NFL Old School Game of the Week: Montana to Rice Last-Minute TD Gives 49ers Stunning Victory over Giants

Jerry Rice caught four passes for 109 yards including the game-winning touchdown.

Entering the 1988 NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers were a team at a crossroads.

They had made the playoffs the previous three years without winning a playoff game, including a shocking 36-24 upset at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings the year before.

While the 49ers had arguably the greatest football of all time in wide receiver Jerry Rice and versatile running back Roger Craig, the quarterback situation was muddled as veteran Joe Montana was trying to hold off Steve Young for the starting quarterback job.

Despite having led the 49ers to two Super Bowl titles earlier in the decade, some thought Montana's days in San Francisco were numbered after head coach Bill Walsh had traded for Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Steve Young before the 1987 season and allowing him to appear in eight games during the regular season.

Following a poor performance by Montana in the 49ers' playoff loss to the Vikings, the door was open for Young to become the starting quarterback.

However, Montana would start the 1988 season as the starting quarterback as he threw three touchdown passes in the 49ers' 34-33 win over the New Orleans Saints in the season opener.

But Montana bruised his right elbow during the game and did not practice for much of the week prior to the Giants game, paving the way for Young to get the start as the 49ers traveled to the Meadowlands to take on the Giants.

Like the 49ers, the Giants were at a crossroads as they were coming off a 6-9 season in 1987, missing the playoffs one year after winning the Super Bowl.

The Giants were led by head coach Bill Parcells but were missing their best player as linebacker Lawrence Taylor was out for the first four games of the 1988 regular season because of a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy.

Despite the absence of Taylor, the Giants won their regular season opener 27-20 against the Washington Redskins as they prepared to host the 49ers in a early season showdown.

The 49ers got the ball to start the game at their 28-yard-line but would turn it over when Young was sacked by Giants linebacker Andy Headen, forcing a fumble that was recovered by defensive end Eric Dorsey at the San Francisco 30-yard-line.

After Morris picked up 18 yards on three straight running plays, Giants quarterback Phil Simms fired a 12-yard touchdown pass to Lionel Manuel to give New York a 7-0 lead just 3:48 into the game.

Following the touchdown, the 49ers would get the ball back at their eight-yard-line when Young would lead San Francisco down the field as he would complete five of his next eight passes for 45 yards to set up a 3rd & 4 from the Giants' 18-yard-line when Young was sacked again, this time by Dorsey, leading to another fumble that was recovered by New York linebacker Pepper Johnson at the Giants' 24-yard-line. 

A pair of 15-yard penalties on the 49ers helped the Giants drive to the San Francisco 34-yard-line where the Giants lined up to attempt a 52-yard field goal.

But the Giants never got a kick away as center Bart Oates' snap bounced to holder Jeff Hostetler, who was tackled at the New York 44-yard-line, giving the ball back to the 49ers.

From there, Young would three passes in a row for 42 yards to set up a 35-yard field goal by Mike Cofer on the second play of the second quarter to put San Francisco on the scoreboard as they trailed 7-3.

After forcing the Giants to go three-and-out on their next possessions, the 49ers got the ball at their 43-yard-line when Walsh decided to call on the running game to get San Francisco down the field.

On the 10-play, 57-yard drive, Craig would carry it twice for 28 yards, while fullback Tom Rathman had two carries for 12 yards, which was followed by Doug Dubose carrying the ball on the last two plays of the drive, with the final run being an one-yard touchdown to give the 49ers their first lead of the game at 10-7 with 9:18 left in the second quarter.

49ers running back Roger Craig accounted for 179 yards of total offense as he carried the ball 18 times for 110 yards and caught nine passes for 69 yards.

Following an exchange of punts, the Giants got the ball at their 29-yard-line with less than four minutes to go in the first half.

The Giants would pick up one 1st down until a sack by 49ers defensive end Kevin Fagan dropped Simms for a 13-yard-loss and a holding penalty on left tackle Jumbo Elliott forced a 2nd & 33 from the New York 17-yard-line.

Simms would hit running back George Adams for six yards on 2nd down, then connect with Mark Ingram for 25 yards on 3rd down to set up 4th & 2 from the Giants' 48-yard-line.

That is when Parcells decided to gamble and go for the 1st down which he got when running back Joe Morris went up the middle for a 11-yard run to the 49ers' 41-yard-line.

Simms would connect with Ingram for again, this time for nine yards, which were followed by two straight runs by Adams for 13 yards to the 49ers' 19-yard-line with 23 seconds left before halftime.

Simms would throw two straight incomplete passes, forcing the Giants to settle for a 36-yard field goal by Allegre to tie the game at 10 with just nine seconds left in the first half.

However, the 49ers would get one more chance to put points on the board after Allegre's kickoff went out of bounds to give San Francisco the football at their 35-yard-line, which was followed up by a 20-yard run by Young, who went out of bounds at the New York 45-yard-line with enough time on the clock to give Cofer a shot at a 62-yard field goal.

But Cofer's kick was short and the score remained tied 10-10 as the two teams went into the locker room for the halftime break.

After the 49ers defense forced the Giants to punt on their opening possession of the second half, Walsh decided to insert Montana into the game as the 49ers offense came out onto the field to begin their initial possession of the second half at their 41-yard-line.

If Montana's elbow was sore, it didn't show as he completed five of seven passes 42 yards to set up a 26-yard field goal to give the 49ers a 13-10 lead midway through the third quarter.

The Giants would get the ball back at their 31-yard-line and would drive to the 49ers' 39-yard-line until they were faced with another 4th & 2 situation.

Again, Parcells decided to go for the 1st down, but this time it was unsuccessful as Morris would be stopped one yard short, giving the 49ers the ball at their 38-yard-line.

