NFL Old School Game of the Week: Goalposts Come Down After Cardinals' OT Upset Win over Cowboys

The goal posts come down after the Cardinals' win over the Cowboys in 1997.

Seeing a home crowd storm the field and tear down the goal posts in pretty common in college football but not in the NFL.

However, goal posts were torn down in week 2 of the 1997 NFL season when the Arizona Cardinals hosted the Dallas Cowboys on a steamy Sunday Night in the desert.

The Cardinals came into the game with a 0-1 record after losing 24-21 to the Cincinnati Bengals in their season opener the week before they meet the Cowboys.

Arizona was led by head coach second-year head coach Vince Tobin who was trying to do something that had not been done in Arizona and that was lead the Cardinals lead to the NFL playoffs as the team had not made the postseason since their move from St. Louis to the Phoenix area in 1988.

Arizona did not have much going for them as Kent Graham was seen to be a placeholder at quarterback until Jake Plummer, who the Cardinals had selected in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft.

The Cardinals' best player was defensive end Simeon Rice who had complied 12.5 quarterback sacks in his rookie season in 1996 which helped him win the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

While the Cardinals were hoping to find a winning formula, the Cowboys were looking to get back to their championship ways as they were coming off an impressive 37-7 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in their regular season opener.

After winning three Super Bowls in four seasons, the Cowboys had a down year in 1996 as they went 10-6 and were eliminated in the Divisional Round of the Playoffs by the Carolina Panthers.

Led by head coach Barry Switzer, the Cowboys still had the famed "Triplets" in quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, and wide receiver Michael Irvin, who they hoped would lead the Cowboys back to the top of the NFL in 1997.

It seemed like a formality that the Cowboys would beat the Cardinals as Dallas had won 13 straight meetings with the Cardinals with their last loss to Arizona coming in week 6 of the 1990 NFL season.

But if the Cowboys were going to make it 14 in a row over the Cardinals they would have to deal with the heat as the temperature at kickoff was 101 degrees despite the game starting at 6:00 Arizona time as well as a rare sellout crowd at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.

 The Cowboys got the ball to start the game as Brock Marion returned the opening kickoff 34 yards to the Dallas 37-yard-line as the Dallas offense came out onto the field for their opening possession.

Smith carried the ball on four times for 27 yards to help lead the Cowboys to the Arizona 30-yard-line when Aikman connected with tight end Eric Bjornson for 29 yards to set up 1st & goal where Aikman threw an one-yard touchdown pass to Bjornson, only to have it nullified because of an holding penalty on tight end Scott Galbraith.

The Cowboys would have to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Richie Cunningham to give Dallas a 7-0 lead with 9:16 left in the first quarter.

Following an Arizona three-and-out, the Cowboys got the ball back at their 29-yard-line where it only took them two plays to drive into Cardinals territory as Aikman completed a 18-yard pass to Bjornson which was followed by a 19-yard Smith run to the Arizona 34-yard-line.

However, the Arizona defense would not allow another 1st down forcing the Cowboys to settle for a 47-yard field goal by Cunningham to extend the Dallas lead to 5:11 left in the first quarter.

After both teams traded punts, the Cardinals had the ball at the Dallas 46-yard-line to start the second quarter as Arizona drove 16 yards to the Dallas 30-yard-line where back-to-back penalties on the Cowboys gave the Cardinals 20 yards and a 1st down at the Dallas 10-yard-line when Graham handed the ball off to Leeland McElroy who raced in for the 10-yard touchdown to give Arizona a 7-6 lead with 12:51 to play in the second quarter.

After another exchange of punts, the Cowboys had the ball at their 49-yard-line when they drove 32 yards in nine plays to set up Cunningham's 37-yard field goal to put Dallas back on top 9-7 with exactly five minutes left in the second quarter.

The Cardinals would begin their next drive at their 20-yard-line where they picked up just two yards on two plays to set up 3rd & 8 when Graham was sacked by Cowboys strong safety Darren Woodson to force a fumble that was scooped up by defensive tackle Chad Hennings for a four-yard touchdown to increase the Dallas lead to 16-7 with 3:37 left before halftime.

Then with 85 seconds left in the first half, the Cardinals fumbled the football again when Kevin Williams muffed a punt that was recovered by Herschel Walker(Yes, that Herschel Walker)to give the Cowboys the ball at their 43-yard-line with a chance to put some points on the board before halftime.

Aikman completed four passes to wide receiver Stepfret Williams for 45 yards to set up a 34-yard field goal by Cunningham as time expired in the first half with the Cowboys ahead 19-7.

Cowboys kicker Richie Cunningham would account for all but six of the Cowboys' 22 points as he kicked five field goals and one extra point.

Arizona got the ball to start the second half but disaster struck on the first play from scrimmage as Graham fumbled the football after another quarterback sack, this time by Cowboys defensive end Tony Tolbert as Woodson made the recovery for the Cowboys at the Cardinals' 15-yard-line.

A touchdown may have put the game away but the Cardinals defense would allow only five yards on three plays forcing the Cowboys to settle for their fifth field goal of the game, this one from 28 yards out which increased the Dallas lead to 22-7 just two minutes into the second half.

After both teams punted on their ensuing possessions, the Cardinals had the ball at their 31-yard-line when they put together their best drive of the game thus far.

Graham would hit Kevin Williams for a 10-yard pass on 3rd & 9 to give Arizona a 1st down at its 42-yard-line when McElroy got his hands on the ball on back-to-back plays, gaining 10 yards for another Arizona 1st down at the Cowboys' 48-yard-line.

Graham would then complete three straight passes gaining 14 yards for another Arizona 1st down at the Dallas 34-yard-line when running back Larry Centers was dropped for a four-yard loss on a screen pass on 1st down which was followed by an incomplete pass to set up 3rd & 14 from the Cowboys' 38-yard-line.

Graham would complete a 12-yard pass to Rob Moore who stepped out of bounds two yards shy of the 1st down only to be hit late by Deion to draw a penalty to give the Cardinals a 1st down at the Dallas 13-yard-line.

Three plays later on 3rd & 4, Graham found Frank Sanders in the end zone for the seven-yard touchdown to make it an one-possession game at 22-14 with 1:44 left in the third quarter.

The game would turn into a stalemate as both teams traded punts until midway through the fourth quarter when Smith exploded for his longest run of the game a 44-yarder to put the Cowboys at the Arizona 32-yard-line.

From there, the Cowboys would move to the Cardinals' 12-yard-line where they faced a 3rd & 2 situation when Aikman was sacked by Rice for a 10-yard-loss.

To add injury to insult, Smith was injured on the play and would not return because of bruised ribs.

Cunningham would come on to attempt a 40-yard field goal that would make it a two-possession game but Cardinals defensive end Michael Bankston would block the kick to keep 22-14 with 3:42 left in the fourth quarter as the Cardinals would get the ball at their 30-yard-line.

Two straight completions picked up 11 yards before an illegal shift penalty pushed the Cardinals back five yards to their 36-yard-line to set up 1st & 15 when Graham completed a short pass to Moore, who turned into a 47-yard gain which got another five yards added on to it as Cowboys defensive back Wendell Davis was called for an incidental face mask to put Arizona at the Dallas 12-yard-line.

Graham would connect with Moore again, this time for five yards as the two-minute warning hit with the Cardinals at the Cowboys' seven-yard-line facing a 2nd & goal.

An incomplete pass followed by a six-yard completion to Frank Sanders set up 1st & goal from the one-yard-line when Graham could not connect with Kevin  Williams on 1st down to force 2nd & goal.

That is when Graham faked a handoff and threw a pass to a wide open Pat Carter who made the catch in the right corner of the end zone for the touchdown to make it 22-20.

Needing two points to tie, the Cardinals would attempt a two-point conversion that was successful as Graham hit Moore in the end zone for the two points to tie the game at 22 with 66 seconds left in regulation.

Cardinals quarterback Kent Graham would complete 26 of 49 passes for 249 yards and throw two TDs.

The Cowboys would try to get down the field for a potential game-winning field goal but could only travel to their 27-yard-line as time expired in regulation to send the game into overtime.

The Cowboys would win the overtime coin toss to get the ball to start the overtime period at their 25-yard-line as Aikman completed a 12-yard pass to Bjornson to start the drive which was followed by a 18-yard run by Sherman Williams to give Dallas a 1st down at the Arizona 45-yard-line.

