NFL Old School Game of the Week: Flipper Anderson Sets Receiving Yards Record in Rams Win

Flipper Anderson would set the single-game record for most receiving yards in a NFL game with his performance against the Saints in 1989.

When the Los Angeles Rams traveled to New Orleans to take on their NFC West rivals the Saints in a Week 12 showdown during the 1989 season, little did anyone know that history was going to be made that Sunday night as Willie "Flipper" Anderson put together a performance for the ages.
The Rams started off the 1989 season on fire as they jumped out to a 5-0 record thanks to the dynamic passing combination of quarterback Jim Everett and wide receiver Henry Ellard.
However, the Rams were be brought down to earth as they lost their next four games, including losing on a safety in overtime to the Minnesota Vikings, bringing their record to 5-4, only to rebound with back-to-back wins to bring their record back to 7-4.
While the Rams were on this roller coaster, second-year receiver Anderson had become LA's deep threat as he averaged nearly 31 yards per catch as he made only 19 catches over the first 11 games of the season, but for 584 yards and three touchdowns.
But as the Rams prepared for their huge game in the Crescent City, Anderson was going to have to take on a larger role as Ellard went down that week in practice with a pulled hamstring.
While the Rams had started the season hot, the Saints started out the season cold as they limped to a 1-4 start.
But following a win over the New York Jets in Week 6, the Saints traveled to California to take on the Rams where the team's linebacking corps known as the "Dome Patrol"(Pat Swilling, Sam Mills, Vaughn Johnson, and Rickey Jackson) helped lead the Saints to a 40-21 win as the Saints defense sacked Everett six times in the game.
By the time the Rams came to the Superdome for their rematch, the Saints stood at 6-5 needing another win over the Rams to stay in the hunt for a Wild Card spot as the 49ers had pulled away with the lead in the NFC West.
The Rams got the ball to start the game at their 20-yard-line and Anderson made his presence felt on the first play of the game as he made a 14-yard reception for a LA 1st down, which was immediately followed by a 11-yard catch on the next play.
The Rams eventually drove to the Saints' 29-yard-line until a holding penalty on fullback Buford McGee pushed them out of field goal range and forced LA to punt the ball to the Saints, who took over at their nine-yard-line.
From there, the Saints drove 91 yards in 13 plays with quarterback Bobby Hebert completing four of five passes on the drive with the last one being a 15-yard touchdown to Eric Martin to give New Orleans a 7-0 lead with 1:28 left in the first quarter.
After forcing another Rams punt, the Saints took over at the Los Angeles 44-yard-line and proceeded to drive into field goal range, thanks in large part to a 17-yard pass from Hebert to tight end Greg Scales.
Morten Andersen came on and kicked a 36-yard field goal to increase the Saints' lead to 10-0 with 10:31 to go in the second quarter.

Saints running back Dalton Hilliard would run for 112 yards on 24 carries and threw a 35-yard touchdown pass.

The Rams begin their ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line but it seemed they were set for a three-and-out as they faced a 3rd & 13 at the 17-yard-line.
That is when Everett fired a pass for Anderson, just a split second before he was hit by Swilling, that was caught by Anderson at the Rams' 22-yard-line.
Flipper then proceeded to run down the left side of the field for a 43-yard gain that gave the Rams a 1st down at the Saints' 40-yard-line.
Two plays later on 3rd & 8 from the 38-yard-line, Everett found Anderson again, this time for 17 yards for another Rams 1st down at the Saints' 21-yard-line.
Two plays later, the Rams were faced with another 3rd down situation, but this time they decided to keep it on the ground as Everett handed the ball off to running back Greg Bell on 3rd & 2 at the New Orleans 13-yard-line.
But Bell was dropped for a two-yard-loss by Saints free safety Dave Waymer, forcing Los Angeles to settle for a 35-yard field goal by Mike Lansford that cut the Saints' lead to 10-3 with 6:23 left in the first half.
Late in the second quarter, the Saints had a chance to increase the lead as cornerback Robert Massey intercepted an Everett pass to give New Orleans the ball at the Rams' 44-yard-line.
But Hebert threw three straight incomplete passes forcing the Saints to punt as neither team would mount a scoring threat for the rest of the first half as the Saints went into the locker room with a 10-3 lead.
The Saints got the ball to start the second half but quickly gave it right back to the Rams as defensive end Shawn Miller intercepted Hebert's first pass of the half to give LA the ball at the Saints' 16-yard-line.
The Rams made it to the one-yard-line where they had a 3rd & goal when Everett fell down while trying to find an open receiver only to be touched by Sam Mills for a four-yard loss.
It appeared the Rams would get three points as Lansford came on to attempt a 22-yard chip shot field goal.
But the kick was partially blocked by Saints nose tackle Jim Wilks, sending the kick wide left of the goal post and no good, keeping it a 10-3 game.
Later in the quarter, the Saints had the ball at their nine-yard-line when Dalton Hilliard made his presence felt.
First, Hilliard exploded for a 40-yard run that put the Saints in Rams territory at the LA 47-yard-line.
Then a few plays later, Hilliard took a handoff from Hebert, ran right, then stopped and fired a 35-yard touchdown pass to Martin to increase the New Orleans lead to 17-3 with just over three minutes to go in the third quarter.
After Hilliard's shocking touchdown pass, the Rams got the ball back at their 20-yard-line when Everett hit Anderson for a 50-yard bomb that put Flipper over the 100-yard receiving mark with 141 yards on 6 catches up to this point and LA in Saints territory at the 30-yard-line.

Rams quarterback Jim Everett would throw for 454 yards on 29-of-51 passing and one touchdown despite throwing two interceptions. 

However the drive stalled when Vaughn Johnson sacked Everett on the first play of the 4th quarter,  pushing the Rams out of field goal range and forcing them to punt the ball back to the Saints.
Later in the 4th quarter, the Rams would be given a golden opportunity to cut into the Saints' lead when Saints returner Rod Harris muffed a punt that was recovered by the Rams' Shawn Miller, giving Los Angeles a 1st & goal at the Saints' eight-yard-line.
But the Saints defense, more specifically "The Dome Patrol" kept the Rams out of the end zone as Swilling sacked Everett on 4th down to end the LA scoring threat.
The Rams drove into the red zone again on their next possession, thanks to two catches by Anderson for 30 yards, only to have Bell fumble the ball on a 3rd & 4 from the Saints' 20-yard-line which was recovered by New Orleans defensive end Jumpy Geathers to stop another potential scoring drive by the Rams.
Even though their offense wasted two golden opportunities for touchdowns in the 4th quarter, the Rams defense remained stiff as they would not permit a Saints 1st down and forced them to punt the ball back to LA who took over at their 39-yard-line with 4:40 left in the 4th quarter.
The drive began with a 11-yard run by McGee, which was followed by a 46-yard bomb from Everett to Anderson, that not put Anderson over 200 receiving yards(217 on nine catches) it gave the Rams a 1st & goal at the Saints' four-yard-line.
But it seemed once again the Rams were going to come away with no points as two penalties pushed them back to the Saints' 19-yard-line.
However, the Rams would not be kept out of the end zone as Everett hit Aaron Cox for 14 yards to put the Rams at the five-yard-line, which was followed by a five-yard touchdown run by McGee that brought Los Angeles to within a touchdown at 17-10 with 2:46 to go in regulation.
Then after forcing another three-and-out from the Saints' offense, the Rams got the ball in Saints territory at the New Orleans 40-yard-line with 2:04 left in regulation.
But penalties pushed the Rams all the way back to their own 38-yard-line setting up a 2nd & 32 with 1:54 to go.
That is when Everett hit Anderson for a 26-yard completion to make the upcoming 3rd down more makeable as they needed only six yards to pick up the 1st down.
The Rams ended up getting seven as Everett found tight end Pete Holohan for a LA 1st down at the Saints' 29-yard-line.
On the next play, Everett went back to Anderson, who made the catch at the 15-yard-line before going out of bounds.
Then on the very next play, Everett lofted a pass for Anderson toward the right corner of the end zone.
Anderson made the catch, his 12th of the game, a 14-yard touchdown that with Lansford's extra point tied the game at 17 with 1:02 to go in regulation.
After giving up two touchdowns in a span of 1 minute and 44 seconds, the Saints tried to put together a drive to get into field goal range and give Morton Andersen a chance to win the game on a field goal.
But on 3rd & 1 from the Saints' 30-yard-line, Hebert overthrew a wide open Floyd Turner, forcing the Saints to punt the ball back to the Rams, who took over at their 41-yard-line after a 29-yard punt by Tommy Barnhardt.
With 22 seconds left on the clock, Everett found Anderson over the middle for a 24-yard reception, then hustled the team up to the line and spiked the ball, giving Lansford a chance to win the game with a 52-yard field goal and completing a remarkable comeback.
Lansford's kick was long enough, but it sailed wide left as time expired, sending the game into overtime with the game tied at 17.

In the 4th quarter and overtime alone, Anderson would catch nine passes for 195 yards and a touchdown.

