NFL Old School Game of the Week: LA Chargers Clinch AFL West Division Title in Shootout

In 2017, the Chargers moved from San Diego to Los Angeles after spending 56 years in San Diego.
The Chargers' relocation to Los Angeles was actually a return trip to the "City of Angels" as they spent their very first season of existence in LA in the inaugural year of the American Football League, which began play in 1960.
The Chargers played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with Sid Gillman as head coach and Jack Kemp at quarterback for that first season where despite an winning record were unable to draw fans as no more than 10,000 spectators would show up to see the upstart Chargers play in a 100,000 seat stadium.
This led owner Barron Hilton to seek relocation even while the Chargers were closing on the AFL Western Division championship and a spot in the first AFL Championship Game as they faced the Denver Broncos in the next-to-last week of the season.
Denver had started out the season strong, winning four of their first six games, before going on a six-game winless streak with a 38-38 tie being the only non-loss as the 4-7-1 Broncos traveled to LA to face off with the Chargers, who entered the game with a 8-4 record and needing just one more win to clinch the AFL West Division.
The Broncos got the ball to start the game and in two plays drove from their 22-yard-line to the Chargers' 42-yard-line as quarterback Frank Tripucka completed a 17-yard pass to Lionel Taylor which was followed by a 21-yard run by Dave Rolle.
Denver would come up one yard short of making another 1st down so they called on running back Gene Mingo to kick a 41-yard field goal, which he made to give the Broncos a early 3-0 lead.
After holding the Chargers to a three-and-out, the Broncos got the ball back at the 50-yard-line where on 2nd & 9, Tripucka found Taylor for a 49-yard touchdown to push the Denver lead to 10-0 with 9:46 to go in the first quarter.
However, the Chargers would strike back quickly as it took them two plays to get into the end zone as Kemp hit Don Norton for a 29-yard pass to the Broncos' 39-yard-line, then found Howie Ferguson for a 39-yard touchdown to bring cut the Denver lead to 10-7, just 28 seconds after Taylor's touchdown.
The Broncos got the ball back at their 20-yard-line and make one 1st down until Rolle fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Chargers defensive back Jimmy Sears at the Denver 32-yard-line.
From there, Kemp scrambled for 25 yards to set up 1st & goal at the seven-yard-line where running back Paul Lowe would run for four yards on 1st down, then for three yards and the touchdown on 2nd down to give the Chargers a 14-10 lead with 6:05 left in the first quarter.

Chargers running back Paul Lowe carried the ball 19 times for 106 yards and scored one touchdown.

After both teams punted on their next possessions, the Broncos took over at their two-yard-line as they put together a 12-play, 98-yard drive which extended into the second quarter and was capped off with an one-yard touchdown run by Ringo to give the lead back to Denver at 17-14 with 12:36 left in the second quarter.
The Broncos were given a great chance to extend their lead when defensive lineman Don King intercepted a Kemp pass to set the Denver offense up at the Chargers' 11-yard-line.
However, the Chargers defense would stiffen and allow a 1st down, forcing the Broncos to settle for a 12-yard field goal by Mingo(the goalposts were at the goal line in 1960) which did increase Denver's lead to 20-14, but gave some relief to LA as they dodged the Broncos pushing the lead back to double digits.
The Chargers would get the ball back at their 26-yard-line on the ensuing possession and went to Lowe to drive them into Broncos territory as he carried the ball on the first two plays of the drive for 30 yards to start the drive, then for 15 more to give the Chargers a 1st down at the Broncos' 29-yard-line.
Then after Kemp scrambled for 16 yards on 2nd & 6 to give LA a 1st & goal at the nine-yard-line, Lowe would get the ball again, only to be dropped to for a three-yard-loss.
But LA would quickly recover as Kemp completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to Royce Womble to give the Chargers a 21-20 lead midway through the second quarter.
The Broncos seemed to poise to be ready to retake the lead as Mingo returned the ensuing kickoff 47 yards to the Denver 47-yard-line, only to have Don Allen fumble the ball at the end of a five-yard run, which was recovered by Chargers safety Bob Zeman, giving LA the ball back at their 48-yard-line.
From there, Kemp would complete three of four passes for 31 yards to set up a 23-yard field goal by Ben Agajanian to extend the LA lead to 24-20 with 2:46 left in the first half.
The Broncos would begin their next possession at their 33-yard-line where it took them only one play to drive into Chargers territory as Tripucka connected with Taylor for a 39-yard-pass to give Denver a 1st down at the LA 28-yard-line, which was followed by a pass interference penalty on LA to put the Broncos at the 12-yard-line.
But like they did earlier in the second quarter, the Chargers defense would stiffen and not allow a 1st down, forcing the Broncos to settle for a chip shot field goal which Mingo made from 13 yards out to cut the LA lead to 24-23 with 1:45 left before halftime.
The Chargers would hold the ball for the rest of the half not mounting a scoring threat as they went into the locker room with a 24-23 lead as LA would get the ball to start the second half.
Starting from their 15-yard-line, the Chargers drove to the Broncos' 46-yard-line until Kemp was picked off by Denver defensive back Bob McNamara on a pass intended for Ferguson.
McNamara's 19-yard return set up the Broncos at the Chargers' 46-yard-line but the Denver offense could only pick up five more yards, forcing them to settle for a 49-yard field goal which would be attempted by Tripucka, instead of Mingo.
Tripucka's kick was short and caught by Dick Harris at the three-yard-line, who returned it 22 yards to the Chargers' 25-yard-line.
However, LA would go three-and-out, punting the ball back to the Broncos, who took over at the Chargers' 45-yard-line where it took them four plays to get into the end zone as Tripucka completed three of four passes, the last one being a 21-yard touchdown pass to Jim Greer to put Denver back on top, 30-24 with just 5:29 left in the third quarter.

