NFL Old School Game of the Week: Steelers Clinch AFC North on "The Immaculate Extension"

 

Antonio Brown(84) stretches for the game-winning touchdown in the Steelers' win over the Ravens on Christmas Day in 2016.

The word "immaculate" has been associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers ever since 1972 when the Steelers defeated the Oakland Raiders 13-7 in an AFC divisional playoff in which running back Franco Harris scored the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds on a play that would become known as the "Immaculate Reception".

Thirty-three years later, the Steelers upset the Indianapolis Colts 21-18 in a divisional playoff thanks to the "Immaculate Redemption" in which quarterback Ben Roethlisberger made a shoestring tackle of Colts cornerback Nick Harper as it looked like Harper was going to score a touchdown after recovering a fumble by Steelers running back Jerome Bettis in the final minutes.

And then there was the "Immaculate Interception" where linebacker James Harrison intercepted a Kurt Warner pass in the final play of the first half of Super Bowl XLIII as Harrison ran it back a 100-yard touchdown in Pittsburgh's 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals in 2009.

That brings us to Christmas Day 2016 when wide receiver Antonio Brown scored the game-winning touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens to give the Steelers the AFC North division title on a play that would soon be known as "The Immaculate Extension".

Pittsburgh came into the game with a 9-5 record needing one more win to clinch their 22nd division title in team history and secure a place in the NFL playoffs with a AFC North division title.

The fact the Steelers had a chance to wrap up the AFC North was remarkable as midway through the season Pittsburgh had a 4-5 record thanks to a four-game losing streak before the team turned things around with a five-game winning streak to secure their tenth straight winning season under head coach Mike Tomlin.

On the field, the Steelers were led the offensive trio of Roethlisberger, Brown, and running back Le'Veon Bell also known as the "Killer B's" as Roethlisberger had thrown for 3,540 yards and 25 touchdowns while Bell had run for 1,144 yards to go along with 72 catches for 601 yards despite the fourth-year running back missing the first three games of the season because of a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy.

And then there was Brown, who needed four catches to reach the mark of 100 receptions in a season for the fourth consecutive year as "AB" came into the game having caught 96 passes for 1,188 yards and 11 touchdowns up to this point in the season.

Standing in Pittsburgh's way of the AFC North title were their bitter rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, who came into the game with a 8-6 record, needing a win to stay alive for postseason consideration as the team had also bounced back from a four-game losing streak earlier in the season.

Led by head coach John Harbaugh and quarterback Joe Flacco, the Ravens could actually take control of 1st place in the AFC North if they could beat the Steelers since Baltimore defeated Pittsburgh 21-14 back in week 9 of the season as the Ravens would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker if they could knock off the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

After the Ravens punted following their opening possession of the game, the Steelers got the ball at their 13-yard-line as Bell would carry the ball six times for 39 yards on a 10-play, 87-yard drive that ended with Roethlisberger firing a 20-yard touchdown pass to tight end Xaiver Grimble to give Pittsburgh a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

The Ravens would start their next drive with wide receiver Steve Smith turning a short pass from Flacco into a 44-yard gain that got an additional 15 yards added to the play after Steelers cornerback Artie Burns was called for a late hit to put Baltimore at the Pittsburgh 22-yard-line.

However, the Ravens would no travel further as they would settle for a 41-yard field goal by Justin Tucker to get Baltimore on the scoreboard as they cut the Steelers' lead to 7-3 with 5:50 to go in the first quarter.

The Steelers would get the ball back at their 25-yard-line as it looked like Pittsburgh would have a 1st down deep in Ravens territory after Roethlisberger completing a 68-yard pass to Brown only for the play be nullified as Brown was called for pass interference as the Steelers ended punting the ball back to the Ravens, who would take over at their 27-yard-line.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would complete 24 of 33 passes for 279 yards and throw three touchdown passes.

Baltimore would drive to the Pittsburgh 17-yard-line as the first quarter came to an end with the Ravens seemingly on verge to take the lead but a quarterback sack by Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons on the first play of the second quarter would force the Ravens to settle for a 45-yard field goal attempt for Tucker.

But Tucker would not get a chance to kick the ball as holder Sam Koch could not handle the high snap of Morgan Cox as Koch would fumble the football resulting in Pittsburgh taking over at their 30-yard-line still holding on to a 7-3 lead.

The two teams would exchange punts until there was 3:41 left in the second quarter when the Ravens took over at their 28-yard-line as Flacco would complete six of nine passes for 44 yards on a 12-play, 59-yard drive that ended with a 38-yard field goal to trim the Pittsburgh lead to 7-6 with 18 seconds to go in the first half.

Roethlisberger would take a knee to run out the clock on the first half as the Steelers were set to get the ball to start the second half only for Pittsburgh to turn it over on the first play from scrimmage as Roethlisberger would be picked off by Ravens linebacker Zach Orr, whose 14-yard return would give Baltimore the ball at the Steelers' 20-yard-line.

After two runs by Terrence West went for a combined two yards, Flacco would find Smith over the middle for a 18-yard touchdown that was followed by the two connecting on the ensuing two-point conversion to give the Ravens a 14-7 lead just 94 seconds into the second half.

A 39-yard pass from Roethlisberger to wide receiver Eli Rogers on the Steelers' ensuing possession would set up a 36-yard field goal by Chris Boswell that cut the Ravens' lead to 14-10 with 9:35 left in the third quarter.

The Ravens would then hold the ball for over eight minutes as they drove 47 yards in 11 plays to set up a 46-yard field goal by Tucker to push the Baltimore lead back to seven points at 17-10 late in the third quarter.

Baltimore would get a golden opportunity to extend their lead to 14 points when linebacker C.J. Mosley intercepted a Roethlisberger pass and returned the pick 28 yards to the Pittsburgh 11-yard-line on the second play of the Steelers' ensuing possession.

Two plays later, Flacco would fire a pass intended for tight end Darren Waller in the back of the end zone as Waller got his hands on the ball but could not complete the catch as Steelers strong safety Sean Davis would knock the ball loose to make the pass incomplete as Tucker would come on to kick a 23-yard field goal to increase Baltimore's lead to 20-10 with 14:18 left in the fourth quarter.

The Steelers would begin their next possession at their 25-yard-line with Bell being dropped for a two-yard loss before Roethlisberger completed a 21-yard pass to tight end Jesse James which was followed by a six-yard pass to Brown to put Pittsburgh at the 50-yard-line when wide receiver DeMarcus Ayers drew a pass interference penalty to give the Steelers a 1st down at the Ravens' 15-yard-line.

Roethlisberger would then complete an eight-yard pass to Brown before handing the ball off to Bell who would run it in for a seven-yard touchdown to cut the Ravens' lead to 20-17 with 11:41 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Following a Baltimore three-and-out, the Steelers took over at their 10-yard-line as Bell would start the drive with a 23-yard run then broke out a 13-yard run to move Pittsburgh to their 46-yard-line as Roethlisberger would complete back-to-back passes to Brown that totaled 47 yards to give the Steelers a 1st & goal at the Baltimore seven-yard-line.

That is when Roethlisberger would throw a short pass to Bell, who was able to run it into the end zone for another seven-yard touchdown to give the lead back to the Steelers at 24-20 with 7:16 to go in the fourth quarter.

Le'Veon Bell(26)ran for 122 yards on 20 carries while catching three passes for 15 yards as he scored two touchdowns.

The Ravens would get the ball back at their 25-yard-line as Flacco would complete seven of 10 passes for 52 yards on a 14-play, 75-yard drive that culiminated with a 10-yard touchdown run by fullback Kyle Juszczyk to give Baltimore a 27-24 lead with 1:18 to go in regulation.

After a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, the Steelers would take over at their 25-yard-line needing at least a field goal to send the game into overtime or better yet, scoring a touchdown to win the game in the final 78 seconds of regulation with two timeouts left in Pittsburgh's pocket.

The drive would begin with a three-yard pass from Roethlisberger to James, followed by an eight-yard completion to Brown, and then a 16-yard throw to James to put Pittsburgh at the Baltimore 48-yard-line as the Steelers called timeout with 1:02 to go.

Roethlisberger would then hit Ayers for nine yards which was followed by a 20-yard pass to Rogers to give the Steelers a 1st down at the Ravens' 19-yard-line as Roethlisberger would spike the ball to stop the clock with 41 seconds to go.

Roethlisberger would then complete a six-yard pass to wide receiver Cobi Hamilton as Pittsburgh would spend its final timeout with 32 seconds left as the Steelers faced a 2nd & 4 when Roethlisberger found James for nine yards and a 1st down at the Ravens' four-yard-line.

