NFL Old School Game of the Week: Eagles Clinch NFC East in Dramatic Fashion

Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns, plus ran for 48 yards in leading the Eagles to a dramatic win over the Giants.

As the Philadelphia Eagles entered their week 16 game with the New York Giants, they had a chance to do something they hadn't done since 1988: win the NFC East.
The 9-5 Eagles entered the game needing one win to clinch the NFC East title and return to the playoffs for the second year in a row.
The Eagles were led by head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Donovan McNabb, who were in their third year together in Philadelphia and returned the Eagles to contending for the playoffs after three straight losing seasons from 1997-99 as the Eagles made it to the playoffs after a 11-5 season in 2000.
The Eagles would knock off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21-3 in the Wild Card round, but would be knocked out by the Giants 20-10 in their NFC Divisional Playoff.
The Giants seemingly had the Eagles' number as they entered the 2001 season as they had defeated their hated NFC East rival had won nine straight against Philadelphia and had swept the season series every year since Jim Fassel became the Giants' head coach in 1997.
But in week 6 of the 2001 season on Monday Night Football, the Eagles would knock off the Giants 10-9 to end their nine-game losing streak to New York.
The 2001 season had been an up-and-down one following their run to the Super Bowl, the year before as the team stood with a 7-7 record needing to win its last two games of the regular season to have any chance of making the playoffs.
Plus, defensive end Michael Strahan had recorded 18 quarterback sacks though the team's first 14 games, four sacks shy of tying former New York Jets defensive end Mark Gastineau's record of most quarterback sacks in a season with 22.
So to see they was a lot on the line entering the week 16 game in Philadelphia would be an understatement.
After the Giants went three-and-out to start the game, the Eagles got the ball at their 28-yard-line when on the first play of the drive, McNabb found tight end Chad Lewis for 31 yards to give Philadelphia a 1st down at the New York 41-yard-line.
McNabb would connect with Lewis four more times for 22 yards on the drive which ended when McNabb found Lewis in the end zone for a five-yard touchdown to put the Eagles on the board first as they took a 7-0 lead.
Following another New York three-and-out, the Eagles drove from their 44-yard-line to the Giants' 30-yard-line until Strahan made his presence felt on back-to-back plays.
First, he sacked McNabb for an eight-yard-loss on 1st down, then teamed with linebacker Michael Barrow for another sack which resulted in a fumble that was recovered by Barrow at the Eagles' 48-yard-line.
However, the Giants would give the ball right back to the Eagles when on 2nd & 5 from the Philly 43-yard-line, running back Tiki Barber fumbled at the end of a seven-yard-run which was recovered by Eagles strong safety Damon Moore giving the Eagles the ball back at their 31-yard-line with 3:51 left in the first quarter.
From there, the Eagles would drive to the Giants' 18-yard-line on five plays, thanks in large part to two runs by Cornell Buckhalter which totaled 35 yards as the Eagles had a 1st & 10 at the New York 18-yard-line.
But the Eagles would go backwards as they would lose yardage on the next three plays, forcing to settle for a 43-yard field goal attempt by David Akers, which came up short to keep it a 7-0 game.
Following Akers' miss, the game would turn into a defensive stalemate as neither team could mount a serious scoring threat for the rest of the first half as the Eagles went into the halftime break still holding on to a 7-0 lead.

Giants defensive end Michael Strahan finished with 3.5 sacks, drawing him to within 0.5 sack of setting the NFL record for most quarterback sacks in a season.

The Eagles would get the ball to start the second half but would be forced to punt the ball away as the Giants took over at their 40-yard-line.
That is when New York decided to go into its bag of tricks as quarterback Kerry Collins handed the ball off to Barber, who ran right, then threw a lateral to Collins, who then threw deep for Amani Toomer who made the catch for a 60-yard touchdown that tied the game at 7 just 2:15 into the third quarter.
The game was still 7-7 when the Giants got the ball back at the 50-yard-line with 6:34 left in the third quarter when Dayne busted loose for a 30-yard run to put New York at the Eagles' 20-yard-line.
The Eagles defense would hold the Giants out of the end zone but New York would take their first lead of the game as Morten Andersen kicked a 25-yard field goal to give the Giants a 10-7 lead with 2:40 left in the third quarter.
The Giants took their 10-7 lead into the fourth quarter when the Eagles had the ball at their 43-yard-line when McNabb threw a bomb down the right sideline and hit James Thrash in stride for a 57-yard touchdown to put Philadelphia back on top 14-10 with 14:19 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Giants got the ball back at their 29-yard-line and rode the right arm of Collins down the field as he completed four of his first five passes 42 yards on the New York drive, only to have his next three pass fall incomplete, forcing the Giants to settle for another field goal by Andersen, this one from 32 yards out to cut the Eagles' lead to 14-13 with 8:48 to go in the game.
The Giants' defense would force the Eagles to go three-and-out on their next possession to get the ball back at their 19-yard-line when disaster nearly struck for New York.
On the first play of the drive, Collins attempt to hand the ball off to Toomer on a reverse, only for Toomor to drop the handoff.
Toomer would pick the ball back up but not before he was tackled for a 10-yard-loss to set up 2nd & 20 from the Giants' nine-yard-line.
However, the Giants would get the 20 yards needed for the 1st down as Collins connected with tight end Dan Campbell for the 20-yard completion, which was followed by a 11-yard pass to Campbell to give the Giants another 1st down at their 40-yard-line.
After Barber lost a yard on a 1st down run, Tiki came back with a 10-yard reception, followed by a 23-yard run to put the Giants at the Eagles' 28-yard-line.
Then after two straight running plays picked up 12 yards, Dayne barreled his way to a 16-yard touchdown to give New York a 19-14 lead.
The Giants would go for two and get it when Barber went around the right end and into the end zone to increase the New York lead to 21-14 with 2:48 left in regulation.
Needing a touchdown to tie the game, McNabb and the Eagles took over at their 33-yard-line following a 21-yard return by Brian Mitchell on the kickoff.
McNabb's first two passes fell incomplete, but on the second incompletion, Lewis was interfered by Giants linebacker Brandon Short, giving Eagles a 1st down at their 41-yard-line as it was a spot foul.
Then after another incomplete pass, McNabb hit his first pass of the drive as he found Freddie Mitchell for 15 yards to give the Eagles a 1st down at the Giants' 44-yard-line.
Following a five-yard run by McNabb, the third-year quarterback would connect with Thrash again, this time for 32 yards to give the Eagles a 1st & goal at the seven-yard-line.
That is when McNabb found Lewis in the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown that along with Akers' extra point tied the game at 21 with 1:53 left in regulation.

Eagles tight end Chad Lewis finished with seven catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns.

The Giants would get the ball at their 26-yard-line with a chance to drive into field goal range and give Andersen a chance to win the game, but they would go three-and-out, forcing them to punt the ball back to the Eagles, who took over at their 29-yard-line with 58 second remaining and two timeouts in their pocket.
Following an incomplete pass to start the drive, McNabb would hit Thrash for a 25-yard gain to put the Eagles into Giants territory at the New York 46-yard-line as Reid called timeout with 45 seconds to go.
On the next play, McNabb would hit Todd Pinkston for nine yards, but thinking he had the 1st down, McNabb spiked the football to make it 3rd & 1.
No worries though as McNabb sneaked for four yards and a 1st down at the Giants' 33-yard-line.
But McNabb couldn't get up as Strahan, who made the tackle, wouldn't let go of McNabb in an effort to run as much time off the clock as possible.
That drew a five-yard delay-of-game penalty on the Giants making it 1st & 5 from the 28-yard-line with 21 seconds left.
McNabb would run the ball for 11 yards and another 1st down before spending the Eagles' last timeout with 11 seconds left.
With no timeouts left, Reid decided to call on Akers to attempt a 35-yard field goal to give the Eagles the lead.
Fassell called timeout in hopes of icing Akers but to no avail as Akers' kick sailed through the uprights to give the Eagles a 24-21 lead with just seven seconds to go.
On the ensuing kickoff, Akers' kick would sail into the end zone for a touchback, giving the Giants the ball at their 20-yard-line with seven seconds left to pull off a miracle.
That is when Fassell called for "The Lambuth Special" a play that called for Collins to hit Ike Hilliard, who then lateral it to Barber, who would then it lateral to Ron Dixon, who would then proceed to run down the field.
As Collins took the snap, he could find Hilliard and instead threw to Barber, who made the catch at the Giants 14 yards down the field.
Barber then lateraled it off to Dixon, who cut to the left side and find some open space to run down the field.
As Dixon ran down the left sideline, he was outracing the Eagles defense and was getting closer to the end zone for a potential game-winning touchdown.
But Dixon would tackled by Damon Moore just six yards shy of the end zone, preserving the Eagles' 24-21 win to secure Philadelphia's 1st NFC East division title since 1988.