Frank Tripucka(18) completed nine passes for 171 yards and a touchdown to Lionel Taylor(87).

The Chargers would respond with an eight-play, 43-yard drive that was capped off with a 40-yard field goal by Agajanian which cut the Broncos' lead in half to 30-27 with just 1:14 to go in the third quarter.
The Broncos would take over at their 20-yard-line and were in danger of going three-and-out as they faced a 3rd & 6 from their 24-yard-line until Mingo ran for 11 yards and a 1st down, which was followed by a nine-yard pass from Tripucka to Taylor, then a 30-yard pass to Ken Carpenter for another Denver 1st down at the Chargers' 24-yard-line.
But after Rolle ran for five yards on 1st down, Tripucka threw two straight incomplete passes, forcing the Broncos to settle for their 4th field goal of the game, a 28-yarder by Mingo which increased the Denver lead to 33-27.
After both teams went three-and-out on their next possessions, the Chargers would get the ball at the Broncos' 35-yard-line after George Herring's punt went only 20 yards.
From there, the Chargers methodically drove down the field as Kemp only threw two passes on an nine-play drive which culminated with an one-yard touchdown run by Kemp that with Agajanian's extra point gave LA a 34-33 lead with 6:53 to go in the game.
The Broncos got the ball back at their 17-yard-line and appeared on their way to drive for the go-ahead score as Mingo and Rolle combined for 15 yards on the first two plays of the drive.
But on 2nd & 10 from the Denver 32-yard-line, Tripucka was intercepted by Chargers defensive end Maury Schleicher on a screen pass intended for Jim Greer and returned it five yards to the Broncos' 20-yard-line.
Three plays later, the Chargers were back in the end zone as Kemp hit Don Norton on a 15-yard touchdown pass to extend the LA lead to 41-33 with 5:02 to go.

Chargers quarterback Jack Kemp completed accounted for 252 yards of offense(205 passing, 47 rushing) and four touchdowns(three passing, one rushing).

Unlike the NFL, the AFL had the two-point conversion so the Broncos could get a touchdown and go for two in hopes of sending the game into overtime instead of needing two scores to win the game.
But after three plays netted only one yard, the Broncos decided to punt the ball away, hoping their defense would force a stop to give their offense the ball back with a chance to tie the game.
However on 2nd & 5 from the Chargers' 49-yard-line, Lowe would run for 14 yards to pick up a critical 1st down, allowing for the Chargers to run more time off the clock.
Three more plays gained only five yards, setting up a 4th & 5 at the Denver 32-yard-line.
But with only a handful of seconds to go, the Chargers decided to go for the 1st down in hopes of sealing the victory.
However, Fred Ford would only pick up one yard, forcing a turnover on downs and giving the Broncos one last chance to come up with a miracle touchdown.
But Tripucka's desperation pass was picked off by LA linebacker Ron Botchan to seal the 41-33 win and the AFL Western Division title for the Chargers.
While the Broncos would lose thier final game of the season, a 48-10 rout to the Oakland Raiders, the Chargers would play in the inaugural AFL Championship Game against the Houston Oilers, which the Chargers lost 24-16.
A few weeks after the AFL Title Game, the Chargers announced they would move to San Diego and play at Balboa Stadium, a 23, 000 seat stadium which was raised to 34, 000 to accommodate the Chargers.
San Diego would embrace the Chargers as they would the AFL West Division in four of the next five years and the AFL Championship in 1963.
The Chargers would remain in San Diego until 2017 when they moved back to Los Angeles, where they would play at the 30,000 seat StubHub Center in Carson before moving into the new Los Angeles Stadium in 2020.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Seahawks Overcome Thomas' 7 Sacks & Win on Buzzer Beater TD

Derrick Thomas would set the NFL record for most quarterback sacks in a single NFL game in the Chiefs' 1990 game with the Seattle Seahawks.

Most times when a player has a record-breaking performance in a game, his team usually wins that game.
However that was not the case in the game between the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs in week 10 of the 1990 NFL season as Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas would break the record for most quarterback sacks in a NFL game.
The Chiefs entered their game with their division rivals(The Seattle Seahawks were in the AFC West from 1977-2001) with a 5-3 record and hopes for a trip to the playoffs under head coach Marty Schottenheimer, who had became the Chiefs' head coach in 1989 after 4 1/2 seasons as head coach of the Cleveland Browns.
Also arriving in Kansas City at the same time as Schottenheimer was Thomas, who was selected with #4 overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft.
Thomas would have a fantastic rookie season as he recorded 10 quarterback sacks, earning him NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and a trip to the Pro Bowl, the first time that a Kansas City linebacker had been selected to the Pro Bowl as a rookie since Hall-of-Famer Bobby Bell did it in 1963.
The Chiefs finished the 1989 season with a 8-7-1 record, just one game short of the playoffs.
Kansas City seemed poised to make it to the playoffs in 1990 thanks to their defense which had given up a touchdown or less in three games and Thomas coming up with eight quarterback sacks up to this point.
Their opponent for week 10 of the 1990 NFL season, were the Seattle Seahawks, who had gotten off to a 0-3 start only to win three of their previous five games, which included a 19-7 win over the Chiefs in the Kingdome three weeks earlier.
But if the Seahawks were going to continue to climb out of the hole they had dug themselves earlier in the season, they were going to have do something they had never done under head coach Chuck Knox, who was in his eighth year as the Seahawks' head coach, and that is beat the Chiefs in Kansas City, something that had not been done by the Seahawks since the 1980 season.
 After forcing the Chiefs to punt on their opening drive, the Seahawks got the ball at their nine-yard-line.
Seattle was able to drive to their 38-yard-line until a holding penalty on right tackle Ronnie Lee pushed the Seahawks back 10 yards to their 28-yard-line where they faced a 3rd & 20 situation.
That is when Thomas struck for the first time in the game, sacking quarterback Dave Krieg for a five-yard-loss to force a Seattle punt.
The Chiefs would pick one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Seahawks, who took over at their 15-yard-line.
On 3rd & 10, Thomas would again sack Krieg, almost giving the Chiefs two points in the process as Krieg was dropped at the one-yard-line, just barely avoiding a safety that would have given Kansas City a 2-0 lead.
Nevertheless, the Chiefs were already in range for a field goal following the Seattle punt as the Kansas City offense took over at the Seahawks' 20-yard-line.
The drive would began with running back Barry Word running for 12 yards on the first play of the drive, which was followed by a five-yard run that set up 3rd & 5 where quarterback Steve DeBerg hit Stephone Paige for six yards to set up 1st & goal at the nine-yard-line as the first quarter came to a close.
The Chiefs seemed to poised to score a touchdown as the "Nigerian Nightmare" running back Christian Okoye ran for six yards on 1st & goal, only to have Word get dropped for a four-yard loss on 2nd down, which was followed by an incomplete pass on 3rd down, leading to a 25-yard field goal by Nick Lowery to give Kansas City a 3-0 lead with 13:02 left in the second quarter.
The Seahawks would take over at their 27-yard-line and after picking up a 1st down, Krieg connected with fullback John L. Williams for a 44-yard completion which put Seattle at the Kansas City 19-yard-line.
However after the play, Knox was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, pushing the Seahawks back 15 yards to the Chiefs' 34-yard-line.
Then on 3rd & 1 from the 25-yard-line, running back Derrick Fenner was stopped for no gain by Chiefs nose tackle Dan Saleaumua, forcing the Seahawks to settle for a 43-yard field goal by Norm Johnson which tied the game at 3 with 7:53 left in the second quarter.