After spiking the ball to stop the clock with 14 seconds left, Roethlisberger had two plays to get into the Steelers into the end zone as Tomlin would in all likelihood settle for the field goal if the Steelers had faced with a 4th & goal situation.

Lined up in the shotgun formation, Roethlisberger would fire a pass for Brown, who made the catch short of the goal line as he was met by Mosley and Ravens strong safety Eric Weddle, as Brown was able to stretch the ball into the end zone for the touchdown with nine seconds to give Pittsburgh a 31-27 lead.

If Brown had not been able scored, the clock would have probably run out as the Steelers had no timeouts left and probably could not get lined up to spike the ball and leave time on the clock to give Boswell a chance to tie the game with a field goal.

Baltimore would get one last chance to win the game as Flacco would complete a 16-yard pass to tight end Dennis Pitta to move the Ravens to their 41-yard-line as Baltimore called timeout with four seconds to go, leaving the Ravens enough time for one last play.

However, Flacco would be picked off by Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier on the final play of the game to secure the 31-27 victory for the Steelers as well as the AFC North division title for Pittsburgh, the team's 22nd division title since 1972.

The heartbreaking loss would eliminate the Ravens from playoff contention as they would finish the season with a 8-8 record as they fell to the Cincinnati Bengals during the final week of the regular season.

As for the Steelers, they would enter the playoffs as the #3 seed in the AFC with a 11-5 record as Pittsburgh would defeat the Miami Dolphins 30-12 in the Wild Card Round before going on the road and upsetting the Kansas City Chiefs 18-16 in the Divisional round to send the Steelers to the AFC Championship Game where their season would end with a 36-17 loss to the New England Patriots.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Brown's OT Pick-Six Caps off Bears Comeback Win over 49ers

Mike Brown(30) prepares to make the interception that he would return for a walk-off touchdown in the Bears' win over the 49ers.

In week 8 of the 2001 NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers traveled to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears in a game between two teams who were off to surprising 4-1 starts.

The 49ers were led by head coach Steve Mariucci who was in his fifth season as the team's head coach having led San Francisco to a combined 25-7 record over his first two seasons compared to a combined 10-22 record over the next two seasons as the franchise saw the retirement of quarterback Steve Young due to injuries in 1999 and the release of wide receiver Jerry Rice following the 2000 season.

Young's replacement was Jeff Garcia, a former Canadian Football League quarterback, who had set the team record for most passing yards in a season when he threw for 4,278 yards in 2000, with his favorite target being the loquacious Terrell Owens, who was coming off a nine-catch, 183-yard, three touchdown performance against the Atlanta Falcons two weeks earlier where Owens scored the game-winning touchdown on a 52-yard reception in overtime.

Owens was hoping for another strong performance against the Bears as he had set the NFL record for most catches in a game when he caught 20 passes for 283 yards in the 49ers' 17-0 win over the Bears in the penultimate week of the 2000 regular season.

On the other side of the field were the Chicago Bears, who came into the game with the 49ers on a four-game winning streak after dropping their season opener as head coach Dick Jauron who was in his third season as the Chicago head coach was looking to lead the Bears out of the cellar as they had finished in last place in the NFC Central the previous four seasons.

The main reason for the Bears' surprising start was their defense led by linebacker Brian Urlacher which had allowed just 43 points over the first five games of the 2001 season and were coming off a shutout the week before in a 24-0 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

While the defense was locked in, the offense was still trying to figure out who the quarterback would be after trading away former first round pick Cade McNown in the offseason as Shane Matthew started the season as the starting quarterback until he was injured in the second game as Jim Miller took over to lead the Bears to a 17-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Miller would remain as the Bears' starting quarterback throughout their winning streak as the "Monsters of the Midway" looked to return to the NFL postseason for the first time since 1994 and for only the second time since the firing of head coach Mike Ditka in 1992.

It looked like the Bears were going to get on the scoreboard first as Leon Johnson returned the opening 23 yards to the Chicago 38-yard-line which was followed by a 15-yard pass from Miller to Dez White to put the Bears in San Francisco territory after just one play from scrimmage.

However, the Bears would no travel further as they would punt the ball to the 49ers who begin their opening possession of the game at their 16-yard-line as Garcia would complete his first five passes of the game for 43 yards to help move San Francisco to the Chicago 26-yard-line.

The drive would stall as Garcia would throw two straight incomplete passes as Jose Cortez would come on to attempt a 44-yard field goal only to have it blocked by Bears defensive tackle James Williams to keep the game scoreless as Chicago would take over at its 34-yard-line.

After a two-yard run by rookie running back Anthony Thomas to start the drive, Miller would fumble the football after he was hit by 49ers defensive tackle Bryant Young while trying to hand the ball off to Thomas as linebacker Julian Peterson would scoop up the fumble and run it back 26 yards for a touchdown to give San Francisco a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

Following a Chicago punt, the 49ers got the ball back at their 15-yard-line as Garcia regained his hot streak as he would complete all seven of his passes for 73 yards on a 10-play, 85-yard drive that culminated with an one-yard touchdown pass from Garcia to tight end Justin Swift to extend the San Francisco lead to 14-0 with 63 seconds left in the first quarter.

49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia completed 21 of 29 passes for 269 yards and threw two touchdown passes.

The two teams would exchange three-and-outs as the game moved into the second quarter when a 30-yard pass from Miller to wide receiver Marty Booker helped Chicago advance to the San Francisco five-yard-line when Miller tried to hook up with Booker again with a pass intended for the wide receiver in the corner of the end zone.

But 49ers cornerback Ahmad Plummer would intercept the pass to kill the Chicago scoring threat and give Garcia and the offense the ball back at their 20-yard-line with a chance to increase their lead.

The 49ers would drive to about midfield when Urlacher made his presence felt as he intercepted a Garcia pass intended for Owens to give the Bears the ball at the San Francisco 47-yard-line.

Thomas would run the ball four straight times for a total of 12 yards to move to the 49ers' 35-yard-line when Miller was knocked to the ground by 49ers linebacker Derek Smith, resulting in a hip pointer for Miller which knocked him out of the game as Shane Matthews would come on take over as the Chicago quarterback.

It looked like the Bears scored a touchdown on Matthews' first play from scrimmage as he connected with White for a 35-yard touchdown, only to have called back because of an ineligible receiver penalty on the Bears, as Chicago would end up punting the ball back to San Francisco.

The Bears offense was poised to get the ball back with less two minutes to go in the first half when 49ers long snapper Brian Jennings' snap went through the hands of punter Jason Baker and into the back of the end zone for a safety resulting in two points for Chicago as they would get the ball back at their 45-yard-line following the free kick.

The Bears would end up traveling 55 yards in seven plays as Matthews fired a three-yard touchdown pass to fullback Daimon Shelton to cut the 49ers' lead to 14-9 with 48 seconds to go in the first half.

Garcia would take a knee to run out the clock on the first half as the 49ers were set to get the ball to start the second half when on the third play of the second half, Garcia connected with Hearst on a 60-yard touchdown pass to push the 49ers back to double digits at 21-9.

The Bears would begin their first possession of the second half at their 42-yard-line as Matthews would lead the Chicago offense to the San Francisco 10-yard-line when 49ers free safety Zack Bronson intercepted a pass intended for tight end Fred Baxter and ran it back for a 97-yard pick-six to extend the 49ers' lead to 28-9 with 8:18 remaining in the third quarter.

It was looking bleak for the Bears as they now trailed by 19 points with a quarter and a half to go as they would start their ensuing drive at their 34-yard-line desperately needing some points.

Chicago would drive to the 49ers' 26-yard-line where they would face a 4th & 1 situation when Jauron decided to go for the 1st down which he got as Matthews completed a seven-yard pass to Baxter to give the Bears a fresh set of downs at the San Francisco 19-yard-line.

On the very next play from scrimmage, Matthews handed the ball off to Thomas, who would take it in for a 19-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 28-16 with less than five minutes to go in the third quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the 49ers would drive 71 yards in 14 plays to set up a 40-yard field goal by Cortez on a drive that took up nearly half the fourth quarter as San Francisco extended its lead to 31-16 with 7:23 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Bears would get the ball back at their 34-yard-line, needing a touchdown to keep their hopes alive, as four carries by Thomas for 26 yards help set up a 13-yard touchdown pass from Matthews to rookie wide receiver David Terrell to trim the San Francisco lead to 31-23 with 4:08 left in regulation.