However, a two-yard run by Williams and two incomplete passes forced the Cowboys to punt the ball back to the Cardinals who took over at their 20-yard-line.

Graham would complete passes of 12 yards to Frank Sanders and 14 yards to Moore to lead the Cardinals to the Cowboys' 44-yard-line until Graham was sacked by Dallas linebacker Dexter Coakley to knock the ball loose which was recovered by fellow Dallas linebacker Randall Godfrey to give the Cowboys the ball at the Cardinals' 49-yard-line with 9:49 left in the extra period.

Two runs by Sherman Williams picked up seven yards to set up 3rd & 3 when Aikman threw a screen pass to Williams who fumbled the football after he was hit by Cardinals linebackers Jamir Miller and Ronald McKinnon.

Another Arizona linebacker, Terry Irving, made the recovery to give the Cardinals the ball at their 46-yard-line with 8:12 to go in overtime.

Following an incomplete pass to start the drive, Graham would complete a 19-yard pass to Moore  to give the Cardinals a 1st down at the Dallas 35-yard-line which was followed by a three-yard run by McElroy to set up 2nd & 7 when Graham connected with running back Larry Centers for 29 yards to give Arizona another 1st down at the Cowboys' three-yard-line.

Tobin decided to waste any more time and sent in the the field goal unit as Kevin Butler would attempt a 20-yard field goal to give the Cardinals the win.

Butler's kick would bounce off the left goal post but would go through the uprights to give the Cardinals a 25-22 win to send the crowd at Sun Devil Stadium into a frenzy as Cardinals fans stormed the field and tore down the goal posts after the Cardinals had defeated the Cowboys for the first time in nearly seven years.

The Cowboys would not return to glory in 1997 as they would finish the season with a 6-10 record for their first losing season since 1990 and would miss the playoffs for the first time since 1990.

This lead to the firing of Switzer as head coach after four seasons in Dallas in which he complied a 45-26 record but went 17-17 in the last two seasons of his tenure.

As for the Cardinals, their win over the Cowboys would be the highlight of their 1997 season as they would finish with a 4-12 record, their sixth season of at least 11 losses since they moved to Arizona.

However, the following season the Cardinals would finish with a 9-7 record which was good enough to earn a playoff spot as a 16-13 win over the San Diego Chargers on the final Sunday of the regular season ended the Cardinals' 16-year playoff drought and once again brought the goal posts down as Cardinals celebrated the team's first playoff trip since their move to Arizona.

The Cardinals would then shock the Cowboys 20-7 in the Wild Card Round for the team's first playoff win in 51 years.

Kevin Butler gets hugs from his teammates after his game-winning 20-yard field goal.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Montana Leads Chiefs to Comeback Win over Steelers in AFC Wild Card Game

Chiefs quarterback Joe Montana completed 28 of 43 passes for 276 yards and throw a touchdown in Kansas City's 1993 playoff win over the Steelers.

When the Kansas City Chiefs acquired quarterback Joe Montana, they were hoping that Joe still a little bit of that "Montana Magic" left in him.

That opportunity presented itself in the Chiefs' AFC Wild Card game with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1993 NFL Playoffs.

After spending 14 years with the San Francisco 49ers, Montana was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs to become its starting quarterback after spending Joe had spent the last seasons on the sidelines because of an elbow injury which led to him losing his job as the 49ers' starting quarterback after Steve Young had been the NFL's highest rated passer for the 1991 + 92 NFL seasons.

With Marcus Allen in the backfield, Montana lead the Chiefs to their first division title in 22 years as Kansas City went 11-5 during the 1993 regular season for the team's fifth straight winning season under head coach Marty Schottenheimer and fourth consecutive playoff berth.

The Chiefs were hoping Montana could lead them to success in the playoffs as Kansas City had gone 1-3 over the previous three seasons.

While the Chiefs were AFC West Champions, they could not get a first-round bye, meaning they had to play in the Wild Card Round for the fourth straight year as they hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers had endured a roller-coaster season to finish with a 9-7 record, good enough to earn the final playoff spot in the AFC under second-year head coach Bill Cowher.

The Steelers were led by quarterback Neil O' Donnell who had become only the second quarterback in team history to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season and all-pro cornerback Rod Woodson leading a stingy defense.

Pittsburgh entered Arrowhead Stadiums as seven-point underdogs as they prepared to face the Chiefs and Montana who was playing in his first postseason game since the 1990 NFC Championship Game.

After the Chiefs went three-and-out to start the game, the Steelers got the ball at their 34-yard-line for their opening possession of the game.

Pittsburgh would drive 66 yards in nine plays primarily on the right arm of O'Donnell who completed all four of his passes on the drive, which included two passes to Jeff Graham for 22 yards, a 27-yarder to running back Merrill Hoge on a 3rd & 17, and finally a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Adrian Cooper to give the Steelers a 7-0 lead with 8:45 left in the opening quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Chiefs had the ball at their 20-yard-line facing a 3rd & 15 just hoping to see if Montana could complete a pass as he had started out the game with seven incomplete passes.

Facing a blitz, Montana was able to get the pass off before he was crushed by Steelers defensive end Donald Evans and find Willie Davis for a 25-yard gain and a Kansas City 1st down at the Chiefs' 45-yard-line.

But the hit by Evans sent Montana to the sidelines with bruised ribs as Dave Krieg came in to take over at quarterback following the completion to Davis.

Krieg's first play would be a routine handoff to Allen who was stopped for a two-yard-loss only to become a 13-yard gain and another Kansas City 1st down as Steelers cornerback D.J. Johnson was called for unnecessary roughness after he kicked wide receiver Tim Barnett which resulted in Johnson's ejection from the game.

A 15-yard run by Kimber Anders and a four-yard run by Allen put Kansas City at the Pittsburgh 23-yard-line where Krieg threw a pass toward the right corner of the end zone where J.J. Birden made a diving catch for the touchdown to help Kansas City tie the game 7-7 with 1:39 remaining in the first quarter.

Chiefs running back Marcus Allen ran for 67 yards on 21 carries and caught four passes for 29 yards.

The Steelers would begin their next drive at their 24-yard-line where Pittsburgh would put together a 15-play, 63-yard drive that took over seven minutes and culminated with a 30-yard field goal by Gary Anderson to put the Steelers back in front 10-7 with 9:34 left in the second quarter.

When the Chiefs' offense came back onto the field to start their next possession, Montana was back in at quarterback as he would lead Kansas City to the Pittsburgh 36-yard-line as Joe completed passes of 15 yards to Barnett and 11 yards to tight end Keith Cash.

However, the drive would stall as a quarterback sack and a delay of game penalty pushed the Chiefs back to the Steelers' 41-yard-line where they would punt the ball back to Pittsburgh who would take over at its 20-yard-line following a touchback on the punt.

The Steelers would once again drive into Kansas City territory as O'Donnell completed a 35-yard pass to Graham on 3rd & 3 to give Pittsburgh a 1st down at the Chiefs' 38-yard-line.

Three straight running plays picked up only three yards to set up a 4th & 7 when Cowher decided to gamble and go for the 1st down.

The gamble would not pay off as O'Donnell's pass for Ernie Mills fell incomplete giving the Chiefs the ball at their 35-yard-line with 1:57 left in the first half.

Following an incomplete pass to start the drive, Montana would complete three passes in a row totaling 22 yards to set up 3rd & 2 when Montana handed the ball off to Allen who picked up only a yard to set up 4th & 1 from the Pittsburgh 42-yard-line.

Just like Cowher had done on the Steelers' previous possession, Schottenheimer decided to go for the 1st down only to see it backfire as Montana tripped over the feet of Allen leading to Montana being sacked by Steelers defensive end Gerald Williams for a seven-yard loss to give Pittsburgh the ball at its 48-yard-line with 55 seconds left before halftime.

After two incomplete passes and a Kansas City offsides penalty, O'Donnell hit Graham for 11 yards and a 1st down at the Kansas City 35-yard-line which was followed by another incomplete pass and a nine-yard run by Hoge to set up 3rd & 1 from the Chiefs' 26-yard-line.

That is when O'Donnell hit Mills for a 26-yard touchdown puss to increase the Pittsburgh lead to 17-7 with 18 seconds left in the first half.

The Chiefs would take a knee to end the first half as they went into the locker room down 10 points with the Steelers set to get the ball to start the second half.

Steelers quarterback Neil O' Donnell completed 23 of 42 passes for 286 yards and threw three TDs.

