racked up 186 yards on the ground. RB Garrison Hearst finished with 143 yards on 23 carries with a TD. Defensively, the Niners held the Cowboys to 88 yards rushing and they sacked QB Troy Aikman 7 times.

QB Steve Young had an efficient day passing. He went 15 of 26 for 183 yards and a TD with an INT. WR Terrell Owens had 5 catches for 65 yards and a score.

Niners’ DE Roy Barker had a career-day! He sacked Aikman 3 times including a sack for a safety in the 1st quarter to give the Niners a 9-0 early lead. The Niners have four defenders with at least 7 sacks. DE Kevin Greene has 9.5 sacks on the year, while Barker, Dana Stubblefield and Chris Doleman all have 7 sacks on the year. The Niners only trail the Chiefs for the most sacks as a team.

The Niners will try to keep things rolling next week as they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles on Monday Night Football. The Cowboys will try to get back on track as they host the Cardinals.

1997 Game 130 Stats

Boyd’s 1997 Game 129 (Week 10) Washington at Chicago

Posted on by
Reply

Bears make a comeback, but don’t touch the ball in OT

The Chicago Bears found themselves down 20-10 to the Washington Redskins in the 4th quarter at Soldier Field, but they made a comeback to tie the game. Bears’ QB Eric Kramer connected with FG Tony Carter on a 16-yard pass to cut the lead to 20-17. Then the Bears got the ball back and drove down into Redskins’ territory but had to settle for a 44-yard field goal to tie the game at 20 that send the game into overtime.

The Washington Redskins won the coin flip and the Bears never saw the ball again. Redskins’ QB Gus Frerotte moved the Skins into position when he connected with WR Leslie Shepherd on a 32-yard reception. After a few runs, Redskins’ kicker Scott Blanton booted the game-winning 28-yard field goal. The Redskins won 23-20.

Redskins’ returner Brian Mitchell is having a great season. On the opening second half kickoff of this game, Mitchell returned an 84-yard kick the distance to give the Redskins a 17-7 lead. On the season, Mitchell has returned 3 kickoffs for TDs. He is averaging 28.1 yards per kick return. He also has returned a punt for a TD and is averaging 9.9 per punt return.

The Bears did roll up 381 total yards of offense, but three turnovers spelled their doom. RB Raymont Harris rushed for 96 yards on 20 carries and QB Eric Kramer threw for 257 yards with a TD but had 2 INTs.

The Redskins are now atop the NFC East Standings, but they will have a tough matchup next Sunday as they host Barry Sanders and the Detroit Lions. The Bears (1-8) will travel to Minneapolis to face the Vikings in the Metrodome.

1997 Game 129 Stats

Boyd’s 1997 Game 128 (Week 10) Tampa Bay at Indianapolis

Posted on by
Reply

Colts get lucky; Blanchard kicks them to victory

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. That might have been the case Sunday afternoon in the RCA Dome as the Indianapolis Colts stunned the Tampa Buccaneers with a 27-24 victory.

The game should have gone into overtime, but the Buccaneers made a crucial mistake. With 4 seconds left in the game and the game tied at 24, the Colts lined up for a game-winning field goal; however, Cary Blanchard missed the 43-yarder wide-right! It seemed as if the game was going into overtime, BUT there was a yellow flag on the play. The Bucs were offsides!

The referees moved the ball 5 yards closer and then Blanchard kicked the game-winning kick with no time on the clock. The Colts won 27-24 winning their 4th game of the year!

The Colts won despite having a backup quarterback on the field in Paul Justin, who took over because Jim Harbaugh broke his hand punching out former Bills’ QB Jim Kelly. Justin had the best day of his career. He was 17-31 passing for 196 yards and 3 TDs against one of the best defenses in the NFL in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Colts also got a great day from RB Marshal Faulk, who rushed for 116 yards on 24 carries. Faulk also caught 4 passes for 39 yards.

Defensively, the Colts got another solid day from pass rushing DE Dan Footman. He had two sacks in the game and now has 11.5 on the season, which puts him in the top 3 in the NFL.

As for the Buccaneers, they fell mainly because they could not get their running game going, which has been their strength all season. Warrick Dunn, Mike Alstott and Erict Rhett combined for 85 yards on 26 carries.

The Colts (4-5) will host the red-hot Cincinnati Bengals next week, while the Buccaneers (6-3) will try to get their season turned around after losing 3 of 4 as they travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons.

1997 Game 128 Stats

Boyd’s 1997 Replay Game 127 (Week 10) San Diego at Cincinnati

Posted on by
Reply

Bengals Shellack the Chargers; Corey Dillon has a career-day

In front of their home crowd at Pro Cinergy Field, the Cincinnati Bengals pummeled the San Diego Chargers, 40-7, Sunday afternoon. The Bengals have now won 4 of the last 5 games and are in the thick of the AFC Wild Card race.