Following another exchange of punts, the 49ers got the ball at their 27-yard-line as went back to the running game as Craig carried the ball four times for 34 yards while Rathman ran for 10 yards on one carry and caught a 11-yard pass to lead San Francisco to the New York 18-yard-line as the game went into the 4th quarter.

But two straight incomplete passes, including a rare drop by Rice on what would have been a touchdown, forced the 49ers to call on Cofer to attempt a 35-yard field goal, which sailed wide right to keep it a three-point game at 13-10 with 12:51 left in regulation.

Both teams would trade punts on their ensuing possessions giving the ball back to the Giants who took over at their 17-yard-line as they drove down to the 49ers' 21-yard-line, thanks in large part to Simms, who hit Manuel twice for 39 yards and Morris for 16 yards to help set up a 39-yard field goal attempt by Allegre that would tie the game.

But Allegre's kick sailed wide left keeping it 13-10 in favor of the 49ers with 3:18 left in regulation and a chance to run out the clock.

Giants wide receiver Lionel Manuel caught six passes for 80 yards and scored both of the Giants' touchdowns.

With the help of an illegal use of the hands penalty on left guard Jesse Sapolu, the Giants were able to force a three-and-out as the 49ers were set to punt the ball from their 13-yard-line with 2:15 left.

Barry Helton's punt only traveled 34 yards to the San Francisco 47-yard-line, where it was fielded by Giants wide receiver Phil McConkey, whose 32-yard return set the Giants up at the 49ers' 15-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

After Morris was stopped for no gain on 1st down, Simms dropped back to pass and found Manuel for a 15-yard touchdown to put the Giants ahead 17-13 with 1:21 left in the game.

Even though they had the lead, the Giants knew the game was far from over as the 49ers had two timeouts left and Joe Montana behind center.

On the ensuing kickoff, Dubose looked to make a good return as he picked up Allegre's kickoff at his 14-yard-line and ran nine yards before fumbling the ball which was recovered by teammate Sam Kennedy at the San Francisco 23-yard-line.

On 1st down, Montana threw a pass to Rice, who dropped his second pass of the game, which was followed by Montana fumbling the snap from center Randy Cross on 2nd down, with Montana recovering it after an one-yard-loss setting up 3rd & 11.

That is when Walsh called "76 All Go" a play that called for four wide receivers to run down the field in hopes that the quarterback would hit him on a deep pass.

As the 49ers broke the huddle, Wes Chandler and Calvin Nicholas lined up on the left side while Rice and Mike Wilson lined up on the right side, with Rathman in the backfield and Montana behind center.

Montana took the snap, dropped back, and fired a pass toward the right sideline that was caught by Rice in stride at the 49ers' 45-yard-line when Giants safety Kenny Hill, who was running over to help on the play, collided with cornerback Mark Collins, allowing for Rice to run in untouched for a shocking 78-yard touchdown to give San Francisco a 20-17 lead with 42 seconds left in regulation.

The Giants took over at their 27-yard-line but only made it to the 49ers' 47-yard-line as time ran out as San Francisco had come away with the 20-17 win.

The loss was one of four for the Giants by a touchdown or less, including the regular season finale which they lost to the New York Jets, which cost the Giants a playoff spot as they finished with a 10-6 record but lost on a conference tiebreaker as the Los Angeles Rams finished with a better NFC record than the Giants.

As for the 49ers, they would struggle for much of the season as Montana and Young continue to trade snaps at quarterback only to have the 49ers fall to a 6-5 record with five weeks in the season.

That is when Walsh decided that Montana would be his starting quarterback for the rest of the season which paid off for the 49ers as they won four of their last five games to finish with a 10-6 record, good enough to win the NFC West division title.

In the playoffs, Rice would dominate as he caught three touchdown passes in the 49ers' 34-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round, then caught five passes for 133 yards and scored two more touchdowns in San Francisco's 28-3 rout of the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship Game.

Then in Super Bowl XXIII, Rice would catch a then Super Bowl record 11 passes for a record 215 yards and score one touchdown as the 49ers knocked off the Cincinnati Bengals 20-16 as Montana threw the game-winning touchdown pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds left for the 49ers' third Super Bowl title in the 1980s.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Crabtree's Last Second TD Gives Texas Tech Win over Texas

 

Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree goes in for the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds of the Red Raiders' win over #1 Texas in 2008.

When Texas Tech meet intrastate rival Texas on November 1, 2008, it was the biggest game in Texas Tech football history.

Texas Tech entered the game with a 8-0 record and ranked #5 in the coaches poll, #6 in the BCS rankings, and #7 in the AP poll while Texas also entered with a 8-0 record and ranked #1 in all three polls.

ESPN's College Gameday was in Lubbock for the game and the game was to be broadcast on ABC's Saturday Night Football.

What fans got was one of the all-time greatest finishes in college football history and easily the greatest moment in Texas Tech football history.

Texas Tech was coached by Mike Leach, who had been in Lubbock as the Red Raiders' head coach since 2000 and led the Red Raiders to eight straight winning seasons and eight straight bowl games with a passing attack that often ranked #1 in the country each season.

Leach's lineage of quarterbacks included future Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, B.J. Symons, Sonny Combie, Cody Hodges, and Graham Harrell, who was in his third season as the starting quarterback of the Red Raiders.

Texas Tech also had the best wide receiver in the country in redshirt sophomore Michael Crabtree, who had won the Fred Biletnikoff Award the year before, given to the best collegiate wide receiver, after catching 134 passes for 1,962 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Even though they were facing the most dynamic passing offense in the country, the Longhorns felt confident they could be with the Red Raiders as their offense was led by junior Colt McCoy, whose completion percentage was over 75% at this point in the season and had led Texas to a 45-35 win over Oklahoma earlier in the season.

Most fans expected a Texas-style shootout and they would not be disappointed.

