NFL Old School Game of the Week: Favre Plays Through the Plan to Lead Packers to Upset over Eagles

A hit by Eagles defensive end Reggie White(92) on Packers quarterback Brett Favre would be a game-changing moment for the Packers franchise.

Hall-of-Fame quarterback Brett Favre is undeniably one of the toughest players to ever play in the NFL as evident by his streak of 321 consecutive starts at quarterback over a span of nearly two decades of football, most of them with the Green Bay Packers.

The streak is remarkable as Favre would stay in the lineup despite playing with several injuries such as the case in Week 10 of the 1992 NFL season in a performance that would reward the Green Bay franchise down the road.

The Packers came into the Eagles game with a 3-6 record as under first-year head coach Mike Holmgren who had been hired to end decades of mediocrity as Green Bay had made the playoffs only two times since the retirement of head coach Vince Lombardi following the 1967 season.

In the Packers' third game of the season, starting quarterback Don Majkowski would suffer an ankle injury as Favre, who the Packers had traded a first round pick to the Atlanta Falcons for on February 11th, would take over and lead Green Bay to a 24-23 comeback win over the Cincinnati Bengals(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-legend-of.html).

Favre would lead the Packers to a 17-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in his first start but Green Bay would lose four of their next five games as the team seemed poised for another losing season.

While the Packers were trying to seek relevance in the NFL, the Eagles were looking to return to the postseason under second year head coach Rich Kotite, who took over for Buddy Ryan after he was fired following the 1990 season after leading the Eagles to three straight playoff appearances.

The Eagles would miss the 1991 playoffs despite a 10-6 record as starting quarterback Randall Cunningham was lost for the season after he tore the ACL in his left knee after a hit by Packers linebacker Bryce Paup.

Two months before the 1992 season began, tragedy struck for the Eagles as Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jerome Brown was killed in a car accident as the team would retire Brown's number #99 and declare they would "Bring it home for Jerome" and win the Super Bowl in Brown's memory.

The Eagles got off to a 4-0 start before losing three of their next five games as tensions rose between Kotite and the team, especially the defense led by All-Pro defensive end Reggie White, remained loyal to Ryan

Despite their recent struggles, the Eagles seemed confident they would get back on track against the Packers as evident by Cunningham's postgame quotes after being benched during Philadelphia's 31-10 win over the Raiders when asked whether or it not he would get the start against Green Bay by saying "It's not like we're playing Minnesota or the Giants or the Cowboys or the Redskins".

The Eagles would get the ball to start the game as they would drive into Green Bay territory before punting the ball to the Packers, who would take over at their 15-yard-line as Favre would complete his first two passes of the game for 26 yards, then found tight end Jackie Harris for an eight-yard completion only for him to fumble the football after a hit by Eagles linebacker Byron Evans as strong safety Rich Miano would recover the fumble to give Philadelphia the ball at their 47-yard-line.

From there, the Eagles would advance to the Packers' 17-yard-line until the drive stalled as Philadelphia would settle for a 34-yard field goal by Roger Ruzak to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead with 2:20 left in the first quarter.

The Packers would begin their next possession at their 32-yard-line as Favre would complete a 11-yard pass to fullback Harry Sydney when Favre separated his left shoulder after being driven to the ground by White.

Favre would stay in the game as it was his non-throwing shoulder that was injured as he would hand the ball off to running back Vince Workman on the next play from scrimmage as Vince would took it up the middle and explode for a 44-yard run to put the Packers at the Eagles' 13-yard-line as Workman would run for one yard on the final play of the second quarter.

The second quarter would begin with Favre, bad shoulder and all, completing a seven-yard pass to Harris to set up 3rd & 2 at the five-yard-line where Favre would connect with wide receiver Sterling Sharpe for a five-yard touchdown to give Green Bay a 7-3 lead 52 seconds into the second quarter.

 Following a Philadelphia punt, the Packers would take over at their 20-yard-line as Favre would go a perfect 5-of-5 on the drive as he completed five passes to five different receivers for 57 yards on the 12-play, 80-yard drive that ended with an one-yard touchdown run by Workman to extend Green Bay's lead to 14-3 with 2:21 to go in the second quarter.

The Eagles would try to put some points on the scoreboard before the end of the first half as they would drive from their 21-yard-line to the Green Bay 41-yard-line until Cunningham was sacked by Packers linebackers Johnny Holland and Tony Bennett for a six-yard loss to force a Philadelphia punt.

Favre would take a knee to end the first half with the Packers on top 14-3 as Green Bay would get the ball to start the second half, though they would have to do it without Workman, who left the game with a separated left shoulder.

Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe would catch seven passes for 116 yards and score one touchdown.

The Packers would go three-and-out to give the ball back to the Eagles at their 23-yard-line as Cunningham would complete two passes to Roy Green for 31 yards and scramble for 13 yards that got 15 yards added to the run because of a late hit by Packers linebacker George Koonce as Philadelphia would cap off the drive with a 17-yard touchdown run by running back Heath Sherman to cut the Green Bay lead to 14-10 midway through the third quarter.

The Packers would start their next drive at their 19-yard-line as Favre would complete two passes to Harris for 31 yards while Darrell Thompson would reel off a 33-yard run to move Green Bay to the Philadelphia 17-yard-line until Favre was picked off by Eagles linebacker William Thomas to end the drive Packers' threat to increase their lead.

After the Eagles would go three-and-out, the Packers would get the ball back at their 43-yard-line as Green Bay would convert on three straight 3rd down conversions as Favre would find Sharpe for nine yards on a 3rd & 3 at the 50-yard-line, followed by a 19-yard completion to Harris on 3rd & 12, and then another 19-yard completion, this one to Sharpe to give Green Bay a 1st & goal at the Philadelphia three-yard-line.

Favre would then fake a handoff and toss a three-yard touchdown pass to Thompson to increase the Packers lead to 21-10 with 10:37 left in the fourth quarter.

It would take the Eagles 24 seconds to get back into the end zone as Sherman would catch a screen pass from Cunningham and turn into a 75-yard touchdown to cut the Packers' lead back to four points at 21-17.

Following a Packers punt, the Eagles would get the ball back at their 11-yard-line as the drive would begin with a four-yard run by Sherman to set up 2nd & 6 when Cunningham threw deep for Fred Barnett where he drew a pass interference penalty on Packers cornerback Terrell Buckley to move the Eagles 34 yards to the Green Bay 46-yard-line.

Cunningham would try to connect with Barnett again on another deep pass which drew another pass interference penalty, this one on the other starting cornerback, Roland Mitchell, to give the Eagles a 1st & goal on the Packers' two-yard-line when running back Herschel Walker would punch it in for the touchdown to give Philadelphia a 24-21 lead with 5:45 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Packers looked to respond on their next drive but after two incomplete passes to begin the drive, Favre would be picked off again, this time by Evans, who returned the interception 13 yards to the Green Bay 20-yard-line, giving Philadelphia a chance to deliver the knockout punch with another touchdown.

However, Sherman would fumble the football when he was hit by Packers free safety Chuck Cecil as strong safety LeRoy Butler would scoop up the loose ball and run it back 17 yards to the Green Bay 27-yard-line, giving Favre another chance to lead the Packers to the game-tying field goal or go-ahead touchdown with 5:17 left in the game.

After completing a seven-yard pass to Sydney to start the drive, Favre would connect with Sharpe for a 34-yard completion to give Green Bay a 1st down at the Eagles' 32-yard-line where a holding penalty on Miano where give the Packers five extra yards and a fresh set of downs at the Philadelphia 27-yard-line.

Thompson would carry the ball on the next three plays gaining 16 yards until a quarterback sack and an incomplete pass would force the Packers to settle for a 31-yard field goal by Chris Jacke to tie the game at 24 with 1:31 left in regulation.

The Eagles would take over at their 11-yard-line with 1:25 to go and two timeouts in their pocket as Kotite went for the conservative approach as Walker would run the ball on 1st down as he gained nine yards as the Eagles seemed content to run out the clock and send the game in overtime.

But on the next play from scrimmage, disaster would strike as Walker was hit in the backfield by Green Bay defensive end Don Davey, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Holland to give the Packers the ball at the Eagles' 23-yard-line with 43 seconds to go and already in field goal range.

Thompson would run for no yards as the Packers would drain the clock to three seconds before calling timeout with three seconds to go as Jacke would come on to attempt the game-winning field goal from 41 yards out.

Jacke's kick was true as his 41-yard field goal split through the uprights as time expired with the Packers pulling off the 27-24 upset as Green Bay improved its record to 4-6 while the Eagles record dropped to 6-4.

Chris Jacke(13) is held up by defensive end Robert Brown after his game-winning field goal.

After the game, Cunningham apologized for his pregame remarks saying he "ran his mouth too much" while linebacker Seth Joyner criticized Kotite for his late-game management saying "Anytime you play conservative in this league you're setting yourself to lose" as it looked like the Eagles' season was falling apart.