Bears quarterback Shane Matthews came off the bench to complete 25 of 31 passes for 166 yards and threw three touchdown passes.

The Bears defense would then force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at their 33-yard-line with 2:46 left and one timeout in their pocket.

After a 12-yard run by Thomas to begin the drive, Matthews would complete a 20-yard pass to White to move Chicago into San Francisco territory as the Bears had a 1st down at the 49ers' 35-yard-line.

The combination of an eight-yard pass to White and a two-yard run by Thomas would give the Bears another 1st down at the San Francisco 25-yard-line, which was followed by a pass to Booker that lost a yard and a false start penalty that pushed Chicago back to the San Francisco 31-yard-line with a 2nd & 16.

Matthews would then connect complete four straight passes for 23 yards to move the Bears to the 49ers' eight-yard-line when Thomas was stopped for no gain to force a do-or-die 4th & 3 as Chicago spent its final timeout with 48 seconds to go.

Chicago would stay alive as Matthews completed a four-yard pass to tight end John Davis to give the Bears a 1st down at the 49ers' four-yard-line as Matthews would spike the ball to stop the clock with 33 seconds to go.

That is when Matthews rolled to his left and fired a pass for Terrell in the end zone, who was able to make the catch and get both feet inbounds before being shoved by 49ers strong safety Lance Shulters, for the four-yard touchdown to make it 31-29 as the Bears now needed to be successful on a two-point conversion to tie the game.

On the two-point attempt, Matthews would hand the ball off to Thomas, who took it up the middle and was able to stretch the ball to cross the plane before his knee hit the ground, though the 49ers felt his knee hit the ground before the ball crossed the plane, to tie the game at 31 with 26 seconds remaining in regulation.

Despite having two timeouts and needing just a field goal to win, the 49ers would take a knee to run out the clock on regulation and send the game into overtime as San Francisco won the coin toss and elected to receive as the 49ers would begin their ensuing drive at their 20-yard-line.

However, the extra period would only last 16 seconds as Garcia would fire a pass over the middle that bobbled off the hands of Owens and into the arms of Bears free safety Mike Brown, who would run the interception back for a 33-yard touchdown to give the Bears a shocking 37-31 overtime victory after being down 15 points with over four minutes to go in the game.

The 49ers would recover from their collapse against the Bears to go on a five-game winning streak as San Francisco would finish the regular season with a 12-4 record to earn a spot in the NFL playoffs for the first time since 1998 where the 49ers would fall to the Green Bay Packers 25-15 in the wild card round of the NFC playoffs.

As for the Bears, their win over the 49ers was the first of two improbable comeback wins as one week later they would score two touchdowns in final 28 seconds of regulation to force overtime when once again Brown would return an interception for a touchdown to give the Bears the win as they defeated the Cleveland Browns 27-21(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2021/09/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-bears-pull.html).

From there, the Bears would go on to win the NFC Central division title, their first division title in 11 years, with a 13-3 record to send Chicago to the postseason for the first time since 1994, only for the Bears' Cinderella season to end at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in a 33-19 loss in the NFC Divisional Round.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Young Rallies 49ers to Win over Manning's Colts

49ers quarterback Steve Young threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns while running for 60 yards and two touchdowns in the 49ers' comeback win over the Colts.

At halftime of the Week 7 game between the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers, 49ers quarterback Steve Young was so exhausted that he ended up vomiting into a trash can.

Young would go to his head coach Steve Mariucci and suggested that maybe backup Ty Detmer finish the game for the 49ers.

It was a good thing for the 49ers did not do that as Young would lead San Francisco to one of its greatest comeback wins against the Colts in 1998.

The 49ers came into the game with a 4-1 record as the season began with a thrilling 36-30 overtime win over the New York Jets on Garrison Hearst's game-winning 96-yard touchdown run in overtime(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2024/09/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-hearsts-96.html).

The 49ers' offense was humming to start the season as Young threw for at least 300 yards in all five games with a wide receiver corps that features J.J. Stokes, Terrell Owens, and Jerry Rice as San Francisco averaged 32.8 points per game in the first five games of the 1998 season.

The 49ers were probably licking their chops as they prepared to face the Colts, who came into the game with a 1-5 record with a defense that had given up an average of 26.5 points per game up to this point in the 1998 season.

The Colts were in rebuild mode with first-year head coach Jim Mora, who took over in Indianapolis after a one-year hiatus following a decade-long stint with the New Orleans Saints, as the Colts had finished with the league's worst record in 1997 at 3-13 to earn the rights to the #1 overall pick of the 1998 NFL Draft.

The Colts would use that pick to select quarterback Peyton Manning, son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, who had thrown for 11,021 yards and 89 touchdowns in his four years at the University of Tennessee.

Manning had shown signs of his potential in the first six games of the 1998 season as he threw for 1,364 yards and six touchdowns but also a league-high 14 interceptions as the Colts were 18 point underdogs as they traveled to the Bay Area to take on the 49ers.

 The 49ers would get the ball to start the game as they hold the ball for over nine minutes as they drove from their 25-yard-line to the Colts' two-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal only to go backwards as they lost seven yards on the next three plays, forcing San Francisco to settle for a 27-yard field goal attempt by Wade Richey.

However, Richey's kick would sail wide left of the uprights as the 49ers came away with no points after a 17-play, 66-yard drive as the Colts would begin their opening possession of the game at their 35-yard-line after 49ers guard Ray Brown was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty after the missed field goal.

It would take the Colts just one play to get into the end zone as running back Marshall Faulk took a handoff from Manning and outran the San Francisco defense to give Indianapolis a 7-0 lead with 5:33 to go in the first quarter.

The 49ers would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Colts when Reggie Roby's punt bounced off the helmet of Colts defensive back Rico Clark and into the arms of free safety Jason Belser, who was not the designated returner, who would stun everybody with a 53-yard return to give Manning the ball at the San Francisco seven-yard-line.

After a run by Faulk went for three yards, Manning fired a four-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Harrison to increase the Colts' lead to 14-0 with 2:02 remaining in the first quarter.

Following a San Francisco three-and-out, the Colts got the ball back at their 16-yard-line as they would embark on a 12-play, 84-yard drive where Manning completed six of nine passes for 76 yards with the last completion being a six-yard touchdown to give Indianapolis a shocking 21-0 lead with 10:56 to play in the second quarter.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning completed 18 of 30 passes for 231 yards and threw touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Desperately needing points, the 49ers would start their next drive at their 32-yard-line as Young would complete three straight passes for 43 yards to move San Francisco to the Indianapolis 25-yard-line where Young would then throw three straight incomplete passes as Richey would come in to make a 43-yard field goal to put the 49ers on the scoreboard as to make it a 21-3 game in favor of the Colts.

The 49ers defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at the Colts' 46-yard-line as Young led the San Francisco offense to the Indianapolis five-yard-line when two controversial calls helped San Francisco as they would cut further into the Colts' lead.

The first call came on 3rd & goal when Young had a pass intended for Owens be picked off in the end zone by Colts cornerback Jeff Burris, who ran the interception back to the San Francisco 32-yard-line only to have it nullified as Burris was called for holding, giving the 49ers a 1st & goal at the Indianapolis two-yard-line.

After Hearst was dropped for an one-yard loss, Young threw a pass for Stokes in the left corner of the end zone when Colts defensive back Monty Montgomery pushed Stokes out of bounds before the receiver could get his second foot down to complete the catch.

However, the officials ruled that Stokes would have gotten his second foot inbounds if Montgomery had not pushed him out of bounds, aka "the force out" rule which existed through the 2007 season, thus the catch was good for a three-yard touchdown to trim the Colts' lead to 21-10 with 1:54 to go before halftime.

Manning would throw three straight incomplete pass on the Colts' ensuing possession as the 49ers would once again start in a drive in Indianapolis territory as San Francisco would take over at the Colts' 42-yard-line with 88 seconds before the end of the first half.

Two catches by Stokes for 21 yards helped the 49ers move to the Colts' 15-yard-line when for the second time in the half, the Colts had an interception wiped out by a holding penalty as Montgomery was called for holding Owens in the end zone as strong safety Robert Blackmon picked off the pass, resulting in a 1st & goal for the 49ers at the Colts' 10-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass on 1st down, Young found Owens for the 10-yard touchdown to make it a one-score game at 21-17 with three seconds left in the first half as the reeling Colts would get the ball to start the second half.

After both teams punted on their opening possessions of the first half, the Colts had the ball at their 39-yard-line when Manning threw a short pass to Harrison, who spun out of a tackle attempt by 49ers cornerback Antonio Langham at the Indianapolis 45-yard-line, to race for his third touchdown of the game to push the Colts' lead back to double digits at 28-17 with 10:41 to go in the third quarter.