Despite being sacked nine times(seven by Derrick Thomas) Dave Krieg would throw for 306 yards and two touchdown passes on 16-of-23 passing.

After both teams punted on their ensuing possessions, the Chiefs would get the ball back at their 34-yard-line with just 99 seconds left before halftime.
It seemed the Chiefs would pose for a three-and-out as the first two plays only netted one yard, until DeBerg hit Paige for 15 yards on 3rd & 9 to give Kansas City a 1st down at the 50-yard-line.
Then, DeBerg would hit Robb Thomas for back-to-back completions of eight yards each to give the Chiefs a 1st down at the Seattle 34-yard-line.
DeBerg would then complete a 11-yard pass to J.J. Birden for another 1st down at the Seahawks 23-yard-line, until DeBerg threw two straight incomplete passes to force a 3rd & 10 with just 17 seconds left in the half.
That is when the Chiefs surprised the Seahawks with a running play as Todd McNair ran for 11 yards before being knocked out of bounds at the 12-yard-line with 10 seconds left.
Rather than risk another play which could run out the clock, Schottenheimer called on Lowery to kick a 30-yard field goal which would give the Chiefs the lead.
Lowery's kick was true and the Chiefs went into halftime with a 6-3 lead.
The Seahawks would get the ball to start the second half as they began their initial drive of the half at their 24-yard-line.
On the first play of the drive, Krieg would hit Paul Skansi for a 21-yard completion to give Seattle a 1st down at their 45-yard-line.
Then on 3rd & 9 from the 46-yard-line, Kreig found Jeff Chadwick over the middle for a 54-yard touchdown to give the Seahawks a 10-6 lead just 2:27 into the third quarter.
The Chiefs would take over at their 20-yard-line and would go into "Martyball" mode as Okoye would carry the ball nine times for 42 yards on a 15-play, 74-yard drive that would take up nearly 10 minutes and culminate with a 24-yard field goal by Lowery which trimmed the Seattle to 10-9 with 2:46 left in the third quarter.

Christian Okoye would carry the ball 21 times for 85 yards.

The Seahawks would get the ball back at their 15-yard-line but would be put in precurious situation as Krieg was called for intentional on 2nd down, forcing the Seahawks to face a 3rd & 17 at their eight-yard-line.
That is when Thomas struck again as his third sack of the game forced a fumble that was recoverd by Saleauma for a touchdown to give Kansas City a 16-10 lead with 1:35 left in the third quarter.
Seattle got the ball back at their 25-yard-line and were able to drive to the Chiefs' 38-yard-line as the game went into the 4th quarter.
Following an incomplete pass on 1st down, Thomas picked up his fourth sack of the game as he dropped for Krieg for a 10-yard-loss, which was followed by another sack, this one by defensive end Neil Smith for a five-yard-loss, pushing Seattle back to its 47-yard-line and forcing them to punt the ball back to the Chiefs.
The Seahawks would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 24-yard-line and were able to pick up a 1st down as Krieg hit Williams for 10 yards on 2nd & 7 from the 27-yard-line.
But back-to-back penalties pushed the Seahawks back to their 17-yard-line where they faced a 1st & 30 situation.
Two plays picked up five yards until Krieg hit Brian Blades for 24 yards, but just one yard short of the 1st down at the Seattle 46-yard-line.
But with still over seven minutes to play, Knox decided to punt the ball back to the Chiefs in hopes his defense would make a stop.
They would forcing the Chiefs to punt the ball to the Seahawks, who took over at their 35-yard-line with 3:49 to go and all three timeouts left.
The drive got off to an auspicious start as Thomas sacked Krieg on the first play of the drive, dropping him for a seven-yard-loss and forcing 2nd & 17.
However, Krieg would rebound by hitting Fenner for six yards and then Williams for 23 yards to give the Seahawks a 1st down at the Chiefs' 43-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.
But the stoppage in play only give Thomas a chance to re-energize as he would sack Krieg on the next two plays tying and then breaking the NFL record for most quarterback sacks in a single game which had been previously held by Fred Dean as he sacked Saints quarterback Dave Wilson six times in a 27-0 win for the 49ers in 1983.
Now facing a 3rd & 26 from the Seattle 42-yard-line, Krieg completed a 20-yard pass to Tommy Kane, only to have Kane fumble the football after a hit by Chiefs cornerback Kevin Ross, which was recovered by linebacker Chris Martin, to give Kansas City the ball at their 41-yard-line with 75 seconds left.
But the Seahawks still had three timeouts, so the Chiefs needed to pick up a 1st down to put the game away.
However, they could not as the Seahawks forced a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 34-yard-line with 48 seconds left and no timeouts, needing a touchdown to pull out the win.
The drive began with Krieg completing a 16-yard pass to Williams which put Seattle at the 50-yard-line, which was followed by a 25-yard pass to Kane to the 25-yard-line as Krieg spiked the ball with four seconds left giving Seattle one last chance for a potential game-winning touchdown.
Lined up in the shotgun, Krieg took the snap and dropped back to pass, only to have Thomas prepare to sack him for the eighth time in the game.
However, Krieg was able to escape Thomas and fire a pass toward the end zone for Skansi, who jumped up to make the catch for a shocking touchdown as time expired to tie the game.