However, the Eagles would win five of their last six games of the regular season, including a four-game winning streak to end the regular season, to finish the season with a 11-5 record and earn a Wild Card berth as the Eagles would win their first playoff game since winning the 1980 NFC Championship Game as Philadelphia would score 26 points in the 4th quarter to knock off the New Orleans Saints 36-20(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2018/11/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-eagles-stun.html).

The Eagles would be eliminated the following week as they would fall to the Dallas Cowboys 34-10 as the Eagles would not return to the postseason under Kotite who would be fired after the 1994 season.

As for the Packers, the win over the Eagles began a six-game winning streak as Green Bay would finish the season with a 9-7 record but not enough to qualify for the postseason as a 27-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings prevented Green Bay for making the playoffs for the first time since 1982.

However, during the offseason, the Packers would sign White as a free agent as Reggie cited Favre's performance against the Eagles as a reason to sign with Green Bay as he was inspired by Favre's toughness.

With White anchoring the defense and Favre entrenched as the team's starting quarterback, the Packers would make the playoffs six years in a row which included two NFC championships and a 35-21 win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI for Green Bay's first NFL championship in 29 years.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: USC Wins Rose Bowl to Spoil Northwestern's Dream Season

USC wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson caught 12 passes for 212 yards and score one touchdown in USC's win over Northwestern.

The biggest story of the 1995 college football season was the Northwestern Wildcats who after 24 straight losing seasons would win the Big 10 conference title and earn a trip to play in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1949.

The Wildcats' opponent in the Rose Bowl were the USC Trojans, who were seen as a supporting player in what would be in final game of this Cinderella story that many college football fans hoped would end with a Northwestern victory in the "Grandaddy of Them All".

 But USC had other ideas as the Trojans looked to turn the Wildcats back into the pumpkin as the two teams faced off on the first day of 1996.

Northwestern was the sentimental favorite as the Wildcats were ranked #3 with a 10-1 record under head coach Gary Barnett, who promised to "take the purple to Pasadena" upon his arrival before the 1992 season.

In the 1995 season opener, the Wildcats would upset 28-point favorite Notre Dame 17-15 in South Bend, thanks to a 33-carry, 160-yard performance by running back Darnell Autry as Northwestern defeated the Irish for the first time since 1962.

The Wildcats seemed to fall back to reality in their next game, a 30-28 loss to Miami of Ohio, only to bounce back and win the remaining nine games of the regular season which included wins over Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Iowa as Northwestern would finish the regular season with a 10-1 record but needed a 31-23 by Michigan over Ohio State in the final week of the regular season to clinch the Big 10 title and fulfill Barnett's promise on sending the purple to Pasadena.

Autry would lead the way of offense as he ran for 1,675 yards and scored 14 touchdowns while linebacker Pat Fitzgerald who averaged 13 tackles per game until he broke his leg in the Wildcats' win over Iowa in the penultimate game of the regular season.

Fitzgerald would have to watch the Rose Bowl from the sidelines as the Wildcats looked to cap off their magical season with a win over the Trojans who making their return to the Rose Bowl after a six-year absence.

  USC came into the game ranked #17 in the country with a 8-2-1 record under head coach John Robinson, who was the third year of his second tenure as the Trojans head coach following a seven-year run from 1976 to 1982 where he complied a 67-14-2 record as he led USC to three Rose Bowl victories and a share of the 1978 national championship.

The Trojans started off the 1995 season with a 6-0 record until they lost to Notre Dame 38-10 which was followed by a 21-21 tie to the Washington Huskies the following week as the Huskies and the Trojans would finish with identical conference records at 6-1-1 but it would be USC who the bid to the Rose Bowl as the Trojans finished with a better overall record(8-2-1 to Washington' 7-3-1).

USC's best player during the 1995 season was All-American wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who caught 90 passes for 1,218 yards and scored six touchdowns during the regular season despite the fact that the Trojans used a two-quarterback system throughout the season as Brad Otton and Kyle Wacholtz would go back-and-forth as the team's starting quarterback.

No matter who the quarterback was, if the Trojans were going to knock off the Wildcats they would need a big day from Johnson like he did in the Cotton Bowl one year earlier as he caught eight passes for 222 yards and scored three touchdowns in USC's 55-14 beatdown of the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

USC got the ball to start the game with Otton as the quarterback as he would complete his first seven passes of the game as the Trojans would drive 83 yards in 12 plays with the drive ending with an one-yard touchdown run by running back LaVale Woods to give USC a 7-0 lead.

The Wildcats would begin their first drive of the game at their 32-yard-line as Northwestern would use the passing game to move down the field as quarterback Steve Schnur connected with wide receiver D'Wayne Bates three times for 56 yards on the drive that culminated with a three-yard touchdown run by Autry to help tie the game at seven midway through the first quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Trojans got the ball back at their 22-yard-line as Johnson would make his presence felt on this drive as he caught three passes in a row totaling 46 yards to help set up Otton's 21-yard touchdown pass to running back Terry Barnum to put USC back on top 14-7 with 13:05 to go in the second quarter.

The Wildcats would get great field position for their ensuing possession as they took over at their 48-yard-line as two runs by Autry for 21 yards help move Northwestern to the USC 15-yard-line when they called on Brian Gowins to attempt a 32-yard field goal.

However, Gowins' kick would sail wide left of the uprights to keep the score at 14-7 as the Trojans would take over possession at their 20-yard-line.

USC would once again rely on Johnson to move down the field as he caught a 12-yard pass from Otton to convert on a 3rd & 4 at the Trojans' 26-yard-line then later in the drive caught a 22-yard pass to give USC a 1st down at the Northwestern 31-yard-line.

From there, the Trojans would advance to the Northwestern 12-yard-line before calling on Adam Abrams to attempt a 30-yard field goal, which he made to increase USC's lead to 17-7 with 3:29 remaining in the second quarter.

Trying to cut into the Trojans' lead, the Wildcats had the ball at their 30-yard-line when Schnur completed a screen pass to wide receiver Brian Musso who managed to get around the 50-yard-line until he lost the football after a hit by USC defensive back Sammy Knight, though replays indicated that Musso's knee may have been down before losing the football.

Cornerback Dayton McCutcheon would scoop up the loose football and run it back for a 53-yard touchdown to extend the Trojans' lead to 24-7 with 2:56 to go before halftime as the Wildcats were faced with their largest deficit of the season.

Northwestern running back Darnell Autry would carry the ball 32 times as he ran for 110 yards and scored three touchdowns.

After a Northwestern three-and-out, the Trojans got the ball back at their 27-yard-line as they seem content to go into the locker room with a 24-7 halftime lead when disaster struck as Woods fumbled the football after a hit by Wildcats linebacker Tim Scharf as defensive back Hudhaifa Ismaeli made the recovery to give Northwestern the ball at the USC 34-yard-line with 12 seconds to go in the half.

Schnur would complete a 22-yard pass to Bates to set up Gowins' 29-yard field goal as time expired in the first half with the Wildcats trailing 24-10 but set to get the ball to start the second half.

Starting at their 43-yard-line, the Wildcats would drive 46 yards in 10 plays as a 17-yard pass from Schnur to Musso would be the biggest play of the drive that ended with another Gowins field goal, this one from 28 yards out to cut the USC lead to 24-13.

The Trojans were set to get the ball when the Wildcats surprised them with an onside kick that was recovered by Northwestern defensive back Josh Barnes to give the ball back to Schnur and the Northwestern offense as they would begin their next drive at their 47-yard-line.

Two runs by Autry for 14 yards followed by a 16-yard pass from Schnur to tight end Darren Drexler put Northwestern at the USC 23-yard-line as two more running plays for five yards set up a 3rd & 5 where a USC holding penalty would give the Wildcats a 1st & goal at the nine-yard-line.

That is when Autry took a handoff from Schnur and ran it around the right side for the nine-yard touchdown that with the extra point trimmed the Trojans' lead to 24-19 with 8:17 left in the third quarter as the Wildcats attempted a two-point conversion that was unsuccessful.

With the momentum on Northwestern's side, the Trojans took over at their 21-yard-line as Otton started the drive with a 5-yard completion to tight end Tyler Cashman, then found Johnson for 19 yards and a 1st down at the Trojans' 45-yard-line.

Two plays later, the Trojans were faced with a 3rd & 11 when Otton hit Johnson at Northwestern 45-yard-line, on a post across the middle of the field as the wide receiver outran the Wildcats defense for a 56-yard touchdown to push USC's lead back to double digits to 31-19.

The Wildcats would answer quickly on the first play of their ensuing possession from their 26-yard-line as Schnur threw a bomb for Bates, who was able to make the catch despite being covered by two USC defensive backs, for 46 yards that got 15 yards added to it because of a roughing the passer penalty on the Trojans to give Northwestern a 1st down at the USC 13-yard-line.

Three runs by Autry for 12 yards put the Wildcats at the Trojans' one-yard-line where Schnur would sneak it for the touchdown to cut the USC lead back down to five points at 31-26 with 2:59 to play in the third quarter.