The 49ers would then drive to the Colts' 42-yard-line until Hearst lost the football after a hit by Colts linebacker Antony linebacker Antony Jordan as defensive end Kendel Shello would make the recovery as Manning and the Indianapolis offense would get the ball at the San Francisco 42-yard-line after a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on was called on the 49ers.

A 15-yard pass to tight end Ken Dilger and an eight-yard pass to running back Lamont Warren would help set up a 38-yard field goal by Mike Vanderjagt to increase the Colts' lead to 31-17 with 6:28 remaining in the third quarter.

The 49ers would have a second drive that move into Colts territory end in a turnover as Young completed a 11-yard pass to Owens, who fumbled the football as Belser would recover the fumble to give the Colts the ball at their 24-yard-line.

The Colts would advance to the 49ers' 47-yard-line before punting the ball back to the 49ers who would take over at their nine-yard-line with 14:09 remaining in regulation and needed two touchdowns to tie the game.

The 49ers would drive down the field on the left arm of Young who completed six of eight passes for 83 yards on the 10-play, 91-yard drive that ended with Young running it in for a one-yard touchdown on a quarterback bootleg to cut the lead to 31-23 as Randy Kirk's snap on the extra point was bobbled by the holder,  Detmer who was then tackled by Colts cornerback Tyrone Poole.

After an Indianapolis three-and-out, the 49ers got the ball at their 47-yard-line as Young completed a six-yard pass to Owens which was followed by a holding penalty that pushed San Francisco back to its 43-yard-line with a 2nd & 14 when Young connected with Stokes for 21 yards to move the sticks.

Young would then complete a 13-yard pass to running back Chuck Levy to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Colts' 23-yard-line where after an incomplete pass, Young would then produce a run reminiscent of his famous touchdown run against the Minnesota Vikings in 1988, as Young weaved through the Colts' defense than ran over at the Burris at the three-yard-line to score the 23-yard touchdown to make it a 31-29 game.

The 49ers then went for two to tie the game which they got when Young found Rice in the end zone to tie the game at 31 with 5:52 left in regulation.

J.J. Stokes would catch nine passes for 110 yards with one touchdown.

The Colts would begin their ensuing possession at their 26-yard-line as two passes from Manning to wide receiver Jerome Pathon that totaled 35 yards moved Indianapolis to the San Francisco 44-yard-line.

Following an nine-yard run by Faulk, the Colts had a 2nd & 1 at the 49ers' 35-yard-line when a run by Craig "Ironhead" Heyward went for an one-yard loss to set up 3rd & 2 when Faulk was dropped for no gain as the 49ers called timeout to stop the clock with 1:13 to go.

Mora would send in Vanderjagt to attempt a 53-yard field goal that would give the Colts the lead only for the kick to fall short of the uprights as the 49ers would take over at their 44-yard-line with 68 seconds left in regulation and a chance to win the game.

The drive would begin with a 12-yard pass from Young to Owens to give San Francisco a 1st down at the Colts' 44-yard-line, which was followed by a incomplete pass to bring up 2nd down when Young threw deep for Stokes, whose feet got tangled with Poole as the Colts cornerback would be called for pass interference to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Indianapolis 17-yard-line with 38 seconds to go.

Clearly in field goal range, the 49ers would run the ball three more times, picking up another 11 yards before calling on Richey to attempt a game-winning field goal from 24 yards out.

Unlike his miss from 27 yards out earlier in the game, Richey would split the uprights with his 24-yard field goal to give the 49ers their first lead of the game with five seconds to go in the game.

The Colts could not pull off a miracle touchdown on the ensuing kickoff as the game ended with the 49ers on top 34-31 to equal the third greatest comeback in San Francisco 49ers history.

The loss to the 49ers would be the third of eight losses decided by a touchdown or less for the Colts as they would finish the season with a 3-13 record as Manning played all 16 games to finish the season with 3,739 yards and 26 touchdowns but 28 interceptions.

However, brighter days were ahead for the Colts as they would put together on the greatest single season turnarounds in NFL history as they would go 13-3 the following season beginning a 12-year stretch where Indianapolis made the playoffs every year except 2001 as the Colts won eight division titles, two AFC championships and one Super Bowl as they defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI.

As for the 49ers, they would go on to finish the 1998 season with a 12-4 record to earn a seventh straight trip to the playoffs and 16th in 18 years as San Francisco would finally defeat the Packers in the playoffs with their 30-27 win over Green Bay in the Wild Card round thanks to Young's 25-yard touchdown pass to Owens with three seconds to go.

The 49ers' season would end the following week in the divisional round as they would fall to the Atlanta Falcons 20-18 in what would be the final postseason start in Young's career as a concussion following a violent hit by Arizona Cardinals cornerback Aeneas Williams in the third game of the 1999 season would end Young's professional football career after 15 plus seasons.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Special Teams and Defense Help Chiefs to Shootout Win over Chargers

Chiefs strong safety Lloyd Burruss(34)intercepted three passes, returning two of them for touchdowns in the Chiefs' 42-41 win over the Chargers.

When somebody reads the stat line of the 1986 Week 7 game between the San Diego Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs, they would probably assume that the Chargers won the game in a blowout as they had 290 more yards of total offense and 22 1st downs than the Chiefs did.

But that was not the case as the Chiefs pulled off a remarkable victory over their division rivals thanks to touchdowns from their defense and special teams.

The Chiefs came into the game looking to snap a two-game losing streak and get back over .500 as they held a 3-3 record under head coach John Mackovic who was in his fourth season as the Kansas City head coach who was trying to lead the Chiefs to the playoffs for the first time since 1971.

The Chiefs began the season with Todd Blackledge as the starting quarterback, who had struggled ever since he was taken with the #7 overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft ahead of future Hall-of-Famers Jim Kelly and Dan Marino, as Blackledge had thrown 25 interceptions compared to 12 touchdown passes in his first three seasons as he went back-and-forth with veteran Bill Kenney as the Chiefs starter.

Kansas City's strength in 1986 was its defense led by its outstanding secondary that featured the outstanding cornerback tandem of Albert Lewis and Kevin Ross plus hard hitting free safety Deron Cherry.

The other member of this starting secondary was strong safety Lloyd Burruss who would be making his return to the starting lineup after missing the previous two games with a hamstring injury as Kansas City prepared to face the famous "Air Coryell" offense of the Chargers.

San Diego came into the game hoping to end a five-game losing streak as the Chargers stood with a 1-5 record under head coach Don Coryell who was in his ninth season as the San Diego head coach having led the Chargers to back-to-back AFC Championship Games in 1980 + 81.

While the dynamic passing offense led by quarterback Dan Fouts, wide receiver Charlie Joiner and tight end Kellen Winslow still had some punch, the Chargers' defense was atrocious as they had given up an average of 26.5 points per game and 407.8 yards per game up to this point in the 1986 season.

To make matters worse for the Chargers, they were going to face wide receiver Stephone Paige who had torched them for a then NFL record 309 yards on eight catches in their previous meeting with the Chiefs, a 38-34 defeat in the final game of the 1985 regular season.

It looked like it was going to deja vu all over again as on the first play of the Chiefs' second drive of the game, Paige caught a 45-yard touchdown from Blackledge to give Kansas City an early 7-0 lead that was set up by a blocked punt by Lewis.

The Chargers would begin their ensuing possession at their 25-yard-line as Fouts would complete his next six passes for 43 yards despite being taken out for one play after a hard hit by Chiefs linebacker Tim Coefield to help San Diego advance to the Kansas City 25-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 1 situation as Coryell decided to go for the 1st down.

It looked like the gamble would not pay off as running back Gary Anderson was stopped short of the line to gain but the Chargers would catch a break as Chiefs strong safety Lloyd Burruss jumped offsides on the play resulting in a San Diego 1st down at the Kansas City 20-yard-line.

Following a 13-yard run by Tim Spencer on the next play from scrimmage, Fouts connected with Anderson for a seven-yard touchdown to help tie the game at seven with 3:41 left in the first quarter.

Chargers running back Gary Anderson had 240 all-purpose yards and scored three touchdowns.

Both teams would exchange punts as the game moved into the second quarter when Burruss began to atone for his penalty earlier in the game as he would intercept a Fouts pass to end a Chargers drive that had advanced into Kansas City territory.