The Red Raiders got the ball to start the game and drove from their 19-yard-line to the Longhorns' 35-yard-line until Harrell was sacked by Texas defensive tackle Roy Miller for a nine-yard loss on 3rd & 4, forcing Texas Tech to punt the ball away.

Jonathan LaCour's punt would be downed at the two-yard-line which would lead to Red Raiders defensive tackle Colby Whitlock tackling Texas running back Chris Ogbonnaya for a safety to give Texas Tech a 2-0 lead and the ball back after the Longhorns' kickoff from their 20-yard-line.

The Red Raiders would get the ball back at their 36-yard-line as they would drive 52 yards in 11 plays as Harrell connected with Crabtree for two passes totaling 33 yards, all leading to a 29-yard field goal by Matt Williams to increase Texas Tech's lead to 5-0 with 6:47 left in the first quarter.

After forcing a Texas punt, the Red Raiders were pinned back in front of their end zone as they took over at their four-yard-line, only picking up two yards on the first two plays of the drive.

But on 3rd & 8 from the six-yard-line, Harrell found Edward Britton for a 46-yard completion to get the Red Raiders out of the hole and to the Texas 46-yard-line.

Seven plays later, the Red Raiders were in the end zone as Brian Batch punched it in from three yards out to give Texas Tech a 12-0 lead as the first quarter came to a close.

Things would not get better for the Longhorns as the second quarter began as the Texas offense went three-and-out on thier next offensive possession, which was followed up by giving up another touchdown as the Red Raiders drove 83 yard in eight plays, culminating with a 18-yard touchdown pass from Harrell to Eric Morris to increase the Texas Tech lead to 19-0.

Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell completed 36 of 53 passes for 473 yards and threw two touchdowns.

It seemed like the game was poised to be a blowout as the Texas offense went three-and-out on their ensuing possession, punting the ball back to the red hot Texas Tech offense who took over at its 14-yard-line as Harrell found Crabtree for a 15-yard gain on the first play of the drive, only to have Longhorns linebacker Sergio Kindle knocked the ball loose to force a fumble which was recovered by cornerback Aaron Williams at the Red Raiders' 29-yard-line.

The Longhorns would convert the fumble into three points as Hunter Lawrence made a 43-yard field goal to put Texas on the scoreboard with 5:27 left in the first half.

The Red Raiders would respond with an eight-play, 46-yard drive which ended with a 31-yard field goal by Matt Williams to push Texas Tech's lead back to 19 points at 22-3 with 97 seconds left before halftime.

The Longhorns would get the ball back following a touchback on the ensuing kickoff and put together their best drive of the first half as they drove 72 yards in 10 plays, with the big play of the drive coming on a 44-yard pass from McCoy to Malcolm Williams to help set up a 25-yard field goal by Lawrence as time expired in the first half with Texas Tech on top 22-6.

The Longhorns got the ball to start the second half but would were forced to punt the ball back to the Red Raiders, who took over at their one-yard-line following a 61-yard punt by Justin Tucker.

Three straight runs by Shannon Woods picked up eight yards leading to a Texas Tech punt which was returned 45 yards for a touchdown by Jordan Shipley to give Texas its first touchdown of the game and cut the lead to 22-13.

The punt return TD seemed to give the Longhorns some momentum especially after they forced another Texas Tech punt on their next possession, only to have McCoy be intercepted by Red Raiders strong safety Daniel Charbonnet who returned it 18 yards for a pick-six and increase the Texas Tech to 29-13 midway through the third quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Longhorns got the ball at their 42-yard-line where it seemed Texas Tech was poised to get the ball as it appeared the defense had forced a three-and-out as a McCoy pass for Dan Buckner fell incomplete, only to have Red Raiders cornerback Jamar Wall be called for pass interference to give Texas a 1st down at the Texas Tech 48-yard-line.

Three plays later, McCoy hit Malcolm Williams for a 37-yard touchdown to bring the Longhorns to within 10 points at 29-19 as Brown decided to go for the two-point conversion to make it an one-score game.

McCoy's two-point pass fell incomplete to keep it 29-19 with 12 seconds left in the third quarter.

Texas Tech would take over at its 20-yard-line and quickly drive into Longhorns territory as Harrell completed a 12-yard pass to Adam James on the final play of the third quarter, which was followed by a 34-yard pass to Britton to give Texas Tech a 1st down at the Texas 34-yard-line.

Harrell and Britton would connect again, this time for 13 yards on 3rd & 1 to give the Red Raiders a 1st down at the Texas 12-yard-line.

However, the drive would stall as Harrell would be sacked for a 16-yard loss on 3rd & 7 to force a 42-yard field goal attempt by Matt Williams, only to have it blocked by Kindle to keep it a 29-19 game.

An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the blocked field goal pushed the Longhorns back to their nine-yard-line, but it would not be a deterrent as on the first play from scrimmage, McCoy would connect with Malcolm Williams for a 91-yard touchdown that stunned the stunned crowd in Lubbock and brought the Longhorns to within a field goal at 29-26 with exactly 11 minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy completed 20 of 34 passes for 294 yards and threw two touchdowns.

Following a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, the Red Raiders would drive from their 20-yard-line to the Texas 10-yard-line as Harrell would complete four passes in a row for 58 yards, three of those to Britton for 36 yards.

But a pass interference penalty on Crabtree and three straight incomplete passes would force a 42-yard field goal attempt by Donnie Carona instead of Matt Williams.

Carona would make the kick to push the Red Raiders' lead to 32-26 with 5:45 to go in the fourth quarter.

Texas would get the ball back at its 20-yard-line as McCoy threw an incomplete pass on 1st down, followed by a five-yard pass to running back Fozzy Whitaker to set up a critical 3rd & 5.

That is when McCoy found Brandon Collins for 14 yards and a 1st down at the Texas' 39-yard-line which was followed up by a 21-yard run by Whitaker for another Texas 1st down inside Texas Tech territory at the Red Raiders' 40-yard-line.