Following an USC three-and-out, the Wildcats got the ball back at their 43-yard-line as Schnur would complete passes of 11 yards to fullback Mike McGrew and 23 yards to Musso on a 10-play, 57-yard drive that was capped off with a two-yard touchdown run by Autry to give Northwestern its first lead of the game at 32-31 with 13:01 to go in the game after another unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt.

The Trojans would get the ball back at their 33-yard-line as they would move down the field behind the right arm of Otton as he completed passes of seven-yards to Cashman on a 3rd & 4, followed by a 13-yard pass to Chris Miller, and then a 11-yarder to Johnson on a 3rd & 10 to move USC into field goal range where Abrams would come to kick a 46-yard field goal to give USC a 34-32 lead with a little over nine minutes to go.

The Wildcats would begin their ensuing possession at their 23-yard-line as Schnur completed passes of 10 yards to Bates and 16 yards to wide receiver Dave Beasley to move Northwestern to the USC 44-yard-line when Schnur overthrown his intended receiver, fullback Matt Hertl, and was intercepted by Trojans safety Jesse Davis.

Davis would return the interception 41 yards to the Northwestern 31-yard-line as Otton would complete a five-yard pass to Barnum on a 3rd & 5 then find Johnson for six yards on a 3rd & 4 to help set up a two-yard touchdown run by Washington to push the USC lead to 41-32 with 2:55 to go in the game.

The Trojans inexplicably went with a squib kick on the ensuing kickoff, giving Northwestern the ball at their 42-yard-line as the Wildcats needed two scores to end their magical season with a Rose Bowl win.

After two incomplete passes to start the drive, Schnur would scramble for 12 yards to pick up a Northwestern 1st down at the USC 46-yard as Autry would catch two passes for 11 yards and convert on a 4th & 1 with a six-yard run to move the Wildcats to the USC 26-yard-line when it appeared that were going to cut the deficit to two points as Schnur threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Bates.

However, a holding penalty on tackle Brian Kardos would nullify the touchdown and push the Wildcats back to the USC 42-yard-line as a 12-yard pass to Musso would put the Cats back in field goal range as Gowins would come on to attempt a 49-yard field goal to keep Northwestern alive.

But this is where the clock officially struck midnight for the Wildcats as Gowins' kick bounced off the left upright as USC would take over and run out the clock as the Trojans would come away with their 20th Rose Bowl victory in school history with the 41-32 triumph.

USC quarterback Kyle Otton would play the whole game as he completed 29 of 44 passes for 391 yards and threw two touchdowns.

The win over Northwestern vaulted the Trojans to just outside the top 10 as they finished ranked #11 in the coaches poll and #12 in the AP poll with a 9-2-1 record while Northwestern would fall to #7 in the coaches poll and #8 in the AP poll with a 10-2 record.

Schnur, Autry, a healthy Fitzgerald and Barnett would all return the following season to prove 1995 was no fluke was the Wildcats would a share of the Big 10 title with Ohio State as Northwestern would finish with a 9-3 record.

As for the Trojans, their win in the 1996 Rose Bowl would be one of the final great moments for Robinson as head coach as the team finished with back-to-back six-win seasons as Robinson would be fired after the 1997 season.

They would not return to the Rose Bowl until at the end of the 2003 season as where they would defeat Michigan to win a share of the national championship in the first of four Rose Bowl victories in a span of six years.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Andersen's Last Second FG Clinches Playoff Spot for Saints

Saints kicker Morten Andersen raises his arms in celebration after his game-winning field goal in the Saints' 1990 regular season finale with the Rams.

New Orleans, Louisiana is often one of the places to be on New Year's Eve as thousands of partiers go to Bourbon Street or the French Quarter to ring in the new year.

But the New Year's Eve in 1990 in New Orleans might be considered the greatest New Year's Eve in the history of the city as the Saints secured a spot in the NFL postseason for only the second time in team history.

The Saints came into the game with a 7-8 record in what had been a disappointing season up to this point after three straight winning seasons under head coach Jim Mora, who had become the team's head coach prior to the 1986 season and led the Saints to their first ever playoff spot in 1987.

Things got off to a rocky start during the offseason as the team was engaged in a contract dispute with starting quarterback Bobby Hebert that resulted in the "Cajun Cannon" sitting out the entire 1990 season.

The team would go back-and-forth at quarterback between veteran John Fourcade and second-year man Steve Walsh, who the Saints acquired in a trade early in the season from the Dallas Cowboys, as the offense struggled while the defense led by the "Dome Patrol" linebacker corps of Ricky Jackson, Vaughn Johnson, Sam Mills, and Pat Swilling kept New Orleans in the playoff race as they held offenses to 10 points or fewer six times during the 1990 season.

After a 2-5 start to the season, the Saints entered the regular season finale with a chance to clinch a Wild Card berth in the NFC if they could defeat the 5-10 Los Angeles Rams or if the game ended in a tie. 

If the Rams won, then the 7-9 Cowboys would become the first team to make the NFL playoffs with a losing record.

The Rams would get the ball to start the game as they began their first possession at their 20-yard-line with a three-yard run by Marcus Dupree followed by an incomplete pass to set up 3rd & 7 when quarterback Jim Everett went deep and hit Ellard, who made a diving catch, for a 32-yard completion and a 1st down at the Saints' 45-yard-line.

After the next three plays netted eight yards, the Rams were faced with a 4th & 2 at the New Orleans 37-yard-line when head coach John Robinson kept the offense on the field as they would go for the 1st down which they got when Everett completed a three-yard pass to tight end Pete Holohan.

On the next play from scrimmage, Everett would find Ellard again, this time for 25 yards to give Los Angeles a 1st & goal at the Saints' nine-yard-line as the drive would stall thanks in large part to a holding penalty on tight end Pat Carter which pushed the Rams back 10 yards.

Mike Lansford would come on to attempt a 30-yard field goal but his kick would sail wide left of the uprights to keep the game scoreless as the Saints would take over at their 20-yard-line.

The first two plays of the drive would gain seven yards to set up 3rd & 3 when Walsh completed a short pass to wide receiver Eric Martin, who took the pass and ran it down to the Rams' 39-yard-line after a 34-yard gain.

The Saints would pick up six more yards before calling on Morten Andersen to attempt a 51-yard field goal which was long enough but sailed wide left to keep it a 0-0 game as the Rams would take over at their 33-yard-line.

The Saints defense would force the Rams to go three-and-out as returner Vince Buck received the ensuing punt and returned it 33 yards to the Los Angeles 36-yard-line for the longest punt return of the season for New Orleans.

Following two runs for 10 yards, Walsh would find wide receiver Floyd Turner over the middle for a 26-yard touchdown for the first points of the game as the Saints took a 7-0 lead with 2:13 remaining in the first quarter.

The Rams would begin their next possession at their 20-yard-line as a 43-yard pass from Everett to Ellard would help led to a 26-yard field goal by Lansford which put Los Angeles on the scoreboard and cut the New Orleans lead to 7-3 early in the second quarter.

The Saints would get great field position for the second drive in a row as Gene Atkins returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards to the Los Angeles 47-yard-line.

From there, the Saints would run the ball on 10 straight plays with running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward getting the bulk of the work as he carried the ball seven times for 27 yards on the drive with his last carry being an one-yard touchdown to extend New Orleans' lead to 14-3 with 4:27 left in the second quarter.

Saints quarterback Steve Walsh completed 11 of 26 passes for 174 yards and threw one touchdown and zero interceptions.

The two teams would trade punts until 25 seconds remained in the second quarter when the Saints took over at the Rams' 41-yard-line after a poor punt LA punter Keith English as a nine-yard pass from Walsh to running back Gill Fenerty would give Andersen another chance at a field goal.

But once again Andersen could not connect as his 48-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right as the score remained at 14-3 in favor of the Saints as the first 30 minutes of play.

The third quarter would be a stalemate as both teams exchanged punts for the majority of the quarter with the exception of Rams possession midway through the quarter.

Starting at their 36-yard-line, the Rams would advance into Saints territory, thanks in large part to a 25-yard pass from Everett to Flipper Anderson, who had caught 15 passes for 336 yards in the Rams' last game in the Superdome(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here:https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-flipper.html)as Los Angeles had a 1st down at the New Orleans 25-yard-line when Everett found over Ellard over the middle for a big gain.

Ellard appeared on his way to a touchdown until he was met by Atkins at the five-yard-line as the free safety would knock the ball loose as Mills would end up making the recovery at the Saints' nine-yard-line as the game would go into the fourth quarter with New Orleans holding on to a 14-3 lead.

The Rams would begin their first possession of the final quarter at their 33-yard-line as a 14-yard pass from Everett to Ellard followed by a six-yard run by Dupree would set up 2nd & 4 when Everett was able to hit Anderson in stride for a 47-yard touchdown to cut the Saints' lead to 14-10 with 13:31 to go in the fourth quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Saints would get the ball back at the Rams' 38-yard-line as three runs by Fenerty for 14 yards would set up a 41-yard field goal attempt by Andersen, which this time he made to increase the Saints' lead back to a touchdown at 17-10 with 5:59 to go in the final period.