The Saints won the coin toss and elected to receive as they appear to be on their way to be driving into range for an Andersen field goal as they had a 3rd & 1 at their own 45-yard-line when Rams linebacker Kevin Greene tackled Hilliard for a two-yard-loss, forcing  Barnhardt to punt back to LA, who took over at their 15-yard-line with a chance to win the game.
A holding penalty pushed the Rams back to their eight-yard-line to make it 1st & 17 when Everett went deep again for Anderson.
Not having been stopped all night, Anderson was bumped into by the Saints' Massey, drawing a 35-yard pass interference penalty and giving the Rams a 1st down at their 43-yard-line.
Then on 3rd & 6 from the Rams' 47-yard-line, Everett hit Anderson for a 14-yard gain, to give Anderson 310 receiving yards, breaking the NFL record for most receiving yards in one game that had by set by Stephone Paige back in 1985 as the Chiefs receiver had 309 yards on eight catches.
But Anderson would have to extend that record if the Rams were to get into field goal range and when he made an over-the-shoulder catch on 3rd & 11 for a 26-yard reception, LA was at the Saints' 14-yard-line, clearly in Lansford's range to make the game-winning field goal.
Lansford would come on and make the 31-yard field goal to give the Rams a 20-17 win, pushing their record to 8-4 while dropping the Saints to 6-6.
While Lansford got the last laugh, it was Anderson that was all the talk after this game.
In total, he caught 15 passes for 336 yards, averaging 22.5 yards per catch, to lead the Rams to the win.
The Saints would go on to win three out of their last four games to finish with a 9-7 record, their third straight winning season, but it wasn't good enough to make the playoffs as the Rams would earn one of the two Wild Card spots in the NFC with a 11-5 record.
In the playoffs, the Rams would upset the Philadelphia Eagles 21-7 in their Wild Card Game, then go to the Meadowlands where Anderson caught the game-winning touchdown pass in overtime to give LA a 19-13 win over the New York Giants.
However, the Rams' Cinderella run would came to a screeching halt the following week as they were blown out by the San Francisco 49ers 30-3 in the NFC Championship Game.
As for Anderson, he would remain with the Rams for five more years, before bouncing around the league for the next three years playing for three different teams(Indianapolis, Washington, and Denver) until he hung up his cleats after the 1997 season.
Anderson finished his career with 267 receptions for 5,357 yards and 28 touchdowns, though all but eight of those catches and 111 of those yards came with the Rams.
And even though the NFL is more of a passing league than it was back in 1989, Anderson's mark of most receiving yards in one game still stands as only two players(Calvin Johnson and Julio Jones) have recorded 300-yard receiving games.
While it may be a matter of time before Anderson's record is broken, his performance against the Saints in 1989 will remain as one of the best in NFL history.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Saban Wins in Return To LSU

Alabama head coach Nick Saban would get revenge on his former team as he lead the Tide to a win over LSU in Baton Rouge.

The LSU Tigers always looked up to the Alabama Crimson Tide as a rival because of the fact they were in the same conference, the SEC, and that Alabama ruled the conference with its numerous SEC titles and national titles.
However, the LSU-Alabama rivalry would intensify beginning in 2007 when former LSU head coach Nick Saban, who had led the Tigers to a share of the national championship in 2003, came back to college football after two years in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, to become the Crimson Tide's next coach.
Saban becoming the head coach in Tuscaloosa was seen as an act of betrayal in the minds of LSU fans and Saban became public enemy #1 in Tigers Nation.
LSU would get a matter of revenge when the Tigers traveled to Tuscaloosa to face off with the Crimson Tide on November 3, 2007 where the Tigers pulled out a 41-34 win as LSU would go on to win the national title that year.
While that game was emotional, it would be tenfold for when the two teams met on November 8, 2008 as the Crimson Tide traveled to Baton Rouge, the first time Saban had been to Baton Rouge since his depature following the 2004 season.
The Tide entered the game as the #1 team in the country as they had stormed to a 9-0 record behind senior quarterback John Parker Wilson, senior running back Glen Coffee, and freshman sensation wide receiver Julio Jones.
With a win over LSU, the Tide would clinch the SEC West Division title and earn an trip to the SEC Championship Game for the first time since 1999.
Meanwhile, the Tigers entered the game ranked #10 with a 7-2 record, but were had issues at quarterback as redshirt frehsman Jarrett Lee had threw only 12 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions, with five of those interceptions being returned for touchdowns for the opposing team.
If LSU was going to knock off Bama, Lee was going to have play turnover-free football in hopes of leading the Tigers to an upset.

Alabama running back Glen Coffee would carry the ball 26 times for 126 yards and score one touchdown.

The Tide got the ball to start the game as they begin their opening drive from their 27-yard-line and were in LSU territory after the second play from scrimmage when running back Glen Coffee ran for 31 yards to the Tigers' 42-yard-line.
It appeared Bama was going score a touchdown when on 3rd & 6 from the LSU 26-yard-line, Wilson hit Earl Alexander in stride for an apparent touchdown, only to have Tigers defensive back Chad Jones knock the ball loose at the one-yard-line, leading to LSU recovering the football in the end zone for a touchback and giving their offense the ball at the 20-yard-line.
But on 3rd & 17, Lee was intercepted by Bama free safety Rashad Johnson whose 10-yard return set up the Tide at the LSU 15-yard-line.
A 14-yard-run by Coffee gave the Tide a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line where it took them three plays to finally get into the end zone when Wilson snuck it in for the touchdown to give Bama a 7-0 lead with 8:23 left in the first quarter.
LSU would respond with a 31-yard kickoff return by Keiland Williams to put the Tigers at their 46-yard-line to begin their ensuing possession.
After it took the Tigers six plays to travel 24 yards to the Bama 30-yard-line, Lee fired a 30-yard touchdown pass to Demetrius Byrd that tied the game at 7 with 6:21 to play in the opening quarter.
Then on the ensuing kickoff, Bama returner Javier Arenas lost the football when he was hit by LSU defensive back Ron Brooks to force a fumble that was recovered by the LSU kicker, Josh Jasper, at the Tide 30-yard-line.
Following an incomplete pass on 1st down, Lee handed the ball off to Charles Scott who ran in for the 30-yard touchdown to give LSU their second touchdown in just 24 seconds and a 14-7 lead with 5:57 to go in the first quarter.
The score remained 14-7 as the second quarter began as Wilson was picked off by LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson on the first play of the quarter at the LSU 14-yard-line.
The Tide defense forced a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 48-yard-line and were immediately in LSU territory after Wilson hit Jones for a 26-yard pass on the first play of the drive.
However, the LSU defense stiffened and only one yard on the next three plays, forcing a 42-yard field goal attempt by Leigh Tiffin.
But Tiffin's kick was wide left, keeping the score at 14-7 in favor of LSU with 11:37 left in the second quarter.
After an exchange of punts, the Tigers got the ball back at their 34-yard-line when on 3rd & 8, Lee was picked off again by Johnson, who this time ran all the way back for a 46-yard touchdown that tied the game at 14 with 4:33 left in the first half.
After another exchange of punts, LSU got the ball at their 21-yard-line with 2:19 left in the half  and two timouts in their pocket.
Following a two-yard run by Williams on 1st down, Lee hit tight end Richard Dickson for 22 yards and a 1st down at the Tigers' 45-yard-line.
Then after an incomplete pass, Williams would carry the ball on the next two plays; first, picking up six yards, then running for 25 yards to put LSU at the Bama 24-yard-line.
But that is where the drive stalled as Williams was stopped for no gain on 1st down, which was folowed by two straight incomplete passes, forcing Miles to call on Colt David to attempt a 41-yard field goal with 25 seconds left before halftime.
But David's kick sailed wide left and after Wilson took a knee to run out the clock, the two teams went into the locker room still tied 14-14 after 30 minutes of play.

Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones caught seven passes for 128 yards in the 2008 "Saban Bowl".

Three minutes and 34 seconds into the second half, the Tide got the ball at their 31-yard-line when they called on Coffee to carry them to the end zone.
Coffee touched the ball on six of the seven plays on the drive with five carries for 39 yards and one catch for 11 yards.
Appropriately, Coffee scored the touchdown, a three-yard run that put Bama back in front 21-14 with 8:14 left in the third quarter.
Following the ensuing kickoff, the Tigers got the ball at their 17-yard-line when Lee got hot and hit three of his next four passes, all to Brandon LaFell, for a total of 50 yards to set up a 2nd & 3 from the Bama 33-yard-line.
But after two straight runs gained only two yards, the Tigers were faced with a 4th & 1 at the Tide 31-yard-line.
That is when "The Mad Hatter" decided to go for it on 4th down and was rewarded with a one-yard run by Quinn Johnson for a LSU 1st down.
However on 3rd & 9 from the Tide 29-yard-line, Lee was intercepted for the third time in the game, this time by Bama linebacker Rolando McClain who returned it to the Tigers' 46-yard-line.
The Tide could not do anything with the interception as they went three-and-out and after LSU punted again on their ensuing possession, the third quarter came to an end with Bama out in front 21-14.
With 12:14 left in the 4th quarter, the Tigers would get the ball at their 26-yard-line with a chance to drive for the game-tying touchdown.
It seemed the Tigers were going to go three-and-out until Lee hit Terrance Tolliver for 13 yards on 3rd & 11 to give LSU a 1st down at their 38-yard-line.
Then after a one-yard run by Scott, Lee connected with Tolliver again, this time for 10 yards and another 1st down.
Lee would then hit Tolliver for 24 yards to put LSU at the Crimson Tide 25-yard-line.
After a two-yard run by Scott, Lee came out of the game for one play, replaced by Richard Murphy, who ran for nine yards to set up 1st & 10 from the Bama 14-yard-line.
Lee came back into the game and was promptly sacked by Bama defensive end Bobby Greenwood for a three-yard loss by came back with a 11-yard pass to Tolliver to set up 3rd & 2 from the Crimson Tide six-yard-line.
That is when Lee handed the ball off to Quinn Johnson, who ran for five yards to set up 1st & goal at the one-yard-line.
Scott would punch it for the one-yard touchdown that with David's extra point tied the game at 21 with 6:12 left in regulation.
Both teams would punt on their ensuing possesions setting up a potential game-winning drive for the Crimson Tide as they took over at the LSU 41-yard-line with 1:58 to go after a 23-yard punt return by Arenas.
Coffee would carry the ball three straight times for 11 yards, which was followed by a eight-yard pass from Wilson to Julio Jones to set up 2nd & 2 where Coffee was apparently stopped for a two-yard-loss, only to have LSU linebacker Kelvin Sheppard get called for a face mask penalty, giving the Tide a 1st down at the Tigers' 12-yard-line.
From there, the Tide simply ran down the clock and make it easier for Tiffin to kick would what would be the game-winning field goal from 29 yards out with three seconds to go.
But LSU defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois saved the Tigers when he blocked Tiffin's kick to send the game into overtime with the game tied at 21.

