Category Archives: 1997 NFL Replay (B. Boyd)

1997 Game 214 (Week 16) Detroit at Minnesota

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Sanders reaches 2,000 yards in the Lions’ victory!

It took overtime to do it, but Detroit Lions’ running back Barry Sanders became the third player in the history of the game to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.

Sanders accomplished the feat on a 3rd-down play. He had 97 yards at that point in the game, and the Lions were faced with a 3rd down and 8 at the Vikings’ 33-yard line. With the fans in the Metrodome roaring, QB Scott Mitchell audibled to a draw play. Sanders took the handoff and blew through the defense for a nine-yard gain eclipsing the 2,000-yard mark!

Unfortunately for the Lions, Mitchell threw an interception two plays later at the Viking 22-yard line thwarting the Lions chance to score. After a three & out by the Vikings, the Lions got another chance. This time, Sanders ripped through the Viking defense and set the Lions up deep in Viking territory. K Jason Hanson kicked the game-winning 34-yard field goal to give the Lions the 27-24 victory.

Sanders is now the 3rd player in history to run for over 2,000 yards. He joins OJ Simpson and Eric Dickerson. Sanders now has 2020 yards on the season and 15 TDs. Clearly, the frontrunner for the league’s MVP honors.

The Lions are now 12-3 on the season and have clearly locked down the #4 seed in the NFC Playoffs and will host a Wildcard game. They host the NY Jets in the season finale. As for the Vikings, they are now 7-8 and out of the playoffs. They will host Indianapolis next week.

1997 Game 214 Stats

1997 Game 213 (Week 16) Dallas at Cincinnati

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The Bengals take back the AFC Central

With the Pittsburgh Steelers losing on Saturday, the Cincinnati Bengals took full advantage and beat the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, 44-28, to take back the AFC Central lead with a game remaining in the regular season.

The Bengals exploded on offense racking up 44 points and 517 total yards against the stout Cowboy defense. The Bengals rushed for 182 yards and Boomer Esiason threw for 343 yards in the victory. Esiason tossed two touchdowns including a 75-yard bomb to WR Darnay Scott to give the Bengals a 28-20 lead in the second quarter.

The Bengals got 113 yards rushing from RB Corey Dillon on the day and he scored. In fact, the Bengals rushed for four touchdowns on the day. Ki’Jana Carter rushed for 70 yards with a TD.

As for the Cowboys, they just couldn’t match the firepower of the Bengals. QB Troy Aikman threw for 216 yards on 27 of 45 passing. RB Emmit Smith rushed for 110 yards on 12 carries with three touchdowns.

The Bengals and the Steelers are tied for the division lead at 10-5 records; however, the Bengals own the tiebreaker beating the Steelers twice this season. The Bengals will hope to secure the division championship when they host the Baltimore Colts. The Steelers will travel to Tennessee.

The Cowboys (7-7) have now been eliminated from the playoffs. They will end their season at home Sunday afternoon against the New York Giants.

1997 Game 213 Stats

1997 Game 212 (Week 16) Pittsburgh at New England

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Patriots secure AFC East!

The New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers hooked up Saturday afternoon at Foxboro Stadium in a game pitting divisional leaders against each other. The Patriots came away with a 10-6 hard-fought, hard-hitting victory and are now the AFC Champions.

The Patriots are still in contention for the #1 seed in the AFC and homefield advantage throughout. They trail the Chiefs by a ½ game. As for the Steelers, they had a chance to have their destiny in their own hands; however, with the loss, the Steelers need the Bengals to lose on Sunday against the Cowboys to keep ahold of the top spot in the AFC Central.

New England was without All-Pro running back Curtis Martin due to injury and his absence affected the Patriot offense. The Patriots could only rush for 21 yards on the day and had to rely on QB Drew Bledsoe’s right arm. Bledsoe did throw for 225 yards on 19 of 30 passing but could not come up with the play to separate themselves from the Steelers.