The Longhorns would get their third 1st down in a row as McCoy completed a 10-yard pass to Shipley, which was followed a pair of running plays that gained 11 yards for another 1st down at the Texas Tech 19-yard-line.

McCoy would then find Shipley for an eight-yard pass, then run for six yards to set up 1st & goal at the Red Raiders' five-yard-line.

After Whitaker was stopped after an one-yard run, McCoy handed the ball off Vondrell McGee, who ran it in for the four-yard touchdown to tie the game.

Lawrence would come on and kick the go-ahead extra point to give the Longhorns their first lead of the game at 33-32 with 1:29 left in the game.

After Jamar Wall returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards, the Red Raiders took over at their 38-yard-line needing only a field goal to knock off #1 Texas.

The drive began with an eight-yard pass from Harrell to Baron Batch, which was followed by back-to-back completions to Detron Lewis totaling 16 yards and giving Texas Tech a 1st down at the Texas 38-yard-line.

Harrell would then connect with Britton for 10 more yards and another 1st down at the Texas 28-yard-line with 15 seconds left.

Even though they were in field goal range, the Red Raiders still felt they needed more yards in order to make a game-winning field goal more feasible so Harrell threw another pass when disaster nearly struck.

Harrell was looking for Britton again when the pass was tipped by Texas safety Blake Gideon, bouncing the ball into air and seemingly heading into the arms of Gideon, only for Gideon to drop it.

If Gideon had made the interception, the game would have been over and the Longhorns would escape with the win.

Instead, the Red Raiders were given a reprieve with eight seconds left.

That is when it happened.

Harrell took the snap and lofted a pass toward the right sideline for Crabtree, who was surrounded by two Texas defenders including Longhorns cornerback Curtis Brown.

Crabtree was able to keep his feet in bounds as he made the catch at the six-yard-line, then broke the tackle of Brown, to run into the endzone with one second to go.

Crabtree's touchdown sent the Red Raiders crowd into a frenzy as they stormed onto the field after assuming the game was over, only to realize there was one second left and that referees needed to review the play to make sure Crabtree had not stepped out of bounds as he made the catch on his run to the end zone.

When the referees came back to signal touchdown, Texas Tech fans rushed the field for a second time, which lead two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties being called on the Red Raiders, meaning they would have to kick off the ball from their own seven-yard-line, which gave Texas one last chance at pulling off a miracle as Matt Williams made the extra point to make it 39-33.

Carona's kickoff only traveled 38 yards to the Texas Tech 45-yard-line where it was picked up by D.J. Monroe who ran it five yards before being tackled by Charbonnet as time expired and causing the Texas Tech fans to run onto the field for a third time, only this time they were not penalized as their beloved Red Raiders had come away with the 39-33 win.

Following the win, Texas Tech vaulted to #2 in the AP and BCS rankings while Texas dropped to #4 in the BCS ranking and #5 in the AP poll.

Texas Tech would blow out Oklahoma State 56-20 the following week but two weeks later would be trounced by Oklahoma 65-21.

Tech, along with Texas and Oklahoma would finish in a three-way tie for the Big 12 South title but with head-to-head tiebreaker being obsolete, the BCS rankings determined the division champion which was Oklahoma who finished #2 in the BCS rankings the week before the Big 12 championship game.

While Oklahoma would win the Big 12 and advance to the BCS National Championship Game, which they lost 24-10 to Florida, Texas would play in the Fiesta Bowl where they defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 24-21.

Meanwhile, Texas Tech had to settle for the Cotton Bowl where they would be upset by the Ole Miss Rebels 47-34 to finish with a 11-2 record, best in school history.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Stabler Leads Raiders To MNF Comeback Win over Saints

Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler would throw three touchdown passes in the 4th quarter of the Raiders' comeback win against the Saints on Monday Night Football in 1979.

Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler was one of the most clutch quarterbacks in NFL history as he lead his teams to many memorable last-minute victories during his 15-year Hall-of-Fame career.
Three of those occurred in the playoffs which included the famous "Sea of Hands" play that ended the Miami Dolphins' chances of a third straight Super Bowl title in 1974, an one-yard touchdown run following a controversial roughing-the-passer penalty that allowed for the Raiders to beat the New England Patriots in 1976 and the "Ghost to the Post" pass which set up the Raiders' double overtime win over the Baltimore Colts in 1977.
But Stabler's last great comeback win with the Raiders did not come in a playoff game but in a game on Monday Night Football as the Raiders traveled to New Orleans to take on the Saints.
While the game was not a playoff game, it had postseason implications for both teams as they both entered the game with 7-6 records, needing a win to increase their chances at a playoff spot.
For the Raiders, it would be return to normalcy as they had missed the playoffs the previous year, the first time they had happened since 1966.
Head coach John Madden had stepped down following the '78 season to begin his legendary career in broadcasting as wide receivers coach Tom Flores took over head coaching duties before the 1979 season began.
After getting off to a 1-3 start, the Raiders went 6-3 over their next nine games as they prepared to play inside a ruckus Superdome as the Saints also entered the game with a 7-6 record.
Unlike the Raiders, the Saints were not accustomed to contending for a playoff spot as they had never had a winning season since their inception in 1967.
But led by head coach Dick Nolan, quarterback Archie Manning, and a backfield dubbed in "Thunder and Lightning" in Tony Galbreath and Chuck Muncie, the Saints had shaken off an 0-3 start to win seven of their next ten games as they prepared for perhaps what was the biggest game in franchise history up to that point as the winner would get one step closer to a postseason berth.
 After forcing the Saints to punt on the opening possession of the game, the Raiders got the ball at their 22-yard-line where they put together a 15-play, 78-yard drive which saw Stabler complete all six of his passes for 49 yards, with the last completion being a three-yard touchdown to tight end Raymond Chester to put Oakland ahead 7-0 with 4:33 left in the first quarter.
The Saints would respond by going to the ground game as Muncie carried the ball seven times on a 11-play, 79-yard drive that culminated with a two-yard touchdown run by Tony Galbreath to tie the game at 7 just 90 seconds into the second quarter.
It seemed like a track meet was about to develop as the Raiders drove into New Orleans territory on their next possession, only to have the scoring threat be snuffed out when Saints cornerback Eric Felton picked off a tipped pass and returned it 53 yards to the Oakland 17-yard-line, setting up a 17-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Galbreath to give the Saints a 14-7 lead with 10:08 left in the second quarter.