The Steelers would be given great field position to begin the second half as Woodson returned the opening kickoff 42 yards to the Pittsburgh 48-yard-line.

The Steelers would pick up one 1st down until the drive stalled thanks to an illegal man downfield penalty and a quarterback sack forcing them to punt the ball to the Chiefs who would take over at their 12-yard-line.

Following an exchange of punts, the Chiefs got the ball back at their 45-yard-line where three straight running plays gained a total of 14 yards to put Kansas City at the Pittsburgh 41-yard-line when Montana completed back-to-back passes to Anders for 22 yards, then connected with Barnett for eight yards and Birden for six yards to give Kansas City a 1st & goal at the Steelers' five-yard-line.

However, the Pittsburgh defense would stiffen and not allow another yard as the Chiefs had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Nick Lowery to cut the Steelers' lead to 17-10 with 1:09 left in the third quarter.

The Chiefs would force the Steelers to punt following their ensuing possession to get the ball back at their 20-yard-line just 44 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The drive would start with an eight-yard pass to Anders followed by a two-yard run by Allen for a Kansas City 1st & 10 that became 1st & 15 when the Chiefs were called for a delay of game penalty to push them back to their 25-yard-line.

Montana would get out of the hole by completing a 22-yard pass to Davis which was followed by two straight running plays that totaled 20 yards and put Kansas City at the Pittsburgh 33-yard-line.

Montana would then connect with Birden for 19 yards, then handed the ball off to Allen who picked up four yards before hitting Cash for eight yards to give Kansas City 1st & goal at the Pittsburgh two-yard-line.

That is when Montana handed the ball off to Allen who punched it in for the two-yard touchdown that with Lowery's extra point tied the game at 17 with 8:58 left in the fourth quarter.

The Steelers would begin their ensuing possession at their 26-yard-line with O' Donnell throwing a two-yard pass to Hoge, then connecting with running back Dwight Stone for a 26-yard gain to give Pittsburgh a 1st down at the Kansas City 46-yard-line.

Two straight runs by Leroy Thompson picked up 14 yards for another Pittsburgh 1st down as O' Donnell completed a seven-yard pass to Mills, then handed it off to Thompson who was stopped for no gain to set up 3rd & 3 where Thompson caught a five-yard pass to put the Steelers at the Chiefs' 20-yard-line.

After Thompson was stopped for a two-yard loss, O'Donnell found tight end Eric Green for a 22-yard touchdown pass to give Pittsburgh a 24-17 lead with 4:11 left in the fourth quarter.

Following a Kansas City three-and-out, the Steelers got the ball at their 48-yard-line with exactly three minutes and a chance to ice the game away with a few 1st downs.

Two runs by Thompson netted zero yardage to set up 3rd & 10 when O'Donnell fired a pass intended for Graham only to have Graham drop it to force 4th down as the Steelers were set to punt the ball away giving Montana a chance to drive down the field for the game-tying score.

That is when Cash burst through the line untouched and was able to block Mark Royals' punt as Fred Jones scooped the blocked punt and ran it down 31 yards before being knocked out of bounds at the Pittsburgh nine-yard-line.

Allen would run for one yard on 1st & goal which was followed by an incomplete pass and then another one-yard run by Allen to set up a do-or-die 4th & goal at the seven-yard-line.

Needing a touchdown to keep the Chiefs alive, Montana found Barnett in the back of the end zone for the seven-yard touchdown that with Lowery's extra point tied the game at 24 with 1:43 left in regulation.

Tim Barnett acknowledges the Kansas City fans after catching the game-tying touchdown.

The Steelers would get the ball back at their 22-yard-line but could only move five yards on three plays forcing them to punt the ball away to the Chiefs who took over at their 28-yard-line with 74 seconds left and no timeouts.

The drive would begin with a 15-yard pass from Montana to Danan Hughes for a Kansas City 1st down as the Chiefs ran up to spike the ball to stop the clock with 56 seconds left.

Montana would then hand it off to Allen, who ran for 11 yards and another Kansas City 1st down at the Pittsburgh 46-yard-line when Montana went back to the air and completed a four-yard pass to Cash, then an eight-yarder to Birden that put Kansas City at the Steelers' 34-yard-line when Montana spiked the ball with 19 seconds to go.

After running back Todd McNair was knocked out of bounds following a nine-yard catch, Schottenheimer sent in the field goal unit to try and win the game with a 43-yard field goal.

But Lowery's kick would sail wide right and no good allowing the Steelers to take a knee to run out the clock on regulation as the game moved into overtime with the two teams deadlocked 24-24.

The Chiefs won the coin toss to get the ball to start the overtime period but would go three-and-out to punt the ball to the Steelers who took over at their 26-yard-line.

The Steelers would drive to the 50-yard-line until they were forced to punt it back to the Chiefs who took over at their 20-yard-line with 9:56 to go in overtime.

The drive would began with back-to-back penalties on the Steelers as Woodson was called for holding to give Kansas City an automatic 1st down at its 25-yard-line when linebacker Greg Lloyd jumped offsides to give the Chiefs another five yards.

Montana would then complete a seven-yard pass to Allen for another 1st down, then found Birden for six yards which was followed by a six-yard pass to tight end Jonathan Hayes for a Kansas City 1st down at its 49-yard-line.

Then after an one-yard run by McNair, Montana fired a 18-yard pass for Cash to put Kansas City at the Pittsburgh 32-yard-line and in field goal range.

Two runs by Allen gained four yards to set up 3rd & 6 when Montana found Birden for 10 yards and another 1st down at the Steelers' 18-yard-line.

Two more running plays picked up four yards before Schottenheimer sent Lowery to try and win the game again with a 32-yard field goal.

This time, Lowery's kick sailed through the uprights to the Chiefs a 27-24 overtime win and a trip to the Astrodome to take on the Houston Oilers in the Divisional Round.

Nick Lowery kicks the game-winning 32-yard field goal in overtime of the Chiefs' Wild Card Win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Again down by 10 points at halftime, Montana would throw three touchdown passes in the second half to lead Kansas City a 28-20 win to send the Chiefs to the AFC Championship  Game where they would face off with the three-time defending AFC Champion Buffalo Bills.

That is when the Chiefs' playoff run ended as Montana was knocked out of the game with a concussion while Bills running back Thurman Thomas ran for 186 yards and three touchdowns to lead Buffalo to a 30-13 victory to send the Bills to their fourth Super Bowl in a row.

Montana would return for one more season with the Chiefs as he lead Kansas City to a 9-7 record, which included a 24-17 win over his former team the 49ers in Week 2(To read more about that game, click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2018/09/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-montana.html).

The Chiefs' season and Montana's NFL career would end in the Wild Card round of the 1994 playoffs as they were eliminated by the Miami Dolphins 27-17.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Cowboys' Seven Field Goals Gives Parcells Win in Return to the Meadowlands

Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells was triumphant in his return to Giants Stadium in 2003. 

For most of his head coaching career, Bill Parcells called the Meadowlands in New Jersey home as he lead the New York Giants to two Super Bowl titles during his eight-year tenure as head coach from 1983 through 1990 and then helped the Jets to three straight winning seasons from 1997-1999.

So it was must be kind of strange for Parcells, but not unprecedented since he coached the New England Patriots from 1993 through 1996 and played in the Meadowlands every season, to be the coach on the opposing sidelines at Giants Stadiums as Parcells lead the  Dallas Cowboys to to face the Giants in a Week 2 Monday Night football showdown.

Parcells had been talked out of retirement to became the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys after owner Jerry Jones had fired Dave Campo after three straight 5-11 seasons.

Gone were the days of the "Triplets" as quarterback Troy Aikman had retired following the 2000 season while wide receiver Michael Irvin was forced to retire one year prior with a career-ending neck injury while running back Emmitt Smith left the team after becoming the NFL's all-time career leading rusher in 2002.

Instead, the Cowboys had Quincy Carter at quarterback, Troy Hambrick at running back, and a trio of receivers to fill the gap left by Irvin.

Most NFL experts predicated a long season for the Cowboys especially after they lost their season opener 27-13 to the Atlanta Falcons as the Cowboys traveled to East Rutherford to take on their NFC East division rivals, the Giants.

While the Cowboys were not expected to make the playoffs, the Giants were looking to return to the playoffs after making them in 2002 following a 10-6 regular season only to have end it with a shocking 39-38 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card Round where the Giants blew a 24-point lead.