The Chiefs would not be able to cash in on the turnover as they punted the ball back to the Chargers who would take over at their 45-yard-line when Burruss struck again, this time intercepting a pass intended for running back Lionel James, and running it back 56 yards for the touchdown to give Kansas City a 14-7 lead.

To add injury to insult, James sprained his ankle on the play and was lost for the game as running back Buford McGee would take his place as the Chargers' kick returner on the ensuing kickoff.

McGee would field the kick at his five-yard-line before stumbling and fumbling the ball as Ross would scoop up the ball and ran it in for a 21-yard touchdown, the second touchdown in 12 seconds for the Chiefs, which increased Kansas City's lead to 21-7.

The Chargers would respond with a nine-play, 75-yard drive where Fouts go a perfect 5-of-5 for 57 yards on the drive, connecting with Winslow three times for 41 yards, to set up a one-yard touchdown run by McGee to trim the Chiefs' lead to 21-14 with 4:41 to go in the second quarter.

After a Kansas City three-and-out, the Chargers got the ball back at their 33-yard-line as an incomplete pass and a eight-yard run by McGee would bring up a 3rd & 2 when Fouts threw a pass that bounced off the hands of tight end Pete Holohan and into the arms of Burruss as the defensive back set a NFL record for most interceptions in a quarter with his third pick of the game.

Burruss would then tie the record for most interceptions returned for a touchdown in a single game as his 47-yard return for a touchdown extended Kansas City's lead to 28-14 with 2:42 to go before halftime.

A 33-yard return by Anderson on the ensuing kickoff gave the Chargers great field position as a 24-yard pass from Fouts to Anderson would set up a 30-yard field goal by Rolf Benirschke to cut the Chiefs' lead to 28-17 with just 66 seconds to go in the first half.

The Chiefs would get the ball back at their 14-yard-line for their ensuing possession as they looked to add on to their lead before the end of the half as they had all three timeouts left in their pocket.

However, disaster would strike on the first play from scrimmage as Blackledge's screen pass intended for running back Boyce Green was intercepted by Chargers defensive end Leslie O'Neal, who only needed to run five yards for the touchdown cut the Kansas City lead to 28-24 with 55 seconds to go in the half.

The Chiefs would then run the ball to run out the clock on the first half following a 38-point second quarter which saw three interceptions return for touchdowns as well as a fumble returned for a touchdown.

San Diego would get the ball to start the second half as Mark Herrmann would take over for Fouts, who had been dizzy even since the hart hit by Coefield on the Chargers' first touchdown drive of the game, as the Chargers would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Chiefs, who would take over at the San Diego 20-yard-line after a 48-yard return by Jeff Smith on the ensuing punt.

When the Chiefs' offense came back onto the field, they did so with Kenney at quarterback as he replaced Blackledge who was benched after a first half in which he completed six of 15 passes for 69 yards as Kansas City complied just 87 yards of offense in the first 30 minutes of the game.

The move to Kenney paid dividends as he would find Paige in the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown to push the Chiefs' lead back to double digits at 35-24 just 2:03 into the second half.

Chiefs wide receiver Stephone Paige only caught three passes for 66 yards but two of those catches were for touchdowns.

The Chargers would answer back with a 12-play, 80-yard drive as Herrmann completed five of six passes for 55 yards on a drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown run by Anderson to make it an one-possession game again at 35-31 with 6:46 to go in the third quarter.

Following a Kansas City punt, the Chargers got the ball back at their 20-yard-line as Herrmann would lead San Diego down to the Chiefs' six-yard-line where they would have a 1st & goal situation at the start of the fourth quarter.

However, the Chargers could not punch into the end zone as they would settle for a 21-yard field goal by Benirschke to make it a 35-34 game as Kansas City would begin its next possession at their 20-yard-line.

After picking up one 1st down, Kenney would complete a 27-yard pass to tight end Walt Arnold to move Kansas City into Chargers territory at the San Diego 43-yard-line where on the next play, Kenney would escape the pressure from Chargers linebacker Thomas Benson and hit Henry Marshall for 28 yards and a 1st down at the Chargers' 15-yard-line.

Paige would then run a reverse for 12 yards to the San Diego three-yard-line as Mike Pruitt would run for two yards to set up a one-yard touchdown run by Green to push the Chiefs' lead to 42-34 with 10:18 to go in the fourth quarter.

With no two-point conversion in the NFL in 1986, the Chargers needed two scores and a stop from their defense in order to take the lead as San Diego would begin its next drive at their 15-yard-line.

The Chargers would drive to the Kansas City 42-yard-line until Herrmann threw a bomb intended for Anderson that was intercepted by Lewis to kill the San Diego drive and give the Chiefs the ball at their two-yard-line.

The Chargers' defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at the Chiefs' 34-yard-line where it took them five plays to get into the end zone as Herrmann fired a 12-yard touchdown pass to Anderson to make it a one-point game again at 42-41 with 3:42 to go in the game.

The Chiefs would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Chargers who would take over in Kansas City territory as Anderson's 30-yard punt return gave San Diego the ball at the Chiefs' 47-yard-line with 55 seconds left in the game.

Herrmann would complete an eight-yard run to Anderson to start the drive which was followed by a six-yard run by the quarterback to give the Chargers a 1st down at the Kansas City 33-yard-line as San Diego needed a few more yards to get into Benirschke's range for a game-winning field goal.

Herrmann would then throw two straight incomplete passes to set up 3rd & 10 when Herrmann threw a pass intended for wide receiver Trumaine Johnson that drew a pass interference penalty on Chiefs cornerback Greg Hill to give the Chargers a 1st down at the Chiefs' 17-yard-line.

Even though there was still 28 seconds to go, Coryell decided to send in the field goal unit here as the Chargers had no timeouts remaining as Benirschke would attempt a 35-yard field goal that would give San Diego its first lead of the game.

But Benirschke would miss the field goal as his kicked sailed wide left of the uprights, allowing the Chiefs to run out the clock by taking a knee as Kansas City would come away with the 42-41 win despite being outgained 512 to 222 on total offense while giving up 35 1st downs compared to the 13 the Kansas City offense made.

One week after the loss to the Chiefs, the Chargers would fire Coryell and elevate wide receivers coach Al Saunders to the head coaching position as San Diego would finish the season with a 4-12 record, the team's worst record in over a decade.

As for the Chiefs, they would ride the rest of the regular season with Kenney as the team's starting quarterback as the win over the Chargers began a four-game winning streak, which was followed by a three-game losing streak, and then another three-game winning streak to end the season with a 10-6 record as Kansas City earned a spot in the AFC playoffs for the first time in 15 years.

The win that clinched the playoff spot for the Chiefs was very similar to this game as Kansas City overcame a 515-171 margin on total offense by scoring touchdowns on a blocked punt, a blocked field goal, and a kickoff return to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-19 in the final game of the regular season.

However, the Chiefs' foray into the playoffs would be a short one as Blackledge started in placed of an injured Kenney as Kansas City fell to the New York Jets 35-15 in the AFC Wild Card Game as Mackovic would be fired a few days later after the loss to the Jets.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Jags Beat Colts on Scobee's Walk-Off Field Goal

Josh Scobee(10) runs around the field after his game-winning 59-yard field goal.

In Week 4 of the 2010 NFL season, the Indianapolis Colts traveled to Florida to take on their division rival, the Jacksonville Jaguars in a key early season showdown when it came to who would win the AFC South division that year.

The Colts came into the game with a 2-1 record under second-year head coach Jim Caldwell who was hoping to lead Indianapolis back to the Super Bowl as nine months earlier the Colts fell to the New Orleans Saints 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV.

The Colts still had quarterback Peyton Manning at quarterback, who had led Indianapolis to eight straight playoff appearances including six division titles and a win in Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears, with his top targets being wide receiver Reggie Wayne and tight end Dallas Clark who were both coming off 100 catch seasons in 2009.

On the other side were the Jaguars who came into the game with a 1-2 record having suffered back-to-back 25-point losses as Jacksonville looked to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

Jacksonville was led by head coach Jack Del Rio, who has in his eighth season as the Jaguars' head coach, as the Jags' offense was led by quarterback David Garrard and running back Maurice Jones-Drew, which had struggled up to this point in the season as it averaged just 13.3 points per game through the first three games of the season.

However, the Jaguars had great confidence that they could move the ball against the Colts as Jones-Drew had rushed over for 100 yards four times against Indianapolis since his rookie season back in 2006.

The Colts would get great field position to start the game as Dante Moore returned the opening kickoff 33 yards to the Indianapolis 41-yard-line as Manning would complete all six of his passes for 43 yards on a 11-play, 59-yard drive that culminated with a two-yard touchdown run by Joseph Addai to give Indy a 7-0 lead.