Saints running backs Chuck Muncie(42) and Tony Galbreath(34) scored three touchdowns in the game.

Following an Oakland punt, the Saints got the ball at their 32-yard-line and picked up a 1st down before having to punt the ball away from their 41-yard-line on 4th & 12.
However, Raiders strong safety Mike Davis ran into the punter, Rick Patridge, drawing a five-yard penalty but an automatic 1st down at the New Orleans 46-yard-line.
From there, Manning hit Galbreath on a 20-yard screen pass, which was followed by a 31-yard run by Muncie to give the Saints a 1st & goal at the Raiders' three-yard-line.
Muncie would punch it from the one on 3rd & goal to increase the New Orleans lead to 21-7 with 3:24 left in the first half.
Things would get worse for the Raiders on their next possession when Stabler fumbled the football which was recovered by Saints defensive tackle Elex Price at the Oakland 28-yard-line.
It took only one play for the Saints to capitalize on the turnover as Manning hit tight end Henry Childs for a 28-yard touchdown to give New Orleans 28 straight points and a 28-7 lead with 2:18 to go before halftime.
Hoping to break the 28-0 run, the Raiders needed to put together a drive and try to pick up some points before the end of the first half.
Taking over at his 30-yard-line, Stabler led the Raiders to the New Orleans 27-yard-line when Saints defensive back Ralph McGill was called for pass interference to give Oakland a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line with four seconds left in the half.
Instead of kicking the field goal, Flores gambled and went for the touchdown to which he was reward as Arthur Whittington dove it in for the touchdown as time expired to cut the Saints' lead to 28-14 as the two teams went into the locker room for the halftime break.
The score remained 28-14 in the third quarter until the Raiders were faced with a 3rd & 2 at their 21-yard-line when Stabler's pass was tipped and intercepted by Saints linebacker Ken Bordelon, who returned it 19 yards for a pick-six to push the Saints' lead back to three touchdowns at 35-14 with 8:36 left in the third quarter.

Saints quarterback Archie Manning threw for 154 yards and two touchdowns on 12-of-23 passing.

While attempting to stop Bordelon from getting into the end zone, Stabler took a hit to the head when he collided with Saints defensive tackle Barry Bennett.
Flores prepared backup quarterback Jim Plunkett to go into the game only to have Stabler go to Flores and tell him "I got us in this mess and it's my job to get us out of it" as the "Snake" went back into huddle after committing his third turnover which led to an New Orleans touchdown.
Stabler would direct the Raiders on a 12-play, 62-yard drive which saw Stabler complete five passes on the drive, three of them to tight end Dave Casper, which included a nine-yard pass from the "Snake" to the "Ghost" on 4th & 4 from the Saints' 23-yard-line.
This all lead to an one-yard touchdown run by Mark van Eeghan to cut the Saints' lead to 35-21 with just over three minutes left in the third quarter.
After forcing a New Orleans punt, Stabler and the Raiders got the ball back at their 28-yard-line where they quickly drove down the field as it took them six plays to get back in the end zone as Stabler hit a wide open Derrick Ramsey for a 17-yard touchdown to bring Oakland to within a touchdown at 35-28 with 12:51 left in the fourth quarter.
After an exchange of punts, the Raiders got the ball back at their 33-yard-line with 4:13 left in regulation, needing a touchdown and an extra point to tie the game.
Following an one-yard reception by center Dave Dalby off a deflected pass, Stabler fired a short pass in the left flat for Cliff Branch.
Branch made the catch at about the Raiders' 40-yard-line, made a juke move on Erik Felton, then got a crushing block from Whittington, clearing Branch's path for a 66-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 35 with 3:19 left in regulation.
Having watch their 21-point lead evaporate, the Saints would get the ball at their 32-yard-line with a chance to drive down the field for the winning score.
The drive got off to a promising start as Galbreath ran for nine yards on 1st down, but on the very next play, Muncie fumbled the football which was picked up by Mike Davis at the 39-yard-line.
Davis proceeded to run down to the Saints' 20-yard-line before he lateraled the ball to linebacker Ted Hendricks who picked seven more yards to give the Raiders the ball at the New Orleans 13-yard-line, giving the Raiders a chance to take the lead.
Following a pair of runs that gained five yards, the Raiders were faced with a 3rd & 5 at the eight-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.
Stabler went to the sidelines where met with Flores who told me to go for the touchdown on the next play.
When Stabler went back onto the field, he took the snap, dropped back and fired a pass to Branch, who made the catch at the two-yard-line then dove in to the end zone for the Raiders' fourth straight touchdown which gave them a 42-35 lead with 1:54 left in regulation.

Raiders wide receiver Cliff Branch would catch the game-tying and game-winning touchdowns.