The loss ended any chance of the Giants returning the playoffs as they would finish the season with a 7-9 record but would return to the playoffs the following season only to blow a 24-point lead to the San Francisco 49ers in their NFC Wild Card game to lose 39-38.
Strahan would set the record for most quarterback sacks in a season in the regular season finale when Packers quarterback Brett Favre conveniently took rolled out and fell down allowing for Strahan to record his 22 and 1/2 sack of the season.
As for the Eagles, they would host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round, who they easily dispatched of by the score of 31-9, then go on the road to upset the Chicago Bears 33-19 to advance to their first NFC Championship Game since 1980, only to lose to the St. Louis Rams 29-24.
Over the course of the next nine seasons, the Eagles would win the NFC East five more times and play in the NFC Championship Game four more times, only to win the NFC Title Game once as they defeated the Atlanta Falcons 27-10 in the '04 Title Game to advance to Super Bowl XXXIX, where they would fall to the New England Patriots 24-21.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Bears Pull off "Sweet" Comeback over Chiefs

Bears running back Walter Payton carried the ball 33 times for 192 yards and scored three touchdowns.

In most cases of a NFL's team season, they will look at one game that would be the turning point of their season in either a good way or a bad way.
For the 1977 Chicago Bears, that game would come in week 9 of the season when they hosted the Kansas City Chiefs at Soldier Field.
The Bears entered the game with a 3-5 record and were coming off an embarrassing 47-0 loss to the Houston Oilers the week before.
The Bears didn't have much going for them except for running back Walter Payton, who had run for 1,390 yards and 13 touchdowns during a 7-7 season in 1976 and was just a handful of yards of becoming the first running back in Bears history to run for back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons.
Payton was essentially the only reason to watch the Bears as the team had not been to the playoffs since winning the 1963 NFL championship and had not recorded a winning season since 1967.
While things had been sour for the Bears for about a decade, the Kansas City Chiefs were beginning to enter some dark times as well as they were removed from the glory days of the late '60s and early '70s with head coach Hank Stram, quarterback Len Dawson, and linebacker Bobby Bell, which had helped the Chiefs to three AFL titles and a Super Bowl championship following the 1969 season.
The Chiefs had had three straight 5-9 seasons and entered the Bears game with a 2-6 record, having just fired head coach Paul Wiggin after a 1-6 start and replaced him with Tom Bettis, who had led the Chiefs to a 20-10 win over the Green Bay Packers the week before.
The Chiefs traveled to Chicago on a cold, windy day looking for their second straight win while the Bears were hoping to win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
 Following a 22-yard return by Larry Brunson on the opening kickoff, the Chiefs began their first drive at their 40-yard-line and quickly drove to the Chicago seven-yard-line as quarterback Mike Livingston completed his first three passes for 34 yards on the drive.
From the seven-yard-line, Livingston handed the ball off to running back Ed Podolak three straight times for six yards, setting up a 4th & goal at the one-yard-line.
The Chiefs decided to go for the touchdown and got it as Livingston ran into the end zone on a quarterback bootleg to give Kansas City a 7-0 lead with 9:28 left in the first quarter.
After the Bears went three-and-out on their opening possession, the Chiefs took over at their 34-yard-line where a 38-yard pass from Livingston to tight end Walter White help set up an one-yard touchdown run by Podolak to increase the Kansas City lead to 14-0 with 5:22 left in the first quarter.
The Chiefs were forced Chicago to punt on its ensuing possession to get the ball back at their 16-yard-line where they were on the move again as a 12-yard pass to Mark Bailey plus a 15-yard late hit penalty gave Kansas City a 1st down at their 42-yard-line.
But on the very next play from scrimmage, Bears cornerback Allan Ellis picked off a Livingston pass and returned it 11 yards to the Chicago 45-yard-line.
From there, Payton would carry the ball on the next three plays, picking up 41 yards to set up the Bears with a 1st & 10 at the Chiefs' 14-yard-line as the first quarter came to an end.
Four plays later, the Bears were faced with their own 4th & 1 situation from the one-yard-line where they decided to go for the touchdown.
But unlike the Chiefs, the Bears could not punch into the end zone as Payton was stopped for no gain to give the Chiefs the ball at their one-yard-line still leading 14-0.

Chiefs running back Ed Podolak carried the ball 29 times for 102 yards and scored two touchdowns.

The Bears would get the ball back at the Kansas City 41-yard-line after forcing a Kansas City punt which was returned 19 yards by Steve Scubert.
The Bears would drive to the Chiefs' 21-yard-line before calling on Bob Thomas to kick a 39-yard field goal, only to have the kick bounce off the upright and no good to keep it 14-0 in favor of Kansas City.
Following an exchange of punts, the Chiefs got the ball at their 46-yard-line where they turned to Podolak to lead them down the field.
Podolak would catch a 19-yard pass from Livingston on the first play of the drive, then after Livingston lost a yard, Ed would run for 11 yards to give Kansas City a 1st down at the Bears' 25-yard-line.
However, the Bears defense would hold the Chiefs to a 37-yard field goal by Jan Stenerud which increased Kansas City's lead to 17-0 with just 72 seconds left in the first half.
Chicago would take over at its 30-yard-line, hoping to drive down and pick up some points before halftime.
Avellini, who had completed only one pass up to this point, found James Scott for 14 yards to begin the drive, then hit Brian Baschnagel for 25 yards to give the Bears a 1st down at the Kansas City 31-yard-line.
Then after two straight incomplete passes, Avellini found Greg Latta for 13 yards and another 1st down at the Chiefs' 18-yard-line.
But on the next play from scrimmage, Avellini would be picked off in the end zone by Chiefs free safety Gary Barbano, ending the Bears' scoring threat as the first half came to a close with Chicago down 17-0.
The Bears would get the second half kickoff and seemed to be given a spark as Baschnagel returned the kick 55 yards to the Kansas City 35-yard-line.
However after three straight running plays picked up only five yards, Baschnagel would go from hero to goat as he mishandled the snap on Thomas' 48-yard field goal attempt, leading to him being tackled by Lainer and giving the Chiefs the ball at their 40-yard-line.
Baschnagel would get a chance to atone for his mistake after the Chicago defense forced a three-and-out, leading to a Chiefs punt to which Baschnagel returned 42 yards to the Kansas City 31-yard-line.
Two plays later, the Bears were faced with a 3rd & 1 when Payton would put together what many consider the greatest run of his legendary career.
Payton took the handoff from Avellini and ran right, where he made a spin move at the 25-yard-line, then cut back to the middle and bounced away from five Chief tacklers before brought down at the four-yard-line for an amazing 18-yard run to give Chicago a 1st & goal at the four-yard-line.

After fullback Robin Earl ran for three yards on 1st down, Payton leaped over the Kansas City defense for an one-yard touchdown to put the Bears on the scoreboard as they now trailed 17-7 with approximately 9 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.
The Chiefs would get the ball back at their 29-yard-line and proceeded to drive to the Bears' 38-yard-line until Podolak fumbled the football which was recovered by Chicago defensive end Billy Newsome at the Bears' 39-yard-line.
Two straight runs picked up 10 yards for the Bears until Payton fumbled the football which was recovered by Chiefs defensive end Whitney Paul at the 50-yard-line.
However, the Chiefs would give right back to the Bears when on 2nd & 10, Livingston threw his second interception of the game as Chicago strong safety Gary Fencik made the pick to give the Bears the ball back at their 40-yard-line.
From there, the Bears would drive to the Chiefs' 39-yard-line until Avellini uncorked a deep pass toward the end zone that was tipped by Kansas City cornerback Tim Collier and landed in the hands of Barbano for his second interception of the game.
Barbano would return the pick to the Chiefs' 17-yard-line only to have the Bears defense force a three-and-out to get the ball back at the Kansas City 45-yard-line with 2:16 left in the third quarter.
The Bears would drive to the KC 11-yard-line before calling on Thomas to attempt a 29-yard field goal, only to have Thomas' kick sail wide right and no good to keep it a 17-7 game in favor of the Chiefs with 14:09 left in the 4th quarter.
The Bears would be given great field position again after the Chiefs to punt where Schubert's 16-yard return set up shop for Chicago at their 46-yard-line.
From there, the Bears would drive 54 yards in 10 plays, with Payton carrying the ball on six of those plays for 24 yards, including the one-yard touchdown that brought the Bears to within a field goal at 17-14 midway through the 4th quarter.
With the wind in his face, Thomas squibbed the ensuing kickoff, giving the Chiefs the ball at their 44-yard-line.
From there, Livingston would hit Brunson for 10 yards to start the drive, then after an offsides penalty on the Bears, Livingston would find Podolak for 17 yards to give Kansas City a 1st down at the Bears' 24-yard-line.
Podolak would carry the ball the next two times, picking up 13 yards to give the Chiefs another 1st down at the Chicago 11-yard-line, when the Bears defense made two big plays in a row as they dropped Podolak for a 4-yard-loss on 1st down, which was followed by a quarterback sack by defensive tackle Jim Osbourne, dropping Livingston for a seven-yard loss and setting up 3rd & 21 at the Bears' 24-yard-line.
However, the Chiefs would get a 1st down when Fencik was called for pass interference as he knocked down wide reciever Henry Marshall at the 10-yard-line, giving the Chiefs a 1st & goal from the 10-yard-line.
Two runs by Podolak for six yards and an incomplete pass forced the Chiefs to call on Stenerud to kick a 21-yard field goal which he made to increase the Kansas City lead to 20-14 with 3:21 left in the game.
The Bears would get the ball back at their 31-yard-line, needing a touchdown to take the lead, only to have Avellini threw two straight incomplete passes to begin the drive.
On 3rd down, the Bears went back to Payton, who ran for eight yards but was hit late by Chiefs linebacker Thomas Howard, drawing a 15-yard penalty that was added to the run for a Chicago 1st down at the Kansas City 46-yard-line.
On the next play from scrimmage, Payton would make his only catch of the game, a 29-yard reception on a crossing route to put the Bears at the Chiefs' 17-yard-line.
Following an two-yard run by Earl, Payton took an handoff from Avellini, ran to his left and then cut back across the middle to run for a 15-yard touchdown that along with Thomas' extra point gave the Bears their first lead of the game at 21-20 with 2:02 to play.
Another short kickoff by Thomas gave the Chiefs great field position as they took over at their 44-yard-line with just under two minutes to go, needing only a field goal to win.
The drive began with a seven-yard pass from Livingston to White, followed by a five-yard run by Podolak, then a five-yard run by John Brockington.
Following an incomplete pass on 2nd & 5, Livingston found Podolak for eight yards to give the Chiefs a 1st down at the Chicago 31-yard-line.
Livingston would then hit White again for seven more yards before throwing another incomplete pass to set up 3rd & 3.
That is when Livingston handed the ball off to Brockington, who busted though for a 10-yard run to give the Chiefs a 1st down at the Bears' 14-yard-line.
Clearly in Stenerud's range, the Chiefs wanting to keep the ball on the ground and try to make the kick even easier for Stenerud
That got more that on the next play as Podolak took a sweep to the right side and ran it in to the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown to seemingly give the Chiefs a 27-21 win after Stenerud kicked the extra point with 24 seconds left.