LSU quarterback Jarrett Lee would have another tough day as he threw four interceptions, including another pick-six, on 13-of-34 passing.

LSU got the ball first but came away with zero point as Lee threw his fourth interception of the game as Rashad Johnson picked off Lee in the end zone, meaning the Tide needed only a field goal to win the game.
The Tide almost won the game on the first play of their overtime possesion as Wilson hit Jones for 24 yards, setting up a 1st & goal at the LSU one-yard-line.
After Coffee was stopped for no gain on 1st down, Wilson snuck it in for the game-winning touchdown to give the Tide a 27-21 overtime win to remain undefeated and punching their ticket to the SEC Championship Game.
The Tigers would drop their last two games of the regular season, forcing them to play in the Peach Bowl where they would rout Georgia Tech 38-3 to finish the season 8-5.
Lee would usallly play in garbage time over the next two seasons until his senior season in 2011 when he started the first four games of the season after incumbant starter Jordan Jefferson was suspened.
Lee won all four of his all starts before being replaced by Jefferson who helped lead the Tigers to the BCS National Championship Game where they ironically lost to Alabama 21-0.
As for Bama
The Tide ended up in the Sugar Bowl where they were shocked by the Utah Utes out of the Mountain West Conference(they joined the Pac-12 in 2011) 31-17 to finish the season with a 12-2 record.
However, the Tide would come back the next year by winning the first of five national championships under the tenure of Nick Saban.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Elway Throws 2 TD Passes in Last 2 Minutes For Comeback Win over Chiefs

John Elway would pull another rabbit out of his hat as he brought the Broncos back from a two-touchdown deficit to defeat the Chiefs in Week 5 of the 1992 NFL season.

Hall-of-Fame quarterback John Elway is known as one of the greatest clutch quarterbacks in NFL history as he lead the Denver Broncos to 46 game-winning drives in the final minutes of the game and 35 4th quarter comebacks.
One of Elway's favorite teams to torment were the Kansas City Chiefs in which he lead the Broncos to six 4th quarter comeback wins.
One of his most famous came in Week 5 of the 1992 NFL season in a showdown for 1st place in the AFC West.
The Broncos entered the game with a 3-1 record and were hoping to get back to the Super Bowl, one year after losing to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game.
Led by head coach Dan Reeves and with Elway in his prime, the Broncos were Super Bowl contenders entering the 1992 season.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs entered the contest with the Broncos with an identical 3-1 record.
Under head coach Marty Schottenheimer, the Chiefs had experience an renaissance of winning as Marty had lead the Chiefs to three straight winning seasons and back-to-back playoff berths after nearly two decades of mediocrity as the Chiefs had only two winning seasons and one playoff berth between the years 1974 and 1988.
After both teams punted on their opening possessions of the game, the Broncos got the ball at their 12-yard-line and were able to drive to the Kansas City 36-yard-line thanks to Elway's right arm as he completed three passes for 29 yards and ran it once for six yards.
But a false start penalty and three straight incomplete passes forced the Broncos to punt the ball back to the Chiefs, who took over pinned back at their six-yard-line.
The Chiefs were able to drive to midfield when Krieg threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Willie Davis to put Kansas City on the scoreboard as the Chiefs took a 7-0 lead with 12:12 left in the second quarter.
Following the Chiefs touchdown, the Broncos took over at their 17-yard-line and put together a 12-play, 60-yard drive which saw Elway complete three of four passes for 34 yards and running backs Gary Green and Reggie Rivers combining for 24 yards on four runs.
The drive was capped off with a 41-yard field goal by David Treadwell to cut the Chiefs' lead to 7-3 with 5:10 left in the first half.
After an exchange of punts, the Chiefs took over at their 22-yard-line with 1:25 left before halftime and two timeouts in their pocket.
A 34-yard pass interference penalty on Broncos strong safety Dennis Smith put the Chiefs at the Broncos' 23-yard-line with 45 seconds to go.
But after a false start penalty and a sack of Krieg would force the Chiefs to settle for a 44-yard field goal by Nick Lowery as time expired in the first half to give the Chiefs a 10-3 lead after 30 minutes of play.

Chiefs quarterback Dave Krieg completed 22 of 31 passes for 301 yards and throw one touchdown pass.

The Chiefs got the ball at their 20-yard-line to start the second half but it took them just three plays to get to the Broncos' 22-yard-line as Krieg hit Davis for 23 yards to start the drive which was followed by a one-yard run by Barry Word and then a 19-yard pass from Krieg to J.J. Birden that became a 34-yard play when Dennis Smith was called for a late hit on the play.
It appeared that the Chiefs were going to have a 1st & goal at the Denver five-yard-line after Krieg threw a 17-yard pass to Birden, but offsetting holding penalties on both teams negated the play, meaning the Chiefs had to replay 1st & 10 at the 22-yard-line.
From there, the Chiefs would only gain four more yards, forcing them to call on Lowery again to kick a 36-yard field goal, which he made to increase the Kansas City lead to 10-3 with 11:19 left in the third quarter.
The Broncos got the ball at their 20-yard-line for their next drive and after two straight incomplete passes to begin the drive, Elway would connect with Arthur Marshall for 21 yards and a 1st down, which was followed up by a 48-yard pass to tight end Reggie Johnson which put Denver at the Kansas City 11-yard-line.
But the Chiefs defense stiffened and forced the Broncos to settle for another field goal, a 22-yarder to Treadwell which cut Kansas City's lead to 13-6 with 7:51 left in the third quarter.
The Chiefs would begin their next drive again from the 20-yard-line and behind the right arm of Krieg were able to drive to the Broncos' 26-yard-line as Krieg completed four passes to four different receiver for a total of 53 yards.
But after two straight running plays netted no yards and a quarterback sack by Broncos linebacker Karl Mecklenberg, Lowery was called on again to kick another field goal, this one from 49 yards out.
This time, Lowery could not come through as his kick sailed wide right, keeping the score 13-6 and giving the ball to the Broncos at their 31-yard-line.
On the first play of the drive, Elway hit tight end Shannon Sharpe for 48 yards to give the Broncos a 1st down at the Chiefs' 21-yard-line, only to have Elway get sacked on the next play by Chiefs defensive end Neil Smith for a nine-yard loss.
The Broncos would be forced to settle for a 36-yard field goal attempt by Treadwell, which sailed wide left, only to have Kansas City be called for running into the kicker, drawing a five-yard penalty and giving Treadwell a second shot at making a 13-9 game as he attempted a 31-yard field goal.
But Chiefs nose tackle Dan Saleaumua blocked the kick which was picked up by Chiefs cornerback Albert Lewis whose 12-yard return gave Kansas City the ball at their 31-yard-line just 19 seconds into the 4th quarter with Kansas City still hanging on to a 13-6 lead.

Chiefs kicker Nick Lowery would account for 13 of the Chiefs' 19 points with four field goals and an extra point.

The Chiefs' next drive got off to an auspicious start as a holding penalty pushed them back 10 yards but on 2nd & 14 from the Kansas City 25-yard-line, Krieg hit running back Barry Word for a 14-yard pass play that got 15 yards added on to after Mecklenberg was called for roughing the passer giving the Chiefs a 1st down at the Broncos' 44-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Chiefs were faced with a 4th & 1 situation at the Broncos' 35-yard-line when Schottenheimer decided to go for the 1st down, instead of attempting a 52-yard field goal.
Christian Okoye got the one yard needed for the 1st down and after a 16-yard pass from Krieg to Davis on 3rd & 3, the Chiefs had a 1st down at the Broncos' 11-yard-line.
But like they had for most of the game, the Denver defense bended but did not break as they held the Chiefs to just two more yards and forced them to call on Lowery to kick a 26-yard field goal, which he made to make it a two-score game at 16-6 with 6:16 to go in the game.
It appeared the Broncos on their way to defeat when on the next play from scrimmage, Elway was sacked by Smith for the third time in the game, this time forcing a fumble that was recovered by Smith to give the ball to Chiefs offense at the Broncos 16-yard-line with a chance to put the game away with a touchdown.
However, the Chiefs could only pick up one yard, forcing them to call on Lowery again, who made a 33-yard field goal to increase the Kansas City lead to 19-6 with exactly 5 minutes to play.
Despite the two-touchdown lead, the Chiefs knew the game wasn't over, especially with Elway on the other side.
But a two-touchdown deficit with five minutes to go seem like an impossible task, even for Elway.
If the Broncos were to win, they would need a touchdown as quickly as possible as they took over at their 20-yard-line.
Going to a no-huddle offense, Elway began the drive with a eight-yard pass to Sharpe, followed by an incomplete pass, then a four-yard pass to Sharpe for a 1st down at the Denver 32-yard-line.
After another incomplete pass, Elway would hit Mark Jackson for back-to-back passes totaling 14 yards and another 1st down at the Denver 46-yard-line.
Elway would go back to Sharpe for a nine-yard pass on the next play from scrimmage then after an incomplete pass, the Broncos crossed up the Chiefs with a draw play to Rivers, who picked up eight yards for a Broncos 1st down at the Chiefs' 37-yard-line.
Elway connected with Sharpe again for nine more yards, then hit Jackson for eight yards for a 1st down at the Kansas City 20-yard-line.
Elway would threw an incomplete pass on 1st down then would get sacked by Chiefs defensive end Leonard Griffin forcing a 3rd & 15 situation as the two-minute warning hit.
That is when Elway lofted a pass down the right sideline that was caught by Jackson for a 25-yard touchdown which with Treadwell's extra point cut the Chiefs' lead to 19-13 with 1:55 left in the game.

Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe would be Elway's favorite target in the game with nine catches for 118 yards.

Expecting an onside kick, the Chiefs were surprised when kicker Brad Daluiso kicked it deep which was received by Dexter Carter who only returned it five yards to the Kansas City five-yard-line with 1:50 left.
The Chiefs needed just one 1st down to put the game away and seemed in good position to get that 1st down after two straight runs by Word picked up seven yards setting up a 3rd & 3 situation.
But a false start penalty and a run by Word that not only gained zero yardage, but stopped the clock as Word was shoved out of bounds, lead to the Chiefs punting the ball back to the Broncos from their seven-yard-line.
Bryan Barker got off a 48-yard punt but Marshall would return the kick 28 yards to the Kansas City 27-yard-line with 1:17 left and one timeout in the Broncos' pocket.
Elway would hit Marshall for 11 yards on 1st down, then hit Marshall again for four yards leading him to burn the Broncos' last timeout with 43 seconds left as Denver faced a 2nd & 6 from the Chiefs' 12-yard-line.
That is when Elway fired a pass for the right corner of the end zone that was caught by Vance Johnson for his first and only catch of the game, a 12-yard touchdown that  sent the crowd at Denver's Mile High Stadium into a frenzy.
With Treadwell's extra point, the Broncos had a 20-19 lead with 38 seconds to go.
The Chiefs took over at their 20-yard-line, hoping to drive far enough to call on Lowery to attempt a game-winning field goal.
The drive got off to a great start as Krieg hit Davis for 30 yards on the first play of the drive to give the Chiefs a 1st down at midfield.
However, Krieg would threw straight incomplete passes forcing a do-or-die 4th down & 10.
Krieg would complete the 4th down pass to Birden, but only for six yards, forcing the Chiefs to give the ball back to the Broncos, who took one knee to run out the clock and come away with the 20-19 win.
It seemed that the comeback win over the Chiefs would spark the Broncos to another AFC West title as they were in 1st place after 11 weeks of the season with a 7-3 record.
But a four-game losing streak and then a Week 17 loss to the Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium, would not only keep the Broncos out of the playoffs with a 8-8 record, it ended the Dan Reeves era in Denver as he was fired in the offseason after 12 years as the Broncos head coach.
Like I wrote above, the Chiefs would get revenge in Week 17 by blowing the Broncos out 42-20 to earn a Wild Card spot with a 10-6 record, only for Kansas City to lose in the Wild Card to the AFC West champion San Diego Chargers 17-0.
Elway would remain in Denver for six more years, eventually ending his 16-year career with back-to-back Super Bowl wins.
Ironically in his final season, Elway would direct one more 4th quarter comeback win over the Chiefs, leading the Broncos from a 10-point 4th quarter deficit and to a 35-31 win as he hit Shannon Sharpe for the game-winning touchdown in what would be his 35th and final 4th quarter comeback win.
Below, are highlights of the 1992 Chiefs-Broncos game:

College Football Old School Game of The Week: Florida Holds Off Georgia in Controversial Finish

Florida players celebrate while Georgia players including Eric Zeier(10) sits on his knees in disbelief following the finish of the 1993 Florida-Georgia game.

In college football rivalries such as the one between the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs, they are games in the series that will spark a lot of debate.
One such game is the 1993 version of the game formerly known as "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" which ended in such controversial fashion that it is still debated to this day.
Florida came into the game #10 in the country with a 5-1 record but were coming off a shocking 38-35 loss at Auburn.
The Gators were coached by Steve Spurrier, who was in his 4th year as the Gators head coach, and had lead Florida its first 10-win season and first SEC title back in 1991, then lead the Gators to the inaugural SEC Championship Game where they lost 28-21 to the eventual national champion Alabama Crimson Tide.
Despite having All-SEC running back Errict Rhett in the backfield, Spurrier could not settle on a quarterback as he played musical chairs with junior Terry Dean and freshman Danny Wuerffel.
Wuerffel got the start for the Gators as they entered their annual showdown with the Bulldogs as 11-point favorites.
Georgia came into the Florida game with a three-game winning streak as they would fighting to get bowl eligible as they stood with a 4-4 record under fifth-year head coach Ray Goff.
The Dawgs were lead by junior quarterback Eric Zeier, who was shattering Georgia passing records, which included a 544 passing yard performance just three weeks earlier in a Georgia win against Southern Mississippi.
If the Dawgs were going to upset the Gators, it was going to a strong performance by Zeier to do it as Georgia hoped to end beat Florida for the first time since 1989.
Torrential downpours in the morning made the field at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville a total mess leading to this version of the Florida-Georgia rivalry to be known as the "Mud Bowl".
It would also be known as the "Timeout Game" after the finish of the game.
Florida received the opening kickoff of the game and were immediately in Bulldogs territory as Jack Jackson returned the kick 46 yards to the Georgia 39-yard-line.
Wuerffel hit Chris Doering for a 22-yard pass to the Bulldogs 15-yard-line, but the Gators could only pick up seven more yards, forcing them to settle for a 29-yard field goal by Judd Davis to give Florida a 3-0 lead just three minutes into the game.
The Gators defense would force the Bulldogs to punt on their opening possession, but the Dawgs would get the ball back quickly when Rhett fumbled the football which was recovered by Georgia free safety Ralph Thompson at the Florida 25-yard-line.
Zeier was able to get the Dawgs to the Gators' five-yard-line before they had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Kanon Parkman which tied the game at 3 with 5:33 left in the first quarter.
However, Parkman would shank the ensuing kickoff, giving the Gators the ball at the Georgia 49-yard-line.
Three plays later, the Gators were in the end zone as Rhett, who carried the ball all on three plays of the drive, punched it in from nine yards out for the first touchdown of the game and give Florida a 10-3 lead with 3:49 left in the opening quarter.
Just two plays after Rhett's touchdown, Zeier fumbled a snap from center, which was recovered by Florida defensive lineman Ellis Johnson, giving the Gators the ball at the Dawgs' 37-yard-line.
The Gators would travel 26 yards before having to settle for another Davis field goal, this one from 27 yards out, to extend their lead to 13-3 with 37 seconds left in the first quarter.

Georgia quarterback Eric Zeier would complete 36 of 65 passes for 384 yards and throw two touchdown passes.

Following Davis' field goal, the Dawgs would drive 83 yards in eight plays behind the right arm, who completed his first five passes on the drive, including three to tight end Shannon Mitchell for a total of 37 yards, and a big 26-yard completion to Hason Graham, the longest play of the drive.
The drive was capped off by a two-yard touchdown pass from Zeier to Brice Hunter which cut the Gators' lead to 13-10 with 13:09 left in the second quarter.
The Dawgs' defense would force their second turnover of the game on the Gators' ensuing possession when linebacker Mitch Davis intercepted a Wuerffel pass and returned it 13 yards which became 28 yards when Florida was called for a 15-yard face mask penalty on the return, putting the ball at the Florida 17-yard-line.
The Gators defense seemed poised to force another field goal attempt but Zeier scrambled for eight yards on a 3rd & 7 from the Florida 14-yard-line, giving Georgia a 1st & goal at the six-yard-line.
After an incomplete pass, Zeier would hit Mitchell for a six-yard touchdown pass to give the Dawgs their first lead of the game at 17-13 with 11:03 left in the first half.
Then after forcing the Gators to punt, the Dawgs would drive 48 yards in 12 plays, which included Georgia converting on two 3rd down situations, the first being a a 11-yard pass from Zeier to Mitchell for 11 yards to the Gators' 27-yard-line, followed by another Zeier run, this one for 12 yards and a 1st down at the Florida 15-yard-line.
From there, the Gators defense would stiffen and force the Dawgs to call on Parkman to kick a 27-yard field goal to extend Georgia's lead to 20-13 with 6:56 left before halftime.
When the Gators' offense came back on to the field with the ball at their 36-yard-line, Spurrier took Wuerffel out and put Dean in at quarterback after Wuerffel had gone 3-of-9 for 37 yards and threw one interception.
Hoping to get the Florida offense, Dean did just that as he completed his first four passes as he directed the Gators to the Georgia nine-yard-line until back-to-back sacks by Mitch Davis forced the Gators to settle for another Judd Davis field goal, this one from 36 yards out to cut the Georgia lead to 20-16 with 1:35 left in the first half.
Georgia was set to get the ball at their 28-yard-line after the ensuing kickoff but after Florida was called for offsides, Goff forced the Gators to re-kick.
However, the decision backfied on Goff as Graham fumbled the kick after a hit by Florida linebacker Ed Robinson which was recovered by Sam McCorkle at the Georgia 35-yard-line.
That is when Spurrier when for the juggler as Dean dropped back and fired a deep pass that was caught by Harrison Houston in the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown to give Florida a 20-16 lead as they had scored 10 points in just 27 seconds.
Zeier used the last 1:08 to lead the Dawgs to the Gators' 21-yard-line only to have Parkman miss a 38-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, keeping the score 23-20 in favor of the Gators.
The Dawgs got the ball to start the second half and promptly drove to the Florida six-yard-line before calling on Parkman to attempt a 23-yard field goal.
But for the second straight time, Parkman missed the field goal and Florida still held on to a 23-20 lead.