The Saints would get the ball back at their 31-yard-line with a chance to redeem themselves and send the game  into overtime, but the Raiders' defense did not allow a 1st down as Manning was sacked on 4th & 13 to end the Saints' chances and allow for Oakland to run out the clock and come away with a 42-35 win.
The loss would cost the Saints dearly as they finished the season 8-8, just one game back of the Los Angeles Rams for the NFC West title and their first ever playoff berth.
Things would not get much worse the following season as the Saints would go 1-15, taking them until the next-to-last game of the season for New Orleans to pick up their first and only win of the season.
After the season, the team was eventually broken up as Nolan was fired, Galbreath was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in the offseason, followed by the trade of Muncie to the San Diego Chargers following an 0-4 start to the 1981 season.
The Saints would not reach the postseason or record a winning season until 1987.
As for the Raiders, they entered the last week of the season with a chance to clinch a spot in the playoffs with a win, but they lost to the Seattle Seahawks 29-24 to finish the season with a 9-7 record and out of the playoffs for the second year in a row.
Three months later, Stabler would be traded to the Houston Oilers for their quarterback Dan Pastorini, in hopes of changing things up for both teams as the Oilers had made it to the AFC Championship Game the previous two seasons but had lost both times to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Stabler would lead the Oilers to a 11-5 record and a playoff berth where they met Stabler's old team in the AFC Wild Card Game, with Plunkett now the starter after Pastorini had gone down in the middle of the season with a broken leg.
The Raiders would get the best of Stabler as they beat him and the Oilers 27-7 on their way to a surprise Super Bowl title as they become the first Wild Card team to win the Super Bowl.
Stabler would remain with the Oilers for one more season before being released and then ironically signing with the Saints where would he would play until his retirement in 1984.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Jets 2 Kickoff Returns for TDs Gives NY Opening Day Win

Jets kick returner Chad Morton returned six kickoffs for 278 yards and scored two touchdowns in the Jets' opening day win.

Opening Day of the NFL season springs new hope for NFL fans across the country and that was no different in 2002 as the Buffalo Bills hosted the New York Jets to begin their respective seasons.

The Jets were coming off a 10-6 season to make the playoffs under first-year head coach Herm Edwards, where they were eliminated with a 38-24 loss to the Oakland Raiders in the Wild Card Round.

But with veteran quarterback Vinny Testaverde and running back Curtis Martin returning, the Jets had high hopes to make the playoffs again.

While Jets fans were looking forward to the season starting, Bills fans were ecstatic as they had acquired former New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe in the offseason, who had famously lost his job to Tom Brady following a Week 2 injury after an hit ironically against the Jets.

With Bledsoe at the helm at quarterback, the "Bills Mafia" expected nothing less than a return to the playoffs as they had missed the postseason the previous two years.

The Bills got the ball to start the game as they did not pick up a 1st down on their first three plays, forcing them to punt when punter Brian Moorman was hit by Jets defensive back Nick Ferguson, drawing a 15-yard roughing-the-punter penalty and giving Buffalo a 1st down at their 28-yard-line.

From there, Bledsoe would complete his next four passes totaling 33 yards to set up a 52-yard field goal by Mike Hollis to give the Bills a 3-0 lead with 9:04 left in the first quarter.

The Jets would go three-and-out on their opening drive, giving the ball back to the Bills who took over at their 32-yard-line and drove to the Jets' 32-yard-line until Bledsoe was intercepted by Jets cornerback Aaron Beasley, whose 24-yard return give New York the ball at its own 44-yard-line.

The Jets would punt the ball back to the Bills who would take over at their 20-yard-line and would drove 80 yards in nine plays, aided by two 15-yard New York penalties as defensive tackle Giradie Mercer was called for roughing the passer following a 18-yard completion from Bledsoe to Pearless Price, followed by a 15-yard face mask on Beasley, giving the Bills a 1st down at the 18-yard-line.

Four plays later, Henry was in the end zone following a five-yard touchdown run to increase the Buffalo lead to 10-0 with 12:25 left in the second quarter.

Having being out-gained 175-8 up to this point, the Jets would going to need a spark to turn the tide and get back in the game.

They would get it on the ensuing kickoff as Morton caught Hollis' kick at his two-yard-line, then sliced through the Bills kick return coverage unit for a 98-yard touchdown to cut the Bills' lead to 10-7 with 12:11 to go in the first half.

Morton's touchdown did give the Jets some momentum as the Bills' third play from scrimmage following the kick return, Bledsoe was intercepted again, this time by New York's other cornerback, Donnie Abraham, who returned the pick 13 yards to the Buffalo 19-yard-line.

Two straight penalties pushed the Jets back to the Bills' 29-yard-line, setting up 1st & 20 when Testaverde found tight Anthony Becht for a 21-yard completion and New York's first 1st down of the game.

Two plays later, Testaverde connected with Becht for an one-yard touchdown to give the Jets their second touchdown in under three minutes and a 14-10 lead.

The Bills would respond with a 12-play, 74-yard drive which saw Bledsoe complete four of five passes for 48 yards before letting Henry finish off the drive as he carried the ball four straight times with the last one being a three-yard touchdown to give the lead back to Buffalo at 17-14 with 2:37 left before halftime.

Drew Bledsoe completed 26 of 39 passes for 271 yards and threw a touchdown in his first game as the Buffalo Bills' starting quarterback.

Taking over at his 25-yard-line, Testaverde went to a no-huddle offense in an effort to score more points before halftime as he would complete nine of 11 passes for 59 yards to set up a 34-yard field goal by John Hall to tie the game at 17 as the first half came to a close.

The Jets would get the ball to start the second half as they would drive 42 yards in six plays to set up another field goal from Hall, this one from 45 yards out which allowed for New York to retake the lead at 20-17 with 10:50 left in the third quarter.

The Jets would get an opportunity to increase their lead when defensive back Damien Robinson forced and recovered a Travis Henry fumble to give New York the ball at their 46-yard-line.

However, the Jets would go backwards, losing 16 yards on their next three plays, forcing them to punt the ball back to the Bills, who took over at their 37-yard-line.