The Rams would get the ball back at their 19-yard-line as Everett would complete a seven-yard pass to Holohan to begin the drive which was followed by a two-yard run by running back Robert Delpino and then a pass to Delpino that went for no gain to set up 4th & 1.

Once again, Robinson gambled and went for the 1st down which he got as Everett completed a two-yard pass to Holohan to move the sticks as the Rams had a fresh set of downs at their 30-yard-line.

Two plays later on 3rd & 9, Everett would find wide receiver Aaron Cox for a 32-yard completion to give Los Angeles a 1st down at the Saints' 37-yard-line which was followed up with an incomplete pass to bring up 2nd & 10 when running back Cleveland Gary bursted through the middle for a 26-yard run to give the Rams a 1st down at the New Orleans 11-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

After the timeout, Everett would hit Holohan for a 10-yard pass to give the Rams a 1st & goal when Everett found Delpino in the right corner of the end zone for the one-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 17 with 1:19 to go in regulation.

The game seemed destined for overtime especially since the Saints offense had gone quiet in the second half compiling only 70 yards of total offense over six possessions.

However, they would get good field position to start their attempt at a game-winning drive as Atkins returned the ensuing kickoff 27 yards to the New Orleans 44-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass on 1st down, Walsh would hit wide receiver Brett Perriman for 11 yards and a New Orleans 1st down at the Los Angeles 45-yard-line where the threw another incomplete pass to bring up 2nd & 10.

That is when Walsh connected with Martin for a 34-yard completion to give the Saints a 1st down at the Rams' 11-yard-line as Walsh would take one knee before Andersen would come on to the field to attempt a 29-yard field goal that if successful would send New Orleans to the playoffs.

It looked the Rams had saved themselves when defensive tackle Alvin Wright was able to break through the Saints' line of defense to block the kick to send the game into overtime, only for Wright be called for being offsides, which negated the blocked kick, moved the Saints five yards closer but more importantly give Andersen another chance at a game-winning field goal.

This time, Andersen would make the kick from 24 yards out to give the Saints a 20-17 lead with two seconds left which meant the Rams had one more chance if they could return the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown.

Gaston Green would receive the kick at his six-yard-line as he would give the Saints a scare as he returned the kick into New Orleans territory until he was tackled by Buck at the Saints' 38-yard-line which ended the game with New Orleans on top 20-17 as the Saints had secured their second ever trip to the NFL postseason.

One week after their dramatic win over the Rams, the Saints would be eliminated from the postseason as they would be held to just 193 yards of total offense in a 16-6 loss to the Chicago Bears.

Hebert would return as the team's starting quarterback for the next two seasons as the Saints won their first ever division title in 1991 with a 11-5 record then clinched a Wild Card spot in 1992 with a 12-4 record, only for New Orleans to be eliminated in the Wild Card round in both seasons, first by the Atlanta Falcons in '91 and the Philadelphia Eagles in '92.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Auburn Escapes Kentucky with Win on Walk-off FG

Auburn quarterback Cam Newton would run for 198 yards on 28 carries and score four touchdowns while completing 13 of 21 passes for 210 yards in the Tigers' win over Kentucky.

The 2010 season for the Auburn Tigers was perhaps the greatest season in school history as the team came out of nowhere to win the national championship as the team went 14-0 with seven of their victories having a margin of eight points or less.

One of the Tigers' close calls came midway through the season when Auburn traveled up to the Bluegrass state to take on the Kentucky Wildcats in a primetime showdown.

Auburn came into the game ranked #8 in the country with a 5-0 record under head coach Gene Chizik, who was in his second season as the Tigers' head coach who had led the Tigers to a 5-0 start the previous season only for Auburn to finish with a 8-5 record.

The Tigers' rise in the polls had coincided with the arrival of quarterback Cam Newton, who had joined the Auburn football program in the spring of 2010 after playing a year in junior college following dismissal from the University of Florida after he stole a laptop computer from a fellow student.

In the Tigers' first five games of the season, Newton had thrown for 928 yards and 12 touchdowns while running for 474 yards and five touchdowns in offensive coordinator Guz Malzahn's high octane no-huddle offense.

With narrow wins over Mississippi State, Clemson and South Carolina, the Tigers were starting to be seen as a national title contender as Auburn looked to avenge their 21-14 loss to Kentucky from the year before at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn.

The Wildcats came into the game with a 3-2 record as they looked to end a two-game losing streak following a 3-0 start to the season under head coach Joker Phillips, who was in his first season as the Kentucky head coach after taking over for Rich Brooks, who retired after the 2009 season.

Kentucky had its own dynamic player in Randall Cobb who after playing his freshman season at quarterback, moved to wide receiver in 2009 while lining up at quarterback from time-to-time in the "Wildcat" formation as he accounted for 15 touchdowns to help Kentucky earn its fourth straight bowl appearance.

The Wildcats would hope for a big performance from Cobb if they were going to upset the Tigers and end Auburn's chances at an undefeated season.

Kentucky would get the ball to start the game as the Wildcats would get great field position for their first drive of the game as Cobb returned the opening kickoff 36 yards to the Auburn 49-yard-line.

From there, the Wildcats would travel to the Tigers' two-yard-line when Cobb, lined up at quarterback, ran it for the touchdown to give Kentucky a 7-0 lead.

The Tigers would begin their first drive of the game at their 22-yard-line as Auburn would drive 78 yards in nine plays culminating with a 16-yard touchdown run by Newton to tie the game at 7 with 6:44 to go in the first quarter.

After forcing the Wildcats to go three-and-out on their next possession, the Tigers would get the ball back at their 22-yard-line as the drive would begin with a 27-yard run by Michael Dyer which was followed by a 12-yard pass from Newton to tight end Phillip Lutzenkirchen to put Auburn in Kentucky territory at the Wildcats' 39-yard-line.

Five plays later, the Tigers were back in the end zone as Newton ran it in from eight yards out to give Auburn a 14-7 lead with 1:17 left in the opening quarter.

Following a Kentucky punt, the Tigers would begin their next drive at their 20-yard-line as two runs by Newton for 34 yards and a four-yard pass to running back Mario Fannin moved Auburn to the Kentucky 42-yard-line when Newton was able to throw a pass downfield despite being dragged down by Wildcats cornerback Anthony Mosley, that was caught by Kodi Burns for a 33-yard gain and an Auburn 1st down at the nine-yard-line.

Fannin would run for four yards on the next play from scrimmage which was followed by Newton's third touchdown run of the game, a five-yard scamper that increased Auburn's lead to 21-7 early in the second quarter.

Kentucky looked to get things going on offense on their next possession but running back Derrick Locke would fumble the football at the end of a five-yard run as he was stripped of the ball by Auburn linebacker Daren Bates as fellow linebacker Craig Stevens would recover the fumble to give the Tigers' offense the ball at their 48-yard-line.

Three straight running plays gained 31 yards until two straight incomplete passes thrown by Newton forced the Tigers to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Wes Byrum which extended the Auburn lead to 24-7 with 7:12 left in the second quarter.

Locke would atone for his fumble by returning the ensuing kickoff 40 yards to the Kentucky 45-yard-line as the Wildcats would drive 55 yards in five plays to cut the Auburn lead to 24-14 as Cobb threw a six-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Aumiller with 4:52 to go in the first half.

The Tigers would respond with a nine-play, 80-yard drive as Newton would complete a 34-yard pass to wide receiver Darvin Adams on a 3rd & 13, then ran for 35 yards to set up his fourth touchdown run of the game, this one from two yards out to push the Auburn lead back to 17 points at 31-14 with 1:06 remaining before halftime.

The Wildcats would take over at their 33-yard-line hoping to get some points before the end of the half as their regular starting quarterback Mike Hartline would complete four straight passes to four different receivers, totaling 43 yards to move Kentucky to the Auburn 24-yard-line with 12 seconds to go.

Hartline would throw his only incomplete pass of the drive which was followed by a 12-yard completion to Locke to set up a 29-yard field goal by Craig McIntosh as time expired in the first half with Auburn holding on to a 31-17 lead.

Kentucky's Randall Cobb complied 207 all purpose yards and accounted for four touchdowns.

The Tigers would get the ball to start the second half as Fannin would get two carries for 10 yards to give Auburn a 1st down at the Tigers' 32-yard-line when Newton was intercepted by Kentucky defensive back Winston Guy to give the Wildcats the ball at their 38-yard-line.

Hartline would connect with La'Rod King for 22 yards to begin the drive which would stall at the Auburn 39-yard-line as the Wildcats could not capitalize on the turnover and would punt the ball back to the Tigers.

The Kentucky defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at the Auburn 48-yard-line as it took the Wildcats seven plays to get into the end zone as Cobb caught a screen pass from Hartline and ran it in for a 16-yard touchdown to trim the Tigers' lead to 31-24 with 8:18 to go in the third quarter.