Bears quarterback Bob Avellini only completed 11 of 23 passes for 193 yards but his last pass would save the Bears' season.

It was going to take a miracle for the Bears to pull out a victory, but they got a break on the kickoff when Stenerud squibbed it, allowing for Baschnagel to return it to the Bears' 43-yard-line.
With the running game out of equation, it was going to be up to Avellini to try and get the Bears into the end zone.
On 1st down, Avellini dropped back and threw a pass over the middle to Earl, who ran to the Chiefs' 37-yard-line before stepping out of bounds with 10 seconds left.
That gave the Bears at least one maybe two shots at throwing a Hail Mary into the end zone.
As Avellini took the snap, he dropped back and fired a pass toward the left side of the field, where he found a wide open Latta in the end zone.
Latta made the catch for the touchdown to send the Soldier Field crowd into a frenzy as the Bears had tied at 27 with three seconds left.
Now it was up to Thomas to kick the extra point to give the Bears the lead.
Thomas would make the extra point to give Chicago a 28-27 lead with three seconds left.
Now it was the Chiefs' turn to try and pull off a miracle, but they could not handle the squib kick on the ensuing kickoff as Bears running back Johnny Musso recovered the kickoff as time expire as the Bears had come away with an incredible 28-27 victory.
The Chiefs would not win a game for the rest of the season as they finished with a 2-12 record, the team's worst record in franchise history.
Bettis would not return in head coach as Marv Levy would take over the reins in Kansas City for the 1978 season.
Levy and John Makovic plus Frank Gansz would combine to lead the Chiefs to just two winning seasons and one playoff appearance over the next 11 seasons until Marty Schottenheimmer arrived in 1989 and finally brought the Chiefs back to their winning ways.
As for the Bears, they would follow up the win over the Chiefs with a 10-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings as Payton despite being hampered by the flu rushed for a then NFL record 275 yards as Chicago would go on to win their final six games of the regular season to finish the season with a 9-5 record and their first playoff berth since 1963 as Payton finished the season with a career best 1,852 rushing yards.
However in the playoffs, the Bears would be routed by the Dallas Cowboys 37-7 as Payton was held to just 60 yards then lost head coach Jack Pardee who left after the season to take over as the Washington Redskins' head coach.
For the next six years, the Bears would struggle through mediocrity as they made the playoffs only once in 1979 as Payton rushed closer to Jim Brown's all-time career NFL rushing yards record.
Payton would break the record during the 1984 season where the Bears won their first playoff game since the ' 63 title game, which was followed by their legendary 1985 season which ended with a Super Bowl title.
Payton retired after the 1987 season finishing with 16,726 yards, a record that stood until 2002 when Emmitt Smith past Payton.
For the highlights of the game, click on the video below:

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Bironas' 8 Field Goals Thwart Texans' Miracle 4th Quarter Comeback

Titans kicker Rob Bironas set the NFL record for most field goals in one game in Tennessee's 2007 win over the Houston Texans.

Usually, when a kicker has to kick eight field goals in a game, a team's coaching staff would look at that as perhaps a problem or an indication that they need to get their red zone offense meant.
But for the Tennessee Titans, they were happy to get eight field goals in their week 7 matchup with the Houston Texans as they needed all eight of their field goals to pull out a win against their division rival.
The Titans entered the game with a 3-2 record, hoping to build off an 8-8 season which saw former Texas quarterback Vince Young be named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after leading the Titans to four 4th quarter comeback wins while he threw for 2,199 yards and ran for 552 yards while accounting for 19 touchdowns(12 passing, 7 rushing).
Young has helped in his comeback wins by kicker Rob Bironas who kicked the game-winning field goal in three of those comeback victories, including a 60-yarder to beat the Indianapolis Colts.
But for the first time since he became the starting quarterback in Tennessee, Young would not play as a strained right quadriceps muscle kept him on the sidelines, forcing the Titans to go to veteran quarterback Kerry Collins as the starter for their Week 7 game in Houston.
The Texans entered the game with a 3-3 record as they hoped to earn their first winning season since their inception into the NFL in 2002.
In hopes of reaching that milestone, the Texans traded two second-round picks to acquire Matt Schaub from the Atlanta Falcons in hopes he would lead the Texans to over .500.
Schaub led the Texans to their first ever 2-0 start, before losing three of their next four games before their meeting with the Titans.
If the Texans were to get back on the winning track, they would have to do without their star wide receiver Andre Johnson, who was missing his fifth game in a row because of a sprained left knee.
The Titans got the ball to start the game and come out throwing as Collins threw two passes on the first two plays of the game, which were both complete and went for 31 yards to give Tennessee a 1st down at the Texans' 38-yard-line.
The Titans would only pick up four more yards on the next three games forcing them to settle for a 52-yard field goal attempt by Bironas which he made to put Tennessee on the scoreboard first.
The Texans would get the ball at their 24-yard-line for their opening possession of the game but on 2nd & 11 from the 23-yard-line, Jacoby Jones fumbled the ball after catching a pass from Schaub, when Jones was hit by Titans linebacker David Thornton.

Titans quarterback Kerry Collins would complete 25 of 42 passes for 280 yards in relief of starter Vince Young.

Titans cornerback Nick Harper recovered the fumble at the Houston 23-yard-line, only to have the Titans give the ball right back to the Texans when on 3rd & 7 from the 20-yard-line as Titans tight end Bo Scaife fumbled the football after a six-yard catch when he was hit by Texans cornerback Demarcus Faggins to give Houston the ball back at its 14-yard-line.
The Texans would go three-and-out on their ensuing possession, but would force a second straight turnover which this time resulted in a touchdown as linebacker DeMarco Ryans knocked the ball loose when he sacked Collins, then picked up the loose football and ran 26 yards for the touchdown to give Houston a 7-3 lead with 9:35 left in the first quarter.
After forcing the Titans to go three-and-out on their next possession, the Texans got the ball at their 42-yard-line and drove to the Titans' 40-yard-line until Schaub was knocked out of the game when a sack Titans cornerback Cortland Finnigan injured his hip and ankle, forcing the Texans to send in backup Sage Rosenfels.
Rosenfels' first pass was intercepted by Harper whose 30-yard return set the Titans offense up at the Texans' 38-yard-line.
From there, the Titans would drive 31 yards in nine plays before calling on Bironas to kick a 25-yard field goal which trimmed the Houston lead to 7-6 with 55 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Titans would get the ball back at the Texans' 49-yard-line for their next possession early in the second quarter where it took them one play to set up a 1st & goal as Collins hit Roydell Williams for a 39-yard completion to the Houston 10-yard-line.
However, the Titans would pick up only six more yards on the next three plays, forcing them to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Bironas to give Tennessee a 9-7 lead with 11:49 left in the second quarter.
The Tennessee defense would force the Texans to go three-and-out on their next drive to give their offense the ball at their 23-yard-line when Collins got hot as he completed a 24-yard pass to Justin Gage on 3rd & 5 from the Titans' 28-yard-line, which was immediately followed by a 15-yard completion to Scaife to give Tennesee a 1st down at the Texans' 33-yard-line.
Five plays later, Collins handed the ball off to White, who punched it in for the one-yard touchdown for the Titans' first touchdown which increased their lead to 16-7 with 5:49 left in the first half.
The Titans would force another three-and-out to get the ball back at their 49-yard-line where White carried the ball five times for 24 yards on nine-play, 38-yard drive which culminated with a 30-yard field goal by Bironas to increase the Tennessee lead to 19-7 with 69 seconds left before halftime.
It seemed like the Texans would have the ball for the rest of the first half as they would attempt to drive for some points but would give the ball back to the Titans when Rosenfels fumbled the football at the end of a two-yard run which was recovered by Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck, giving Tennessee the ball at the Houston 32-yard-line with 45 seconds and all three timeouts in their pocket.
Collins would complete four passes in a row for a total of 22 yards before Fisher called on Bironas again to attempt a 28-yard field goal with four seconds left in the half.
For the fifth time in the first half, Bironas would tack on three points on the board for the Titans as they went into the halftime break with a 22-7 lead.
The Texans would get the ball to start the second half but on the third play of their opening possession of the half, Rosenfels would be intercepted agian by Harper, who gave the Titans the ball at the Houston 30-yard-line.
But once again the Titans could not get into the end zone and had to settle for another field goal as Bironas kicked a 43-yard field goal to increase the Tennessee lead to 25-7 with 10:58 left in the third quarter.
After forcing another three-and-out, the Titans would put together their longest drive of the game: a 12-play, 73-yard drive which took over six minutes off the clock and ended with a four-yard touchdown run by Chris Henry to make it 32-7 in favor of the Titans with 3:05 to go in the third quarter.