The Jets defense would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 20-yard-line only to fumble the ball on the second play of the drive when running back Lamont Jordan was hit by Bills defensive tackle Pat Williams to knock the ball loose which was recovered by linebacker Keith Newman at the New York 29-yard-line.

From there, the Bills would drive 29 yards in six plays, with Henry carrying the ball five times for 25 yards, including the two-yard touchdown to give Buffalo a 24-20 lead with 58 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Jets would drive 43 yards in six plays before settling for a 48-yard field goal attempt by Hall, which was no good, giving the ball back to the Bills at their 38-yard-line.

Buffalo would go three-and-out and were to set punt from their 41-yard-line when Jets linebacker Jason Glenn would come in and block the punt to give the Jets the ball at the Bills' 24-yard-line.

However, the Jets would not pick up a 1st down and would be forced to settle for a 33-yard field goal by Hall which cut the Bills' lead to 24-23 with 9:25 left in the fourth quarter.

Buffalo got the ball back at their 16-yard-line and seemed to poise to add to their lead when Bledsoe hit Eric Moulds for a 52-yard completion on 3rd & 6 to give the Bills a 1st down at the Jets' 28-yard-line.

But the Jets defense would hold, forcing the Bills to settle for a 50-yard field goal attempt by Hollis, which he missed to keep it a 24-23 game and give the Jets the ball at their 40-yard-line with 6:22 left in the fourth quarter.

Bills running back Travis Henry carried the ball 31 times for 149 yards and scored three touchdowns.

From there, Testaverde would complete three straight passes for 24 yards until he was intercepted by the Bills' Pierson Prioleau, only to have linebacker Eddie Robinson get called for pass interference, nullifying the interception and giving New York a 1st down at the Bills' 18-yard-line.

That is when Testaverde connected with Wayne Cherbet for a 18-yard touchdown to give the Jets a 29-24 lead when Edwards decided to go for two.

The Jets would successfully convert on the two-point conversion as Testaverde completed a pass to Becht to increase the New York lead to 31-24 with 4:47 left in regulation.

The Bills took over at their 24-yard-line and drove 16 yard to their 40-yard-line when on 3rd & 10, Bledsoe was sacked by Jets defensive tackle Jason Ferguson for a seven-yard-loss forcing the Bills to punt the ball away with 3:21 left.

But the Bills would get another roughing the punter call, this time on Robinson, giving the Bills 15 yards and an automatic 1st down at their 48-yard-line.

On the very next play, Henry carried for nine yards, but was followed by two plays which lost a yard setting up a 4th & 2 at the Jets' 44-yard-line with two minutes to go.

The Bills would go for it and make the 1st down as Bledsoe connected with Price for 14 yards, giving Buffalo a 1st down at the New York 30-yard-line.

A holding penalty on left guard Ruben Brown would push the Bills back 10 yards to the Jets' 40-yard-line as the next three plays would pick up 11 yards setting up a do-or-die 4th & 9 from the New York 29-yard-line with 34 seconds left in regulation.

That is when Bledsoe fired toward the end zone and found Moulds for the 29-yard touchdown that with Hollis' extra point, tied the game at 31 with 26 seconds left in regulation.

The Jets would get the ball at their 26-yard-line following a 18-yard return by Morton and three timeouts in their pockets in hopes of driving to set up a potential game-winning field goal.

Testaverde would hit Cherbet for 21 yards on the first play of the drive, which was followed by an illegal contact penalty Bills cornerback Nate Clements to give New York a 1st down at the Bills' 48-yard-line and an opportunity at a Hail Mary.

However, the Jets could not pull off the Hail Mary as an incomplete pass followed by a 24-yard scramble by Testaverde as time expired sent the game into overtime with the game tied at 31.

The Jets would win the critical coin toss and elected to receive to start the extra period.

Morton would catch the kickoff at his four-yard-line, who made one cutback across the field and was gone as he returned the kick 96 yards for a touchdown to give the Jets a shocking 37-31 overtime win.

It marked only the second time that the overtime kickoff had been returned for a touchdown with the previous occasion being Dave Williams' famous 95-yard kickoff return touchdown on Thanksgiving Day in 1980.

The Bills would go on to finish the season at 8-8 as Bledsoe would throw for 4,359 yards, the second most yards he throw during a season in his career.

Two years later, Bledsoe would be traded to the Dallas Cowboys as the Bills would not make the playoffs until 2017.

As for the Jets, they would lose their next four games as Testaverde would be benched in favor of Chad Pennington, but the team would continue to struggle as they fell to a 2-5 record when Edwards launched his famous "You play to win the game" rant during a midweek press conference.

That outburst and Pennington's play sparked the Jets to a 7-2 over the rest of the season to finish with a 9-7 record, good enough to win the AFC East and earn a second straight trip to the playoffs where the Jets humiliated the Indianapolis Colts 41-0 in the Wild Card Round, before being eliminated by the Raiders 30-10 in the Divisional Round.

As for Morton, he would play four more years in the NFL, two with the Washington Redskins, and two more with the New York Giants, as he returned only one more kickoff and one punt for a touchdown during his last four years in the league.

But he is still remembered fondly by Jets fans for his memorable performance on Opening Day in 2002.

2020 Southern 500 Throwback Paint Schemes

One of NASCAR's greatest traditions occurs this weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington, South Carolina for the Southern 500, a race that ran on Labor Day Weekend from 1950-2003, until a 12-year break before its return in 2016.
Since Darlington regained its Labor Day Weekend race, drivers have used throwback paint schemes on their cars as NASCAR and the owners of the Darlington track have declared the race weekend as "Throwback Weekend".
This year, that new tradition continues as most of the drivers will be driving throwback paint schemes from their own past or use a paint scheme that pay tributes a driver from the past.
Here now are the 2020 NASCAR throwback paint schemes for the Southern 500:
Aric Almirola

Almirola will pay tribute to NASCAR Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts, with this paint scheme that is similar to the one Roberts used during the 1957 season, which he won eight races and finished sixth in the final points standings.