After another Auburn three-and-out, the Wildcats got the ball back at their 43-yard-line as Donald Russell, taking over for Locke who left the game with a bruised shoulder, would get his hands on the ball on four consecutive plays as he carried the ball three times for 21 yards and caught a nine-yard pass to move Kentucky to the Auburn 27-yard-line.

Then it was when Cobb struck again as he lined up as quarterback when the Auburn pass rush forced Randall to retreat to the 50-yard-line before he was able to run down the sideline for a 26-yard gain to give Kentucky a 1st & goal where Cobb ran it for the touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 31 with 4:03 to remaining in the third quarter.

Having seen their 17-point lead evaporate, the Tigers would take over at their 25-yard-line as Newton would complete passes of 17 yards to Terrell Zachery and 39 yards to Adams to help set up a 19-yard field goal by Byrum to give Auburn a 34-31 lead just 43 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Kentucky would get the ball back at their 30-yard-line as they would hold the ball for nearly seven minutes as the Wildcats drove 53 yards in 14 plays with the drive being capped off with a 35-yard field goal by McIntosh to tie the game at 34 with 7:31 to go in regulation.

Auburn would avoid disaster on the ensuing kickoff as Demond Washington, who caught the ball on the kick, tried to pitch it to Zachery only for the senior wide receiver to drop the ball as Terrell would land on the ball at the seven-yard-line as the Tigers would embark on one of if not the most important drives of the season.

Newton would run for four yards on 1st down, then threw an incomplete pass to bring up a 3rd & 6 where he completed a nine-yard pass to Adams to move the sticks and give Auburn a 1st down at its 20-yard-line.

Newton would then run for 10 yards on two straight carries to give the Tigers another 1st down at their 30-yard-line when on a reverse, Zachery fumbled the football after a hit by Kentucky linebacker Danny Trevathan as cornerback Randall Burden made the recovery but was ruled that he did not possess the fumble as he went out of bounds, allowing Auburn to keep the football at their 30-yard-line.

Following the near turnover, Newton would complete a 11 yards pass to Adams before handing it off to Dyer whose 11-yard run put the Tigers in Kentucky territory at the Wildcats' 48-yard-line.

After a nine-yard run by Newton, McCalebb would pick up the first down on a six-yard run to move the sticks to the Kentucky 30-yard-line as Dyer would get another carry, this one going for only three yards to set up a 2nd & 7.

From there, Newton would run the ball six straight times for a total of 25 yards before taking a knee to run the clock down to two seconds before Auburn called timeout as Chizik would send in Byrum to try and win the game with a chip shot field goal.

Byrum would calmly make the 24-yard field goal as time expired to give the Tigers a 37-34 victory to improve Auburn's record to 6-0 while dropping Kentucky's record to 3-3.

Auburn players mob Wes Byrum after his game-winning field goal 

One week after the heartbreaking loss to Auburn, the Wildcats would overcome a 28-10 halftime deficit to score 21 unanswered points to shock the #10 South Carolina Gamecocks 31-28 in what would be the high point of Kentucky's season as the Cats would finish with a 6-7 record after a 27-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers in the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham, Alabama.

As for the Tigers, their magic carpet ride would continue through the rest of the season as they finish the regular season with a 12-0 record as Auburn would rout South Carolina 56-17 in the SEC Championship Game to earn a spot in the BCS National Championship Game against the Oregon Ducks while securing the Heisman Trophy for Newton.

In the title game, Dyer was able to rip off a 37-yard run after he landed on top off of an Oregon defender without his knee touching the ground, to help set up the game-winning field goal by Byrum from 19 yards out as time expired to give the Tigers a 22-19 win and their first national championship since 1957.(To read about the championship game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2019/08/college-football-old-school-game-of_28.html).

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Manning & Romo's Epic Duel

Peyton Manning and Tony Romo meet after their classic duel in 2013.

 It was fitting that the Week 5meeting of the Denver Broncos and the Dallas Cowboys would take place in Texas a place known for shootouts as the two teams took part in a game that featured a combined 99 points and 1,039 yards of total offense.

The Broncos came into the game with a 4-0 records thanks to their red hot offense led by quarterback Peyton Manning who had signed with Denver before the 2012 season following a 14-year stint with the Indianapolis Colts.

In the Broncos' opening game of the season, Manning tied a NFL record for most touchdown passes in a game as he threw seven touchdown passes as he completed 27 of 42 passes for 462 yards to lead Denver to a 49-27 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

Manning would add another nine touchdown passes to bring his season total up to 16 as the Broncos won their first four games by scoring an average of 42.25 points per game as the defense was trying to cope with the losses of linebacker Von Miller, who was serving a six-game suspension for trying to cheat on mandated drug test, and cornerback Champ Bailey who had been sidelined with a foot injury.

While the Broncos were off to a great start, the Cowboys had been inconsistent through the first month of the season was they went 2-2 winning one game, then losing another, then winning again, and then losing again under head coach Jason Garrett.

On the field, the Cowboys were led by quarterback Tony Romo, who despite throwing for a team record 4,903 yards during the 2012 season, also throw a league-high 19 interceptions as the Cowboys missed out on the playoffs for the third year in a row.

Romo had thrown for just one interception in the team's first four games of the season as he throw eight touchdown passes during the first month of the season.

If the Cowboys were going to knock off the Broncos, they were going to need a big day from Romo and keep up with Manning and the Denver offense which lowest scoring output to this point of the season was 37 points.

The Cowboys would get the ball to start the game as Romo would complete all five of his passes for 64 yards on the 14-play, 79-yard drive that culminated with Romo finding Dez Bryant in the right corner of the end zone for a two-yard touchdown to give Dallas a 7-0 lead.

The Broncos would begin their opening possession of the game at their 20-yard-line with Manning completing a 40-yard pass to Demaryius Thomas only to have called back because of a holding penalty and push  Denver back to its 10-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass and a 16-yard run by Knowshon Moreno, Manning would find Eric Decker for a 16-yard completion that was going to give Denver a 1st down until Cowboys linebacker Ernie Sims jarred the ball away as cornerback Morris Claiborne would recover the fumble to give Dallas the ball at the Broncos' 45-yard-line.

It would take the Cowboys seven plays to get back into the end zone as two passes from Romo to Witten that totaled 39 yards would set up a four-yard touchdown run by Demarco Murray which increased Dallas's lead to 14-0 with 3:18 left in the first quarter.

Facing their largest deficit of the season, the Broncos would respond quickly as Manning would hit tight end Julius Thomas for 19 yards then connect with Decker for a 57-yard completion to give Denver a 1st & goal at the Dallas four-yard-line when Manning threw a shuffle pass to Julius Thomas who put into the end zone to cut the Cowboys' lead to 14-7 just 50 seconds after the Cowboys' previous touchdown.

 Romo would continued his hot streak on the Cowboys' ensuing possession as he completed passes of 19 yards to Bryant, 25 yards to tight end Gavin Escobar, and 17 yards to Witten to move Dallas to the Denver 25-yard-line as the first quarter came to an end.

Murray would then carry the ball on back-to-back plays as he ran for 22 yards to give Dallas a 1st & goal at the Denver three-yard-line when a false start penalty and a quarterback sack by Broncos defensive end Shaun Phillips for a 17-yard loss would force the Cowboys to settle for a 43-yard field goal by Dan Bailey to extend Dallas' lead to 17-7 early in the second quarter.

The Broncos would answer with a seven-play, 80-yard drive which ended with a two-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Decker to bring Denver to within a field goal at 17-14.

Dallas would start its next possession at its 19-yard-line when Romo was able to complete a 12-yard pass to Bryant only for Broncos cornerback Kayvon Webster to punch the ball out as strong safety Duke Ihenacho would recover the fumble at the Cowboys' 41-yard-line.

Manning would then connect with Julius Thomas three times for 30 yards on the Broncos' ensuing drive with the last completion being a nine-yard touchdown to give Denver a 21-17 lead with 5:27 to go in the second quarter.

The Broncos defense would then the first punt of the game to give their offense the ball back at their 36-yard-line as two runs by Moreno for 24 yards and a 21-yard pass interference penalty on Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee would help Denver move to the Dallas one-yard-line when Manning shocked the entire stadium as faked a handoff and ran it into the end zone on a quarterback bootleg to increase the Broncos' lead to 28-17 with 46 seconds to go before halftime.

Dallas seemed to content to run out the remaining time in the first half as Romo threw a short screen pass to Murray on their next play from scrimmage only for the clock to stop because of a Broncos injury.

It was there that Romo decided to take a shot down field as he completed a 30-yard pass to Terrence Williams, then ran up field to spike the ball which left four seconds on the clock which was enough time for Bailey to make a 48-yard field goal as time expired with the trim the Cowboys' deficit to 28-20.

Tony Romo became the 15th quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 500 yards in a game as he threw for 506 yards and five touchdowns on 25-of-36 passing.