Titans running back Lendale White carried the ball 27 times for 104 yards and scored a touchdown.

It seemed at this point that the Titans had this game in the bag with a 25-point lead and the fact that they had held the Texans to just 42 yards of total offense.
But to paraphrase Han Solo, that was when the fun began.
The Texans would begin its next possession at their 30-yard-line and drive 70 yards in nine plays as Rosenfels completed five of six passes for 50 yards on the drive, with the last completion being a seven-yard touchdown to David Anderson, which was followed by a two-point pass to Davis to make it a 32-15 game with 13:48 left in the fourth quarter.
The Titans took over at their 20-yard-line and immediately picked up a 1st down as White ran for 28 yards to the Tennessee 48-yard-line, but a three-yard run by Henry and two straight incomplete passes forced the Titans to punt the ball back to the Texans who took over at their two-yard-line.
On the first play of the drive, Rosenfels dropped back into his end zone and fired a deep pass for Davis, who made a 53-yard catch, only to have it nullified because of offsetting penalties.
But two plays later on 3rd & 9 from the three-yard-line, Rosenfels would go deep again, this time with Kevin Walter making the catch for 40 yards to give Houston a 1st down at their 43-yard-line.
After an offsides penalty on Titans defensive tackle Randy Starks gave the Texans five extra yards, Rosenfels would complete four consecutive passes for 52 yards, three of those going to Walter for 37 yards, with the last one being a six-yard touchdown that cut the Titans' lead to 10 points at 32-22 with 8:20 to go in the fourth quarter.
It looked like the Texans were going to get the ball back as they forced the Titans to go three-and-out again on their ensuing possession, only to have Anderson muff the punt, which was recovered by Titans cornerback Reynaldo Hill to give Tennessee the ball at the Houston 33-yard-line.
But the Titans ended up going backwards as they lost six yards on three plays, forcing them to punt the ball again to the Texans, where they would take over at their 12-yard-line.
Any chance of a Houston comeback seem to go out the window on the first play of the drive as Rosenfels was intercepted by Bulluck, whose 12-yard return set up shop for the Titans at the Texans' 17-yard-line with 4:14 left in the game.
The Titans would run the ball three straight times, gaining six yards as the Texans spent two of their three timeouts in order to save as much time as possible.
Bironas would come on to kick a 29-yard field goal which not only tied the record for most field goals in a NFL game, but increased the Titans' lead to 35-22 with 3:49 remaining.
With the ball at their 25-yard-line and needing two touchdowns to win, the Texans went to their no-huddle offense as Rosenfels threw a pass on all 12 plays of the Texans' ensuing possession, completing seven of them for 75 yards with the last one being a seven-yard touchdown Jeb Putzier to bring the Texans to within a touchdown at 35-29 with 1:41 to go.
Both teams knew what was coming next: an onside kick which would be the Texans' last hope if they were to have any chance at pulling off the miracle comeback.
Kris Brown' onside kick looked to be successful as it was recovered by Anderson only to have the recovery nullified because the Texans were offsides, pushing them back five yards and trying the onside kick for a second time.
Lightning would strike twice as Brown's kick bounced off the Titans' Ben Hartsock and into the arms of the Texans' Zach Diles giving Houston the ball at their 34-yard-line with 1:32 to go and a chance to drive for the go-ahead touchdown.
After an offsides penalty on Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth gave the Texans five free yards, Rosenfels connected with Anderson and a 1st down at the Houston 47-yard-line, which was followed by an incomplete pass setting up 2nd down.
That is when Rosenfels decided to go deep and found Davis for a 53-yard touchdown that with Brown's extra point gave the Texans their first lead of the game at 36-35 with 1:06 to play.

In the 4th quarter alone, Texans quarterback Sage Rosenfels completed 17 of 24 passes for 252 yards and threw four touchdown passes.

Having their 25-point lead evaporated, the Titans would get the ball at their 20-yard-line with 56 seconds left and a chance to drive into field goal range to give Bironas a chance to save Tennessee and allow them to escape with the win.
Collins hit Roydell Williams for 17 yards to begin the drive, then fired two straight incomplete passes to set up 3rd & 10 from the Titans' 37-yard-line.
That is when Collins went deep and hit Williams for a 46-yard completion to put the Titans at the Texans' 17-yard-line.
White would run for six more yards before Fisher called timeout with two seconds left as he sent Bironas and the field goal unit onto the field for the game-winning field goal.
If Bironas made the kick, not only would he give the Titans the win, but he would break the record for most field goals in a NFL game.
The Texans called timeout in an attempt to ice Bironas but to no avail as Bironas calmly made the 29-yard field goal as time expired to give Tennessee a 38-36 win and Bironas the record for most field goals in a NFL game with 8.
The Texans would go on to finish the season 8-8, their first non-losing season in franchise history, but it would take them until 2011 to finally make the playoffs as they finished that season with a 10-6 record and the AFC South division title.
As for the Titans, Young would return to the lineup the following week and help lead Tennessee to a 10-6 record as they grabbed the last Wild Card spot in the AFC, only to be eliminated by the San Diego Chargers 17-6 in their AFC Wild Card game.
As for Bironas' record he would remain the Titans' kicker through the 2013 season until his release in March of 2014.
Six months later, Bironas would be killed in a car crash at the age of 36.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Saints Prevail Over 49ers in "Coulda Woulda Shoulda" Rematch

In week 6 of the 1987 NFL regular season, which was also the first week where all the regular NFL players played following three games featuring replacement players because of the NFL strike, the New Orleans Saints lost at home to the San Francisco 49ers 24-22 as Morten Andersen's 52-yard field goal in the final seconds sailed wide left.
In the locker room following the game, second-year Saints head coach Jim Mora went one of his legendary rants saying the Saints weren't good enough to beat the 49ers:

The "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda" rant as it became to be known would be seen as the turning point in the Saints' 1987 season as it helped sparked the team toward their first winning season in team history.
Since their inception in 1967, the Saints had never finished beyond .500 and had never made the playoffs.
In 1986, the team hired Mora after he had spent three years in the USFL, leading the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars to a 48-13-1 record and two league championships.
Mora wasn't the only USFL refugee to land in New Orleans as quarterback Bobby Hebert, as well as linebackers Sam Mills and Vaughn Johnson joined Mora to help the Saints to a 7-9 season in 1986.
But after their loss to the 49ers in week 6, the Saints stood at 3-3 and most New Orleans fans were expecting another mediocre season at best.
The Saints would easily dispatch of the Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Rams the next two weeks, beating them by a combined score of 69-14 to improve their record to 5-3 as they traveled to San Francisco for a rematch with the 49ers in week 9.
By 1987, the 49ers had established themselves as the rulers of the NFC West, winning the division in four of the previous six years as well as two Super Bowl titles.
The 49ers were led by head coach Bill Walsh and his famous "West Coast" Offense with Joe Montana at quarterback, running back Roger Craig who had had 1,000 yards receiving and running in 1985, plus third-year wide receiver Jerry Rice who was just coming into his prime.
To go along with this high-powered offense, the 49ers had a stingy defense led by safety Ronnie Lott which had led San Francisco to a 7-1 record as they prepared to host the Saints at Candlestick Park for the anticipated rematch.
However, Montana would not be starting as a sprained index finger on his right hand allowed for Steve Young to get the start in this important game, though Montana would be available if Young were to be injured or ineffective.
The 49ers got the ball to start the game at their 28-yard-line as a 17-yard run by Rice off a reverse on the first play of the game and a 21-yard pass from Young to fullback Tom Rathman help set up a 46-yard field goal attempt by Ray Wersching, with Montana as the holder despite his injured finger.
Wersching's kick would be short and no good to give the Saints the ball at their 29-yard-line where they were able to put together a nine-play, 48-yard drive that was capped off with a 40-yard field goal by Andersen to give New Orelans a 3-0 lead with 6:05 left in the first quarter.
The 49ers would get the ball back at their 24-yard-line but were pushed back 10 yards after an ineligible man downfield penalty wiped out a 12-yard pass from Young to Craig on 1st down.
Nevertheless, Young would lead the 49ers to the New Orleans 46-yard-line where Young connected with Rice on a 46-yard touchdown to give the 49ers a 7-3 lead with 67 seconds left in the opening quarter.
But for Young, his touchdown to Rice would be the final play of the game for him as coaches noted he was woozy believing he had suffered a concussion on one of his two quarterback runs during the touchdown drive.
As Montana was getting warmed up to enter the game, the Saints took over at their 36-yard-line but could not make a 1st down and were forced to punt the ball back to the 49ers.
However, the Saints would catch a break on the punt as 49ers linebacker Keena Turner was called for roughing the kicker, drawing a 15-yard penalty and giving New Orleans an 1st down at their 46-yard-line.
The Saints would hold the ball into the second quarter as they drove down to the 49ers' 24-yard-line before calling on Andersen to attempt a 41-yard field goal which sailed wide right and no good to keep it 7-3 in favor of the 49ers.
When the San Francisco offense come onto the field, Montana came in with them as they took possession at their 24-yard-line as they drove to the Saints' 40-yard-line in just three plays as Craig ran for 27 yards on two carries and Montana connected with tight end John Frank for nine yards.
But on 1st & 10 at the New Orleans 40-yard-line, Montana's pass intended for Ron Heller was tipped and intercepted by Saints linebacker Rickey Jackson to give the Saints the ball at their 28-yard-line.
From there, the Saints would drive 63 yards in 14 plays, primarily on the ground with running backs Dalton Hilliard and Reuben Mayes to set up a 27-yard field goal by Andersen which he made to cut the 49ers' lead to 7-6 with 1:52 left in the first half.

Despite not starting the game, 49ers quarterback Joe Montana would complete 16 of 29 passes for 144 yards.

Montana and the 49ers would get the ball at their 20-yard-line where they hoped to put their two-minute offense to good use to drive down and pick up some more points before halftime.
However, Montana would throw his second interception of the half as Saints cornerback Dave Waymer picked off a pass intended for Heller again and ran it back 17 yards to the San Francisco 23-yard-line to give the New Orleans offense the ball with 1:24 left in the half.
But the Saints ended up going backwards as they lost 12 yards, thanks in large part to a 10-yard-loss on a quarterback sack by 49ers defensive tackle Clyde Glover, forcing Mora to call on Andersen for the fourth time in the first half, this time to attempt a 51-yard field goal.
Andersen's kick was true and the Saints would go into the halftime break with a 9-7 lead and would get the ball to start the second half.
Starting at their own 35-yard-line, the Saints would drive to the 49ers' 43-yard-line when they were faced with a 3rd & 3 situation.
That is when Hebert threw a short pass to wide receiver Mike Jones, who made the catch at the San Francisco 38-yard-line, then spun away to break the tackle attempt made by 49ers cornerback Tim McKyer, and outraced the rest of the 49ers defense for a 43-yard touchdown to extend the Saints' lead to 16-7 with 11:26 left in the third quarter.
Following an exchange of punts, the 49ers had the ball at exactly the 50-yard-line when Walsh decided to go into his bag of tricks as Montana threw to seldom-used running back Harry Sydney, who then fired a perfect pass for Rice who made the catch for a 50-yard touchdown to bring the 49ers to within two points at 16-14 with just over five minutes left in the third quarter.

Jerry Rice caught his seventh and eighth touchdown receptions of his 22-touchdown catch season in the 49ers' Week 9 game.

After another exchange of punts, the Saints had the ball at the 49ers' 43-yard-line when Hebert was intercepted by Lott, whose 34-yard return set up shop for the 49ers offense at the New Orleans 31-yard-line.
Three plays netted only two yards, forcing Walsh to send in Wersching to attempt a 46-yard field goal that would give the lead back to the 49ers.
But Saints defensive back Reggie Sutton would break through the right side of the 49ers' offensive line to block the kick, which bounced into the hands of teammate Johnnie Poe, who returned it 61 yards for a touchdown to increase the New Orleans lead to 23-14 with just three seconds left in the third quarter.
Instead of having a one-point lead, San Francisco now needed two scores to retake the lead as the fourth quarter began with the 49ers holding the ball at their 35-yard-line.
After two plays gained four yards, Montana would hit Russ Francis for 16 yards and a 1st down, which was followed by a 22-yard pass to Frank, giving the 49ers a 1st down at the Saints' 23-yard-line.
However, the Saints' defense would stiffen once again as they allowed only three more yards on the next three plays, leading to a 35-yard field goal by Wersching, which he made to cut the New Orleans lead to 23-17 with 10:44 left in the fourth quarter.
The Saints would get the ball back at their 14-yard-line but couldn't it make it past their own 42-yard-line before punting the ball back to the 49ers who took over at their 37-yard-line with 6:46 to go in the game.
The drive began with four straight running plays which picked up 18 yards before Montana threw his first pass of the drive which fell incomplete leading to a 3rd & 7 situation at the Saints' 46-yard-line.
Montana would connect with Craig for six yards setting up 4th & 1 as Walsh decided to go for the 1st down.
The 49ers would get it as Craig took a pitch from Montana and ran around the left side for eight yards and a 1st down at the New Orleans 32-yard-line.
But three plays later, the 49ers would be faced with another 4th down situation, this time needing seven yards to pick up the 1st down.
That is when Montana faked a draw to Craig and fired a pass for Heller for the 29-yard touchdown that with Wersching's extra point gave the 49ers a 24-23 lead with 2:54 remaining.
The Saints would get the ball back at their 22-yard-line with two timeouts in their pocket and needing just a field goal.
But up to this point in the game, Hebert had only completed eight of 24 passes for 127 yards.
If the Saints were to drive down and kick the winning field goal, they would need Hebert to step up.
Hebert would answer the call on the first two plays of the drive as he hit Lonzell Hill for 23 yards, then Eric Martin for 31 yards, driving the Saints 54 yards in just two plays as they had a 1st down at the 49ers' 24-yard-line.
Two runs by Hilliard only picked up one yard before Hebert put the ball back in the air only to have it fall incomplete and forcing 4th down as Mora sent in Andersen to attempt a 40-yard field goal to give the Saints the lead.
With a chance to redeem himself for his miss from three weeks prior, Andersen made the 40-yard kick to give New Orleans a 26-24 lead with 1:06 remaining.
But that was still plenty of time for Montana to drive the 49ers down the field and give Wersching a chance to win the game with a field goal of his own.
Taking over at his 26-yard-line, Montana would complete three passes in a row to Craig, gaining 19 yards before spending the 49ers' last timeout with 41 seconds to go.
After the timeout, Montana would connect with John Taylor for 15 yards and a 1st down at the Saints' 40-yard-line.
Back-to-back incomplete passes lead to a 3rd down with 18 seconds left when Montana dropped back to pass only to find no one open.
This lead him to scramble and try to pick up the 1st down, but he was tackled one yard short at the Saints' 31-yard-line with 10 seconds to go.
Montana tried to get the 49ers lined up for one last play only to have the clock run out with the Saints victors by the score of 26-24.

Morten Andersen celebrates after making the game-winning field goal.

In the locker room after the game, Mora was asked if his team was contenders to which the coach replied "Yes, we're contenders".
Mora and the Saints were not lose a game for the rest of the regular season as they finished with a then franchise best 12-3 record to earn their first ever winning season and playoff berth in franchise history.
But the 49ers would not lose for the rest of the regular season as well as they finished one game ahead of the Saints with a league best 13-2 record as Rice would catch fire as he caught 14 touchdown passes in the 49ers' final six regular season games to set the NFL record for most touchdown receptions in a season with 22, which stood for 20 years until Randy Moss broke it in 2007.
However, both teams' seasons would end at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings as the 8-7 Vikings destroyed the Saints 44-10 in the NFC Wild Card Game, then shocked the 49ers 36-24 in the Divisional Round, before being eliminated by the Washington Redskins 17-10 in the NFC Championship Game.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Colts Beat Titans in Battle for First Place in AFC South

Peyton Manning completed 22 of 34 passes for 228 yards in the Colts' win over the Titans.