The Giants were led by head coach Jim Fassell, who was in his seventh season as the Giants' head coach having led New York to three playoff appearances and a NFC Championship in the 2000 season.

With an offense that featured quarterback Kerry Collins, running back Tiki Barber, wide receiver Amani Toomer, and tight end Jeremy Shockey, the Giants were seen as a serious threat in the NFC as they started the season with a 23-13 win over the St.Louis Rams in week 1.

But if the Giants were going to make waves in the 2003 season they needed their special teams to improve which let them down in their collapse against the 49ers as long snapper Trey Junkin had two bad snaps on potential field goals late in that game against San Francisco.

Special teams would be a huge factor in determining the winner of this game between the Cowboys and the Giants.

 The game started with both teams trading punts until midway through the first quarter when the Cowboys at the ball at their 24-yard-line as Carter would throw a pass intended for Joey Galloway, only to have it intercepted by Giants cornerback Ralph Brown who ran it back for a 29-yard pick-six to give New York a 7-0 lead.

The Cowboys would get good field position to start their next possession as Zuriel Smith returned the ensuing kickoff 37 yards to the Dallas 47-yard-line.

From there, the Cowboys would drive 53 yards in seven plays which culminated with Carter running it in for an eight-yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7 with 3:13 left in the first quarter.

The Giants would get the ball back at their 21-yard-line where they picked up one 1st down before turning it over as Cowboys defensive end Greg Ellis stripped Barber of the football forcing a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Dat Nguyen to give Dallas the ball at the New York 35-yard-line.

The Cowboys would drive to the Giants' 19-yard-line where they had to settle for a 37-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff to give Dallas a 10-7 lead just 48 seconds into the second quarter.

The Dallas defense would force the Giants to punt on their next possession to give their offense the ball at their 39-yard-line where Carter completed passes of six yards to running back Richie Anderson and 21 yards to Galloway to put the Cowboys at the New York 34-yard-line.

The drive would stall as the Cowboys would pick only three more yards on the next three plays leading them to call on Cundiff again to kick a 49-yard field goal which increased the Dallas lead to 13-7 midway through the second quarter.

Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter completed 25 of 40 passes for 321 yards and scored on a TD run.

Then after an exchange of punts, the Giants had the ball at their 31-yard-line facing a 3rd & 9 when Collins was intercepted by Cowboys linebacker Alshermond Singleton who returned the pick 41 yards for a touchdown to increase Dallas' lead to 20-7 with 3:05 left in the second quarter.

The Giants would get the ball back at their 28-yard-line where after two straight incomplete passes faced a 3rd & 10 when Collins connected with Toomer for a 40-yard completion to give New York a 1st down at the Cowboys' 30-yard-line.

However three plays later, Collins would be intercepted again, this time by Cowboys cornerback Terrance Newman to give Dallas the ball at its 20-yard-line with 1:51 left before halftime.

Running back Troy Hambrick carried the ball three straight times picking up 12 yards before the Cowboys put the ball in the air as Carter completed a two-yard pass to Anderson to set up 3rd & 7 from the Dallas 34-yard-line.

That is when Carter completed a 13-yard pass to Terry Glenn to give the Cowboys a 1st down at its 47-yard-line which was followed by another completion from Carter to Glenn this time for 27 yards and a 1st down at the Giants' 26-yard-line.

A holding penalty on guard Larry Allen would kill the drive forcing Parcells to call on Cundiff again this time to attempt a 53-yard field goal.

Cundiff would miss the field goal as his kick sailed wide left of the uprights which allowed the Giants to take a knee to run out the clock to end the first half with the Cowboys ahead 20-7 and set to get the ball to start the second half.

The Cowboys would get great field position for their opening possession of the second half as Giants kicker Matt Bryant's kickoff went out of bounds meaning Dallas would get the ball at its 40-yard-line.

A 25-yard pass to Antonio Bryant and a 18-yard pass to rookie tight end Jason Witten help push the Cowboys to the Giants' 15-yard-line until Carter was sacked by Giants defensive end Kenny Holmes for a 11-yard-loss forcing the Cowboys to settle for another Cundiff field goal, this time from 42 yards out to increase the Dallas lead to 23-7 with 11 minutes left in the third quarter.

Now down 16 points, the Giants got the ball back at their 31-yard-line where they put together their best drive of the game thus far.

Two runs by Barber for 12 yards gave New York a 1st down at its 43-yard-line where Collins threw an incomplete pass on 1st down but would follow that up with a 18-yard completion to Ike Hilliard for another New York 1st down at the Cowboys' 39-yard-line.

That is when Collins went deep and threw a bomb for Toomer in the end zone where he was interferred with by Cowboys free safety Roy Williams which drew a penalty and gave the Giants the ball at the Dallas one-yard-line.

An dropped pass by Shockey and a four-yard-loss on a 2nd down Barber run pushed the Giants back to the five-yard-line for 3rd & goal when Collins found Hilliard for a five-yard touchdown to cut the Cowboys' lead to 23-14 with 8:11 left in the third quarter.

The Cowboys would quickly drive down the field on its next possession as Carter completed a 27-yard pass to Glenn to give Dallas a 1st down at the Giants' 45-yard-line, then tried to hit Bryant on a deep pass only to have Giants cornerback Will Allen get called for pass interference to give the Cowboys a 1st down at the New York 11-yard-line.

The Giants' defense would keep the Cowboys out of the end zone forcing them to settle for another Cundiff field goal, this time from 21 yards out which increased Dallas' lead to 26-14 with 4:53 left in the third quarter.

Then after forcing the Giants to punt on its ensuing possession, the Cowboys would drive 62 yards in 11 plays to set up Cundiff's fifth field goal of the game, a 36-yarder which pushed the Dallas lead to 29-14 with 12:56 left in the fourth quarter.

The Giants would start its next possession at its 31-yard-line needing to get a touchdown if they had any hopes of pulling off a comeback win.

An one-yard pass to Barber and an incomplete pass set up 3rd & 9 from the New York 32-yard-line when Collins completed a 20-yard pass to Toomer only to have him fumble the football after a hit by Williams which lead to an apparent recovery by Cowboys strong safety Darren Woodson, only to have nullified because the Cowboys were offsides.

The Giants would then get a 1st down when Dallas cornerback Mario Edwards drew a pass interference penalty on an incomplete pass from Collins to Tim Carter, giving New York 24 yards and a 1st down at the Cowboys' 39-yard-line.

From there, Collins would complete four passes in a row as he connected with Toomer for 21 yards, then with Carter for seven yards, then again with Toomer for 10 yards, before firing an one-yard touchdown pass to Shockey to bring the Giants to within eight points at 29-21 with 9:54 left in the 4th quarter.

Giants quarterback Kerry Collins completed 21 of 51 passes for 265 yards and threw three touchdowns.

The Giants defense would force a Dallas punt to get the ball back at their 36-yard-line as New York would drive 64 yards in just three plays as Collins connected with Hilliard for six yards then again for 38 yards to put New York at the Dallas 20-yard-line where Collins would fire a 20-yard touchdown pass to Toomer to bring the Giants to within a two-point conversion of tying the game.

After two tries where the Cowboys were called for pass interference, the Giants kept on the ground as Collins handed the ball off to Barber who ran it in for the two-point conversion to tie the game 29-29 with 6:20 remaining in regulation.

The two teams would trade punts until the Giants got the ball at their 48-yard-line with 2:59 left in regulation and a chance to drive for the game-winning score.

The drive began with a 10-yard run by Barber for a New York 1st down at the Dallas 42-yard-line followed by an incomplete pass and then back-to-back completions by Collins for a total of 14 yards and another 1st down at the Cowboys' 28-yard-line.

An eight-yard pass to Tim Carter followed by runs of Barber that totaled eight yards put the Giants at the Dallas 14-yard-line where Fassell called on the field goal unit to give the Giants the lead with 14 seconds left on the clock.

Bryant came in and smoothly kicked a 32-yard field goal to give the Giants a 32-29 lead with just 11 seconds to go in the game.

It seemed that after being dominated for three quarters of the game that the Giants were going to pull it out after being down 15 points early in the 4th quarter.

But when Bryant's kickoff went out of bounds, the Cowboys had a glimmer of hope as they had the ball at their 40-yard-line with the clock still at 11 seconds and one timeout in their pocket.