The halftime break did not slow down the Broncos' offense as they would drive 67 yards in 13 plays on a drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock as Manning would complete seven of eight passes for 59 yards hitting five different receivers including Wes Welker, who would catch a two-yard touchdown pass to end the drive and give  Denver its largest lead of the game at 35-20.

Having been outscored 35-6 over the last 25 minutes of play, the Cowboys desperately needed a spark and they would get it on the second play of their next offense possession as Romo hit Williams on a deep post pattern that would turn into a 82-yard touchdown and make it an one-possession game at 35-27.

Manning would respond on his next drive by completing a 29-yard pass to Julius Thomas and a 19-yard pass to running back Ronnie Hillman to move Denver to the Dallas' 35-yard-line until the Cowboys' defense was able to make a stop as they allowed only three more yards on the next three plays as the Broncos would settle for a 48-yard field goal by Matt Prater which increased their lead to 38-27 with 3:23 to go in the third quarter.

The Cowboys would begin their next possession at their 20-yard-line as Romo completed passes of 27 yards to Bryant and 23 yards to Cole Beasley to set up Tony's two-yard touchdown pass to Dez to make it a 38-33 game as Dallas would go for two following the touchdown.

The two-point try would be unsuccessful Romo would try to run it in himself but he was tackled short of the goal line to keep the score 38-33 with 14 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Denver would get the ball back at its 20-yard-line when on the first play from scrrimage, Manning would be picked off by Claiborne on a pass intended for Decker to give the Cowboys the ball at their 51-yard-line

From there, Romo and Witten would connect on three straight completions with the first going for 15 yards, followed by a 25-yard completion, and ending with a 10-yard touchdown to give the Cowboys the lead once again.

Dallas would go for two again after the touchdown which this time was successful as Romo found Williams in the end zone for the two points to give the Cowboys a 41-38 lead with 13:38 left in the fourth quarter.

Taking over at his 17-yard-line, Manning would complete five of nine passes for 42 yards on a 11-play, 51-yard drive that ended with a 50-yard field goal by Prater to tie the game at 41 with 9:37 to go in regulation.

A holding penalty on the ensuing kickoff would force the Cowboys to start their next possession at their 13-yard-line as the next two plays netted four yards to set up 3rd & 6 when Romo connected with Bryant for a 79-yard completion to give Dallas a 1st & goal at the Denver four-yard-line when Romo found Beasley in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown to give the Cowboys a 48-41 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Needing to answer the Cowboys one more time, the Broncos would take over possession at their 27-yard-line as Manning completed passes of 13 yards to Moreno, eight yards to Hillman, 14 yards to Welker, 26 yards to Demaryius Thomas , and then back to Welker for 16 more to set up an one-yard touchdown run by Moreno that would help tie the game at 48 with 2:39 remaining in regulation.

It looked like whoever had the ball last was going to win the game and it seemed that could be the Cowboys as they begin their ensuing drive at their 20-yard-line with all three timeouts left and 2:39 left on the clock.

Following a quarterback sack by Phillips for a six-yard-loss, disaster would strike for the Cowboys as Romo was intercepted by Broncos linebacker Danny Trevathan, who made a diving catch on a pass intended for Escobar, to give Denver the ball at the Dallas 24-yard-line as the two-minute warning arrived.

After the timeout, Manning would hit Demaryius Thomas for 11 yards and a 1st down before handing the ball off to Moreno who gained one yard to set up 2nd & 9 when Manning found Julius Thomas for eight yards to set up a 3rd & 1 situation.

That is when Manning handed the ball off to Moreno again who would pick up the 1st down at the Dallas one-yard-line as the Cowboys spent their last timeout with 1:35 left on the clock.

Instead of punching it into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown and giving Romo and the Dallas offense a chance to respond, Manning would would take three knees to bleed time off the clock before calling timeout with two seconds left as Prater would come on to attempt the game-winning field goal.

Prater's kick from 28 yards out was true as time expired to give the Broncos a 51-48 win in a game that at the time was tied for the fifth highest scoring game in NFL history(It has since dropped to seventh place in the 12 years since the game has been played)as Manning and Romo combined for 920 passing yards and nine touchdown passes.

Peyton Manning finished with 414 yards and four touchdown passes on 33-of-42 passing.

The up-and-down season would continue for the Cowboys as they never had a winning streak of more than two games as they entered the final game of the regular season with a 8-7 record but a chance to win the NFC East if they could beat the Philadelphia Eagles.

Playing without Romo who herniated a disc in his lower back the week before, the Cowboys would fall to the Eagles 24-22 to finish the season with a 8-8 record and out of the postseason for the fourth year in a row.

As for the Broncos, they would continue their high-scoring ways throughout the regular season as the team would finish with a 13-3 record to earn home field advantage through the AFC playoffs as the Broncos would set the record for most points in a season with 606 or an average of nearly 38 points per game.

Manning would reclaim his records for most passing yards and touchdowns in a season as he finished the season with 55 touchdown passes and 5,477 yards as Manning would earn his fifth career MVP award.

However, the Broncos' season would end with a colossal loss in Super Bowl XLVIII as they were destroyed by the Seattle Seahawks 43-8 as Denver was held to just one touchdown in its lowest scoring output of the 2013 season.

Denver would return to the Super Bowl two years later led by its defense as the Broncos would beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10 to win their third Lombardi trophy in team history and send Manning out a winner in the final game of his NFL career.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Boise State Outlasts Nevada in Shootout

Boise State running Ian Johnson ran for 205 yards on 28 carries while catching four passes for 51 yards as he accounted for three touchdowns.

On October 14, 2007, the Nevada Wolfpack traveled up to Boise, Idaho to take on the Boise State Broncos in a game that at the time was the highest scoring game in FBS(Football Bowl Subdivision)history.

Boise State came into the game with a 4-1 record led by second year head coach Chris Peterson, who had led the Broncos to a 13-0 season the year before that ended with the Broncos' improbable 43-42 win over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl in which the Broncos used a number of trick plays to help them pull off the upset.

Returning from that team was their leading rusher Ian Johnson, who had proposed to his girlfriend after the game, but not starting quarterback Jared Zabransky, who had graduated following the 2006 season with his replacement being senior Taylor Tharp, who had helped design the "Statue of Liberty" play that was the game-winning two point conversion in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Broncos' strength at this point of the 2007 season was their defense as they came into the game having allowed just 61 points and an average of 231.2 yards per game, good for #3 in total defense in the country.

Little did the Broncos know that their defense would be carved up by the Nevada Wolfpack, who came into the game with a brand new starting quarterback in Colin Kaepernick.

The redshirt freshman had taken over for an injured Nick Graziano the week before in which Kaepernick threw for 384 yards and four touchdowns in a losing effort for the Wolfpack as they came into the Boise State game with a 2-3 record.

The Wolfpack's head coach was Chris Ault, who was in the fourth season of his second tenure as the Nevada head coach as he directed the Wolfpack from 1976-1995 winning 170 games.

Since his return to the sidelines in 2004, Ault had used the "pistol formation" in which the running back lines up directly behind the quarterback who is in the shotgun formation which allows the quarterback to read the defense better and determine whether or not he should hand the ball off to the running back or keep it himself if he is a threat as a runner.

With Kaepernick at quarterback and sophomore Luke Lippincott as the running back, the Wolfpack hoped to use the pistol to help pull off an upset of the Broncos on the blue turf of Boise as Boise State had lost only two home games since the beginning of the 1999 season.

 Boise State would get the ball to start the game as the Broncos would drive 64 yards in eight plays as Johnson carried the ball four times for 31 yards on the drive that ended with Jeremy Avery running it in from nine yards out to give Boise State an 7-0 lead.

Following an exchange of punts, the Wolfpack had the ball at their 10-yard-line when Kaepernick began to find his rhythm throwing the ball as he completed passes of 18 and 26 yards to wide receiver Marko Mitchell on the 12-play drive that culminated with Kaepernick connecting with tight end Junior Pakula on a 16-yard touchdown that would tie the game at 7 with 1:10 left in the first quarter.

The Broncos would begin their ensuing possession at their 32-yard-line as two runs by Tharp gained 11 yards for a Boise State 1st down where Tharp appeared to have completed a 30-yard pass to wide receiver Jeremy Childs only for it to be nullified because of a pass interference penalty on Childs which pushed the Broncos back 15 yards to their 28-yard-line.

That is when Tharp handed the ball off to Johnson who took off on the longest run of his career, a 72-yard touchdown to give the Broncos a 14-7 lead just 35 seconds into the second quarter.

After another Nevada punt, the Broncos would get the ball back at their 38-yard-line as they would drive down to the Wolfpack 33-yard-line when they lined up for a field goal only for holder Tanyon Bissell to throw a pass for tight end Ryan Putnam, who had lined up all by myself near the sideline, who took it into the end zone for a 33-yard touchdown that extended Boise State's lead to 21-7 with 6:06 to go in the second quarter.