Throughout the 2003 NFL season, the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans were not only locked up in a tight race for the AFC South Division title, but their quarterbacks, Indianapolis' Peyton Manning and Tennessee's Steve McNair were in a neck-and-neck race for the NFL MVP race.
It seemed that both races would come to a head as the two teams meet in Nashville in week 14 of the season.
Both teams entered with identical 9-3 records, but the Colts had defeated the Titans 33-7 back in Week 2, which meant if the Colts won in Nashville, they would essentially hold a two-game lead over the Titans as they held the head-to-head tiebreaker.
So whoever won the game would not only have the upper hand in the race for the division title, but the NFL MVP race as well as Manning and McNair were seen by the media as the two frontrunners for the award.
Through the first 12 games of the season, Manning entered the game leading the league in passing yards(3,383), touchdowns(23), and completion percentage(66.7)while McNair had the highest quarterback rating in the league at 103.5
The Titans got the ball to start the game as they drove 44 yards in eight plays with the biggest play being a 26-yard run by Eddie George to set up a 40-yard field goal by Gary Anderson to give Tennessee a 3-0 lead with 10:29 to go in the first quarter.
The Colts would be given a short field thanks to a 29-yard return by Dominic Rhodes on the ensuing kickoff to give Indy the ball at their 45-yard-line.
Manning would complete three of four passes for 35 yards on a nine-play, 52-yard drive that would end with a 21-yard field goal by Mike Vanderjagt to tie the game at 3 with 6:50 left in the first quarter.
The Titans would respond with a nine-play, 80-yard drive which saw McNair complete all three of his passes for 45 yards on the drive which ended with a two-yard touchdown run by the quarterback to give Tennessee a 10-3 lead with 1:49 remaining in the first quarter.
The score was still 10-3 early in the second quarter when the Colts defense forced the first turnover of the game when cornerback David Macklin stripped Titans tight end Shad Meier at the end of a 16-yard catch, leading to a fumble that was recovered by Macklin at the Tennessee 43-yard-line.
The Colts would drive to the Titans 17-yard-line primarily on the running game as Manning only completed one pass during the drive which ended with a 35-yard field goal by Vanderjagt to cut the Titans' lead to 10-6 with just over nine minutes left in the second quarter.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Colts would get the ball back at their 15-yard-line as Indianapolis would drive 67 yards in 12 plays only to end up with another Vanderjagt field goal, this one from 36 yards out to make it a 10-9 game with just 1:53 left before halftime.

Edgerrian James ran the ball 25 times for 97 yards and scored two touchdowns.

However, the Colts would get the ball right back on the ensuing kickoff as strong safety Mike Doss knocked the ball loose from Titans kick returner Eddie Berlin, leading to a fumble that was recovered by Robert Mathis to give Indianapolis the ball at the Tennessee 29-yard-line with 1:39 left in the half.
Manning would hit three passes in a row, gaining 20 yards before handing the ball off to Edgerrian James three straight times including on a 4th & 1 at the six-yard-line which James converted to give Indianapolis a 1st & goal with just 13 seconds left.
That was enough time for Manning to take a few shots at the end zone but both of his passes fell incomplete, forcing the Colts to settle for another field goal, which Vanderjagt made from 23 yards out to give Indianapolis a 12-10 lead as the first half came to a close.
The Colts would get the ball to start the second half and just like their first drive of the game would be given a short field as Rhodes returned the kick 44 yards to the Colts' 46-yard-line.
From there, it would take the Colts nine plays to drive 56 yards and finally get in the end zone as James punched it in for a two-yard touchdown to extend Indianapolis' lead to 19-10 with 9:39 left in the third quarter.
Lightning would strike twice on the ensuing kickoff as the Colts forced Berlin to fumble the football again, this time with Mathis providing the hit that knocked the ball loose and Ricky Williams(not that Ricky Williams)recovering the fumble at the Titans' 15-yard-line.
But once again, the Colts could only convert the fumble into three points as the Titans defense did not permit a 1st down and forced Indianapolis to settle for its fifth field goal of the game, a 26-yarder by Vanderjagt which increased the Colts' lead to 22-10.
The Titans would respond with a 10-play, 54-yard drive which ended with a 40-yard field goal by Anderson to cut the Colts' lead to 22-13 with 2:44 left in the third quarter.
The Colts got the ball back at their 32-yard-line and after Manning hit Marvin Harrison for 16 yards to start the drive, Harrison would make one of the most brilliant catches of his career as Manning threw a deep pass that seemed that went over Harrison's head, only to have Marvin dive and catch it with his right arm for a 42-yard gain and a 1st down at the Titans' 10-yard-line.

From there, Manning handed the ball off to James on two straight plays, with the latter being a five-yard touchdown to increase the Colts' lead to 29-13 with 40 seconds left in the third quarter.
Things looked bleak for the Titans as they needed two touchdowns and two two-point conversions to tie the game with just over a quarter left to play.
But the Titans would not quit as they put together a 12-play, 69-yard drive which saw McNair account for all but six of the yards on the drive as he ran the ball twice for 18 yards and completed seven of nine passes for 45 yards with the last completion being a one-yard touchdown to running back Robert Holcombe to make it 29-19.
The Titans would attempt a two-point conversion to try and make it a one-score game, which they were able to do as McNair ran it in for the two points to make it 29-21 with 9:29 left in regulation.
The Titans defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball at thier 23-yard-line, but were unable to go past the Tennessee 42-yard-line before punting the ball back to the Colts who took over at their 10-yard-line.
The Colts were able to pick up two 1st downs before having to punt the ball back to the Titans only to have Hunter Smith shank the punt which went only 18 yards to give the Titans the ball at the Colts' 48-yard-line with 2:40 left and a chance to tie the game.
On the first play of the drive, McNair would connect with Justin McCariens for 29 yards to Indianapolis 19-yard-line, then after two straight incomplete passes, McNair would hit McCariens again, this time for 18 yards to give Tennessee a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line.
Holcombe was dropped for an one-yard loss on 1st down, which was followed by an incomplete pass, setting up 3rd & goal when McNair found Derrick Mason for the two-yard touchdown to make it a two-point game at 29-27.
Now come the all important two-point conversion which the Titans needed to tie the game.
Lined up in the shotgun, McNair fired a pass intended for Mason, only to have defensive end Dwight Freeney tip the pass and making it fall incomplete to keep it 29-27 in favor of the Colts with 1:52 left in the game.
With two timeouts in his pocket, Fisher decided against the onside kick and instead kicked it deep as the Colts would take over at their 19-yard-line.
The Tennessee defense would do its job by forcing a three-and-out as the Titans were set to get the ball back as the Colts would punt it away with 50 seconds left.

Steve McNair accounted for 255 yards of total offense and three touchdowns.

This time, Smith didn't shank it as his punt went 52 yards before it was caught by McCariens, who caught it at his own 29-yard-line and ran it back to the Titans' 40-yard-line, only to have the Colts' Clifton Crosby poke the ball loose which was recovered by teammate Anthony Floyd, the third special teams fumble recovery by the Colts of the game.
Manning would come on and take a knee to run out the clock as Indianapolis won the game 29-27, but more importantly were now in 1st place by themselves with a 10-3 record while the Titans fell to 9-4.
The Colts' season sweep of the Titans would ultimately decide the AFC South as both teams finished with 12-4 records with the division going to the Colts because of the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Titans would have to go on the road to play the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round where Anderson made the game-winning field goal from 46 yards out with 29 seconds left to give Tennessee a 20-17 win.
As for the Colts, they would make it all the way to the AFC Championship Game as Manning completed 44 of 56 passes for 681 yards and eight touchdowns in Indianapolis' two playoff wins over the Denver Broncos(49-24 in the Wild Card Round) and the Kansas City Chiefs(38-31 in the Divisional Round).
But both teams' seasons would end at the hands of the New England Patriots, who eliminated the Titans 17-14 in the Divisional Round, then picked off Manning four times in a 24-14 win in the AFC Championship Game as the Patriots would go on to win their second Super Bowl title.
And for the MVP race, it would end up in a tie as Manning and McNair were named co-MVPs for the 2003 season.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Bear Bryant Gets Record 315th Win in Iron Bowl

Alabama head coach Bear Bryant got his 315th career win in the 1981 Iron Bowl.