Christopher Bell

Bell's throwback paint scheme will be more recent than others as he will be driving a paint scheme closely resembling the one he used for his 2017 Truck Series championship season.

Josh Bilicki

Bilicki will be using a paint scheme that honors his car owner Tommy Baldwin's father Tom Baldwin Sr., who was a driver on the NASCAR Modified Series Tour from 1985 to 2004, winning six races during his career.

Ryan Blaney

Blaney will pay tribute to recently retired driver Paul Menard with this paint scheme Menard used during the 2003 season which included a win at Talladega.

Alex Bowman

All of the Hendrick Motorsports will honor Jimmie Johnson, who is retiring from the Cup series, with different paint schemes from Johnson's past.  First up is Bowman, whose paint scheme will be similar to the one used during Johnson's first Cup championship season back in 2006.

Clint Bowyer

NBC broadcaster Kyle Petty will most likely be pulling Bowyer to win as Clint will be using the same paint scheme Kyle used for the 1990 Winston Cup season, which included a win at Rockingham for a then record payday of $284, 450.

William Byron

Another one of the Hendrick Motorsports paint schemes honoring Jimmie Johnson, Byron's paint scheme will be one that Johnson drove to a victory in the 2013 All-Star Race.

Kyle Busch

Busch will be throwing it back to 2004 with this paint scheme that Elliott Sadler used as he drove to two wins and a spot in the inaugural Chase for the Cup.

Ross Chastain

Chastain will honor "The Intimidator" Dale Earnhardt with this paint scheme that Earnhardt used for a 1976 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Cole Custer

Custer will be driving a paint scheme that NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Curtis Turner used in six races during the 1966 season.

James Davison

Davison won't be throwing back it to a NASCAR driver, but instead to former Indianapolis 500 winner Tom Sneva who used this paint scheme for the 1983 Daytona 500 and another race at Michigan later that year.

Matt DiBenedetto

DiBenedetto's paint scheme will honor his car owners, the Wood Brothers, as it is closely resembles the one that from their 1963 Daytona 500 victory with Tiny Lind behind the wheel.

Austin Dillon

Dillon will honor Hall-of-Famer Junior Johnson, who died last year at the age of 88, with this paint scheme from Johnson's 1963 season.

Ty Dillon

Austin's younger brother, Ty, will honor his team, Germain Racing, with a paint scheme that celebrates the 10th anniversary of Todd Bodine's Truck Series championship season in which he drove for Germain Racing.

Chase Elliott

The third and final Hendrick Motorsports paint scheme honoring Jimmie Johnson will come courtesy of Elliott, who be the same paint scheme Johnson had for his 2009 championship season.

Joey Gase

Like Tony Stewart did in 2016, Gase will be using the famous Coca-Cola paint scheme that Bobby Allison used from the 1971-73 seasons to which he drove to 23 victories.

Kevin Harvick

Harvick's paint scheme will be honoring his sponsor, Busch Beer, with this paint scheme that celebrates the beer can design from the mid 1990s.

Denny Hamlin

Just like Harvick, Hamlin will be paying tribute to his sponsor FedEx, with a paint scheme reminiscent of how the sponsor's logo looked when it began operations in 1973.

Timmy Hill

Hill will be driving a "Skoal Bandit" paint scheme, but not the one made famous by Harry Gant, but the one used by Phil Parsons during the 1984 Winston Cup season.

Quin Houff

Houff will be throwing it back to before the official formation of NASCAR with this paint scheme that pays tribute to Milt Merion, the driver who won the first race on the Daytona Beach road course in 1936.

Jimmie Johnson

In what his going to be his final Southern 500, seven time series champion Jimmie Johnson will honor fellow seven-time champions Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt with this paint scheme that combines Petty's famous STP scheme from the 1970s and Earnhardt's Goodwrench black paint scheme from the 1990s.

Erik Jones

The defending winner of the Southern 500 will be using a paint scheme similar to the one Tony Stewart for the 2005 playoff race in Martinsville, which Stewart finished in 2nd place to race winner Jeff Gordon.

Brad Keselowski

Keselowski will honor his 2010 Xfinity series championship season with this paint scheme.

Joey Logano

Logano's paint scheme will be almost identical to the one used by Bobby Allison from the 1985 Winston Cup season.

John Hunter Nemechek

Nemechek will throw back it to 1999 with this paint scheme that is nearly identical to the one Elliott Sadler used for his rookie season.

Ryan Newman

Newman will celebrate his go-kart days as his paint scheme will very closely resemble the one for his 1999 USAC National Championship season.

Brennan Poole

Poole will honor Ricky Rudd with this paint scheme that "Rooster" used during the 1985 + 86 Winston Cup seasons to which he drove to three wins and two top-six finishes in the final points standings.

Tyler Reddick

This is will be NBC broadcaster Jeff Burton's favorite paint scheme as it very similar to the one Burton used for the 1995 Winston Cup season.

Daniel Suarez

Like Keselowski, Suarez will be using a paint scheme from a Xfinity championship season as he will be driving a car with the paint scheme from his 2016 Xfinity championship season.

Martin Truex Jr.

Truex will be driving a paint scheme that's almost identical to the one Hank Parker Jr. used for a Xfinity series race in 2003.

Bubba Wallace

Wallace's paint scheme will throwback it to 1986 when his car owner, Richard Petty, had to buy D.J. Ulrich's car after Petty could not afford a backup car after wrecking his during practice for the Coca-Cola 600. Petty would drive this car to a 38th place finish as he engine blew up after 123 laps.

J.J. Yeley

Yeley will be paying tribute to the late Kenny Irwin, with a paint scheme closely resembling the one Irwin used during the 1997 Winston Cup season.