As for the Steelers, they got a poor performance from QB Kordell Stewart. He threw for 224 yards but tossed two costly interceptions to Patriot DB Lawyer Milloy that thwarted Steeler scoring opportunities.

The Patriots will end their regular season at Miami, while the Steelers will have one more opportunity to secure a playoff spot when they travel to Tennessee next Sunday.

1997 Game 212 Stats

1997 Game 211 (Week 16) Washington at NY Giants

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Redskins win the East!

Despite not having QB Gus Frerotte and RB Terry Allen, the Washington Redskins overcame the adversity to defeat the New York Giants, 15-10, on Saturday at Giants Stadium. With the win, the Redskins are the champions of the NFC East and have secured their position in the NFC Playoffs.

The Redskin defense has propelled them to a division title. The defense held the Giants to just 197 total yards on Sunday and only 87 through the air. CB Chris Dishman set up the Redskins for two field goals. He sacked QB Danny Kanell and caused a fumble, which DE Kenard Lang recovered. Then Dishman recovered a Kanell fumble on a rushing attempt that set up the second FG.

LB Ken Harvey had a huge play for the Redskins when he sacked Kanell in the end zone for a safety. Harvey recorded his fifth sack of the season on that safety.

Offensively, the Redskins struggled without their starting QB and RB. Backup QB Jeff Hostetler struggled most of the day and the Redskins managed only 181 total yards. Hostetler was 13 of 25 passing for 98 yards and an interception. RB Stephen Davis had 65 yards rushing and a TD.

As for the Giants, their running game was clicking but just couldn’t get anything from their passing game. Kanell threw for 116 yards on 11 of 36 passing with a TD. WR Chris Calloway had the only Giants’ TD of the day on a 10-yard reception.

The NFC East Champion Redskins will end their regular season hosting the Philadelphia Eagles before heading into the playoffs as the #3 seed as of right now. If San Francisco stumbles somewhere in their last two games, the Redskins could get the #2 seed and a first-round bye.

As for the Giants, they still can make the playoffs. They need to win their final game of the regular season at Dallas, and then, hope that Tampa Bay and/or New Orleans stumble in the final two weeks.

1997 Game 211 Stats

1997 Game 210 (Week 15) Carolina at Dallas

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“Prime Time” dominates Prime Time!

Dion “Prime Time” Sanders had a night to remember on Monday Night Football to end week 14 of the NFL season. Neon Dion scored three touchdowns in the Dallas Cowboys’ 31-13 victory over the Carolina Panthers at Texas Stadium.

In the second quarter trailing 10-0, Sanders picked off Panther QB Kerry Collins and raced 21 yards for the Cowboys’ first score of the night cutting the lead to 10-7. Then late in the third quarter, trailing 13-10, Sanders caught a punt and returned that 50 yards for a punt return touchdown giving Dallas the lead 17-13. Finally, Sanders intercepted another Collins’ pass and returned it 59 yards high-stepping his way in the end zone for the game-clinching touchdown.

The Cowboys are now 7-7 on the season and will end the season traveling to Cincinnati and then hosting the NY Giants. The Panthers are 3-11 and will face the Packers at home.

1997 Game 210 Stats

1997 Game 209 (Week 15) Detroit at Miami

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Lions roar past Marino & the Dolphins

The offensive juggernaut of the Detroit Lions continued to roll Sunday afternoon in Pro Player Stadium as they beat the Miami Dolphins, 37-27, to run their record to 11-3 on the season.

A lot of the focus coming into today’s game was the Dolphins’ QB Dan Marino; however, the Lions’ QB Scott Mitchell stole the show. Sure, Mitchell has the best weapons in football around him, but he has had the best season of his career, and it continued Sunday. Mitchell threw for 312 yards on 17 of 28 passing with three touchdowns and a 134.8 quarterback rating.