Terry Dean came off the bench and completed eight of 12 passes for 105 yards, threw a touchdown and lead the Gators to four straight scoring drives.

After the ball was moved up to the Florida 20-yard-line following Parkman's missed field goal, the Gators would put together a drive for the ages.
The drive started off with two straight runs by Rhett for nine yards, which was followed by a quarterback sneak by Dean for two yards on 3rd & 1 to pick up the 1st down.
After a two-yard run by Rhett, Dean hit Doering for 12 yards and another 1st down at the Florida 45-yard-line.
Then after Rhett picked up five yards on 1st down, only to lose four on 2nd down, Dean would hit Jackson for 10 yards which put the Gators in Georgia territory at the Dawgs' 44-yard-line.
Rhett would carry the ball on the next four plays, picking up 22 yards, until Dean threw two straight incomplete passes forcing a 4th & 3 situation from the Georgia 22-yard-line.
Even though Judd Davis had connected on all three of his field goal attempts, Spurrier decided to go for the 1st down.
The gamble paid off as Rhett ran for six yards and the 1st down, which was followed by a seven-yard run by on the following play from scrimmage to put Florida at the Dawgs' nine-yard-line.
After Rhett was dropped for a three-yard loss on 2nd down, Dean threw an incomplete pass on 3rd down only to get a defensive pass interference penalty to give the Gators a 1st & goal at the two-yard-line.
After Rhett picked up one yard on 1st down and Dean was stopped on 2nd down, Rhett jumped over the top of the Georgia defense for a 1-yard touchdown run to complete the 21-play, 80-yard drive that took up nearly 11 minutes as Rhett carried the ball 14 times for 50 yards on the drive including the touchdown to push the Gators' lead back to 10 points at 30-20 with 13 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Dawgs responded with a 10-play, 48-yard drive that was capped off with a 21-yard field goal by Parkman, even though the Dawgs a 1st-and-goal at the Florida two-yard-line, to cut the Gators' lead to a touchdown at 30-20 with 12:12 left in the game.
The Gators responded by driving 42 yards in 11 plays which ended with Judd Davis' fourth field goal of the day, a 31-yarder to push the Gators' lead back up to 10 points at 33-23 with 6:42 to go.
Going to a no-huddle offense, Zeier would drive the Dawgs back to inside the Gators' 10-yard-line but two straight incomplete passes forced Georgia to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Parkman to make it a one-touchdown game at 33-26 with 5:06 to play.

Errict Rhett carried the ball 41 times for 183 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Once the Gators got the ball back, they went back to Rhett, who would carry the ball 28 times for 115 yards in the second half, to pick up some 1st downs and chew up time off the clock.
Rhett would do that until the Gators were faced with a 4th & 2 at the Georgia 36-yard-line when Dean threw a pass that was knocked down by Bulldogs defensive lineman Phillip Daniels, giving the Dawgs 96 seconds and 64 yards to try and drive for a touchdown.
With the ball in his hands, Zeier hit Mitchell for 15 yards on the first play from scrimmage to put the Dawgs in Florida territory at the Gators' 49-yard-line.
After a six-yard pass to Hunter, Zeier would hit Mitchell on back-to-back completions totaling 13 yards which was followed by a incomplete pass setting up a 3rd & 4 from the Florida 30-yard-line.
Georgia would get the 1st down as Zeier found Jeff Thomas for four yards, then hit Hason Graham for 14 yards to put Georgia at the 12-yard-line where Zeier spiked the ball setting up 2nd down with just five seconds left.
As the two teams lined up for what probably would be the final play of the game, Florida cornerback Antoine Lott noticed that the Gators had only 10 men on the field and called timeout just at the moment the ball was snapped to Zeier who found for Jerman for an apparent 12-yard touchdown.
But as the Dawgs were getting to ready to go for two and the win(there was no overtime in the FBS division in 1993) the referees came in to rule that the play had been ruled dead and the touchdown did not count.
When you watch the replay you can whistles blow as Zeier throws the pass to Jerman, but did Lott get the timeout in time? You decide by watching the clip below:

The five seconds were put back on the clock and the ball put back at the 12-yard-line.
Zeier took the snap and dropped back to the 20-yard-line before lofting a pass for the left corner of the end zone intended for Graham, which he caught out of bounds as time expired, only to have Lott be called for defensive pass interference.
Since the game cannot end on a defensive penalty, the Dawgs were given one last shot as the ball was placed at the two-yard-line with no time on the clock.
In the shotgun, Zeier took the snap and fired a pass that was hit Thomas in the left hand and fell incomplete, finally ending the game as the Gators escaped with a 33-26 win.
The Dawgs felt like they were robbed, believing the timeout was not called in time and that Zeier's touchdown pass should have counted.
It proved to be costly for the Bulldogs as they finished the season with a 5-6 record, meaning if they had won the Florida game they would have been bowl eligible and could have played in a bowl game.
Meanwhile, the Gators would go on to win their second SEC title in three years as they knocked off Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, then ended West Virginia's undefeated season with a 41-7 shackling in the Sugar Bowl, to finish the season with a 11-2 record and a top 5 ranking in the final AP and coaches polls.
Goff would never get as close to defeating Florida again as he did in 1993 as Georgia lost the next two games with Florida by a combined score 104-31, ultimately leading to his dismissal as the Bulldogs head coach after the 1995 season.
It wouldn't be until 1997 when the Dawgs finally beat the Gators thanks to a four-touchdown performance by Robert Edwards to give Georgia a 37-17 win to end their seven-game losing streak against the Gators and the only time the Bulldogs would defeat Spurrier in his 12-year tenure in Gainesville.
But if you talk to a Georgia fan, they believe it shouldn't have been seven losses in a row and that they should have won the 1993 game if not for the officials.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Cowboys End Redskins Quest For Undefeated Season

Emmitt Smith would carry the ball 34 times for 132 yards and score one touchdown in the Cowboys' upset over the Redskins.

When we look back at some of the great dynasties in NFL history, many fans and historians to look for a playoff victory as the beginning of that team's dynasty i.e. The Immaculate Reception for the 1970s Steelers or The Catch for the 1980s 49ers.
But sometimes it could be a regular season victory that may be seen as historians as the moment that the foundation of greatness was laid.
For the Cowboys of the 1990s, they could point to their Week 12 encounter with the undefeated Washington Redskins in 1991 that was perhaps the moment where "America's Team" learned how to win a big game.
The Cowboys entered the game with a 6-5 record, just two years removed from their embarrassing 1-15 record in 1989 which was the first season for Dallas head coach Jimmy Johnson.
But two years later, Johnson had his offensive nucleus put together in quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, and wide receiver Michael Irvin, better known as "The Triplets".
The young Cowboys appeared on their way to their first playoff berth in six years as they started the season 5-2.
But after losing three of their previous four games, Dallas traveled to Washington D.C. needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
While the Cowboys were scrambling for a playoff spot, the Redskins were playing for immortality as they entered their game with the Cowboys with a 11-0 record, sparking talk amongst the NFL that the Redskins could go join the 1972 Miami Dolphins as undefeated Super Bowl Champions.
This was head coach Joe Gibbs' best Redskins team as it the league's top offense directed by quarterback Mark Rypien, along with a three-headed monster at running back with Earnest Byner, Ricky Ervins, and Gerald Riggs a wide receivers corps that consisted of Art Monk, Gary Clark, and Ricky Sanders or better known as "The Posse".
Washington's defense was also pretty tough which was second best in the league.
Despite all this, the Redskins knew that their game with the Cowboys would not be easy as Dallas had taken Washington to the brink in their Week 2 matchup as the Redskins won the game 33-31.
The Redskins got the ball to start the game but were forced to punt the ball to the Cowboys, who took over at their 37-yard-line.
On the first play from scrimmage, Aikman connected with Alvin Harper for a 39-yard pass that put Dallas at the Redskins' 24-yard-line.
But the Redskins defense stiffened and after Washington linebacker Monte Coleman sacked Aikman for an eight-yard loss on 3rd & 11, the Cowboys called on Ken Willis to attempt a 51-yard field goal, only to have his kick fall short.
After another Redskins punt, the Cowboys got the ball back at their 20-yard-line only to have Aikman be intercepted on the second play of the drive by Redskins cornerback Martin Mayhew, who returned it 31 yards for the game's first touchdown, giving Washington a 7-0 lead with 4:53 left in the first quarter.

Michael Irvin would catch nine passes for 130 yards and one touchdown.