The Bengals ran all over the Chargers as they rushed the ball a season-high 47 times for 269 yards. HB Corey Dillon carried the bulk of the work as he had a career-day. He rushed 30 times for 180 yards and 3 rushing TDs. He also caught a three-yard TD pass for 4 total TDs on the day.

The Bengals defense dominated one of the worst offenses in football. They held the Chargers to just 241 total yards. They sacked Chargers QBs 6 times and picked off backup QB Craig Whelihan. The D also recovered three Chargers’ fumbles.

Next week, the Bengals (5-4) will travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts, while the Chargers try to salvage any part of their 1-8 season as they host the red-hot Seattle Seahawks.

1997 Game 127 Stats

Boyd’s 1997 Replay Game 126 (Week 10) St. Louis at Atlanta

Posted on by
Reply

Falcons’ D steps up in OT

With 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter, Morton Anderson kicked a game-tying 38-yard field goal as the Atlanta Falcons and the St. Louis Rams collided inside the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Then in overtime, DE Shane Dronett got into the Rams’ backfield and blasted Rams’ QB Tony Banks, who fumbled the ball. Lester Archambeau fell on the ball and the Falcons took over inside the Rams’ 5-yard line. After a few running plays, the Falcons’ Anderson came in and booted the game-winning 22-yard field goal to give the Falcons the 16-13 victory.

The Falcons didn’t have a great day offensively, but they got great play from their defense and special teams. The Falcons’ defense held the Rams to 282 yards total offense and sacked Banks 5 times. Punt Returner Byron Hanspard had the only Falcons’ TD of the day when he returned an 85-yard punt return for a TD in the 2nd quarter to give the Falcons a 10-3 at halftime.

Falcons’ RB Jamal Anderson rushed for 68 yards and passed for another 20. QB Chris Chandler didn’t have his best day of the year, but he passed for 129 yards on 16 completions. WR Terrance Mathis caught 6 passes for 77 yards.

As for the Rams, QB Tony Banks didn’t have his best day either. He passed for 174 yards on 17 of 32 passing. He also rushed for 39 yards.

The Falcons (4-5) will try to climb into the NFC playoff race this Sunday as they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home. The St. Louis Rams (2-7) have a stiff test next Sunday when they travel to Lambeau Field to take on the World Champion Packers.

1997 Game 126 Stats

Boyd’s 1997 Replay Game 125 (Week 10) Oakland at Carolina

Posted on by
Reply

Panthers run all over the Raiders

Carolina has been a major disappointment in 1997. In just their second year in existence in 1996, they won the NFC West Division and played in the NFC Championship Game. This year, however, they have fallen back to Earth. With their 28-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, the Panthers notched just their second win of the season.

The Panthers looked a lot like last year’s team on Sunday at Ericsson Stadium. They got running back Fred Lane back from injury and they rolled up 211 yards on the ground against the Raiders’ pathetic run defense. Lane rushed for 136 yards on 17 carries and scored what came to be the game-clinching TD run. They also got 37 yards from Anthony Johnson and 30 from Tim Biakabutuka.

Panther QB Kerry Collins had a big day too. He used a ton of play-action to roll up 271 yards passing. He had 21 completions on 27 attempts and threw for 2 TDs. Rae Carruth had his best day of the season. He caught nine passes for 131 yards and a TD.

As for the Raiders, QB Jeff George continued to connect with his receivers on big plays. George hit Tim Brown on a 50-yard TD, TE Rickey Dudley on a 41-yard TD and Napolean Kaufman on a 63-yard bomb for a TD. George now has 19 TD passes on the season, and he finally threw his first interception on the season in this game.

So what’s wrong with the Raiders if they are getting this aerial production on the season? They are 1-8 simply because their defense is horrible. Their defense gives up 410 total yards per game and surrenders 168 of it on the ground. They also give up the most points in the NFL at 29 per game.

The Panthers (2-7) have tough next couple of weeks. Next Sunday they travel to Denver and then the week after they travel to Candlestick to take on the 49ers. As for the Raiders, they host the New Orleans Saints.

1997 Game 125 Stats

Boyd’s 1997 Replay Game 124 (Week 10) New England at Minnesota

Posted on by
Reply

Vikings slice up the Patriots

The Minnesota Vikings were on fire as they burned the New England Patriots, 37-14, Sunday in the Metrodome.

The Vikings were without their two top running backs, Robert Smith & Leroy Hoard, so the offensive responsibility fell on QB Brad Johnson, and he delivered. He threw for 308 yards on 20 of 28 passing with 3 TDs. That equates to a 143.2 QB Rating.

The Vikings jumped out early as Johnson hit TE Andrew Glover for a 37-yard TD pass. Then later in the 1st quarter, Johnson connected with Jake Reed on a 12-yard touchdown. After a Moe Williams TD run, Johnson hit Reed again for a 6-yard touchdown and the Vikings took a 31-0 lead at halftime and this game was over. Reed caught 7 passes for 117 yards and the 2 TDs.