Whenever the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers play in the annual "Iron Bowl", it is most often than not one of the most anticipated games of the college football season.
But in 1981, there was an historic significance to the game as Alabama head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant had a chance to break to Amos Alonzo Stagg's record over most wins as a head coach at the FBS level if his 8-1-1 Crimson Tide could knock off the 5-5 Tigers.
Bryant's head coaching career began in 1945 at the University of Maryland where he complied a 6-2-1 record in his first and only season as the Terrapins head coach before moving on to the Bluegrass state where he became the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats.
In his eight years at Lexington, Bryant went 60-23-6 and lead the Wildcats to the SEC Championship in 1950, which earned them an invitation to the Sugar Bowl where they knocked off the #1 Oklahoma Sooners 13-7.
Following his stint with the Wildcats, Bryant went down to Texas to become the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies where he went 25-14-2 over four seasons before coming home to his alma mater at Alabama where he lead the Tide to six national championships before his date with destiny on November 29, 1981 at Legion Field in Birmingham.
Standing in his way were the Auburn Tigers, who had not defeated the Tide since the famous "Punt, Bama, Punt" game in 1972 as they were led by first-year head coach Pat Dye, who was hoping to put an end to the Tigers' eight-game losing streak in the series.
The Tide got the ball to start the game but were forced to punt back to Auburn who would take over at the Alabama 13-yard-line following Chuck Clanton's 55-yard punt return.
Three plays picked up only five yards forcing the Tigers to call on Al Del Greco to kick a 25-yard field goal, only to have the kick sail wide right and no good to keep the game scoreless.
After the ball was moved up to the Alabama 20-yard-line because Del Greco missed a field goal from inside the 20-yard-line, Tide quarterback Alan Gray would keep the ball and run 63 yards to the Auburn 17-yard-line.
Six plays later, Gray punched it in for an one-yard touchdown to give Alabama a 7-0 lead with 8:02 left in the first quarter.
Following an exchange of punts, the Tigers drove from their 30-yard-line to the Alabama eight-yard-line thanks in large part to a pair of receptions by tight end Ed West which totaled 43 yards.
But on 1st & goal from the eight-yard-line, Auburn quarterback Ken Hobby threw an interception as he was picked off in the end zone by Alabama defensive back Tommy Wilcox to give the Tide the ball back at their 20-yard-line with 22 seconds left in the opening period.
As the game went into the second quarter, the Tigers would force another punt to get the ball back at their 49-yard-line and drive to the Crimson Tide 26-yard-line before calling on Del Greco to attempt a 43-yard field goal.
But once again, Del Greco's kick sailed wide right and no good keeping it 7-0 in favor of the Tide.
From there the game would turn into an exchange of punts until Auburn running back George Peoples run off tackle and outrun the Alabama defense for a 63-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7 with 3:47 left in the first half.

Auburn running back George Peoples carried the ball 26 times for 155 yards and scored a touchdown.

It didn't take long for the Tigers to get the ball back as Gray fumbled the football on the Tide's next play from scrimmage, leading to a recovery by Auburn defensive end  Zac Hardy at the Alabama 10-yard-line.
Three straight runs picked up five yards, setting up another field goal opportunity for Del Greco as he would attempt a 22-yard field goal.
But for the third time in the first half, the Tigers failed to pick up points off a field goal as holder Joe Sullivan bobbled the snap leading to mad scramble which ended with Sullivan intentionally grounded the ball to give Alabama possession at their 25-yard-line.
As the Tide offense came back onto the field, they would have a new signal caller as sophomore Walter Lewis came in to replace Gray at quarterback.
Lewis got the Alabama offense going until he was picked off by Auburn free safety Mark Dorminey to give the Tigers the ball back at their own 23-yard-line.
Three straight incomplete passes by the Tigers brought the first half to an end with the game tied at 7 and Auburn getting the ball to start the second half.
However, the Tigers would be forced to punt it away to Alabama who took over at their 45-yard-line when Bryant sent in his third quarterback of the game in junior Ken Coley.
Coley would help lead the Tide on a nine-play, 55-yard drive which was capped off with a touchdown as Coley threw a shovel pass to wide receiver Jesse Bendross, who took it 26 yards to the house to give Alabama a 14-7 lead with 9:58 left in the third quarter.
The Tide were poised to get the ball back as their defense forced the Tigers to punt the ball, only to have returner Joey Jones fumble the ball at his own 40-yard-line, leading to the ball being bounced back to the Alabama two-yard-line until it was recovered by Clanton to give Auburn a 1st & goal.
The Tigers would punch it in on 2nd & goal as Lionel James raced around the left side for the two-yard touchdown to tie the game 14-14 midway through the third quarter.
After an Alabama punt on its ensuing possession, the two teams would trade turnovers as Hobby would throw his second interception of the game as Alabama defensive back Benny Perrin came up with the pick at the Crimson Tide 35-yard-line, only to have the Tide turn it over themselves as running back Mickey Guinyard fumbled the football which was recovered by Auburn cornerback Tim Drinkard at the Tigers' 33-yard-line.
The Tide defense forced an Auburn punt, only to fumble the ball for the third time in the third quarter as Jones bobbled another punt which was recovered Mike Hicks at the Alabama 33-yard-line.
Auburn would drive to the Alabama two-yard-line before calling on Del Greco again to attempt another chip shot field goal.
This time, Del Greco was successful as his 19-yard field goal gave the Tigers their first lead of the game at 17-14 with 13:02 left in the game.
The Tide would take over at their 25-yard-line and would drive 75 yards in seven plays culminating with a 38-yard touchdown pass from Lewis to Bendross to give Alabama a 21-17 lead with 10:19 remaining.

Alabama wide receiver Jesse Bendross only caught three passes for 76 yards, but two of them were for touchdowns.

After forcing a three-and-out, the Tide would get the ball at the Auburn 49-yard-line when Linnie Patrick made his presence felt on the ensuing Alabama possession.
On the first play of the drive, Patrick would get outside and ran for 32 yards to the Auburn 17-yard-line.
Then after Ken Fagan ran for two yards, Patrick would break through tackles for a 15-yard touchdown to increase the Crimson Tide's lead to 28-17 with 7:07 to go in the game.
Following an exchange of punts, the Tigers would put together one last drive to pull off a miracle as they drove to the Alabama 26-yard-line until Hobby was picked off for the third time in the game as Perrin made his second interception of the game as he returned the pick 37 yards to the Crimson Tide 44-yard-line, allowing for Alabama to run out the clock and secure Bryant's 315th career victory as the Tide won the 1981 Iron Bowl 28-17.
While the loss gave Auburn a second straight 5-6 season, brighter days would be ahead for the Tigers starting with the arrival of running back Bo Jackson, who went over the top for the game-winning touchdown in the '82 Iron Bowl to end the Tigers' nine-game losing streak in the series.
In fact, during Dye's time at Auburn the Tigers would comply a 6-6 record in the rivalry including a four-game winning streak from 1986-89 as Dye would lead Auburn to four SEC championships and 99 wins in his 12 seasons at the Plains.
As for Bryant, he would lead the Crimson Tide to the Cotton Bowl where they fell to Texas 14-12 to finish the season with a 9-2-1 record.
Bryant would add eight more wins to his record as he retired following the Crimson Tide's 21-15 win over Illinois in the 1982 Liberty Bowl, then dying just one month later at the age of 69.
Bryant would remain the all-time winningest coach in FBS history until 2001 when Joe Paterno won his 324th game when his Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 29-27 victory.
Currently, Bryant ranks third at the FBS level and eighth when you combine all the divisions of college football with his 324-85-17 record.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: "Majik Man" Leads Packers to Upset Win over 49ers

Packers quarterback Don Majkowski ran for two touchdowns and threw another in the Packers' upset win over the 49ers.

Don Majkowski is unfortunately famous for being the quarterback that Brett Favre replaced in 1992 to begin Favre's incredible streak of starting 321 games after the "Majik Man" sprained his ankle in the third game of the 1992 season.
But if you talk to Packers fans, they will tell you about an magical season that Majkowski lead Green Bay on in 1989.
Majkowski arrived in Green Bay in 1987 after a four-year career at the University of Virginia where Majkowski helped the Cavaliers to their first ever bowl game in 1984 where the "Hoos" beat the Purdue Boilermakers 27-24 in the Peach Bowl.
Majkowski was selected in the 10th round of the '87 draft and spent the next two years splitting time with Randy Wright as the Packers' starting quarterback as Green Bay went a combined 9-21-1 over that two-year span.
In fact, the last two decades were considered the dark ages for the Packers has they made the playoffs only twice and four winning seasons since they won the first two Super Bowls.
Majkowski would win the starting job as the 1989 season and with his ability to create plays with his arm and legs, Majkowski earned the nickname the "Majik Man" as he lead Green Bay to a 5-5 record, with four of those wins coming by a field goal or less, including a memorable 14-13 win over the Chicago Bears that became known as the "Instant Replay Game" as Majkowski hit Sterling Sharpe for a game-winning 14-yard touchdown pass with 32 seconds left after instant replay overturned the referees' call of Majkowski stepping beyond the line of scrimmage to throw the pass.
This win and the others like it dubbed the '89 Packers as the "Cardiac Pack" as they traveled to San Francisco to take on the 49ers in Week 11.
Not only were the 49ers the defending Super Bowl champions, but they had the best record in the league at 9-1, with their only loss being a 13-12 loss to their division rivals, the Los Angeles Rams.
Even though they had a first-year head coach in George Seifert, the 49ers still had Joe Montana at quarterback, Roger Craig at running back, Jerry Rice and John Taylor at wide receiver, and an underrated defense that was lead by safety Ronnie Lott.
With the 49ers riding a six-game winning streak and Majkowski limited because of an hyper-extended knee, the Packers were not given much of a chance as they were listed as 11-point underdogs to beat the 49ers in San Francisco.
But to quote legendary ESPN anchor Chris Berman, that is why they play the games.
 The Packers got the ball to start the game and used their running game to drive down the field as running back Brent Fullwood carried the ball six times for 42 yards on a 10-play, 69-yard drive that took up nearly seven minutes which was capped off with an one-yard touchdown run by Majkowski off a quarterback bootleg to give Green Bay a 7-0 lead.