With the score still 7-0 in favor of Washington, the Cowboys got the ball at their 25-yard-line just 21 seconds into the second quarter and proceeded to drive into Redskins territory as Aikman hit three straight passes for 36 yards, to go along with a one-yard run by Smith, gave the Cowboys a 1st & 10 at the Redskins' 38-yard-line.
However, the Cowboys would only pick up five more yards on its next three plays setting up a 4th & 5 from the Washington 33-yard-line.
Instead of attempting another long field goal, Johnson decided to go for the 1st down.
The gamble paid off as Aikman hit Irvin for six yards and a Cowboys 1st down at the Redskins' 27-yard-line.
Smith would pick up three yards on 1st & 10, which was followed by Aikman being sacked by Redskins linebacker Wilbur Marshall to set up 3rd & 15 from the Washington 32-yard-line.
The Cowboys seemingly decided to play it safe as Aikman handed the ball off to Smith and hope the second-year running back could put Dallas back in field goal range.
Smith did more than put the Cowboys back in field goal range as he busted though the middle for a 32-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 7 with 9:35 left in the first quarter.
The Redskins expected to get the ball back on the ensuing kickoff only to have Johnson call for a surprise onside kick which bounced off Redskins linebacker Andre Collins and was recovered by the Cowboys' Darrick Brownlow at the Washington 47-yard-line.
The Cowboys drove to the Redskins' 31-yard-line where they faced another 4th down situation, a 4th & 9, when Johnson continued to play aggressively as he went for it again on 4th down.
However, this gamble did not pay off as Aikman connected with tight end Robert Awalt for seven yards, just two yards short of a 1st down, forcing the Cowboys to give the ball back to the Redskins who took over at their 24-yard-line.
But the Cowboys' defense would force the Redskins to punt again, getting the ball at their 34-yard-line with 3:50 left in the first half and the game still tied 7-7.
After getting sacked on 1st down for a four-yard loss, Aikman hit Irvin for 16 yards and a 1st down at the Dallas 46-yard-line, which was followed by a three-yard run by Smith, and then another Aikman-to-Irvin connection, this time for 14 yards to give the Cowboys a 1st & 10 at the Redskins' 37-yard-line.
Then after getting sacked again on 1st down, this time for an eight-yard loss, Aikman hit passes to Alfredo Roberts and Tommie Agee, respectively, picking up 11 yards to set up a 4th & 7 at the Washington 34-yard-line when Johnson called timeout with 13 seconds left in the half.
For the third straight time, Johnson decided not to call on the field goal unit and instead go for the 1st down, or so it appeared.
Aikman dropped back to pass, but instead of going for a 10-yard or 15-yard pass, he went for the end zone, as he threw a Hail Mary pass that fell into the hands of Harper for a shocking 34-yard touchdown to end the first half with the Cowboys leading 14-7 and Dallas receiving the ball to start the second half.

Dallas began its initial possession of the second half from its 20-yard-line and began with three runs by Smith that picked up 14 yards and an incomplete pass which set up a 3rd & 6 for the Cowboys from their 36-yard-line.
That is when Aikman found Harper again, this time for 27 yards and a 1st down at the Redskins' 37-yard-line.
But while the Cowboys while celebrating being in Redskins territory, Aikman lied on the ground in pain after a being taken down by Washington defensive ends Charles Mann and Jumpy Geathers.
Aikman would limp off the field with a sprained right knee and would not return to the game, being replaced by Steve Beuerlein.
On his first play from scrimmage, Beuerlein threw a deep pass for Harper which fell incomplete but drew a pass interference penalty on Mayhew to give the Cowboys a 1st down at the Washington 17-yard-line.
The Cowboys would only pick up three more yards, forcing Johnson to call on Willis to attempt a 32-yard field goal.
But Willis' kick was no good, keeping the score 14-7 in favor of Dallas.
Neither team would mount another scoring threat until the Cowboys got the ball at their 19-yard-line with 3:55 left in the third quarter and proceeded to drive the 81 yards in seven plays as Beuerlein hit all four of his passes on the drive for 61 yards with the last completion being a 23-yard touchdown to Irvin on the third play of the 4th quarter that extended the Cowboys' lead to 21-7.
Now down by two touchdowns, the Redskins' offense, which had been held to just 107 yards of total offense up to this point, needing to put together a touchdown drive in hopes of keeping their undefeated season alive.
But on the first play from scrimmage following the ensuing kickoff, Rypien was picked off by Cowboys cornerback Larry Brown on a deep pass intended for Clark.
Brown returned the interception 20 yards to give the Cowboys the ball at their 47-yard-line, only for the Redskins defense force Dallas to go three-and-out.
Washington took over possession at its eight-yard-line with 11:48 remaining in regulation when Rypien and the Redskins offense went into their two-minute offense in order to score as quickly as possible.
The drive began with back-to-back completions to Clark totaling 26 yards, which was followed by an incomplete pass, and then two more completions to Clark for 24 more yards to put the Redskins at the Cowboys' 42-yard-line with a 1st & 10.
After an eight-yard run by Ervins, Rypien went back to the air, this time connecting with Monk for 10 yards and another 1st down at the Dallas 24-yard-line.
Rypien would three straight incomplete passes forcing the Redskins to go for it on 4th & 10.
That is when Rypien would find Ervins for 13 yards and a 1st down, which was followed up by a 10-yard run by Ervins to give the Redskins a 1st & goal at the Cowboys one-yard-line.
Riggs then punched it in for the touchdown to end the 13-play, 92-yard drive that took up almost up 3 1/2 minutes and cut the Cowboys' lead in half to 21-14 with 8:21 left in the fourth quarter.

Taking over for an injured Troy Aikman, Steve Beuerlein compeleted seven of 12 passes for 109 yards and threw a touchdown.

With the pressure on them to put the game away, the Cowboys began their next possession at their 27-yard-line.
After Beuerlein hit Harper for a 16-yard completion to give the Cowboys a 1st down at their 43-yard-line, Smith was called upon as he carried the ball five straight times, picking up 14 yards to set up a critical 3rd & 9 situation from the Redskins' 43-yard-line.
That is when Beuerlein connected with Irvin for 13 yards and another 1st down, keeping the clock running as the Cowboys continued to drive down the field.
Smith would get the ball on the next Dallas plays, gaining 11 yards, including a critical eight yards on 3rd & 7 to give the Cowboys a 1st down at the Redskins' 19-yard-line.
The Redskins would not allow another 1st down, forcing the Cowboys to call on Willis to attempt a 42-yard field goal to make it a two-score game
Despite having missed his previous two field goal tries, Willis' 42-yard kick was true, extending the Cowboys' lead to 24-14 with just 74 seconds left in the game.
Rypien and the Redskins' offense were able to drive 63 yards in five plays, culminating with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Rypien to Sanders that cut the deficit to three points at 24-21 with just 18 seconds lost.
But the Cowboys fullback Darryl "Moose" Johnston would recover the ensuing onside kick allowing for Beuerlein to take a knee to run out the clock as Dallas came away with a 24-21 victory and handing the Redskins their first loss of the season.
The Redskins would recover to finish the regular season with a 14-2 record, good enough for the #1 seed in the NFC Playoffs as they ousted the Atlanta Falcons 24-7 in the Divisional Round, then blew out the Detroit Lions 41-10 in the NFC Championship Game to earn a trip to Super Bowl XXVI where the Redskins behind Rypien's MVP performance soundly defeated the Buffalo Bills 37-24 for the team's third world championship in a decade.
As for the Cowboys, their upset over the Redskins help kick off a five-game winning streak which earned Dallas a Wild Card berth, meaning they would return to the playoffs for the first time since 1985.
In the playoffs, the Cowboys knocked off the Chicago Bears 17-13 in the Wild Card Round before being destroyed by the Lions 38-6 in the Divisional Round, ending their season.
But the experience the Cowboys gained over the 1991 season would carry over for the next several years as Dallas would win three out of the next four  Super Bowls to become the "Team of the 90s".

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Holy Buckeye! Ohio State Pulls Out Win Over Purdue

Michael Jenkins makes the "Holy Buckeye" touchdown catch which gave Ohio State a win over Purdue, preserving their undefeated season.

After a college football team wins a national championship, the team and its fans usually look back and pick one moment from the season that showed that they were destined to be that year's national champion.
For the 1980 Georgia Bulldogs, its the game-winning 93-yard touchdown pass from Buck Belue to Lindsay Scott with over a minute left to give them a 26-21 win over Florida.
For the 1998 Tennessee Volunteers, its when defensive tackle Billy Ratliff recovered a fumble from Arkansas quarterback Clint Stoerner when it appeared the Razorbacks were on their way to victory, only to have the Vols drive down the field for the winning touchdown.
That leads us to the 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes, whose moment of destiny came in their 10th game of the season on a play which lead ABC broadcaster Brent Musberger to yell "Holy Buckeye!".
The Buckeyes entered the 2002 season as the #13 ranked team in the country as they were set to begin their second season under head coach Jim Tressel, who had led the Buckeyes to a modest 7-5 record the year before but included a win over Michigan in Ann Arbor, the first time the Buckeyes had defeated the Wolverines in Ann Arbor since 1987.
Despite their high preseason ranking, the Buckeyes needed replacements for starting quarterback Steve Bellisari and running back Jonathan Wells.
They found those replacements in junior quarterback Craig Krenzel and freshman running back Maurice Clarett who helped lead Ohio State to a 10-0 record as they traveled west to West Lafayette, Indiana to face the Purdue Boilermakers.
The Boilermakers entered their game with Ohio State with a 4-5 record, but with all five of their losses coming within a touchdown or less.
Coached by Joe Tiller, who had led Purdue to the Rose Bowl with quarterback Drew Brees during the 2000 season, the Boilermakers were hoping an upset of Ohio State could be the highlight of otherwise mediocre season.