The Patriots have been hammered by the NFC Central the past two weeks. The Packers beat the Patriots 27-3 last Monday Night and have been outscored 64-17 the past two Sundays. For a team that was in last year’s Super Bowl, the Patriots’ season seems on the brink.

Patriot QB Drew Bledsoe threw for 232 yards and 2 TDs but was also picked off. The Patriots only managed 57 yards on the ground and Bledsoe was sacked 4 times.

The Vikings (4-5) will try to keep their momentum going as they host the lowly Bears, while the Patriots (6-3) travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills. Despite the two devastating losses, the Patriots are still atop the AFC East with the NY Jets.

1997 Game 124 Stats

Boyd’s 1997 Replay Game 123 (Week 10) Miami at Buffalo

Posted on by
Reply

Marino goes down and so do the Dolphins

Historically, the Miami Dolphins have had problems against the Buffalo Bills at Rich Stadium and on Sunday it wasn’t any different as the Dolphins fell, 17-3, to the Bills.

Over the past three weeks, the Dolphins finally found their groove offensively. Marino was getting hot and they began to run the ball better; however, on Sunday, it all came crashing down. Marino was struggling early but then took a shot from Bills’ All-Pro DE Bruce Smith and Marino had to leave the game with a sprained knee losing hope of winning this game.

Bruce Smith, who has had a so-so year so far, returned to his All-Pro form. Once Dolphins’ backup QB Craig Erickson hit the field, Smith turned the heat up with his pass rush. He sacked Erickson 3 times, forced two fumbles, and recovered one of them. On the season, Smith now has 9.5 sacks.

The Bills’ defense was smothering as they held the Dolphins to only 107 total yards. Once Marino went out, the Dolphins tried to run the ball, but they could only manage 58 yards on the ground.

As for the Bills’ offense, most of their damage came on the ground beings they were playing their backup QB too, Alex Van Pelt. The Bills rushed for 162 yards with 79 coming from Antwone Smith and 41 with a TD from Thurman Thomas. Van Pelt only passed for 113 yards on 10 completions with 3 interceptions.

The Bills (3-6) stopped a four-game losing streak with this win and will face division rival New England in Buffalo next Sunday. The Dolphins (3-6) hope Marino will be back next week as they host the Jets, who they beat earlier in the year, 24-17.

1997 Game 123 Stats

Boyd’s 1997 Replay Game 122 (Week 10) Baltimore at NY Jets

Posted on by
Reply

The Jets destroy the Ravens

After losing two in a row, New York Jets’ head coach Bill Parcells whipped his boys back into shape as the Jets came out firing in their 32-7 demolition of the Baltimore Ravens. The Jets are still battling the New England Patriots for the top spot in the AFC East.

The Jets jumped out to a 13-0 lead when Neil O’Donnell connected with Jeff Graham on a 15-yd TD pass. Shortly after that, O’Donnell got hurt and backup Glenn Foley replaced him. The Jets leaned more on the ground game, and they responded. The Jets rushed 43 times for 119 yards. Adrian Murrell had 80 yards on 28 carries. Foley did just enough as he was 6 of 10 for 116 yards and a 29-yd TD pass to Wayne Chrebet.

The Jets defense smothered the Ravens. They sacked Vinny Testaverde twice and intercepted him twice. Linebacker Dwayne Gordon sacked Testaverde for a safety in the 2nd quarter. The defense held the Ravens to 206 total yards and only 42 on the ground.

The Jets (6-3) will travel to Miami on Sunday to take on the Dolphins. The Dolphins beat the Jets a few weeks ago 24-17. The Ravens (3-5) will have a tough task if they want to stop their 4-game losing streak as they travel to Pittsburgh on Sunday Night Football to take on the high-powered Steelers.

1997 Game 122 Stats

Boyd’s 1997 Replay Game 121 (Week 9) Green Bay at New England

Posted on by
Reply

Packers spank the Patriots in Super Bowl rematch

The NFL learned that last year’s Super Bowl was not a fluke as the Green Bay Packers dominated the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football, 27-3, to stay undefeated in the 1997 season. Two-time MVP Brett Favre is making his case for his third consecutive as he scorched the Patriots for 295 yards and 3 TDs in the victory.

Packers’ WR Robert Brooks tore his ACL a year ago and tonight he proved that he is all the way back as he had a career night. Brooks caught 8 passes from Favre for 220 yards and 3 TDs. Brooks caught TD passes of 40, 25 and an 80-yard bomb in the 3rd quarter to put the game out of reach.

The Packers’ offense rolled up 388 total yards, but it was the Packers’ defense that dominated the potent Patriots’ offense. The Packers held the Pats to 170 total yards including just 28 yards on the ground. Patriots’ QB Drew Bledsoe threw for just 157 yards and was intercepted twice.

The Packers (8-0) will have a huge divisional matchup next Sunday Night at Lambeau Field as they face the Detroit Lions (6-2) and Barry Sanders. The Patriots (6-2) will try to shake this beating off and will travel to the H.H.H. Metrodome to take on the Vikings.

1997 Game 121 Stats