Getting the ball at their 20-yard-line, the 49ers would drive down the field on the right arm of Montana as he completed all six of his passes for 77 yards with the last completion being a four-yard touchdown to Craig which tied the game at 7 with 4:11 left in the first quarter.

49ers quarterback Joe Montana would complete 30 of 42 passes for 325 yards and throw two touchdowns.

The Packers would hold the ball for nearly seven minutes on their ensuing possession which dragged into the second quarter, only to have the drive stall at the San Francisco 43-yard-line, forcing Green Bay to punt the ball back to the 49ers who took over at that 19-yard-line.
However, the Packers would get the ball when on 2nd & 11, Green Bay defensive back Chuck Cecil intercepted a Montana pass intended for Taylor and returned it 16 yards to the San Francisco nine-yard-line.
After two runs by Michael Haddix picked up five yards, Majkowski went back to pass on 3rd & goal and fired a pass that was tipped by 49ers cornerback Don Griffin, only to fall into the hands of Sharpe for a four-yard touchdown to give Green Bay a 14-7 lead with 9:54 to go in the second quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, the 49ers' Terry Greer returned the kick 17 yards to the San Francisco 25-yard-line until he was hit by Packers linebacker Mike Weddington, knocking the ball loose which was recovered by Green Bay's Carl Bland to give the Packers the ball at the 49ers' 25-yard-line.
However, the 49ers would dodge a bullet as they not allowed a 1st down, but force a 38-yard field goal attempt by Chris Jacke which hooked wide right to keep it a 14-7 game.
Following an exchange of punts, the 49ers were pinned back as they had the ball at their two-yard-line.
The 49ers would get out of their territory as Montana hit tight end Brent Jones for six yards on the first play from scrimmage, which was followed by a 13-yard run by Craig to give San Francisco a 1st down at their 21-yard-line.
San Francisco would run five more plays, picking up 19 yards when the two-minute hit as the 49ers faced a 3rd & 3 at their 40-yard-line.
That is the 49ers put the ball back in Montana's hands as he hit Mike Wilson for 13 yards to give San Francisco a 1st down at the Packers' 47-yard-line.
After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Montana would complete his next four passes, with Taylor catching three of them, for 43 yards until he spiked the ball to stop the clock with 16 seconds left at the Packers' nine-yard-line.
Following the spike, Montana would find Rice in the back of the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown, completing a 15-play, 98-yard drive where Montana completed 10 of 12 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown to tie the game at 14 with nine seconds left before halftime.
The Packers would take a knee to run out the clock in the first half as they headed to the locker room tied at 14, but having to go defense to start the second half as the 49ers would be receiving the second half kickoff.
However on the third play of the second half, Montana was sacked by Packers strong safety Mark Murphy, causing a fumble that was recovered by nose tackle Bob Nelson to give Green Bay the ball at the San Francisco 44-yard-line.
The Packers would pick up one 1st down when Majkowski connected with Sharpe for 12 yards to start the drive, but would be forced to punt the ball back to the 49ers after Majkowski was sacked on 3rd & 10 by Charles Haley for an nine-yard loss, pushing Green Bay back to the San Francisco 41-yard-line.

Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe would catch six passes for 59 yards and a touchdown.

The 49ers would get the ball at their 20-yard-line but would quickly be in Packers territory after Montana connected with Craig for a 44-yard catch-and-run to put the 49ers at the Green Bay 36-yard-line, only to have Taylor fumble the ball at the end of a five-yard catch that was recovered by Packers linebacker Tim Harris.
The Packers would go three-and-out punting the ball back to the 49ers who took over at their 28-yard-line and drive to the Green Bay 36-yard-line until a sack by defensive end Blaise Winter temporarily knocked Montana out of the game and forced Seifert to put backup Steve Young for a critical 3rd & 8.
But Young would be dropped for a seven-yard loss after he was sacked by Harris, forcing the 49ers to punt the ball back to the Packers who took over at their six-yard-line.
Following an one-yard run by Fullwood on 1st down, Majkowski would complete three passes in a row, gaining 36 yards, which was followed by two incomplete passes and then a 12-yard completion to Bland to give the Packers a 1st down at the 49ers' 45-yard-line.
The Packers would go back to the running game as Majkowski handed the ball off to Fullwood two straight times, with the second carry resulting in disaster as Fullwood fumbled the football after he was hit by 49ers linebacker Mike Walter, which was recovered by Matt Millen to give San Francisco the ball at their 43-yard-line.
From there, the 49ers would drive 30 yards in seven plays to set up a 45-yard field goal attempt by Mike Cofer, only to have the kick go wide right, keeping the game tied at 14 as the third quarter came to a close.
Majkowski and the Packers would drive to the 49ers' 13-yard-line when the biggest play of the game occurred.
On 2nd & 8, Majkowski threw a pass that was intercepted by 49ers strong safety Chet Brooks, who returned the interception all the way for a 94-yard touchdown, only to have it called back because defensive end Danny Stubbs lined up in the neutral zone, drawing an offsides penalty allowing for Green Bay to keep the football as they moved five yards closer to the end zone.
After Haddix was stopped for no gain on 2nd down, Majkowksi lined up in the shotgun for 3rd & 3, only to run a quarterback draw up the middle for an eight-yard touchdown to give the Packers a 21-14 lead with 11:55 left in the fourth quarter.
The 49ers would get the ball at their 33-yard-line as Montana lead the 49ers down to the Packers' 27-yard-line before Seifert called on Cofer to attempt a 44-yard field goal, which he made to cut the Green Bay lead to 21-17 with 7:43 left in the game.
The Packers could not pick a 1st down on their ensuing possession, forcing them to punt the ball back to the 49ers who took over in Packers territory at the Green Bay 41-yard-line after a 30-yard punt by Don Bracken and an eight-yard return by Taylor.
With 5:49 left on the clock and needing just 41 yards to pick up for the go-ahead touchdown and with one of the greatest clutch quarterbacks in NFL history at the helm, it seemed inevitable that the 49ers were going to score and take the lead.
Things got off to a good start as Montana hit Rice for eight yards to start the drive, which was followed by a five-yard run by Tom Rathman to give San Francisco a 1st down at the Green Bay 28-yard-line.
But a false start penalty on guard Terry Tausch and a sack by defensive end Robert Brown pushed the 49ers back 14 yards for 2nd & 24 from the Packers' 42-yard-line.
Montana would get the 14 yards back when he hit Rice on 2nd down, only to lose five of those yards when tackle Harris Barton drew a false start penalty leading to 3rd & 15 where Montana connected with Rice again but only for one yard setting up 4th & 14 at the Green Bay 32-yard-line.
That is when Montana dropped back and fired a deep pass for Rice, only to have Murphy knock it down at the Green Bay 10-yard-line for an incompletion that forced a turnover on downs and gave the Packers the ball at their 32-yard-line with 2:02 left in the game.
With the two-minute warning and one timeout in the 49ers' pocket, the Packers would need one 1st down to clinch the game.
Keith Woodside would run for just one yard on 1st down, which was followed by an eight-yard run by Majkowski, setting up a 3rd & 1 with 1:51 left as San Francisco burned its last timeout.
Majkowski handed the ball off to Fullwood, who ran for 15 yards to the 49ers' 44-yard-line to pick up the 1st down and allow for Majkowski to take a few knees to run out the clock as the Packers came away with the 21-17 victory.

Packers running back Brent Fullwood carried the ball 16 times for 76 yards, including a 15-yard run that iced the game.

The loss to the Packers would be the last time the 49ers would lose in the 1989 season as they would win their final five games of the regular season, including a 30-27 thriller over the Rams(Click on the link to read about that game: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2019/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-montana.html) to finish the regular season with a 14-2 record and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The 49ers would then their dismantle their three playoff opponents, the Minnesota Vikings(41-13), the Rams(30-3), and the Denver Broncos(55-10)on their way to their second straight Super Bowl title and fourth in nine years.
As for the Packers, they would finish with a 10-6 record, their best season since 1972, but would miss out on the playoffs as they finished in a tie for the NFC Central Division title with the Vikings, who had a better conference record than the Packers to give Minnesota the division title while Green Bay finished one game back of the Rams and the Eagles for a Wild Card spot.
Majkowski would finish the season with 4,318 yards to lead the league in passing as he was selected to his first and only Pro Bowl.
The 1989 season would be the high point of Majkowski's career as a torn rotator cuff ended his 1990 season which was followed up with a benching during the 1991 season.
Majkowski won the starting quarterback job prior to the start of the 1992 season but then has previously stated was injured during the Packers' third game of the season and never regained the starting quarterback job.
Majkowski would bounce around the NFL for four more years as he served as a backup quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts from 1993-94 and the Detroit Lions from 1995-96 before retiring after the 1996 season.