Still, the Seahawks needed to make the extra point to win the game in regulation.
Johnson would have no trouble making the extra point to give the Seahawks a shocking 17-16 victory for their first win in Kansas City in 10 years.
The win would spark a strong second half of the season as they would win five of their last seven games to finish with a 9-7 record, but it wasn't good enough to make the playoffs as they lost out on a tiebreaker with the Houston Oilers, who had complied a better conference(AFC) record than Seattle.
Following a 7-9 season in 1991, Knox would step down as Seahawks head coach and return to Los Angeles to coach the Rams for the next three seasons.
As for the Chiefs, they would recover from the heartbreaking loss to earn a Wild Card spot with a 10-6 record, but would fall to the Miami Dolphins 17-16 in the Wild Card round.
The Chiefs would make the playoffs six of the next seven seasons under Schottenheimer, with Thomas recording four seasons with at least 10 sacks during that time.
Thomas was still an active member with the Chiefs through the 1999 season until a car accident on January 23, 2000 left him paralyzed and then ultimately led to his death two weeks later on February 8th at the age of 33 years old.
Thomas was posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009 and had his #58 jersey retired by the Chiefs on December 6th of that year.
Even though his career and life were cut short, Thomas is considered one of the greatest pass rushers of all time.
His record for most quarterback sacks in one NFL game still stands to this day.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Colts Comeback To Beat Cowboys

Colts quarterback Jim Harbaugh lead Indianapolis back from a 18-point deficit to beat the Cowboys in 1996.

When NFL fans hear the words "Captain Comeback", the first thought that comes into these fans' minds is former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach who lead the Cowboys to 23 game-winning drives in the 4th quarter, with 17 of those coming in the final two minutes or overtime.
However, in the mid 1990s, the nickname "Captain Comeback" would be bestowed to Jim Harbaugh as he lead the Indianapolis Colts to several 4th quarter comeback wins during the 1995 season.
Ironically, the Colts' version of "Captain Comeback" would Indianapolis to a dramatic comeback win over the Cowboys in Dallas during week 3 of the 1996 NFL season.
Harbaugh and the Colts entered their game with the Cowboys with a 2-0 record to begin the season after coming off a magical 1995 season in which the Colts come within a Hail Mary touchdown of making it to the Super Bowl.
Seven of the Colts' 11 victories in 1995 were by a touchdown or less and included a pair of comeback victories where Harbaugh led Indianapolis back from 21-point deficits against the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, earning him the nickname "Captain Comeback".
While "Captain Comeback" was back, head coach Ted Marchibroda was not, as he stepped down following the 1995 season and was replaced by offensive coordinator Lindy Infante.
Even though they had a new coach, the Colts had high hopes for the 1996 season, but knew their trip to Dallas could be huge in determining what direction their season would go.
The Cowboys were the defending Super Bowl champions, which was their third Super Bowl title in four years, with the famed "Triplets" of quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, and wide receiver Michael Irvin, plus all-pro cornerback Deion Sanders, who joined the Cowboys for their run to the Super Bowl title in 1995.
But their quest for a fourth ring in five years got off to a rocky start as Irvin would miss the first five games of the season because of a suspension due to his no contest plea to a felony charge of cocaine possession and an embarrassing 22-6 loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football in the first week of the season.
Though they were 1-1 and had no Irvin, the Cowboys were 10-point favorites as the Colts were without their starting running back, Marshall Faulk, who was out because of a dislocated toe.
For much of the first half, it looked like the Cowboys were going to prove the oddsmakers right.

Troy Aikman would complete 17 of 27 passes for 184 yards and throw one touchdown pass.