Carter would complete a 26-yard pass to Bryant who was pushed out of bounds at the New York 34-yard-line with four seconds left, giving the Cowboys a chance to call on Cundiff to attempt a 52-yard field goal.

While he had made five field goals in the game, Cundiff had missed one field goal from about this range earlier in the game.

This time Cundiff would not miss as his 52-yard kick sailed through the uprights as time expired to tie the game 32-32 and send it to overtime.

The Cowboys won the overtime coin toss and elected to receiver as they would begin their overtime possession at their 29-yard-line needing just a field goal to win.

Carter would complete three of five passes for 30 yards to start the drive as the Cowboys moved to the Giants' 41-yard-line where back-to-back runs by Hambrick netted zero yardage to set up 3rd & 10 when disaster nearly struck as Carter was stripped of the football after a sack by Holmes only to have Dallas left tackle Flozell Adams recover the fumble at the Cowboys' 48-yard-line, allowing the Cowboys to punt the ball away to the Giants.

The Giants would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Cowboys who took over at their 43-yard-line with another chance to drive down for the game-winning score.

A holding penalty on Will Allen gave Dallas five extra yards and a 1st down at its 48-yard-line as an incomplete pass and a six-yard scramble by Carter set up 3rd & 4 from the Giants' 46-yard-line where Carter hit Glenn for eight yards and a 1st down at the New York 38-yard-line.

Carter would then hand the ball off to Hambrick who picked up nine yards to set up 2nd & 1 when Carter handed the ball off to Anderson who was stopped for no gain to set up 3rd & 1.

That is when Carter completed a 23-yard pass to reserve tight end Dan Campbell to give the Cowboys a 1st & goal at the Giants' six-yard-line.

Parcells decided not to waste any more time and sent in Cundiff to not only to win the game with a 23-yard field goal but also tie the NFL record for most field goals in a game which was seven.

For the seventh time in the game, Cundiff would make a field goal with this one giving the Cowboys an unlikely 35-32 overtime win in Parcells' return to the Meadowlands.

The Cowboys hug Billy Cundiff(3) after his seventh field goal gave Dallas the win.

The loss to the Cowboys put the Giants on a roller coaster for the first half of the season as they went 4-4 before going on an eight-game losing streak to finish the season with a 4-12 record which resulted in Fassell's dismissal as head coach after seven seasons.

He was replaced by former Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin who would lead the Giants to two Super Bowl titles.

As for the Cowboys, they would finish the season with a 10-6 record good enough to earn a Wild Card berth and a spot in the NFL playoffs for the first time since 1999 and making Parcelles the first head coach in NFL history to lead four different teams to the playoffs.

The Cowboys' season would end at the hands of the Carolina Panthers as Carolina eliminated Dallas with a 29-10 victory in the Wild Card round.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Young Plays Through Pain to Lead 49ers to Comeback Win over Bengals

 

Despite a sore groin, 49ers quarterback Steve Young accounted for 319 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in San Francisco's comeback win over the Bengals.

The NFL season is a grind, especially if you playing with an injury as was the case for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young when his team hosted the Cincinnati Bengals in week 8 of the 1996 season.

The 49ers entered the game with a 4-2 record and hopes of returning to the Super Bowl under head coach George Seifert who had San Francisco to two Super Bowl titles since he became the head coach of the 49ers in 1989.

The 49ers were led by their famous "West Coast Offense" with Young at quarterback plus wide receiver Jerry Rice and a rookie named Terrell Owens.

San Francisco won its first two games of the season before they were shocked by the second-year Carolina Panthers 23-7 in a game in which Young pulled the muscle in his left groin which would keep out of the lineup for the next three games as Elvis Grbac would lead the 49ers to a 2-1 record during that span.

Young was healthy enough after missing a month of football as the 49ers hosted the hapless Cincinnati Bengals who entered the game with a 1-5 record and their head coach, David Shula, on the hot seat.

Shula, the son of legendary head coach Don Shula, had been hired to replace Sam Wyche before the 1992 season after the Bengals had gone 3-13 in 1991.

The first three seasons for Shula were a nightmare as they went a combined 11-37 during that span before showing signs of life in 1995 as quarterback Jeff Blake help lead Cincinnati to a 7-9 record which was their best season since going 9-7 in 1990.

But with the Bengals entering their game with the 49ers on a four-game losing streak, rumors of Shula's dismissal were flying high as the Bengals traveled to Candlestick Park to take on the 49ers.

After forcing the Bengals to punt on their opening possession, the 49ers had the ball at their 20-yard-line when disaster struck on San Francisco's first offensive play of the game as Young was intercepted on a pass intended for Rice by Cincinnati cornerback Ashley Ambrose.

Ambrose's pick gave the Bengals the ball at the 29-yard-line where it would take them six plays to get into the end zone as Blake completed three of four passes for 29 yards on the drive with the last completion being a five-yard touchdown pass to Tony McGee to give Cincinnati a 7-0 lead with 8:58 remaining in the opening quarter.

It would get worse for the 49ers on their ensuing possession as Young was sacked, which was followed by an one-yard run by Derek Loville to set up 3rd & 16 from the San Francisco 24-yard-line when Young completed a 17-yard pass to Owens only to have Bengals free safety Bo Orlando strip Owens of the ball leading to a fumble that was recovered by linebacker James Francis at the San Francisco 41-yard-line.

An offsides penalty on the 49ers and four running plays for 21 yards put the Bengals at the San Francisco 15-yard-line when Blake connected with Hearst on a 15-yard touchdown pass to increase the Cincinnati to 14-0 with 5:08 left in the first quarter.

Bengals quarterback Jeff Blake completed 15 of 34 passes for 200 yards and threw three touchdowns.

Both teams would trade punts as the game moved into the second quarter with Cincinnati still ahead 14-0 as the 49ers had the ball at their 25-yard-line facing 3rd & 5 when Young was sacked by Bengals linebacker Steve Tovar for a five-yard loss as Young reaggravated the injury to his groin as he tried to run for the 1st down.

The 49ers punted the ball back to the Bengals who took over at their 37-yard-line and had Hearst run the ball two straight times for 13 yards until Blake threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Darnay Scott to increase the Cincinnati lead to 21-0 with 8:42 left in the second quarter.

When the San Francisco offense came back onto the field to start their next possession at their 40-yard-line, Young was on the sidelines as Seifert inserted Grbac at quarterback.

After his first pass fell incomplete, Grbac would hit Iheanyi Uwaezuoke for 12 yards and a 1st down at the Bengals' 48-yard-line, followed by a seven-yard pass to Rice, then a 21-yarder to tight end Ted Popson to put the 49ers at the Cincinnati 20-yard-line.

An incomplete pass and a three-yard run by Terry Kirby set up 3rd & 7 where Grbac fired a pass over the middle for Popson who made the catch for the 17-yard touchdown to put the 49ers on the board and cut the Bengals' lead to 21-7 with exactly six minutes left in the second quarter.

It looked like the 49ers had turned the game around especially after their defense forced a three-and-out to get the ball back at the San Francisco 47-yard-line, only to give right back to the Bengals when Grbac's pass intended for Popson was intercepted by Tovar to give Cincinnati the ball at its 30-yard-line.

The 49ers would force another three-and-out to get the ball back at their 29-yard-line as Grbac would complete four of his next five passes for 30 yards to push San Francisco to the Bengals' 41-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 4 as the two-minute warning hit.

Instead of punting the ball away, Seifert decided to go for the 1st down as Grbac tried to do his best Steve Young impression and run for the 1st down.

Grbac would be stopped two yards short of the 1st down by Bengals defensive back Corey Sawyer which not only gave the ball to the Bengals at their 39-yard-line but also knocked Grbac out of the game as he landed hard on his left shoulder.

The Bengals would drive to the 49ers' 42-yard-line before punting the ball back to San Francisco who took a knee to run out the clock in the first half with Cincinnati on top 21-7.

When the 49ers' offense came out onto the field to start the second half, they did so with Young at quarterback as San Francisco had the ball at its 25-yard-line.

Two running plays picked up five yards to set up 3rd & 5 when Young connected with Rice on a 19-yard completion to give the 49ers a fresh set of downs at their 49-yard-line.

Young would then hit Kirby for six yards and then Rice again for six yards to put the 49ers at the Bengals' 39-yard-line when Young found a wide open Popson for a 39-yard touchdown to bring San Francisco to within a touchdown at 21-14 with 11:33 left in the third quarter.