Mitchell had a fantastic 1995 season leading the Lions to the playoffs, but this year has been different. With most defenses focusing their attention on RB Barry Sanders, Mitchell and his receiving tandem of Herman Moore and Johnnie Morton are making defenses pay for bringing extra players in the box to try and stop Sanders. On the season, Mitchell has completed 59% of his passes and thrown for 3,598 yards. He has tossed 27 TD passes, but here is where Mitchell has gotten better…he only has four interceptions on the season, which is the reason why he has a career-high 102.2 quarterback rating.

As for Barry Sanders, the Dolphins did everything they could to take him away. Sanders was held to a season-low 69 yards on 19 carries. On the season, Barry’s quest for 2,000 is very much a reality as he is just 104 yards away with two games to play. He also has his sights on Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing record of 2,105 that he set in 1984. Sanders is 209 yards away from breaking that record.

As for the Dolphins, they tried to stay in the game behind Marino’s arm. He had a season-high 346 yards passing. He completed 26 of 41 passes with three touchdowns with no interceptions. The Dolphins had a 21-14 lead at halftime, but Marino could not keep up with the red-hot Lions, because the Lions defense began to put the pressure on. They sacked Marino six times and DE Robert Porcher continued to have an unbelievable season. He sacked Marino twice in the 4th quarter and now has 19 sacks on the season.

The Lions are now 11-3 on the season and still have a mathematical chance at winning the NFC Central. They have to win out and the Packers have to lose their final two games. The Lions will travel to Minneapolis to take on the Vikings next Sunday and then complete the regular season at home against the Jets. The Dolphins are now 6-8 and will travel next week to take on the Colts.

1997 Game 209 Stats

1997 Game 208 (Week 15) Washington at Arizona

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Redskins hold on to division lead!

The New York Giants won earlier in the day, so the Washington Redskins had to win at Arizona in order to stay in 1st place in the NFC East. With a huge day from backup running back Stephen Davis, the Redskins held on to win 20-14 to secure the lead at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.

Usually, Terry Allen is the workhorse back for the Redskins, but he was sidelined with an ankle injury. Today, it was Davis who carried the ball 30 times for 171 yards and a touchdown. In fact, the Redskins rushed for 227 yards against one of the worst rushing defenses in the league.

After Scott Blanton drilled a 22-yd kick with 1:30 left in the fourth quarter, the Redskins led 20-14. That left enough time for Cardinal QB Jake “The Snake” Plummer, who led the Cardinals down into Redskin territory with just a few seconds left. On the last play, Plummer threw a bomb up to Rob Moore, who caught it, but was stopped short at the six-yard line! The Redskins held on to win.

The Redskins’ QB Gus Frerotte was out of this game as well and for the rest of the season as he broke his hip. The old veteran Jeff Hostetler filled in and he struggled most of the day. He finished 16 of 36 for 160 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

The Redskins (9-5) and the Giants will have a huge clash on Saturday as they face each other in Giants Stadium with the NFC East hanging in the balance. If the Redskins win, they win the division. If the Giants win, the two teams will be tied and it will come down to tie breakers, which the Giants would have as they would have a better division record.

As for the Cardinals, they are now 2-12 on the season and will travel to Superdome to try and spoil the Saints’ chances at making the playoffs.

(APBA rules cost the Cardinals’ bomb to Moore at the end. On the final play, I actually rolled a “66” which was a “2” on Plummer’s card and that would have been a touchdown on a Hail Mary! HOWEVER, the Redskins were D alignment and were keying on Moore, so the automatic TD went down 2 to a 4, which turned out to be a 36-yard gain and short of the goal line! The double coverage saved the Redskins and a possible Division Title!)

1997 Game 208 Stats

1997 Game 207 (Week 15) Minnesota at San Francisco

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The Vikings shock the 49ers!