The Colts got the ball to start the game as they began their opening possession from their 28-yard-line.
With the running of Crockett, who carried the ball five times for 25 yards, and Harbaugh connecting with Sean Dawkins on two 3rd down situations, the Colts drove all the way to the Cowboys' one-yard-line where they had 1st & goal.
That is when disaster nearly struck as Crockett fumbled the football after he was hit by Cowboys defensive tackle Tony Casillas, only to have Colts right tackle Jason Matthews recover the ball for Indy at the two-yard-line.
Then on 2nd & goal, the Colts had an apparent touchdown as Harbaugh found tight end Ken Dilger in the end zone for a two-yard touchdown pass, only to have Dilger be called for offensive pass interference, negating the touchdown and pushing the Colts 10 yards back to the 12-yard-line.
The Colts would be forced to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Cary Blanchard to give Indianapolis a 3-0 lead with 4:55 left in the first quarter.
Following the ensuing kickoff, the Cowboys would take over at their 33-yard-line for their first drive as Smith would carry the ball five times for 37 yards until Dallas was faced with a 4th & 1 at the Colts' five-yard-line.
Instead of going for the chip shot field goal, Switzer decided to go for the 1st down which worked in the Cowboys' favor as Aikman hit fullback Daryl "Moose" Johnston for a five-yard touchdown to give Dallas a 7-3 lead with nine seconds left in the first quarter.
The Colts would get the ball back at their 28-yard-line as the second quarter began when after Crockett ran for three yards on 1st down, Cowboys defensive end Tony Tolbert blind-sided Harbaugh, knocking the ball loose which was picked up by Sanders, who then scampered in for a 22-yard touchdown to increase Dallas' lead to 14-3, 51 seconds into the second quarter.
Following Sanders' touchdown, the Colts took over at their 30-yard-line and drove to the Cowboys' 44-yard-line until Harbaugh was picked off by Dallas defensive back Roger Harper, whose 15-yard return set up shop for the Cowboys at the 50-yard-line.
Eight plays later, the Cowboys were in the end zone again as Smith punched it in from the one-yard-line to increase the Cowboys' lead to 21-3 with 8:37 left in the second quarter.

Emmitt Smith would carry the ball 26 times for 101 yards and score one touchdown.

Even though they were down 18 points, the Colts knew they were not out of the game yet, especially with their comebacks from the year before, but needed a big play to give them a spark.
They got that on the ensuing kickoff as Aaron Bailey's 50-yard return put the Colts at the Cowboys' 45-yard-line.
After three plays picked up nine yards, the Colts were faced with a 4th & 1 at the Dallas' 36-yard-line when Infante decided to gamble and go for the 1st down.
It paid off as Harbaugh connected with Harrison for four yards and a 1st down at the Dallas' 32-yard-line, which was followed one play later by a 20-yard run by Clif Groce.
However, the Cowboys defense would stiffen and allow only five more yards, forcing the Colts to settle for another field goal by Blanchard, this one from 25 yards out, which cut the Dallas lead to 21-6 with 2:31 left before halftime.
Then, the Colts' defense would force a three-and-out to get the ball to Harbaugh and the offense at their 35-yard-line.
Two runs by Harbaugh for eight yards and three completed passes for 23 yards put the Colts at the Dallas' 35-yard-line and gave Blanchard a shot at a 52-yard field goal.
Blanchard would make the kick, cutting the deficit to 12 points at 21-9 as the first half came to a close.
Despite getting six points after being down 18, the Colts knew they had to make another big stop on defense as the Cowboys would get the ball to start the second half.
Indy would get that stop and get the ball back at their 34-yard-line as they would drive to the Dallas' 48-yard-line when Harbaugh threw a screen pass to tight end Marcus Pollard, who turned the short pass into a 48-yard touchdown which cut the Cowboys' lead to five points at 21-16 with 9:48 left in the third quarter.
Then after another three-and-out by the the Cowboys, the Colts would drive 78 yards in nine plays as Harbaugh hit on all four of his passes for 56 yards on the drive, culminating with a eight-yard touchdown pass to Dilger to give Indianapolis its first lead of the game, 22-21 with 2:42 left in the third quarter(The Colts attempted a two-point conversion but it failed).
After being held to just 27 yards and one 1st down on their previous four possessions, the Cowboys' offense awakened after Dilger's touchdown as Aikman hit Sanders for 11 yards to start the Cowboys' ensuing drive, then handed it off to Smith, who ran for 20 yards on back-to-back carries, which was followed by a 10-yard pass to Kelvin Martin to give Dallas a 1st down at the Colts' 36-yard-line as the third quarter came to an end.
The stoppage of play seem to give the energy the Colts defense needed as they would allow only one more yard on the next three plays, forcing the Cowboys to call on Chris Boniol to come on and attempt a a 52-yard field goal.
Boniol would make the kick to give the lead back to the Cowboys at 24-22 with 13:26 left in the 4th quarter.
Boniol's field goal seemed to give the Cowboys some momentum as the defense would sack Harbaugh twice on the Colts' ensuing possession, forcing a three-and-out to give the Dallas offense the ball back at their 36-yard-line.
After Smith picked up three yards on a 1st down run, he would catch a Aikman pass for 16 yards, only to have Smith fumble the football which was recovered by Colts linebacker Quentin Coryatt, who then returned it seven yards to the Cowboys' 49-yard-line.
However, the Colts could not take advantage of the turnover as Harbaugh was sacked again on the drive for the Colts' second straight three-and-out, forcing them to punt the ball back to the Cowboys, who took over at their 14-yard-line, with a chance to put the game away.
The drive began with a 21-yard pass from Aikman to tight end Eric Bjornson to give Dallas a 1st down at their 35-yard-line.
From there, the Cowboys heavily relied on Smith, as he carried the ball seven times for 23 yards to help lead the Cowboys to the Colts' 22-yard-line to set up a 40-yard field goal attempt by Boniol that would make a five-point game and force the Colts to need a touchdown to win the game.
But Boniol's kick bounced off the left upright and was no good, keeping it a 24-22 game as the Colts took over at their 30-yard-line with 2:48 to go and one timeout in their pocket.
After a one-yard run by Crockett to start the drive, Harbaugh would connect with Dilger for 26 yards and a 1st down at the Dallas' 43-yard-line.
On the next play from scrimmage, Harbaugh found Crockett for 18 yards, putting the Colts in Blanchard's range at the Cowboys' 25-yard-line.
The Cowboys defense would hold the Colts to minus one yard on the next three plays, forcing Blanchard to attempt a 43-yard field goal with under a minute to go.
Blanchard would calmly hit the 43-yard kick to give the Colts a 25-24 lead with 51 seconds left in the game.