The Jaguars would begin their opening possession of the game with five straight carries by Jones-Drew for 26 yards before Garrard completed two passes in a row with the second pass going for 21 yards to wide receiver Mike Thomas as the nine-play, 76-yard drive would end with a 25-yard touchdown run by Garrard to tie the score at seven with 3:39 left in the first quarter.

Following an Indianapolis three-and-out, the Jaguars would get the ball at the Colts' 45-yard-line as Jacksonville would run the ball on seven consecutive plays with Jones-Drew getting most of the work as he carried the ball six times for 26 yards including an one-yard touchdown to give Jacksonville a 14-7 lead with 13:40 to go in the second quarter.

The Colts would respond on the right arm of Manning whose favorite target on this drive would be Wayne as he would catch four passes for 53 yards on the 11-play, 85-yard drive that was capped off with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Clark to make it 14-14 midway through the second quarter.

Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne caught a team record 15 passes for 196 yards and scored one touchdown.

Neither team would score again before the end of the first half as the Jaguars would get the ball to start the second half only to punt the ball back to the Colts who would take over at their 31-yard as Manning would complete four of his next five passes for 37 yards to move Indianapolis to the Jacksonville 23-yard-line as the Colts seemed poised to retake the lead.

However, Manning would throw an interception as his pass bounced off the hands of tight end Brady Elleridge and into the hands of Jaguars defensive back Anthony Smith, whose 47-yard return would give Jacksonville the ball at the Indianapolis 49-yard-line.

It would take the Jaguars seven plays to get into the end zone as Garrard fired a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mercedes Lewis to give Jacksonville a 21-14 lead with 4:37 left in the third quarter.

The Colts would start their next drive at their 26-yard-line as Manning would complete his next five passes for 35 yards to move Indianapolis to the Jacksonville 19-yard-line until a quarterback sack by Jaguars defensive end Jeremy Mincey for a four-yard loss would bring up a 2nd & 14 situation when the Colts would commit their second turnover of the game.

Manning would complete a 13-yard pass to Wayne, who while stretching to get the 1st down, lost the football as Jaguars free safety Gerald Alexander would scoop up the fumble and run it 43 yards to the Indianapolis 47-yard-line.

The Jaguars would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Colts who would take over at their four-yard-line when Wayne would begin his atonement for the fumble on the previous drive.

Wayne would catch a 21-yard pass from Manning to start the drive which was followed by a 13-yard reception to move Indianapolis to its 38-yard-line as passes to Collie for 12 yards and Clark for 15 yards would bring the Colts to the Jaguars' 35-yard-line.

From there, Wayne would catch back-to-back passes totaling 29 yards as the Colts advanced to the Jacksonville six-yard-line where Addai would carry the ball for four yards then carry it for the two-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 21 with 7:35 remaining in the fourth quarter.

A 39-yard return by Tiquan Underwood would give the Jaguars great field position for their ensuing possession which began at their 43-yard-line as two straight running plays picked up six yards to set up 3rd & 4 when Underwood caught a 13-yard pass from Garrard that with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Colts cornerback Jacob Lacey gave Jacksonville a 1st down at the Indianapolis 23-yard-line.

Five plays later, Garrard would hit Jones-Drew on an eight-yard touchdown pass to give the Jaguars a 28-21 lead with 2:09 left in regulation which for Jacksonville was an eternity considering the quarterback on the other team.

Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 105 yards on 26 carries.

After a 39-yard return by Justin Tryon on the ensuing kickoff gave the Colts the ball at their 35-yard-line, Manning would throw three straight incomplete passes as Indianapolis would face a do-or-die 4th & 10 situation when Manning hit Clark for 16 yards to give the Colts a fresh set of downs at the Jacksonville 49-yard-line.

On the next play from scrimmage, Manning would throw deep as he completed a 42-yard pass to Wayne to give the Colts a 1st & goal at the Jacksonville seven-yard-line as incomplete pass followed by a six-yard run by Addai would set up 3rd & goal from the one-yard-line when Manning found Collie in the end zone for the touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 28 with 48 seconds left in regulation.

Taking over at their 23-yard-line, the Jaguars seemed content to send the game into overtime as Garrard would hand the ball off to Jones-Drew who ran for eight yards when Caldwell decided to call timeout with 36 seconds left as it looked like the Colts were trying to save as much time as possible for Manning to lead Indianapolis to a game-winning score in the final seconds.

The Jaguars would then go to the air on the next play from scrimmage as Garrard would throw an incomplete pass to set up 3rd & 2 when Garrard connected with Underwood for six yards to give Jacksonville a 1st down at their 37-yard-line.

Garrard would then find Underwood again, this time for 22 yards as Tiquan would go out of bounds at the Colts' 41-yard-line with 11 seconds to go as one more completion would put the Jaguars in range for a game-winning field goal.

That is when the Jaguars averted disaster as Garrard, under pressure from an Indianapolis pass rush, lofted a pass that looked like it was going to be intercepted by Colts cornerback Kelvin Hayden, only for Underwood to knock him down from behind while Hayden had his hands on the ball which resulted in an incompletion with five seconds left.

Del Rio decided to send in the field goal unit as Scobee would attempt a 59-yard field goal despite the fact that his career long was 53 yards which he had done three times up to this point in his career.

But Scobee's kick would easily split through the uprights as time expired as his team-record 59-yard field goal gave the Jaguars a 31-28 win over the Colts.

Jacksonville's win over the Colts would not be the only time the Jaguars had an exciting win on the final play of the game in 2010 as six weeks later the Jags would beat the Houston Texans 31-24 on Garrard's 50-yard "Hail Mary" touchdown pass to Mike Thomas(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2022/12/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-jaguars.html).

However, the Jaguars would not make the playoffs as a 34-24 loss to the Colts in a Week 15 rematch would start a three-game losing streak for Jacksonville as the Jags would finish the season with a 8-8 record while the Colts would go on to win the AFC South with a 10-6 record in what would be their final playoff appearance with Manning as the quarterback.

As for Scobee, he would remain with the Jaguars for four more seasons until he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers right before the 2015 season began as two missed final goals in the final minutes of the Steelers' 23-20 overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens would result in Scobee's release from the team as he would not kick for another team in the NFL.

Scobee's record of the longest field goal in Jaguars history would last until 2025 when Cam Little obliterated the record with a 68-yard field goal in a 30-29 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: White Shoes Sparks Falcons Comeback Win over Jets

 

Billy "White Shoes" Johnson had 226 all-purpose yards and scored two touchdowns in the Falcons' win over the Jets in 1983.

By the time the 1983 NFL season it looked like the best days of Billy "White Shoes" Johnson were over.

The player famous for his "Funky Chicken" dance after scoring 19 touchdowns for the Houston Oilers from 1974 through 1980, five of them via punt return, was not the same player as a devasting knee injury that he suffered in 1979 had limited his explosiveness as Johnson was now returning punts for the Atlanta Falcons.

But in Week 8 of the '83 season, Johnson began a career renaissance with a remarkable performance against the New York Jets.

The Falcons came into the game with a 2-5 record as they hoped to snap a four-game losing streak during head coach Dan Henning's first season as the Atlanta head coach after taking over for Leeman Bennett who had led the Falcons to their first three playoff appearances during his six-year tenure.

The Falcons had a strong offense led by quarterback Steve Bartkowski and running back William Andrews who came into the game as the second leading rusher in the NFL with 735 yards plus wide receiver Alfred Jenkins but had a weak defense that had given up an average of 20.7 points per game through the first seven games of the season.

The Falcons traveled to the Big Apple to take on the Jets at Shea Stadium, who were loooking to get back on track as the team had stumbled to a 3-4 start after playing in the AFC Championship Game the season before.

New York had a new head coach in Joe Walton, who had served as the team's offensive coordinator for the prior two seasons, following head coach Walt Michaels' retirement following the '82 season.

The team was led by its ferocious pass rush known as the "New York Sack Exchange" which featured Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko that complied 66 quarterback sacks in 1981 as the Jets broke a 12-year playoff drought by making the playoffs in 1981 which was followed by their journey to the AFC Championship Game in 1982.

On offense, the Jets were led by veteran quarterback Richard Todd, who was trying to keep his job as the team's starting quarterback as New York had selected Ken O'Brien with their first round back in the 1983 NFL Draft.

With running back Freeman McNeil out with a dislocated shoulder, the Jets hoped for a big day from Todd, much like the one he had against the Los Angeles Rams when he threw for 446 yards in 27-24 overtime win(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2024/12/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-jets-beat.html).