Ohio State freshman sensation Maurice Clarett would carry the ball 14 times for 56 yards before leaving the game with an injury in the second half.

 The Boilermakers got the ball to start the game and behind the right arm of quarterback Kyle Orton drove from their 20-yard-line to the Buckeyes' 15-yard-line as Orton completed his first six passes for 55 yards.
But on 3rd & 7 from the Ohio State' 15-yard-line, Orton was picked off in the end zone by Buckeyes cornerback Dustin Fox, ending the Purdue scoring threat and keeping the game scoreless.
After both teams punted on their ensuing possessions, the Buckeyes took over at their nine-yard-line and were able to drive to their 41-yard-line until Krenzel was intercepted by Purdue linebacker Niko Koutouvides, whose 21-yard return set up the Boilermakers offense at the Ohio State 23-yard-line.
Two straight completions by Orton totaling 17 yards set up a 1st & goal at the six-yard-line, but the Boilermakers only picked up two more yards on the next three plays, forcing to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Berin Lacevic to give Purdue a 3-0 lead with 42 seconds left in the first quarter.
After forcing another Ohio State punt, the Boilermakers got the ball at their 20-yard-line and quickly drove into Buckeye territory as Orton hit running back Joey Harris for a 30-yard gain to give Purdue a 1st down at the Ohio State 39-yard-line.
Harris would carry the ball on the next three plays picking up nine yards, setting up a 4th & 1 at the 30-yard-line when Tiller decided to go for the 1st down.
Orton handed the ball off to Jerod Void, who ran for just two yards, but enough to pick up the 1st down.
Orton would complete his next two passes to set up 3rd & 1 when Orton's pass for Taylor Stubblefield fell incomplete.
This time, Tiller sent in the field goal unit to attempt a 36 yard field goal but Lacevic's kick sailed wide left, keeping the score 3-0 with 9:50 left in the second quarter.
Ohio State took over at its 20-yard-line and drove to the Boilermakers' 33-yard-line where they had a 3rd & 1 when Clarett was dropped for a two-yard loss, forcing the Buckeyes to punt the ball back to the Boilermakers who took over at their 15-yard-line with less than five minutes to go before halftime.
The Purdue offense only got to their own 30-yard-line when Orton was intercepted by Ohio State linebacker Matt Wilhelm, giving the Buckeyes the ball at the  Boilermakers' 41-yard-line with 3:15 to go in the first half.
The Buckeyes would drive down the field with their running game as Clarett carried the ball three straight times for 11 yards to begin the drive, which was followed by two straight Krenzel runs, the last being a 15-yard run to the Purdue 13-yard-line, when Krenzel put the ball in the air for the first time on the drive, only to have the pass fall incomplete.
Two more runs picked up eight more yards to set up a 22-yard field goal by Mike Nugent, which he made as time expired in the first half, tying the game 3-3 after 30 minutes of play.

Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel would complete 13 of 20 passes for 173 yards and throw one touchdown.

The game was still tied 3-3 when wide receiver Michael Jenkins blocked a Purdue punt, giving the Buckeyes the ball at the Boilermakers' 37-yard-line with 2:53 left in the third quarter.
However, a quarterback sack by Boilermakers defensive end Shaun Phillips took the Buckeyes out of field goal range and forced them to punt the ball back to Purdue as the third quarter came to a close with the score still 3-3.
After another exchange of punts, the Boilermakers got the ball at their 20-yard-line with 12:08 left in the 4th quarter.
That is when Brandon Kirsch, who had taken over for Orton at quarterback during the second half, connected with wide receiver Ray Williams for a 58-yard pass completion to give Purdue a 1st down at the Buckeyes' 22-yard-line.
From there, Brandon Jones would carry the ball five straight times, gaining 18 yards, to set up a 3rd & 3 from the four-yard-line, when Kirsch was dropped for a six-yard-loss by Wilhelm and was followed by a false start penalty, forcing the Boilermakers to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Lacevic to break the 3-3 tie and give Purdue a 6-3 lead with 7:50 left in the 4th quarter.
Ohio State begins its ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line and were quickly at the 50-yard-line thanks to three straight pass completions by Krenzel, the first two to Jenkins for 23 yards and the last to Bam Childress for seven yards.
But after Maurice Hall was stopped after a one-yard gain on 2nd & 3, disaster nearly struck for the Buckeyes as Krenzel fumbled the ball while trying to run for the 1st down, only to have Hall recover the ball for the Buckeyes, forcing a Ohio State punt which pinned the Boilermakers down at their eight-yard-line with 4:50 to go.
The Ohio State defense forced a three-and-out to get the ball back at the Purdue 46-yard-line with a chance to tie or take the lead with 3:10 remaining in regulation.
The drive got off to an auspicious start as Krenzel was sacked for a four-yard loss on 1st & 10, which was followed by an incomplete pass.
Then on 3rd & 14, Krenzel hit Ben Hartsock for 13 yards, setting up a critical 3rd & 1 at the Purdue 37-yard-line with less than two minutes to play.
With time running out and the Buckeyes out of field goal range, Tressel had no choice but to go for the 1st down.
Expecting a run, the Boilermakers were surprised when Krenzel dropped back and threw a bomb that was caught by Jenkins in the end zone for a shocking 37-yard touchdown to give Ohio State its first lead of the game and lead ABC broadcaster Brent Musburger to make his famous call.

After Nugent successfully made the extra point, the Buckeyes had a 10-6 lead with just 1:36 left in the game.
The Boilermakers took over at their 20-yard-line and Tiller inserted Orton back into the game at quarterback in hopes of leading Purdue on a game-winning touchdown drive.
Orton completed two out of three passes for 19 yards before throwing his third and final interception of the game, this time by Ohio State cornerback Chris Gamble on a deep pass at the Buckeyes' 11-yard-line with 45 seconds left.
The Buckeyes were able to run out the clock and escape West Lafayette with a 10-6 win to extend their record to 11-0 while the Boilermakers fell to 4-6 with all six of their losses decided by a touchdown or less.
Purdue would win their final two games of the regular season to earn them a trip to the Sun Bowl where they defeated the Washington Huskies 34-24 to finish the season with a 7-6 record.
As for the Buckeyes, they stave off another upset attempt the following week as they defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini 23-16 in overtime then defeat their arch-rivals, the Michigan Wolverines 14-9 to earn them a spot in the BCS National Championship Game as they faced off with the defending national champion Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl.
Aided by a controversial pass interference penalty on Miami in overtime and a goalline stand in the second overtime period, the Buckeyes would end the Hurricanes' 34-game winning streak with a 31-24 double overtime win to give Ohio State its first national championship in 34 years.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Steelers Score 36 Straight Points To Win Shootout Over Bengals

Steelers quarterback Neil O' Donnell would throw complete 24 of 31 passes for 377 yards and throw three touchdowns in the Steelers' comeback win over the Bengals.

Sometimes football is a lot like basketball as one team gets on a run to break open a game and come back from a huge deficit.
That's exactly what happened in the 1995 Week 12 matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, where the Steelers put together a dominating run in the second half.
Pittsburgh entered the game with a 6-4 record, but on a three-game winning streak, which began one week after an embarrassing 27-9 loss to the Bengals at home in Three Rivers Stadium.
The Steelers were led by head coach Bill Cowher and quarterback Neil O' Donnell, who along with the rest of the Steelers were on a mission to get to the Super Bowl after they had fallen three yards short of the game-winning touchdown in their heartbreaking 17-13 loss to the San Diego Chargers in the previous year's AFC Championship Game.
While the Steeelers were looking toward the Super Bowl, the Bengals were hoping just get into the playoffs as they entered the game with Pittsburgh with a 4-6 record.
Ever since their last playoff appearance in 1990, the Bengals' fortunes had turned for the worse as they had encountered three seasons where they went 3-13 and another where they went 5-11.
Cincinnati was under the direction of David Shula, son of the NFL's all-time winningest head coach Don, whose in his fourth season, but looked to have found his franchise quarterback in Jeff Blake, who had become the Bengals starter after an 0-7 start during the 1994 season, replacing former 1st round pick David Klinger.
With Blake at the helm, Cincinnati fans had a glimmer of hope of ending their playoff drought if they get on a winning streak to end the season.
What proceeded was a game of two halves as both teams held control for one half of play and combined for 80 points and 821 yards of total offense.
The fireworks began on the game's opening kickoff when the Bengals' return man David Dunn received the kickoff, ran seven yards, then threw a backwards lateral across the field to Jeff Hill, who proceeded to run 55 yards before being knocked out of bounds by Steelers kicker Norm Johnson, giving Cincinnati the ball at the Pittsburgh 35-yard-line.
Six plays later, the Bengals had the first touchdown of the game as Blake hit Darnay Scott from four yards out to give Cincinnati a 7-0 lead just 1:39 into the game.
The Steelers would get good field position for their first drive of the game as Ernie Mills returned the ensuing kickoff 34 yards to the Pittsburgh 40-yard-line.
But on 3rd & 2 from the Steelers' 48-yard-line, O' Donnell connected with Mills for an apparent 1st down, only to have Mills fumble the football, which was recovered by the Bengals' Todd Kelly at the Cincinnati 47-yard-line.
The Bengals could not take advantage of the turnover as they went three-and-out, punting the ball back to the Steelers who took over at their 42-yard-line after punter Lee Johnson shanked his kick, which went only 21 yards.
The Steelers would drive to the Bengals' 20-yard-line until a sack by Bengals linebacker Andre Collins forced the Steelers to attempt a 50-yard field goal which Johnson made, cutting the Bengals lead to 7-3 with 7:04 left in the first quarter.
The Bengals responded with an eight-play, 68-yard drive which saw running back Harold Green carry the ball four times for 26 yards and Blake hit Scott for a 23-yard gain, that ended with Blake running it in from one yard out to extend the Cincinnati lead to 14-3 with 2:40 to go in the first quarter.