Cary Blanchard would hit on four of his field goal attempts, including the game-winning 43-yard field goal with 51 seconds to go.

With no timeouts in their pocket and starting at their 20-yard-line, the Cowboys' attempt to drive into field goal range got off to an auspicious start as Aikman would throw two straight incomplete passes to start the drive.
But on 3rd & 10, Aikman would find Kevin Williams for a 22-yard completion and a 1st down at the Dallas 42-yard-line.
Then after spiking the ball, Aikman would connect with Martin for 19 more yards and another 1st down at the Colts' 40-yard-line before spiking the ball again with six seconds to play.
Rather risking another play that would run out the clock, Switzer called for the field goal as Boniol would come on to attempt a 57-yard field goal that if successful would give the Cowboys the win.
Boniol's kick was on target as it was down the middle and appeared to have the distance, only for the ball to bounce the crossbar and no good as time expired, allowing for the Colts to escape with the 25-24 win.
The loss dropped the Cowboys to 1-2, but they would recover to finish the season with a 10-6 record, which included a 21-6 win over the Green Bay Packers where Boniol tied the then-NFL record for most field goals made in a game with seven, as Dallas would win its fifth straight NFC East title.
The Cowboys would rout the Minnesota Vikings 40-15 in the Wild Card Round, but would be eliminated by the Carolina Panthers 26-17 in the Divisional Round.
The following season, the Cowboys would go 6-10, their first losing season since 1990, which resulted in the firing of Switzer as head coach.
As for the Colts, the comeback win pushed them to 3-0 as they would win the following week to push their record to 4-0.
However, a four-game losing streak in the middle of the season would ultimately lead the Colts to a 9-7 record, but still good enough for a Wild Card spot in the playoffs, though they would be one-and-done as they would be smashed by the Steelers 42-14 in their Wild Card game.
Just like the Cowboys, the Colts would fall off the map in 1997 as they fell to a 3-13 record, which led to the firing of Infante as head coach, but earned them the #1 pick, which they used to select Peyton Manning.
That pick would lead to Harbaugh leaving Indianapolis and signing with the Baltimore Ravens for the 1998 season where he started 12 games before playing his final two NFL seasons with the San Diego Chargers.
Harbaugh would retire after the 2000 season with 26, 288 passing yards and 129 touchdown passes.

Battle of the Network Stars 2018 Edition

Last year, ABC brought back the classic sports competition show, Battle of the Network Stars, which saw stars from the three TV networks(ABC, CBS,NBC) compete in various sports such as swimming, football, and track.
But the reboot bombed as the new version did not include any current stars and instead had very few participants from current TV shows and comprised its teams of mostly former participants from the original BOTNS.
I wrote a series of articles about BOTNS including one that had teams comprised of participants on current TV shows titled If The BOTNS Reboot Had Current Stars (click on the highlighted text to read that article).
So while the new BOTNS did not get a second season, I have decided to write another hypothetical edition of Battle of the Network Stars with the five broadcast networks(ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW).
Each team is comprised of four men and four women as they would participate in the sports that were used on the original version(Swimming, Kayaking, 3-on-3 Football, Baseball Dunk Tank, Obstacle Course, Bike Relay, Running Relay, and Tug-of-War).
In picking the celebrities, I tried to pick the one with the most athletic experience as possible or the biggest stars from the biggest shows.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this fantasy edition of Battle of the Network Stars.
ABC
Nathan Fillion, The Rookie(captain)

While Fillion has no background in sports and his workout routine is unknown, Nathan gets chosen as the captain of the ABC team as he is currently on his third series for the network.
Fillion was part of the cast of the late 90s sitcom Two Guys, A Girl, and A Pizza Place, playing Johnny Donnelly, the love interest of the girl, Sharon Carter played by Traylor Howard, then would return to ABC in 2009 with the hit crime drama Castle.
He is now currently playing John Nolan, a 40-yard man who is a rookie cop on the new show The Rookie.
Michael Fishman, The Connors

Fishman, who returned to the role of D.J. Connor this past spring on the Roseanne reboot before it morphed into The Conners, would be one of the strongest athletes in the entire competition since Fishman played independent baseball in Mexico and Japan in between the end of Roseanne's first run in 1997 and its revival in the spring of 2018.
Fishman is still involved in baseball as he coaches baseball and softball clinics for under privileged youths.
Jason George, Station 19

Since 2010, George has played the role of Ben Warren, a surgeon on the long-running medical drama Grey's Anatomy before deciding to trade in his scrubs for a firesuit to became a firefighter on the firehouse drama which premiered in the spring of 2018.
Anyway, George is an natural selection for the ABC team as he enjoys to run track and and play football, which are two sports that would be played in the BOTNS, plus is trained in stage combat and fight choreography.
Freddie Highmore, The Good Doctor

After playing a young Norman Bates on A&E series Bates Hotel, Highmore has transitioned into his role as the autistic surgeon Dr. Shaun Murphy on the medical drama The Good Doctor.
Highmore is an avid soccer fan and loves to play soccer in his spare time, so I think Highmore would be a perfect selection for the ABC team.
Leighton Meester, Single Parents

Some of these choices can be considered as eye candy and Meester definitely qualifies as eye candy for this competition.

Despite that, the former Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl who now plays single mother Angie D'Amato on the first-year sitcom Single Parents, could perform very well in this competition as her workout routine includes cycling and swimming.