49ers tight end Ted Popson caught eight passes for 116 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Both teams would trade punts until the 5:35 mark of the third quarter when the 49ers had the ball at their four-yard-line facing a 3rd & 12 when Young hit Owens for 19 yards and a 1st down at the San Francisco 23-yard-line.

Young would connect with Owens again, this time for 13 yards to give the 49ers a 1st down at its 36-yard-line which was followed by two straight passes to Kirby for eight yards followed by a five-yard-run by Young to put San Francisco at its 49-yard-line.

That is when Young threw deep trying to connect with the Rice only to have the future Hall-of-Famer bobble the ball into the air and into the hands of Orlando who made the interception at the Cincinnati 13-yard-line.

The Bengals would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the 49ers who took over at their 41-yard-line as Young handed the ball off to Dexter Carter who ran for 18 yards and a 1st down at the Bengals' 41-yard-line as the third quarter came to an end with San Francisco still trailing 21-14.

Young would completed a 24-yard pass to Floyd to start the first quarter to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Cincinnati 17-yard-line where three plays later the 49ers would be faced with a 4th & 2 at the nine-yard-line.

Once again, Seifert decided to go for the 1st down and this time he got it as Young was able to run for three yards to pick up the 1st down at the Bengals' six-yard-line.

However on 3rd & goal from the seven-yard-line, Young would throw his third interception of the game as he tried to lob a pass to Kirby only to have Bengals cornerback Jimmy Spencer make the pick to end the 49ers' drive at the Cincinnati two-yard-line.

The two teams would exchange punts until the 49ers had the ball at their 12-yard-line with 3:37 remaining in regulation and needing a touchdown to tie the game.

Young would find Popson for five yards to start the drive then handed the ball off to Kirby who picked up nine yards and a 1st down at the San Francisco 26-yard-line.

Young would then run for 12 yards and another 1st down at the 49ers' 38-yard-line which was followed by a five-yard pass to Kirby, then a 12-yard pass to Popson to give San Francisco another 1st down at the Bengals' 45-yard-line.

That is when Young went deep and fired a pass down the right side of the field for Owens who made the catch for a 45-yard touchdown, the first of his NFL career, that with Jeff Wilkins' extra point tied the game at 21 with 2:08 left in regulation.

Terrell Owens had four catches for 94 yards and one touchdown.

With their 21-point lead having been evaporated, the Bengals needed to put together a drive in hopes of producing at least a potential game-winning field goal.

Blake would throw two straight incomplete passes before being picked off by 49ers nickel defensive back Dedrick Dodge giving the 49ers the ball at the Bengals' 32-yard-line with 1:40 left on the clock.

An incomplete pass followed by a six-yard run by Floyd set up 3rd & 4 when Young connected with Rice for 11 yards and a 1st down at the Bengals' 15-yard-line.

That is when Young faked a handoff to Floyd and ran around the left end as he hobbled his way into the end zone for the 15-yard touchdown to give the 49ers their first lead of the game at 28-21 with 1:08 left on the clock.

The Bengals would get one last chance to save themselves but turn it over on downs as Blake's pass on 4th & 2 from the Cincinnati 33-yard-line fell incomplete giving the ball back to the 49ers who would take a knee to run out the clock to come away with the 28-21 victory.

The loss to the 49ers was the end of the road for Shula as he was fired the next day and replaced by offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet who led the Bengals to a 7-2 record over the rest of the 1996 season as the Bengals finished with a 8-8 record, their best since the 1990 season.

However, it would take eight more seasons before the Bengals would finish with a winning record as they went 11-5 in 2005 to end their streak of 14 consecutive losing seasons.

As for the 49ers, they would claw their way to a 12-4 record which most years would have been good enough to clinch the NFC West, but because they were swept by the Panthers in the regular season, San Francisco had to play a Wild Card game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The 49ers would win that game 14-0 but it came with a price as Young sustained broken ribs after running for a touchdown, which lead to his removal the following week against the Green Bay Packers as the Packers defeated the 49ers 35-14 to end their season and Seifert's tenure as head coach as he resigned following a contract dispute to finish with a 98-30 record in his eight seasons in San Francisco.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: "Air Coryell" Chargers Beat Bengals in Wild Shootout

 

Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts completed 25 of 43 passes for 344 yards and threw four touchdowns in the Chargers' win over the Bengals.

While the "Air Coryell" offense of the San Diego Chargers may have peaked in the early 1980s, it was still a force to be reckon with as proven by the Chargers' shootout with the Cincinnati Bengals in week 3 of the 1985 NFL season.

The Chargers entered the game with a 1-1 record under head coach Don Coryell, who was in his eight season as the head coach of the Chargers after taking over early in the 1978 season and installing a pass-happy offense that would help the Chargers to three straight AFC West division titles from 1979-81 and back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances in 1980 + 81.

The Chargers still had a plethron of weapons in quarterback Dan Fouts, wide receivers Charlie Joiner and Wes Chandler, and running back Lionel James, who had lead the NFL in kick return yardage the previous year with 959.

James would have to be a bigger factor in the San Diego offense as the Chargers were without tight end Kellen Winslow, who was recovering from a serious knee injury that occurred during the 1984 season.

The Chargers' opponents, the Cincinnati Bengals, entered the game with a 0-2 record under second-year head coach Sam Wyche, who the year before had recovered from a 0-5 start to finish with a 8-8 record just one game back of winning the AFC Central Division.

The Bengals were a team in transition as wide receiver Isaac Curtis had retired just prior to the 1985 season after spending 12 years in Cincinnati while the Bengals' all-time passing leader, quarterback Ken Anderson, had been relegated to the bench in favor of second-year quarterback Boomer Esiason.

But with former Chargers running back James Brooks in the backfield and Cris Collinsworth at wide receiver, Esiason had a solid supporting cast to help him lead the Bengals as they hosted the Chargers at Riverfront Stadium.

The Chargers would get the ball in Bengals territory to start the game as Anthony S returned the opening kickoff 54 yards to the Cincinnati 38-yard-line only to have the Chargers turn it over on the third play of the game as Fouts was intercepted by Bengals free safety Robert Jackson on a pass intended for Wes Chandler.

Jackson would return the pick 10 yards to the Cincinnati 24-yard-line where the Bengals' offense began their first possession of the game which lasted only two plays as Esiason was picked off by San Diego cornerback Danny Walters whose 17-yard return gave the Chargers the ball back at the Bengals' 36-yard-line.

However, the Chargers could move only two yards on three plays, forcing them to try a 52-yard field goal by Bob Thomas which sailed wide right and no good to give the ball back to the Bengals at their 34-yard-line.

The Chargers would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at the 50-yard-line following a 24-yard punt return by James to give San Diego excellent field position to start their third drive just three minutes into the game.

San Diego would drive down to the Cincinnati two-yard-line primarily on the arm of Fouts, who completed a 24-yard pass to Joiner and connected with Jesse Bendross on two passes for 17 yards only to have the Bengals' defense stiffen and force the Chargers to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Bob Thomas to give San Diego a 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

The Bengals would respond with a nine-play, 75-yard drive which was capped off with a 18-yard touchdown pass from Esiason to Collinsworth to give the Bengals a 7-3 lead with 3:53 left in the opening period.

Bengals wide receiver Cris Collinsworth would catch 10 passes for 161 yards and scored two TDs.

The Chargers would come back with an eight-play, 73-yard drive that did not end until the second play of the second quarter when Fouts threw a four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Eric Sievers to give San Diego a 10-7 lead.

Back would come the Bengals as they drove from their 20-yard-line to the Chargers' seven-yard-line thanks to three straight completions by Esasion for 36 yards plus a 32-yard run by Brown.

However on 2nd & goal, the Bengals would turn it over when Esiason lost the football following a quarterback sack as San Diego defensive tackle Keith Ferguson recovered the fumble for the Chargers at the Bengals' 16-yard-line.

The Chargers would fly down the field as Fouts completed a 19-yard pass to tight end Pete Holohan to start the drive, then connected with James on a 34-yard completion that became 39 when the Bengals were called for a five-yard face mask to give San Diego a 1st down at the Cincinnati 22-yard-line.

A 12-yard pass to Holohan, followed by a five-yard run by James set up Fouts' five-yard touchdown pass to Sievers that increased the Chargers' lead to 17-7 midway through the second quarter.

After forcing a three-and-out, the Chargers would get the ball back at their 38-yard-line only to give it right back to the Bengals as Fouts was picked off by James Griffin to give the Bengals the ball at the San Diego 41-yard-line.