The Wolfpack would get the ball back at their 33-yard-line as the first two plays of the drive lost two yards to set up 3rd & 12 when Kaepernick completed a short pass to Mitchell, who then dodged a tackle attempt from Boise State cornerback Orlando Scandrick, and ran it down the field until he was tackled at the Broncos' nine-yard-line after a 58-yard gain.

Three plays later, the Broncos were in the end zone as Lippincott punched it in from one yard out to cut the Wolfpack deficit in half to 21-14 with 4:27 remaining before halftime.

The Broncos would respond with a 5-play, 66-yard drive as Tharp completed all three of his passes for 60 yards on the drive with the last completion being a 25-yard touchdown to tight end Sherm Blaser to push the Boise State lead back to 14 points at 28-14 with 2:33 to go in the first half.

It would not take long for the Wolfpack to get back into the end zone as Kaepernick completed passes of two yards to Lippincott and 14 yards to Adam Bishop before firing a 58-yard touchdown to Mitchell to make an one-possession game at 28-21 with 1:15 to go in the half.

Boise State seemed poised to add some points before the end of the half as they began their ensuing possession at their 42-yard-line only for Tharp to be intercepted by Nevada defensive tackle Mundrae Clifton to give the Wolfpack the ball at the Broncos' 48-yard-line.

However, the Wolfpack could not take advantage of the turnover as the clock ran out in the first half with Boise State ahead 28-21 as Nevada would get the ball to start the second half.

In his first collegiate start, Colin Kaepernick threw for 243 yards and three touchdowns while running for 177 yards and two touchdowns.

The Wolfpack's opening possession of the first half would begin with a 32-yard run by Lippincott that with a 15-yard face mask penalty on Boise State safety Austin Smith to give Nevada a 1st down at the Broncos' 33-yard-line.

After three straight runs by backup running back Brandon Fragger gained 22 yards, Lippincott would carry for six yards before punching it in for a five-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 28.

The Broncos would get the ball back at their 41-yard-line as they looked to recapture the lead as they drove down to the Nevada 18-yard-line until a holding penalty would help kill the drive and force Boise State to settle for a 40-yard field goal by Kyle Brotzman to give Boise a 31-28 lead midway through the third quarter.

After forcing the Wolfpack to punt on their ensuing possession, the Broncos would hold the ball for nearly six-and-a-half minutes as they drove 53 yards in 13 plays to set up a 31-yard field goal by Brotzman which extended Boise State's lead to 34-28 with 13:18 to go in the fourth quarter.

Nevada looked like it was going to have to punt it again as they faced a 3rd & 8 at their 31-yard-line when Kaepernick kept the ball himself and 28 yards to give the Wolfpack a 1st down at the Boise State 41-yard-line.

On the very next play, Kaepernick would connect with wide receiver Mike McCoy on a 41-yard touchdown that would tie the game at 34 as Nevada was set to take the lead when Boise State defensive tackle Dan Gore blocked the extra point to game tied.

The blocked extra point would come back to haunt the Wolfpack later in the game.

The Broncos would respond with a five-play, 63-yard drive as Tharp completed three of four passes for 60 yards on the drive which ended with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Tharp to Johnson to put Boise State back on top at 41-34 with 10:37 left in the fourth quarter.

It would only take the Wolfpack 25 seconds to get back into the end zone as Kaepernick started the ensuing drive with a 55-yard run, then ran it in for a nine-yard touchdown to tie the game once again at 41.

The Broncos would get the ball back at their 39-yard-line as it took them three plays to drive into Nevada territory until Johnson lost the football at the end of a 10-yard run as Wolfpack linebacker Ezra Butler forced and recovered the fumble to give the Wolfpack the ball at their 31-yard-line.

The Wolfpack would not put the ball back into the air as they ran the ball nine straight times for 51 yards to set up a 35-yard field Brett Jaekle that would give Nevada its first lead of the game at 44-41 with 3:40 to go in regulation.

Boise State would get great field position to start its next drive as Rashaun Scott would return the ensuing kickoff 55 yards to the Nevada 44-yard-line as the Broncos decided to bleed the clock as they drove down the field as they advanced all the way to the 10-yard-line before sending in the field goal unit to try and send the game into overtime with three seconds to go.

Nevada called timeout in hopes of freezing the kicker but to no avail as Brotzman would calmly make the 27-yard field goal to tie the game at 44 as time expired in regulation, sending the game into overtime.

Broncos quarterback Taylor Tharp completed 26 of 35 passes for 340 yards and threw four touchdown passes.

The offensive fireworks would continue in the extra period as it would take the Wolfpack only one play to get into the zone as Lippincott ran it for a 25-yard touchdown to give Nevada a 51-44 lead.

Not to be outdone, the Broncos only needed one play to score a touchdown as Tharp fired a 25-yard touchdown pass to Blaser to tie the game at 51 and send it to a second overtime period.

Once again, the Broncos would score a touchdown on the first play of their ensuing drive as Tharp found Childs for the 25-yard touchdown to give Boise State a 58-51 lead.

The Wolfpack would actually waste a play before scoring a touchdown as Kaepernick would throw an incomplete pass on 1st down then run it from 25 yards out on 2nd down to tie the game at 58 and send it to a third overtime period.

Lippincott would run for 16 yards to begin the third overtime period when the Boise State defense finally rose up and helped make a stop as Kaepernick would throw two incomplete passes, forcing the Wolfpack to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Jaekle to give Nevada a 61-58 lead.

Needing a touchdown to win the game, the Broncos would advance to the Nevada 10-yard-line on two runs by Avery for 15 yards until the freshman running back was dropped for a two-yard-loss which was followed by an incomplete pass to bring up 4th down when Bortzman came on to kick a 29-yard field goal to force a fourth overtime period with the game tied at 61.

It would take the Broncos five plays to get back into the end zone as Johnson would punch it in for a one-yard touchdown which was followed by Tharp completing a swing pass to Avery, who then took into the end zone for the two-point conversion, which was required if a team scored a touchdown beyond the third overtime period, to give Boise State a 69-61 lead.

After an incomplete pass to start the drive, the Wolfpack would keep the ball on the ground as Lippincott carried the ball twice for 11 yards, followed by a seven-yard run by Kaepernick and then a seven-yard touchdown run by Lippincott to make it 69-67 as the Wolfpack prepared to attempt a two-point conversion that if successful would force a fifth overtime period.

That is when Boise State linebacker Tim Brady was able to sack Kaepernick on the two-point conversion to end the game with the Broncos on top 69-67 in a game that featured a combined 136 points and 1,266 yards of total offense.

 Boise State would go on to win its next five games until the regular season finale when the Broncos lost to the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors 39-27 to end Boise State's run of five straight WAC conference championships as the Broncos would finish the season with a 41-38 loss to East Carolina in the Hawaii Bowl to finish with a 10-3 record.

As Nevada, they would keep Kaepernick as the team's starting quarterback as he helped lead the Wolfpack to a third straight bowl appearance, a 23-0 loss to New Mexico in the New Mexico Bowl, to finish the season with a 6-7 record.

However, brighter days were ahead for the Wolfpack as Kaepernick remain as the starting quarterback for the next three seasons which included a historic 2009 season in which he, Lippincott, and Vai Taua would all run for at least 1,000 yards, the first time in FBS history that three players from the same team had crossed the 1,000 yard rushing mark.

Then in 2010, the Wolfpack would get a matter of revenge for their 2007 loss as Kaepernick would lead Nevada to a 34-31 overtime victory over the Broncos in the final game of the regular season, which handed Boise State its first loss and ended their hopes of playing for a national championship.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: "The Hit" Propels Giants to Victory over Broncos

During the 1980s, the most famous New York Giants linebacker was Lawrence Taylor who almost single-handily transformed the Giants from a bottom feeder into a winner as New York ended a 18-year absence from the postseason in Taylor's rookie year which was followed five years later with the Giants winning their first Super Bowl.

Taylor was not the only Giants linebacker as he played alongside future Hall-of-Famer Harry Carson as well as all-pro Brad Van Pelt in the early part of the 80s and then Carl Banks in the later part of the decade.

Another name in the Giants' linebacker corps as Gary Reasons, who had been selected in the fourth round of the 1984 NFL Draft out of Northwestern State, who would go to be a member of the Giants' two Super Bowl championship squads in 1986 + 1990 as he played 122 games for the Giants with 80 of those as a starter.

Reasons' most famous moment would come in week 14 of the 1989 regular season when the Giants traveled to Denver to take on the Broncos on a snowy day in Denver where Reasons would etch his name in New York Giants lore.

The Giants came into the game with a 9-4 record but had lost three of their previous four games to fall behind the Philadelphia Eagles in the race for the NFC East division title.

The Giants were led by head coach Bill Parcells, who was in his seventh season as the New York head coach having led the Giants to their first NFL title since 1956 as he help guide New York to a win in Super Bowl XXI, ironically over the Broncos in a 39-20 triumph thanks in large part to quarterback Phil Simms MVP performance in which he completed 22 of 25 passes for 268 yards and threw three touchdowns.