In the late 80s and early 90s, quarterback Randall Cunningham used to be one of the feared weapons in the NFL. His dual threat as a passer and a runner used to keep defensive coordinators awake at nights. He retired from football after the ’95 season and missed the entire ’96 season but joined the Minnesota Vikings as a backup quarterback to Brad Johnson this season. After Johnson was hurt last Monday Night against the Packers, Cunningham finally got his opportunity and showed that he does have a little juice in his old body left as the Vikings upset the San Francisco 49ers, 16-14, at 3Comm Park in San Francisco.

Cunningham got the Vikings going early in the 1st quarter when evaded the 49ers rush, scrambled to his right and slung the ball to the end zone into the arms of WR Chris Carter for the game’s first touchdown. Carter, who has been frustrated all season long, finally got the ball humming his way as he caught six passes for 198 yards in the game.

The 49ers offense struggled most of the day. New 49er head coach Steve Mariucci has transformed this year’s Niners offense with a strong running game. Today, they were without star RB Garrison Hearst, who broke his collar bone in last week’s game. Hearst rushed for over a 1,000 yards on the season and scored ten touchdowns, but not having him in the backfield slowed the 49er attack. The Vikings held the Niners to just 90 yards on the ground and 44 of it came from Steve Young scrambles.

The Niners could muter only 299 yards of offense and was shut out in the first half of the game. Steve Young threw for 228 yards on 20 of 37 passing with two touchdowns and an interception.

Cunningham finished with 249 yards passing on 13 of 24 passing with the lone TD and zero interceptions. He also rushed five times for 23 yards. RB Robert Smith rushed for 80 yards on 20 carries.

With the 49er loss, the NFC West is still in doubt because the Saints picked up another win. The 49ers are now 10-4 on the season and hold just a one game lead over the Saints in the standings. If the Niners win either of their final two games against the Broncos or the Seahawks OR the Saints lose one of their two remaining games, then the 49ers will win the West.

The Vikings are now .500 at 7-7 and will have a huge test in the Metrodome next weekend as they face the red-hot Detroit Lions. The Vikings still have an outside shot of making the playoffs, but many factors would have to fall their way for that to happen.

1997 Game 207 Stats

1997 Game 206 (Week 15) Indianapolis at NY Jets

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Jets get back into playoff contention!

The New York Jets corralled the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Giants Stadium with a 32-17 victory to get themselves back into AFC playoff contention as they fight for a Wildcard position.

The Jets got a huge performance from their defense. They shut down the Colt rushing attack and held them to 56 yards on the ground. Then the Jets harassed QB Jim Harbaugh all day long. They sacked him three times on the day. (They actually sacked him 7 times, but the sack/int rating took away four sacks).

The Colts made a game of it late in the 4th quarter. Harbaugh hit WR Sean Dawkins for a 2-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 25-17 with 7:15 to play. Then the Jets went on a long drive that seemed to ice the game away. Kicker John Hall set up for a 37-yard field goal to put the game away, but the snapper sailed the ball over the kicker’s head and went out of bounds 32 yards back, and the Colts got the ball at the +48-yard line with a minute to play.

Harbaugh quickly moved the Colts into scoring position. On a third down and goal from the Jets’ 7-yard line, Harbaugh tried to force a ball into Marvin Harrison. Jet’s DB Otis Smith stepped in front and took it to the house sealing the game with a 100-yard INT return! Smith closed the door and the Jets won 32-17.

Jet’s running back Adrian Murrell had another outstanding day. He carried the ball 27 times for 124 yards and a touchdown. O’Donnell still hasn’t thrown an interception yet this year in 387 passing attempts. He was 11 of 28 in the game for 150 yards and a touchdown to Keeshawn Johnson.

The Jets and the Seahawks are tied (9-5) for the final spot in the AFC Wildcard race; however, the Jets have a one-game lead in conference record, so if the season ended today, the Jets would get the final spot. They’ll have to play great football in their final two games to keep that spot as they host the Buccaneers next weekend and then close out the season at Silverdome in Detroit.

The Colts (4-9) have now lost five in a row and will take on the Dolphins at the RCA Dome. Then they will end the season on the road against the Vikings.

1997 Game 206 Stats