From there, Esiason would connect with Collinsworth for 18 yards, then again for 22 yards, to set up James Brooks' one-yard touchdown run to cut the Chargers' lead to 17-13 as Jim Breech's extra point attempt bounced off the right upright.

The Bengals would force the Chargers to go three-and-out on their ensuing possession to get the ball back at their five-yard-line as Cincinnati drove to its 34-yard-line until Esiason was intercepted again by Walters, whose 14-yard return gave San Diego the ball at the Bengals' 39-yard-line with just over three minutes left in the first half.

The Chargers would drive to the Bengals' 11-yard-line before they settled for a 28-yard field goal by Thomas which increased their lead to 20-13 with just 27 seconds left before halftime.

The Bengals would run out the clock to go into the locker room down 20-13 as Cincinnati would get the ball to start the second half.

A 42-yard return by Mike Martin gave the Bengals the ball at their 44-yard-line where after two plays picked up five yards, Esiason threw it deep for Collinsworth who was able to draw a pass interference penalty to give Cincinnati a 1st down at the San Diego 16-yard-line.

Esiason would eventually connect with Collinsworth for a 16-yard touchdown that with the successful extra point tied the game at 20 just 72 seconds into the second half.

It would not take long for the Chargers to respond as they took off at their 36-yard-line as Fouts found Joiner for 22 yards to start the drive, then handed the ball off to James who broke loose for a 39-yard run to give San Diego a 1st & goal at the three-yard-line when Found hit Holohan for a three-yard touchdown to give the Chargers a 27-20 lead only 65 seconds after the Bengals' touchdown.

Cincinnati would slow it down on their next possession as they drove 66 yards in 11 plays which culminated with a four-yard touchdown run by Larry Killebrew to tie the game 27-27 with 6:42 to go in the third quarter.

Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason completed 26 of 44 passes for 320 yards and threw three TDs.

The Chargers appeared to have retaken the lead when James returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown only to have called it back because of an illegal block, forcing the Chargers to begin their next possession from their six-yard-line instead of having a 34-27 lead.

The Bengals would force the Chargers as Cincinnati would get the ball back at the San Diego 47-yard-line after Martin's 20-yard punt return to set up a seven-play, 47-yard drive that ended with Esiason's 11-yard touchdown pass to Jennings to give the Bengals a 34-27 lead with 1:28 left in the third quarter.

Just like they had done earlier in the third quarter, the Chargers quickly came back to tie the game as James exploded for a 56-yard touchdown run to tie it at 34 with seven seconds left in the third quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Bengals had the ball at their 45-yard-line early in the fourth quarter as Cincinnati drove 22 yards in three plays until Esiason completed a eight-yard pass to Dan Ross, only to have the tight end fumble the football which was recovered by San Diego linebacker Billy Ray Smith, giving the Chargers the ball at their 26-yard-line.

But six plays later, the Chargers would give it back to the Bengals when at the end of a 12-yard reception, Joiner lost the football which was recovered by Griffin, who scooped up the ball and ran 29 yards to the San Diego 21-yard-line.

The Bengals would run the ball four straight times with Killebrew getting the last carry which was an eight-yard touchdown to put Cincinnati back on top 41-34 with 4:39 left in the fourth quarter.

The Chargers would begin its next drive at their 34-yard-line with Fouts connecting with Holohan on a six-yard completion to set up 2nd & 4 when Fouts found James on a post pattern across the middle for a 60-yard touchdown to tie the game 41-41 with 3:45 left in regulation.

After Martin returned the ensuing kickoff 15 yards, the Bengals would take over at their 22-yard-line hoping to drive down the field for the game-winning score.

Esiason would complete a 20-yard pass to Eddie Brown to give the Bengals a 1st down at their 42-yard-line when disaster struck as Brooks was drilled by Billy Ray Smith, knocking the ball loose as Chargers nose guard Chuck Ehin recovered the football to give Fouts and the Chargers the ball at the Cincinnati 43-yard-line with 2:26 to play.

Fouts would hand the ball off to James, who ran for five yards which was followed by an eight-yard pass from Fouts to Sievers to give the Chargers a 1st down at the Bengals' 30-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

Lionel James had 316 all-purpose yards as he ran the ball 12 times for 127 yards, caught five passes for 118 yards, returned two kickoffs for 47 yards, and had a 24-yard punt return. 

Fouts would then find Holohan for eight more yards, before handing the ball off twice to James, who picked up six yards to drive the Chargers to the Cincinnati 16-yard-line where Thomas came on to try and make a 33-yard field goal that would give San Diego the lead.

Thomas' kick was true as it sailed through the uprights to give the Chargers a 44-41 lead with just four seconds to go.

The Bengals had one last chance on the kickoff but Jennings would only return it 24 yards to the Cincinnati 35-yard-line as time expired with the Chargers on top 44-41.

The Bengals would eventually end the season with a 7-9 record while the Chargers would finish with a 8-8 record as both teams missed the playoffs for the third year in a row.

Unfortunately for Coryell and the Chargers things would get much better the following year as the team went 1-7 over the first half of the 1986 season which lead Coryell to stepping down as head coach and being replaced by Al Saunders.

Coryell never coached in the NFL again as he finished his career with a 111-83-1 record, going 69-56 during his time in San Diego.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Houghtlin's Walk-off FG Gives #1 Iowa Win over #2 Michigan

Rob Houghtlin kicks what would be the game-winning field goal in #1 Iowa's win over #2 Michigan.

October 19, 1985 is a date etched in the history of Iowa Hawkeyes football as on that day the #1 Hawkeyes hosted the #2 Michigan Wolverines in what is arguably the greatest game in Iowa football history.

The Hawkeyes were led by head coach Hayden Fry, who was in his seventh season as the Iowa head coach having turned the Hawkeyes from one of the worst teams in the Big 10 conference to one of the best after leading Iowa to the 1981 Big 10 championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl after 19 straight losing seasons.

That began an Iowa football renaissance as the Hawkeyes would have four straight winning seasons and play in four straight bowl games from 1981-84.

But the expectations in 1985 were sky-high as the Hawkeyes had a Heisman Trophy candidate in fifth-year senior quarterback Chuck Long, who directed an Iowa offense that scored 153 points in its first three games of the '85 season which propelled to Iowa to the #1 ranking for the first time in 25 years.

The Hawkeyes would pull off a 35-31 win over Michigan State then defeated Wisconsin 23-13 to stay at #1 as Iowa prepared to host #2 Michigan.

Unlike Iowa, Michigan's expectations for the 1985 season were rather low following a 6-6 season in 1984 which was the worst season since Bo Schembechler became the head coach back in 1969.

However, the Wolverines would rebound to start the '85 season with a 5-0 record thanks to a dynamic defense which had allowed only 21 points over the course of the first five games of the season.

With their dominant defense and solid offense led by quarterback Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines went from unranked to #2 as they traveled to Iowa City to take on the #1 Iowa Hawkeyes in a game that could be best described as the irresistible force meeting the unmovable object.

 The Hawkeyes got the ball at their 20-yard-line to start the game as Long handed the ball off to running back Ronnie Harmon five straight times for a total of 21 yards before throwing his first pass of the game which was an eight-yard pass to Bill Happel to give Iowa a 1st down at its 49-yard-line.

However, the Hawkeyes would not pick up another yard as they were forced to punt the ball away to the Wolverines who would take over at their 27-yard-line to begin their first possession.

Just like what Iowa did on its first possession, the Wolverines would drive to their 49-yard-line before punting the ball back to the Hawkeyes who took over at their 18-yard-line as they would pick up one 1st down before they punted the ball back to Michigan, only to have the Wolverines rough punter Gary Kostrubala to draw a 15-yard penalty and give Iowa a 1st down at its 47-yard-line.

The Hawkeyes would come up one yard short of picking up another 1st down forcing them to punt back to Michigan who took over at its 10-yard-line as their next possession started with a four-yard run by Gerald White followed by two straight runs by Jamie Morris that picked up 22 yards.

Two more runs would pick up seven yards to set up 3rd & 3 when Harbaugh was sacked by Iowa nose guard Hap Peterson to end the first quarter with the game still scoreless.

Following another Michigan punt, the Hawkeyes got the ball at their 24-yard-line where they began their best drive of the game thus far as Long completed four of his next five passes for 55 yards, with three of those completions going to Scott Helverson for 38 yards, to lead Iowa to the Michigan 16-yard-line where they had a 1st & 10.