The Jets would get a short field to start the game as kick returner Preston Brown returned the opening kickoff 44 yards to the 50-yard-line as New York opened with four straight running plays that gained 20 yards to move the Jets to the Falcons' 30-yard-line.

Todd would throw his first pass of the game, an one-yard completion to tight end Jerome Barkum that turned into a turnover when Falcons linebacker Fulton Kuykendoll knocked the ball loose as free safety Bob Glazebrook would recover the fumble to give Atlanta the ball at their 29-yard-line.

The two teams would exchange punts until later in the first quarter when the Jets drove from their 42-yard-line to the Falcons' 19-yard-line as Todd completed three passes for 37 yards on the drive until he was picked off on a pass intended for wide receiver Wesley Walker in the end zone by Atlanta cornerback Bobby Butler to end the New York scoring threat and give the Falcons the ball at their 20-yard-line.

The Jets defense would force a three-and-out from the Falcons to give their offense the ball back at their 23-yard-line as two plays went nowhere as the Jets would face a 3rd & 11 from their 22-yard-line as the second quarter began.

It looked like the Falcons were going to force a three-and-out as Bruce Harper fell in the backfield after a handoff from Todd, only for him to get up as he was not touched and ran for a 78-yard touchdown to give the Jets a 7-0 lead.

After another Atlanta three-and-out, the Jets got the ball at their 37-yard-line as Todd completed two passes to Walker for 31 yards and connected with running back Scott Dierking for 11 yards to help move New York to the Falcons' 27-yard-line where Pat Leahy would come on to attempt a 44-yard field goal.

However, Leahy's kick would sail wide left of the uprights to keep the score at 7-0 as the Falcons would go three-and-out again on their ensuing possession as the Jets would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line with 5:31 to go in the second quarter.

Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkowski completed 25 of 36 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns.

The Jets would again drive deep into Falcons territory as New York would drive 71 yards in 11 plays to set up another field goal attempt for Leahy, this one from 26 yards out, only for it to be blocked by Falcons linebacker Rich Dixon to give Atlanta the ball at their 20-yard-line with 1:14 left before halftime.

The Falcons would drive to the Jets' 21-yard-line as Bartkowski would complete five straight passes for 55 yards but Atlanta would fumble the football on the final play of the first half as wide receiver Alfred Jenkins coughed up the football at the end of a 19-yard catch as Jets defensive back Kirk Springs would make the recovery to end the first half with New York ahead 7-0.

The Falcons would get the ball to start the second half but they would go three-and-out as the Jets begin their first drive of the second half at their 47-yard-line as two runs by Dwayne Crutchfield gained four yards to set up 3rd & 6 when Todd completed a 10-yard pass to Dierking for a New York 1st down at the Atlanta 39-yard-line.

From there, Todd would complete three straight passes for 35 yards to put the Jets at the Falcons' four-yard-line when Dierking took a handoff and run up through the middle for the touchdown to extend the Jets' lead to 14-0 with 9:16 left in the third quarter.

It looked the wheels were coming off for the Falcons when on the second play of their ensuing possession, Bartkowski had a pass bounce off the hands of tight end Arthur Cox and into the arms of linebacker Lance Mehl to give the Jets the ball at the Atlanta 47-yard-line.

Todd would then complete an eight-yard pass to Derrick Gaffney, followed by a 30-yard pass to Lam Jones to move the sticks to the Falcons' nine-yard-line as Mike Augustyniak would carry the ball for six yards then get another carry which resulted in a three-yard touchdown as New York pushed its lead to 21-0 with 6:29 to go in the third quarter.

The Falcons would begin their next possession at their eight-yard-line as running back Gerald Riggs came into the game and seemed to provide a spark as he carried the ball four times for 30 yards to help drive Atlanta to the Jets' 44-yard-line until Bartkowski was intercepted again, this time by Jets cornerback Bobby Jackson to give New York the ball at their 38-yard-line.

The Jets would go three-and-out as they punted the ball back to the Falcons who took over at their 18-yard-line as Bartkowski would complete passes of 17 yards to Riggs, then 21 yards to Stacey Bailey to move Atlanta into New York territory at the Jets' 44-yard-line.

Following a three-yard run by Riggs, Bartkowski would go back to Bailey as the two connected for a 26-yard completion to move the Falcons to the Jets' 15-yard-line when "White Shoes" would begin his takeover of the game.

Bartkowski would complete a short pass to Johnson, who would then weave his way through the Jets' defense to get into the end zone for the 15-yard touchdown to cut the Falcons' deficit to 21-7 with four seconds to go in the third quarter.

The Jets would be forced to punt on their next possession as a holding on right tackle Marvin Powell nullified a 16-yard pass from Todd to tight end Mickey Shuler that would have given New York a 1st down in Falcons territory when "White Shoes" struck again as Johnson returned the punt 41 yards to the Jets' 25-yard-line 

It would take the Falcons just one play to get into the end zone as Bartkowski hit a wide open Andrews over the middle for the 25-yard touchdown to cut the New York lead to 21-14 with 12:23 to go in the fourth quarter.

With momentum on their side, the Falcons were set to get the ball back after their defense forced a three-and-out from the Jets' offense as they would punt the ball when Johnson would make his third and thus far biggest play of the game.

Johnson would catch the ball at his 29-yard-line and immediately break the tackle of the Jets' Johnny Hector as "White Shoes" would run down the left sideline before faking out punter Chuck Ramsey at the New York 20-yard-line and run into the end zone for the 71-yard touchdown, the Falcons' third touchdown in a span of four minutes and nine seconds to tie the game at 21 with 10:55 left in regulation.

The Jets looked to get back on track on their next possession which began at their 34-yard-line with a nine-yard pass from Todd to Harper followed by an apparent 26-yard pass to Shuler that was wiped out because of a holding penalty on left tackle Chris Ward as the Falcons would force the Jets another three-and-out.

New York would punt the ball back to Johnson, who would muff the punt but recover his own fumble as the Falcons would get the ball back at their 31-yard-line as Atlanta would drive 55 yards in 11 plays, the longest play being a 21-yard pass from Bartkowski to Johnson, to set up a 32-yard field goal by Mick Luckhurst to give the Falcons their first lead of the game at 24-21 with 3:37 left in regulation.

After another three-and-out by the Jets, the Falcons would begin their next possession at their 39-yard-line as a false start penalty and an incomplete pass would set up a 2nd & 15 when Johnson would strike one more time as he ran for 36 yards on an end-around to give Atlanta a 1st down at the New York 27-yard-line.

The Falcons would settle for a 40-yard field goal by Luckhurst to increase the Atlanta lead to 27-21 with 1:48 left in the game as the Jets would get one last chance to salvage from an embarrassing defeat.

But Todd would throw three straight incomplete passes to force a do-or-die 4th down situation where Todd was picked off by Falcons strong safety Tom Pridemore to seal the 27-21 win for the Falcons as they had pulled off the greatest comeback in team history by overcoming a 21-point deficit thanks to "White Shoes" who finished with four catches for 57 yards, three runs for 53 yards, and four punt returns for 116 yards.

The Jets would not return to the postseason as they would finish the season with a 7-9 record as Todd would be traded to the New Orleans Saints in the offseason, allowing for O'Brien to take over as the starting quarterback as would led New York to two playoff appearances in 1985 and 1986.

The Falcons would also finish with a 7-9 record as Johnson would be named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year as he would end the season with 64 catches for 709 yards and four touchdowns including a memorable game-winning Hail Mary touchdown catch on the final play of the Falcons' 28-24 win over the San Francisco 49ers(To read about that game, click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/11/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-white-shoes.html).

Johnson would play four more years for the Falcons, leading the team in receptions and yards in 1985 as he caught 62 passes for 830 yards, then would play one game for the Washington Redskins in 1988 which would be the final stop in "White Shoes" 14-year NFL career.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: The Catch(Clemson Version)

Jerry Butler makes "The Catch" for Clemson in their 1977 win over South Carolina.

When sports fans think of "The Catch" most of them either point to Dwight Clark's famous game-winning touchdown reception for the San Francisco 49ers as they defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the 1981 NFC Championship Game or Willie Mays' over the shoulder catch in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series to help the New York Giants defeat the Cleveland Indians.

But when someone mentions "The Catch" in the state of South Carolina, fans of both of the two major college football teams in the Palmetto state will think of Clemson Tigers wide receiver Jerry Butler's game-winning touchdown catch in the final minutes of the Tigers' 1977 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Clemson came into the game needed to defeat the Gamecocks to earn an invitation to play the Pittsburgh Panthers in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville on December 30th of that year which would be the first bowl game for the Tigers since 1959.