Mary McCormack, The Kids Are Alright

While she has no background in sports, McCormack, who is currently playing Peggy Cleary on the sitcom set in the 1970s, The Kids Are Alright, earns a spot on this team because she participated on an episode of last year's BOTNS revival and did very well.
Here are some highlights of McCormack in action:

Caterina Scorosne, Grey's Anatomy

Playing the role of Patrick Dempsey's famed "McDreamy"'s sister, Scorosne has been a part of the Grey's Anatomy franchise since 2010, actually starting on the spinoff Private Practice before moving up to Seattle to Grey's as a regular member since 2014.
Scorosne would be great for the ABC team as she is a qualified canoe instructor which would make a easy choice for the kayak team and also enjoys swimming, so she also could help on the swimming relay.
Constance Wu, Fresh Off the Boat

Wu had a good year in 2018 with her role in the surprise box office hit Crazy Rich Asians as the female lead.
But for the past four years, Wu has played Jessica Huang, the matriarch of the Huang family on the sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, the first show since Margaret Cho's All American Girl back in 1994.
Anyway, Wu earns a spot on this team because of her love for long distance running, which would make a strong member for the relay portion of the competition.
CBS
Maria Bello, NCIS

In her second season as Dr. Jacqueline Sloane on the long-running crime drama, Bello earns a spot on this team because she practices Muay Thai kickboxing to keep her 51-year-old body in shape.
She was also a cheerleader at Archbishop John Carroll High School in Philadelphia and said her favorite memory from making The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor  was playing football with 15 stunt men dressed as mummies.
David Boreanaz, SEAL Team(Captain)

Even though he's approaching 50, Boreanaz earns the captain spot not just because of his athletic background but because of his dedication to stay in shape for his role as Jason Hayes, the leader of Bravo Team on SEAL Team.
Since playing for his high school's football team as an offensive end and defensive back, Boreanaz has kept his body in shape by boxing, biking, and playing a lot of ice hockey.
Kaley Cuoco, The Big Bang Theory

Ever since she was three years old, Cuoco has been in love with the game of tennis, even becoming an nationally ranked amateur player before giving up the sport at 16 years old and focusing on acting.

Even though she is no longer an active player, Cuoco still plays in many celebrity tennis tournaments.

In her addition to her tennis background, Cuoco loves to kickbox in her spare time to got those killer abs in the photo above.

Jay Hernandez, Magnum P.I.

I figure since the original Magnum P.I., Tom Selleck, was on the original BOTNS, it would make sense from the new Magnum be on this hypothetical BOTNS.

To get in shape to play the famous private investigator in Hawaii, Hernandez uses a workout routine that includes aerobics, yoga, and swimming.

Bridget Monyahan, Blue Bloods

Monyahan might be the best female athlete in this competition, not because she dated Tom Brady before he married Gisele Bundchen, but because she keeps in shape by running, riding her bike, and playing tennis.
Plus during her years at Longmeadow High School in Massachusetts, she was the captain of the girls' soccer, basketball, and lacrosse teams.
Shemar Moore, SWAT

Moore is an easy choice for this team as he went to Santa Clara University on a baseball scholarship as he was a pitcher with a 93 miles per hour fastball that helped him get drafted by the Boston Red Sox, then again by the Baltimore Orioles.
But tendinitis in his arm and knee forced to drop baseball and lead him into acting, but I think he would be an obvious pick to throw for the baseball dunk tank segment.
Eric Christian Olsen, NCIS: Los Angeles

Much like David Boreanaz, Olsen is a huge fan of ice hockey and was an all-star player at Bettendorf High School in Bettendorf, Iowa.
Olsen has been able to keep in shape thanks to his older brother, David Paul, who is an former Navy SEAL and acts as Eric's stunt double on NCIS: LA.
Missy Pergerym, FBI

Pergerym, who plays Special Agent Maggie Bell on the crime drama FBI, would be one of the best female athletes in this hypothetical BOTNS as Pergerym played several sports in high school such as soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey plus coached high school basketball before becoming an actress.
She still plays the occasional soccer game in her spare time as well as snowboarding.
NBC
Freeman Agyeman, New Amsterdam

The former Doctor Who companion during the David Tennant years(2006-10), Agyeman now plays Dr. Helen Sharpe on the first year medical drama New Amsterdam.
Agyeman qualifies for this team because of her childhood hobbies which included martial arts, gymnastics, and studying dance which allowed her to perform many of the action scenes during years on Doctor Who.
Jaimie Alexander, Blindspot

Alexander has become of one of the top female action stars thanks to her role as Lady Sif in the first two Thor movies and as the mysterious "Jane Doe" on Blindspot since 2015.
Alexander might be the toughest female in the whole competition as she was on her high school wrestling's team and trained with Navy SEALS to get ready for her role on Blindspot.
Plus, she rides a motorcycle.
Kristen Bell-The Good Place

Bell plays Eleanor Shellstrop in the sitcom The Good Place which takes place in the afterlife, though she is still Veronica Mars and the voice of Anna in Frozen to most fans.
Anyway, Bell gets picked because during her youth she played on an all-boys baseball team as well as street hockey and now uses SoulCycle, the indoor cycling factory which would make her a great pick for the cycling portion.
Justin Hartley-This Is Us(captain)

Playing the present day Kevin Pearson, Hartley earns the captain spot because of his years at Carl Sandberg High School outside of Chicago where he played baseball, basketball, and soccer.
While Hartley is an established actor, he still loves to play basketball in his spare time.
LaRoyce Hawkins-Chicago P.D.

Hawkins, who plays officer Kevin Atwater on one of Dick Wolf's three dramas set in Chicago, was originally recruited to Thornton High School outside of Chicago, ironically, to play basketball, but gave that up during his sophomore year and joined the speech team which lead him into acting.
Still, I think Hawkins' background in basketball would be a vital part to the NBC team.
Miranda Rae Mayo-Chicago Fire

Currently in her third season as firefighter Stella Kidd on Chicago Fire, Mayo earns a spot on this team thanks to her workout routine which includes running and cycling, which are two sports that would be included on this hypothetical BOTNS.
J.R. Ramirez-Manifest

Ramirez plays New York police detective Jared Vazquez on the show that has been described as new version of Lost.
J.R. gets a spot on this team as he took boxing and karate classes when he was young as well as playing tennis and basketball.
Brian Tee-Chicago Med

Before going into acting which would lead him to the role of Dr. Ethan Choi, Tee was the captain of the Glen A. Wilson High School football team in Hacinda Heights, California, which is 20 miles outside of Los Angeles.
Fox
Jamie Chung-The Gifted

Chung has come a long way from being a member on The Real World back in 2004 to a bona fide badass as she plays Blink, a mutant who can teleport, on a show based off the X-Men comics.