However, ever since that win in January of 1987, the Giants had not made the playoffs as they finished with a losing record in 1987 then had their playoff hopes for 1988 dashed in the final game of the regular season as the New York Jets eliminated their crosstown rival from playoff contention(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2023/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-jets-derail.html).

The Giants would go into the game with the Broncos a wounded animal as Taylor would be sidelined because of back spasms while running back Ottis Anderson was recovering from hemorrhoid surgery, though he would give it a go.

On the other side of the field were the Denver Broncos with a 10-3 record who were looking to secure the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs if they could defeat the Giants.

Led by one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in John Elway, the Broncos were hoping to return to the postseason after missing the playoffs in 1988 following two straight trips to the Super Bowl which both ended in defeat.

Strangely in 1989, it was not Elway that was the biggest reason for Denver's success as rookie running back Bobby Humphrey had given the Broncos the running game they had lacked in previous seasons as well as one of the top defenses in the league with the addition of another rookie in safety Steve Atwater.

With the absence of Taylor and the limitation of Anderson, the Giants were given a difficult task in defeating the Broncos which was made even more challenging with the game would be played in a steady snow with temperatures at 23 but with a wind chill of near zero.

The Broncos would get the ball to start the game as they would drive from their 25-yard-line to the Giants' 44-yard-line until they were forced to punt the ball to the Giants who would begin their opening possession of the game at their 15-yard-line.

Following a four-yard run by Anderson to start the drive, fullback Maurice Carthon would carry the ball on the next three plays as he gained 31 yards to move the Giants to the 50-yard-line as Anderson would catch a seven-yard pass from Simms to set up 3rd & 1 when Carthon get the ball again as he run for three yards to pick up a New York 1st down at the Denver 40-yard-line.

A holding penalty would push the Giants back to their 49-yard-line as Carthon would catch two straight passes for 16 yards to set up 3rd & 5 when Simms hit wide receiver Stephen Baker for 11 yards to move the sticks and give New York a 1st down at the Denver 24-yard-line.

Three straight runs by Anderson totaled 10 yards to give the Giants another 1st down as Lewis Tillman would carry the ball on the last play of the first quarter as he gained one yard to bring up a 3rd & 9 at the Broncos' 13-yard-line.

Simms would then complete a 10-yard pass to George Adams to give the Giants a 1st & goal situation when Anderson punched it in for a three-yard touchdown to end the 15-play, 85-yard drive that took nearly nine minutes off the clock and give New York a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter.

After forcing the Broncos to go three-and-out on their ensuing possession, the Giants got the ball back at their 46-yard-line as a 24-yard pass from Simms to Mark Ingram would put the Giants in Denver territory only for the drive to stall as Simms was sacked by Broncos defensive end Alphonso Carreker for a seven-yard loss that would force the Giants to punt the ball back to the Broncos.

The drive began with an apparent 50-yard run by Humphrey which was called back because of a holding penalty on left tackle Gerald Perry that would push the Broncos back 10 yards as they would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Giants, who would get great field position as rookie Dave Meggett returned the ensuing punt 26 yards to the Broncos' 36-yard-line.

However, the Giants would go backwards as a tripping penalty on center Bart Oates plus a quarterback sack by defensive end Ron Holmes that dropped Simms for a 12-yard-loss would put the Giants in a 3rd & 31 situation or as Parcells said after the game "3rd & Arkansas".

Seemingly content to punt the ball back to the Broncos, Simms threw a screen pass in the left flat for Meggett, who made the catch despite bobbling the ball at his 45-yard-line, then got two key blocks by Oates and left guard William Roberts to help spring Meggett loose as he dodged the tackle attempts of Atwater and Tyrone Braxton on his way for a stunning 57-yard touchdown that increased the Giants' lead to 14-0 midway through the second quarter.

The Broncos would get the ball back at their 23-yard-line for their next possession as it took Denver one play to get into Giants territory as Elway completed a 42-yard pass to Vance Johnson to give Denver a 1st down at the New York 35-yard-line.

After the next three plays netted five yards, the Broncos were faced with a 4th & 5 at the Giants' 30-yard-line when Reeves decided to go for the 1st down as he felt a field goal from 47 yards out would be difficult in the snowy conditions.

The gamble would not pay off as Elway would throw an incomplete pass to give the ball back to the Giants at their 30-yard-line with 4:14 left before the end of the first half.

It seemed that the Broncos had forced a three-and-out as the Giants lined up to punt at their 39-yard-line when Reasons had his first big moment of the game as he had the ball snapped to him on a fake punt that only gained two yards but enough for a 1st down at the New York 41-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

From there, the Giants would drive to the Broncos' 30-yard-line when with one second left, Parcells would send in the field goal unit in hopes of increasing the lead to 17 points after thirty minutes of play.

But Bjorn Nittmo's kick would sail wide right of the uprights to keep the score at 14-0 in favor of the Giants as the first half came to an end.

The third quarter would begin with the two teams traded punts until the Broncos got the ball at their 28-yard-line when they put together their best drive of the game as they drove to the Giants' 10-yard-line thanks to four straight 3rd down conversions as Denver seemed poised to get on the scoreboard.

An eight-yard run by Humphrey on 1st & goal would put the Broncos at the Giants' two-yard-line as fullback Mel Bratton tried to dive it into the end zone from the two-yard-line, picking up one yard to set up 3rd & 1 when Humphrey was stopped by Reasons for no gain to force a 4th & 1 at the one-yard-line.

The Broncos would go try for the touchdown as Elway would take the snap and handed off to Humphrey, who tried to dive into the end zone, only to be met mid-air by Reasons as the rookie running back was stopped in his tracks for an one-yard loss but more importantly gave the ball back to the Giants with their 14-0 still intact.

The Giants would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Broncos as a 18-yard return by Ricky Nattiel would put Denver at the New York 32-yard-line as the fourth quarter got underway.

After two straight incomplete passes, Elway would threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Michael Young to finally put Denver on the scoreboard as they cut the Giants' lead to 14-7 just 31 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The two teams would exchange punts until 5:27 remained in regulation when the Broncos took over possession at their 20-yard-line hoping for Elway to deliver another 4th quarter comeback.

The drive would began with Elway completing a 10-yard pass to Johnson, which was followed by an incomplete pass and then two consecutive completions to Johnson for 15 yards to put the Broncos at their 45-yard-line as Elway would hit tight end Clearance Kay for 13 yards to move Denver into Giants territory with a 1st down at the New York 42-yard-line.

Elway would then two passes to Humphrey for 24 yards to move the Broncos to the Giants' 42-yard-line as a three-yard run by Bratton would set up a 2nd & 7 as the two-minute warning hit.

Two incomplete passes later, the Broncos were faced with a 4th & 7 at the Giants' 15-yard-line when Elway threw a pass intended for Johnson in the end zone only for running back Steve Sewell to mistakenly think the pass was intended for him as he tried to catch the ball but ended being unsuccessful as Denver turned it over on downs.

Needing one 1st down to end the game, the Giants would go three-and-out as the Broncos spent all three of their timeouts to preserve as much time as possible as New York would punt the back to Denver who would take over at their 23-yard-line with 1:15 left in regulation.

After two incomplete passes to begin the drive, Elway would hit Young for 22 yards to give the Broncos a 1st down at their 45-yard-line as a five-yard run by Elway and a spike to stop the clock would set up 3rd & 5 at the 50-yard-line when Elway found Mark Jackson for 16 yards and a Denver 1st down at the Giants' 34-yard-line.

From there, Elway would threw two passes into the end zone but neither of them connected for what would be the game tying touchdown as time expired with the Giants on top 14-7 in what Parcells called one of the greatest wins he had ever had since he became the New York head coach.

Despite the loss, the Broncos would clinch home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a 37-0 rout of the Phoenix Cardinals in the penultimate week of the season as Denver would finish the regular season with a 11-5 record while the Giants would win their remaining two games of the regular season that cupped with a Eagles loss, gave the NFC East to New York with a 12-4 record.

In the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, the Broncos would slip past the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-23 while the Giants would be eliminated by the Los Angeles Rams 19-13 in overtime on Jim Everett's game-winning 30-yard touchdown pass to Flipper Anderson(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2021/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-flippers.html).

The Broncos would go on to defeat the Cleveland Browns 37-21 in the AFC Championship Game to earn Denver its third trip to the Super Bowl in four years where they would be destroyed by the San Francisco 49ers 55-10 in the most lopsided game in Super Bowl history.

As for the Giants, they would redeem themselves one year later as they would win they second Lombardi Trophy in five years thanks in large part to a key contribution from Reasons in the Giants' 15-13 upset win over the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game as Reasons ran for 30 yards on a fake punt to set up a key field goal by Matt Bahr.

Reasons would be cut by the Giants after the 1991 season as the linebacker played one more season in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals before ultimately retiring following the 1992 season after a nine-year career.