A two-yard run by Harmon on 1st down followed by Harmon losing four yards on a screen pass set up 3rd & 12 when the most controversial play of the game happened as Long rolled to his right and fired a pass toward the back of the end zone that was caught by Helverson, only to have officials rule that his feet were out of bounds making the pass incomplete.

However, replays showed that Helverson was inbounds when he made the catch but since there was no instant replay in college football in 1985 the play stood and the Hawkeyes were forced to settle for a 35-yard field goal by Rob Houghtlin to give Iowa a 3-0 lead with just over nine minutes left in the second quarter.

Iowa quarterback Chuck Long completed 26 of 39 passes for 297 yards.

The Wolverines would get the ball in Iowa territory to start their next drive as Morris returned the ensuing kickoff 60 yards to the Hawkeyes' 31-yard-line where running back Thomas Wilcher came in and ran the ball two straight times to pick up 11 yards and a 1st down at the Iowa 20-yard-line.

An eight-yard pass from Harbaugh to Paul Joksich plus a face mask penalty on Station gave Michigan a 1st & goal at the six-yard-line.

Two runs by Morris that netted zero yards set up 3rd & goal when Harbaugh tossed a shovel pass to White who was able to run it to the goal line where he stretched out the ball to cross the plank for the six-yard touchdown that with the extra point gave Michigan a 7-3 lead with 6:06 left in the second quarter.

Iowa would get the ball at its 20-yard-line to start its next drive which began with a 31-yard pass from Long to Harmon to put the Hawkeyes at the Michigan 49-yard-line, only to have the Michigan defense force Iowa to punt after Long completed only one of his next three passes for four yards.

The Hawkeyes would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at the Michigan 45-yard-line with 3:17 left before halftime in hopes of getting some points before the end of the half.

The drive began with a 25-yard pass from Long to Harmon to give Iowa a 1st down at the Michigan 20-yard-line, which was followed by a four-yard run by Harmon and a nine-yard pass to Helverson to set up 1st & goal at the Wolverines' seven-yard-line.

That is when the Hawkeyes started to go backwards as Harmon lost three yards on 1st down, then lost five more on 2nd down, before gaining five yards on a 3rd down pass to force 4th & goal as Houghtlin came in to kick a 27-yard field goal as time expired in the first half with the Wolverines leading 7-6.

It would not be the last time Houghtlin would make a field goal as time expired in this game.

The Wolverines would get the ball to start the second half as they drove from their 30-yard-line to the Iowa 45-yard-line before punting the ball away to the Hawkeyes, who took over at their 20-yard-line following a touchback on the punt.

Long would complete a 18-yard pass to Bill Happel to start the drive which was followed by an one-yard run by Harmon then a quarterback sack to force 3rd & 19 when Long connected with Happel again, this time for 19 yards to pick up the 1st down at the Iowa 48-yard-line.

The Hawkeyes would eventually drive to the Wolverines' 24-yard-line until Long was intercepted by Michigan linebacker Dieter Heren on a pass intended for tight end Mike Flagg to end the Iowa drive and give Michigan the ball at its 11-yard-line.

The Wolverines would drive to their 35-yard-line before punting the ball back to the Hawkeyes who took over at their 24-yard-line where it took Iowa only two plays to drive into Michigan territory as Long completed a 14-yard pass to Happel which was followed by a 14-yard run by Harmon to give the Hawkeyes a 1st down at the Michigan 48-yard-line.

The Hawkeyes would drive to the Michigan 18-yard-line as the third quarter came to an end with Iowa still trailing 7-6 but facing 3rd & 3 when Long fumbled the snap only to recover it to give Houghtlin a chance to kick a 36-yard field goal.

Houghtlin's kick would sail through the uprights to give Iowa a 9-7 lead just 40 seconds into the fourth quarter as Michigan would get the ball at its 37-yard-line to start its next possession.

Iowa running back Ronnie Harmon ran the ball 32 times for 120 yards.

Harbaugh would complete a five-yard pass to tight end Eric Kattus on the first play of the drive which was followed by a 17-yard run by Bob Perryman for a Michigan 1st down at the Iowa 41-yard-line.

Morris would then run for 24 yards on the next play to put Michigan at the Hawkeyes' 17-yard-line when the Wolverines went backwards as an illegal procedure penalty and a five-yard loss on a screen pass to Morris set up 2nd & 20.

The Wolverines would only pick up four more yards forcing them to settle for a 40-yard field goal by Mike Gillette to give Michigan a 10-9 lead with 10:55 remaining in the game.

The Hawkeyes would starts its next possession at their 20-yard-line where two runs by Harmon for 13 yards and passes of 16 yards from Long to Robert Smith and 13 yards to Helverson put Iowa at the Michigan 38-yard-line.

The Hawkeyes would drive to the Michigan 23-yard-line until a quarterback sack by Wolverines strong safety Ivan Hicks stall the drive and forced the Hawkeyes to attempt a 44-yard field goal by Houghtlin, which fell short of the goal posts and was no good to keep Michigan ahead 10-9 midway through the fourth quarter.

Michigan would take over at its 27-yard-line and pick up eight yards on two running plays to set up 3rd & 2 when linebacker Larry Station made his presence felt as he dropped Morris for a two-yard-loss to force the Wolverines to punt the ball away to the Hawkeyes who took over at their 22-yard-line with 5:27 left in the game and needing just a field goal to win.

The drive got off to an auspicious start as Long threw two straight incomplete passes to force 3rd & 10 when Long found Flagg for a 12-yard completion to give Iowa a 1st down at its 34-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Long handed the ball off to Harmon, who ran for 12 yards to pick up another 1st down at the Iowa 46-yard-line.

Two straight runs by Harmon netted three yards to force 3rd & 7 when Long connected with Flagg again, this time for 11 yards to give Iowa a 1st down at the Michigan 40-yard-line.

Harmon would then ran for 13 yards on the following play for another Iowa 1st down as the Hawkeyes were now at the Michigan 27-yard-line.

A one-yard loss on a Harmon run and a six-yard pass from Long to fullback Fred Bush lead to a 3rd & 5 from the Michigan 22-yard-line when Long handed the ball off to David Hudson, who ran up the middle for six yards and another Iowa 1st down at the Michigan 16-yard-line.

One more run by Harmon picked up four yards before Fry called timeout with two seconds left as Houghtlin came onto the field to attempt a 29-yard field goal to win the game.

Despite having dominated the game statistically as the Hawkeyes outgained the Wolverines 422-182 and holding the ball for nearly 38 minutes, it would all come down to Houghtlin to make a fourth field goal of the game to give Iowa the win.

 Schembechler called timeout in hopes of icing Houghtlin who spent the timeout praying as he prepare to make his kick.

With a perfect snap and a perfect hold from Mark Vlasic, Houghtlin's kick sailed through the uprights as time expired to give Iowa a 12-10 victory and send the crows at Kinnick Stadium into a frenzy as many of the fans came out on to the field in celebration.

In a postgame interview, Fry jokingly said that he was going to vote his team #1 after the victory.

The Hawkeyes would remain #1 for two weeks until they were upset by the Ohio State Buckyes 22-13, ending their five-week run as the top team in the country as they fell to #6 after the loss in Columbus.

The Hawkeyes would recover to win their final three games of the regular season as they would finish the regular season with a 10-1 record that with an Ohio State loss to Wisconsin help earn Iowa its second trip to the Rose Bowl in five years.

However, in the Rose Bowl the Hawkeyes would fall to the UCLA Bruins 45-28 as UCLA running back Eric Ball ran for 227 yards and scored four touchdowns while Harmon had the worst game of his collegiate career as he fumbled the football four times and dropped a certain touchdown pass in the game as Iowa finished with a 10-2 record and #9 ranking in the final coaches poll and #10 in the final AP poll.

Meanwhile, the Wolverines would finish the season with a 10-1-1 record as they defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers 27-23 in the Fiesta Bowl which allowed them to earn the #2 ranking in the AP and coaches polls at the end of the season.

As for Houghtlin, the game-winning kick against Michigan would not be the final time he made a game-winning field goal at the buzzer as he would make a 37-yard field goal to give Iowa a 30-27 win over Minnesota in 1986 which was followed by a 41-yard field goal at the end of the 1986 Holiday Bowl to give the Hawkeyes a 39-38 win over San Diego State.