The Tigers were led by first-year head coach Charley Pell, whose offense was led by junior quarterback Steve Fuller and ironically Dwight Clark, who would only catch 32 passes during his career at Clemson as Butler, a junior, was the Tigers' leading receiver as he had caught 40 passes for 694 yards and three touchdowns.

While the Tigers were playing for a bowl game, South Carolina was looking to secure its third straight winning season under head coach Joe Corlen as the Gamecocks came into the "Palmetto Bowl" with a 5-5 record after starting out the season 3-0.

The South Carolina offense was led by senior quarterback Ron Bass or more famously known as "Sunshine" for the 1971 T.C. Williams Titans of Alexandria, Virginia that inspired the 2000 movie Remember The Titans and a plethron of running backs that featured 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers, who was the team's second leading rusher as a freshman in 1977.

 After both teams punted on their opening possessions of the game, the Tigers took over at their 10-yard-line as it took them eight plays just get to their 45-yard-line until Fuller ran for five yards on a quarterback option to the left side then lateraled the ball to running back Warren Ratchford who ran for 27 yards to complete the 32-yard play and give Clemson a 1st down at the South Carolina 23-yard-line.

Running back Marvin Sims would then get a carry as he ran for 19 yards to give Clemson a 1st & goal where Rutherford would cap off the 11-play, 90-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 6:36 left in the first quarter.

Clemson would get a golden opportunity to extend their lead when on the second play of the Gamecocks' ensuing possession, cornerback Roy Eppes would pick off a pass from Bass and return the interception 30 yards to the South Carolina 10-yard-line.

The Tigers would run the ball three straight times for a total of nine yards as Pell would take the points instead of going for it on 4th down as kicker Obed Ariri would make the 18-yard field goal to increase Clemson's lead to 10-0 with 3:59 remaining in the first quarter.

The Gamecocks would then drive from their 31-yard-line to the Tigers' 39-yard-line thanks in large part to a pair of 12-yard completions by Bass, first to Rogers and the latter to tight end Willie Scott, until running back Johnnie Wright fumbled the football as Clemson free safety Steve Ryan would make the recovery to give the Tigers the ball at their 33-yard-line.

From there, the Tigers would travel 67 yards in 14 plays, converting on four straight 3rd down conversions as Lester Brown would dive into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown to extend the Clemson lead to 17-0 with 9:39 to go in the second quarter.

Clemson quarterback Steve Fuller would complete 14 of 20 passes for 178 yards while running for 31 yards on 17 carries. 

South Carolina would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as the Gamecocks ran the ball on 14 consecutive plays for 63 yards until Bass threw a pass that was batted down by Tigers defensive tackle Jim Stuckey on a 3rd & 5 as Carlen would send in the field goal unit to get South Carolina on the scoreboard.

But Britt Parish's 34-yard field goal attempt would side right of the uprights as the Gamecocks came away with zero points after a drive which lasted for seven minutes as the Tigers would get begin their next drive at their 20-yard-line.

The Tigers seemed poised to add on to their lead especially after a 41-yard pass from Fuller to Butler put Clemson in South Carolina territory at the Gamecocks' 33-yard-line with over a minute to go before halftime.

However, the Tigers would turn it over on the next play from scrimmage as Ratchford would cough up the football thanks to a hit by Gamecocks linebacker David Prezioso as defensive lineman Bill Janus would recover the fumble at the South Carolina 44-yard-line.

Carolina would try to get into field goal range before the end of the half but Bass would throw his second interception of the game as cornerback Rex Varn picked off a pass intended for wide receiver Phillip Logan to allow the Tigers to run out the clock on the first half and go into the locker room still ahead 17-0.

Midway through the third quarter, it appeared that the Tigers had put up the knockout punch as running back Ken Calicutt busted through a hole provided by guard Jon Bostic and ran for a 52-yard touchdown to push the Clemson lead to 24-0.

After an exchange of three-and-outs, the Gamecocks had the ball at their 14-yard-line when Bass completed a nine-yard pass to Rogers which was followed by an incomplete pass to set up 3rd & 1 when Bass ran a quarterback option to the right side and tossed the ball to running back Spencer Clark who outran the Clemson defense for a 77-yard touchdown to give South Carolina their first points of the game and trim the deficit to 24-7 with 3:58 to go in the third quarter.

The Tigers would begin their next possession at their 35-yard-line as Fuller completed passes of 17 yards to wide receiver Rick Waddington and 10 yards to Dwight Clark to help Clemson drive to the South Carolina 27-yard-line until Fuller pitched the ball behind Brown, leading to a recovery by defensive lineman Fred Sinclair to give the Gamecocks the ball at their 33-yard-line.

Three plays later, Bass would complete a 40-yard pass to Logan to put South Carolina at the Clemson 11-yard-line when running back Steve Dorsey took a handoff from Bass and ran up the middle for the touchdown to cut Tigers' lead to 24-14 just 37 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The Gamecocks kept the momentum on their side as they forced a three-and-out from the Clemson offense then got the ball at the Tigers' 39-yard-line after Dave Sims' punt only went 10 yards.

South Carolina would keep the ball on the ground as they ran the ball on 10 out of the 11 plays of their drive which ended with another touchdown run by Dorsey, this one from one yard out to make it a 24-20 game as the Gamecocks would go for two after the touchdown.

Bass would complete a pass to Scott but the tight end was out of bounds making the pass incomplete and keeping the score at 24-20 in favor of the Tigers with 7:02 to play in the game.

Clemson would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Gamecocks as Sims shanked another punt, this one going for 18 yards as South Carolina would take over at their 48-yard-line with a little over four minutes to play and a chance to take the lead with a touchdown.

Three straight running plays picked up 12 yards and a fresh set of downs at the Clemson 40-yard-line when Bass threw three straight incomplete passes to force a do-or-die 4th & 10 with 2:01 remaining when Bass threw a pass over the middle that was caught by Logan some 20 yards downfield, who then was able to break a couple of Clemson tackles to run into the end zone for the 40-yard touchdown.

It was the fourth touchdown for the Gamecocks in a span of 16 minutes and 10 seconds as they had wiped away a 24-point deficit to take their first lead of the game at 27-24 with 1:48 left to play in the game.

With their Gator Bowl hopes on the line, the Tigers would begin their next drive at their 33-yard-line after a 26-yard return by wide receiver Willie Jordan on the ensuing kickoff as Clemson had all three timeouts and 99 seconds to drive down the field for the go-ahead touchdown.

The drive would begin with an one-yard run by Fuller followed by a two-yard pass to Ratchford to bring up 3rd & 7 when Fuller connected with Waddington for a 26-yard completion to give Clemson a 1st down at the South Carolina 38-yard-line.

After throwing a pass out of bounds to stop the clock, Fuller would find Dwight Clark over the middle for 18 yards to move the chains as Clemson would have a 1st down at the Gamecocks' 20-yard-line with less than a minute to play.

That is when Fuller took the snap and drifted to his left side when he threw a pass toward the end zone for Butler that was too high and behind the wide receiver.

But Butler would contort his body to make the catch for the 20-yard touchdown to culminate the five-play, 67-yard drive and give Clemson a 31-27 lead with 49 seconds to go in the game.

The Gamecocks would get one last chance to pull out the win as an excessive celebration penalty and a 26-yard kickoff return by Rogers gave South Carolina the ball at their 49-yard-line.

However, Bass would throw four straight incomplete passes to force a turnover on downs as Fuller would take a knee to run out the clock as the Tigers had secured their first bowl game in 18 years with their 31-27 victory over the Gamecocks.

South Carolina would play one more game in 1977 as they traveled to Hawaii to take on the Rainbow Warriors where the Gamecocks would fall 24-7 to finish the '77 season with a 5-7 record while Clemson would be routed by Pitt 34-3 in the Gator Bowl to finish the season with a 8-3-1 record and #19 ranking in the final AP poll.

As for Butler, he would return to Clemson for his senior season where he led the Tigers with 58 catches for 908 yards to help Clemson win its first ACC championship in 11 years as the Clemson went 11-1 and finished #6 in the AP poll after a 17-15 win over Ohio State in the Gator Bowl, the infamous game where a Clemson player was punched by Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes.

Butler would then be chosen by the Buffalo Bills with the #5 pick in the 1979 NFL Draft where Butler would spend his entire eight-year NFL career as he caught 278 passes for 4,301 yards and scored 29 touchdowns.