But before her role on The Gifted, Chung studied Tae Kwon Do for her role in the 2012 martial arts movie The Man With The Iron Fists  and trained with Navy SEALS for her role in 2011's Sucker Punch.

So Chung should be in tip-top shape for this version of BOTNS.

Matt Czuchry-The Resident

Much like his counterpart Shemar Moore of CBS, Czuchry was a former college athlete as he was captain of the tennis team at the College of Charleston.
While tennis would not be included in this fantasy edition of BOTNS, Czuchry's background in tennis would still make him one of the stronger athletes in the competition.
Taraji P.Henson-Empire

Henson's star has become bigger with her portrayal of the outspoken Cookie Lyon on Empire, though she has been on a member of previous shows such as Boston Legal and Person of Interest.
Henson has no history of playing sports or dance but she works out every day for two hours lifting weights as one article stated she can lift 185 pounds.
Peter Krause-911(captain)

Even though he is early 50s, Krause earns the captain spot for the FOX team because he "works out like crazy" according to his girlfriend, former Parenthood co-star Lauren Graham.
Plus, Krause was a gymnast and track & field star during his high school days in Minnesota until a knee injury on a pole vault steered him into acting.
Ben McKenzie-Gotham

Though Gotham enters its final season, McKenzie still earns a spot on this team because of his background in football as he played wide receiver and defensive back for high school football team in Austin, Texas, where he played with New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
Michael Michele-Star

Much like Krause, Michele is her early 50s, but that doesn't mean she would be a pushover on BOTNS as she was a versatile athlete in high school as she played basketball, volleyball, and ran track.
Plus, it is said that when she was on the 90s medical drama ER, she would often shoot hoops in between takes.
Adrianne Palicki-The Orville

Palicki was gained a reputation as a female badass with her roles as Lady Jaye in 2013's G.I. Joe: Retribution and Mockingbird on ABC's Agents of SHIELD as well as a part in the first John Wick movie in 2014 before joining Seth McFarlane's sci-fi comedy The Orville as Commander Kelly Grayson.
Plus, she was supposed to play Wonder Woman for NBC, but the show did not get picked up.
You figure with all those hard hitting action roles that Palicki would be a strong athlete but it doesn't end there.
In high school, Palicki played basketball and ran track, so she should be one of the best athletes in the whole competition.
Seann William Scott-Lethal Weapon

The man famous for playing Stifler in the American Pie movies, Scott joined the cast of Lethal Weapon, this year as Wesley Cole, Murtaugh's new partner.
Anyway, Scott gets picked for the Fox team because of his participation in the 2009 Drambuie Pursuit, a sporting event which features kayaking, mountain biking, and rock climbing.
Even Scott is able to do that, then BOTNS should be a piece of cake for him.
CW
Jensen Ackles, Supernatural

As long as Supernatural  remains on the air(its in its 14th season), Ackles would be an obvious choice for the CW team on BOTNS because he was a member of his high school's baseball and lacrosse teams and is a huge basketball fan and fan of the Dallas Cowboys.
Stephen Amell, Arrow(captain)

Even though he did not play any sports in his high school years, Amell gets selected as the captain of the CW team because of his recent participation in professional wrestling.
Amell wrestled a match at WWE's Summerslam back in 2015, then again for Ring of Honor in November 2017, and again in an independent event called All In this year.
Amell also partake in an celebrity episode of American Ninja Warrior in 2017, completing the entire obstacle course.
Melissa Benoist, Supergirl

When you play the Girl of Steel, you should be in tiptop shape and Benoist is, so that gives her a spot on this team.
Benoist works out 3-6 days a week for her role as Supergirl with a workout that includes yoga, Pilates, and running as well as riding a bike.
Plus, Benoist has a background in dancing as she started taking dance classes when she was she three years old in jazz, ballet, and tap.
Grant Gustin, The Flash

Gustin completes the trifecta of CW superheroes(Green Arrow, Supergirl, The Flash)  the Scarlet Speedster makes the team thanks to his workout routine where he works out with an Olympic running trainer to get in shape.
Also, Gustin is an classically trained tap dancer as he took up the art when he was 10 years old.
Sarah Jeffrey, Charmed

Like her teammate Gustin, Jeffrey, who is one of the three witches on the new version of the former WB show Charmed, has a background in dance as she started taking dance classes when she was three and in her spare time performs with the professional dance team known as "Body".
Camilla Mendes, Riverdale

Mendes plays Veronica Lodge in CW's adaptation of the famous Archie comics, Riverdale.
Mendes did not play sports as a youth but works out 3-5 days a week to stay in shape and while she is no expert in dancing, she did do her own dancing for this famous dance-off in the tenth episode of Riverdale.

China Anne McClain, Black Lightning

Playing the younger daughter of the superhero Black Lightning, McClain has no background in athletics or dance but according to her IMDB page she recently learned how to roller blade , so it seems she is willing to try new things like some of the events on BOTNS.
Brandon Routh, Legends of Tomorrow

Another superhero makes the CW team as Routh plays the Atom on the ensemble superhero show Legends of Tomorrow.
Routh has been in great shape ever since he played Superman in Superman Returns back in 2006 and enjoys playing soccer and basketball as well as swimming and biking which would make a versatile asset to the CW team.