Bengals quarterback Jeff Blake accounted for all four touchdowns(three passing, one rushing) that Cincinnati scored.

On their next possession, the Steelers drove from their 30-yard-line to the Bengals' 38-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 1 situation.
Cowher decided to go for it but a false start penalty on right tackle Leon Searcy pushed the Steelers five yards back and force them to punt the ball back to the Bengals who took over at their nine-yard-line.
That is when the Blake-to-Pickens connection got going as Blake hit Pickens for 25 yards on the first play of the drive which was also the last play of the first quarter.
The two connected again on 2nd & 2 from the Cincinnati 42-yard-line for a 11-yard gain and another 1st down, which was followed by an offsides penalty on Steelers linebacker Greg Lloyd and then a 26-yard pass from Blake to Pickens to give the Bengals a 1st down at the Steelers' 16-yard-line.
Three plays later, the Bengals were faced with their own 4th & 1 situation when Shula decided to go for it.
Blake was able to drop back and lofted a pass for Pickens in the end zone which fell incomplete, only to have Steelers strong safety Carnell Lake get called for pass interference, to give the Bengals a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line.
On the very next play, Blake connected with Pickens for a one-yard touchdown to extend the Cincinnati lead to 21-3 with 11:28 left in the second quarter.
Down by the same margin as their prior defeat to the Bengals, things were not looking promising for the Steelers, especially when they had to start their next drive at their 12-yard-line, only for center Dermontti Dawson get called for illegal use of hands, pushing the Steelers offense back to their six-yard-line.
That is when O' Donnell got rolling as he completed four passes in a row for a total of 30 yards, which was followed by a 22-yard run by Bam Morris that put the Steelers in Bengals territory at the Cincinnati 42-yard-line.
Then on the next play from scrimmage, O' Donnell hit Mills for a 42-yard touchdown to make it a 21-10 game midway through the second quarter.
The Bengals responded with a pair of runs by Green totaling 15 yards, then followed by a 45-yard pass interference penalty on Lake to give the Bengals a 1st & 10 at the Steelers' 13-yard-line.
However, the Steelers defense would only allow three more yards, forcing the Bengals to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Doug Pelfrey to make it a two-touchdown game at 24-10 with 4:33 left in the first half.
Before the first half came to a close, O' Donnell would complete five of six passes for 61 yards, with the big play being a 33-yard completion to Charles Johnson, to set up a 26-yard field goal by Norm Johnson to make it 24-13 after 30 minutes of play.
The Steelers got the ball to start the second half but turned it over on the third play of the drive as running back Erric Pegram fumbled the ball after a pass, which was recovered by Bengals strong safety Bracy Walker, whose nine-yard return set up the Cincinnati offense with the ball at the Pittsburgh 33-yard-line.
This would lead to Blake throwing his third touchdown pass of the game, a 20-yarder to Tony McGee to push the Bengals' lead back to 18 points at 31-13 with 10:31 to go in the third quarter.

Steelers linebacker Greg Lloyd(95) would lead a Pittsburgh defense that limited the Bengals to just 84 yards of total offense and one touchdown in the second half.

It seemed that the Bengals were on their a season sweep of the Steelers as the Pittsburgh defense could not stop the Cincinnati offense and the Steelers had been settling for field goals instead of touchdowns.
But like basketball, football could turn 180 degrees in a matter of minutes and that's exactly what would happen starting with the Steelers' ensuing possession.
After Mills returned the ensuing kickoff 31 yards to the Pittsburgh 38-yard-line, the Steelers got into Bengals territory on the very next play as Bengals cornerback Roger Jones was called for pass interference, resulting in a Pittsburgh 1st down at the Bengals' 42-yard-line.
Then O' Donnell would hit Mills for 18 yards on 3rd & 7 for a 1st down at the Cincinnati 21-yard-line, which was followed by a nine-yard completion to Yancey Thigpen, and two runs by Pegram totaling 11 yards, all leading to an one-yard touchdown run by Morris, which cut the Bengals' lead to 31-20 with 6:46 left in the third quarter.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Steelers got the ball at their 17-yard-line and drove 83 yards in nine plays, culminating with a 15-yard touchdown pass from O' Donnell to Andre Hastings.
Cowher decided to go for two and brought in backup quarterback Kordell Stewart, who had spent the season lining up at various times at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, earning him the nickname "Slash", to get the two points to make it a field goal game.
Stewart ran a quarterback option and pitched it out to Pegram who ran it in for the two-point conversion to bring Pittsburgh to within three points at 31-28 with 99 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Steelers' defense kept the momentum going as they forced another three-and-out and seemed to get the ball in Bengals territory when Hastings returned the ensuing punt 47 yards to the Bengals' 26-yard-line, only for an illegal block get called on Tim Lester, meaning the Steelers had to start from their 16-yard-line.
Morris would ran for five yards on the last play of the third quarter, which was followed by O' Donnell connecting with Mills for eight yards to give Pittsburgh a 1st down at their 29-yard-line.
That is when Stewart re-entered the game, lined up as wide receiver, and proceeded to run a seam pattern down the middle the field where he caught O' Donnell's pass for him at the Bengals' 40-yard-line.
Stewart would run into the end zone untouched for a 71-yard touchdown to give the Steelers their first lead of the game at 35-31 and third touchdown in a span of 7 minutes and 21 seconds.
But the Pittsburgh scoring barrage was not over.
The Steelers' defense would force the Bengals a third consecutive three-and-out, which included a 13-yard loss on a quarterback sack by linebacker Jason Gildeon, which lead to the Steelers getting the ball back at the Bengals' 39-yard-line after a 31-yard punt by Lee Johnson.
For this drive, the Steelers would go back to their traditional running game as Morris carried the ball five times for 23 yards, with the  last one being a three-yard touchdown to extend the Pittsburgh lead to 42-31 with 9:33 left in the game.

Kordell Stewart, or Slash, would catch his first career touchdown, a 71-yard TD that gave the Steelers the lead for good.

Needing to get their offense back on track, the Bengals decided to go for it on 4th & 4 at their own 31-yard-line when Blake hit Pickens for 22 yards for a Cincinnati 1st down at the Steelers' 47-yard-line.
Then after a seven-yard pass to running back Eric Bieniemy, Blake was sacked by Greg Lloyd, fumbling the football, which was recovered by Steelers defensive lineman Bill Johnson at the Pittsburgh 43-yard-line.
With a chance to put the nail in the coffin, the Steelers pulled out a gadget play as they called a reverse on 2nd & 7 from the 46-yard-line, where Mills ran for 20 yards and another Steelers 1st down at the Bengals 36-yard-line.
Then after a four-yard run by Morris and 10-yard holding penalty on left guard led to a 2nd & 16 at the 40-yard-line, O' Donnell would throw his final pass of the game, which turned out to be a 32-yard completion to tight end Jonathan Hayes setting up a 1st & goal at the Bengals eight-yard-line.
Morris would score his third touchdown of the game on the very next play to make it 49-31 with 4:09 to go as the Steelers had turned a 18-point deficit into a 18-point lead.
David Klinger would come in the game on the Bengals' next drive, replacing Blake, and hit his first two passes for 15 yards, until he was picked off by Steelers defensive end Ray Seals, allowing for the Steelers to run out the clock and leave Cincinnati with a 49-31 victory.
The Bengals would finish the season with a 7-9 record as Blake and Pickens would go to the Pro Bowl thanks to Blake's 3,822 passing yards and 28 touchdowns, 17 of those caught by Pickens on 99 catches for 1,234 yards.
With Blake and Pickens, Bengals fans had high hopes for the 1996 season, but a 1-6 start lead to Shula's firing, and being replaced by offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet, who lead the Bengals to a 7-2 record for the rest of the season.
As for the Steelers, their win over the Bengals kept their winning streak alive which they would extend to eight games, earning them their their third AFC Central Division title and the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs.
The Steelers would knock off the Buffalo Bills 40-21 in their Divisional Playoff, then hold off the Indianapolis Colts 20-16 in the AFC Championship Game when Jim Harbaugh's Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game fell incomplete, earning the Steelers their first trip to the Super Bowl in 16 year.(To read more about the game, click on the link here: NFL Old School Game of the Week: Steelers Survive Colts Hail Mary Attempt To Win AFC Title).
However, the Steelers would fall to the Dallas Cowboys 27-17 as O' Donnell threw two costly 2nd half interceptions which set up two touchdown runs by Dallas running back Emmitt Smith.
O' Donnell would leave Pittsburgh in the offseason to sign a 5-year, $25 million contract with the New York Jets, but lasted only two years there before being released and leading him to sign with the Bengals for the 1998 season, where he played only one year, before ending up with the Tennessee Titans, backing up Steve McNair for five years until O' Donnell retired from the NFL after the 2003 season.