NFL Old School Game of the Week: Montana's Four 4th Quarter TD Passes Leads 49ers to Comeback Win over Eagles

 

49ers quarterback Joe Montana would threw for 428 yards and five touchdown passes in San Francisco's win over the Eagles.

When the San Francisco 49ers traveled to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in Week 3 of the 1989 NFL season, it was billed as a game between the "Team of the 80's" vs the "Team of the 90's."

The 49ers were coming off their third Super Bowl title in eight years as they had defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 20-16 in Super Bowl XXIII, which was the final game in head coach Bill Walsh's career after he turned the 49ers from a bottom feeder into the league's newest dynasty.

George Seifert, who had served as the 49ers' defensive coordinator since 1983, was promoted to head coach as he had inherited a roster which featured quarterback Joe Montana, running back Roger Craig, wide receiver Jerry Rice, and defensive back Ronnie Lott.

The 49ers won their first two games of the season as they had hoped to become the first team since the Pittsburgh Steelers a decade earlier to win back-to-back Super Bowls.

While the 49ers' dynasty was in transition, the Philadelphia Eagles were being billed as the team that would take over the 49ers' mantle at the top of the NFL, thanks in large part to a ferocious defense directed by head coach Buddy Ryan, who was in his fourth season as the Philadelphia head coach after serving as the defensive coordinator of the 1985 Chicago Bears defense.

The Eagles' defense was led by a ferocious pass rush featuring defensive end Reggie White and defensive tackle Jerome Brown who to go along with an offense led by dynamic quarterback Randall Cunningham helped lead Philadelphia to the 1988 NFC East division title and team's first playoff appearance in seven years.

Just like the 49ers, the Eagles won their first two games of the 1989 season, which included a 42-37 shootout win over the Washington Redskins the week before(To read about that game, click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-eagles.html) as Philadelphia prepared to host the defending Super Bowl Champions at Veterans Stadium.

The 49ers got the ball to start the game as they gained 11 yards on five plays to set up 3rd & 9 from their 32-yard-line when Montana threw a deep pass down the middle of the field for Rice, who made the catch and outraced his defender for the the 68-yard touchdown to give San Francisco a 7-0 lead.

After an exchange of punts, the Eagles would get the first turnover of the game as Taylor fumbled the football on a punt return which was recovered by defensive back William Frizzell to give Philadelphia the ball at the 49ers' 31-yard-line.

But on the very next play from scrimmage, the 49ers would get the ball back as defensive end Kevin Fagan recovered Eagles running back Heath Sherman's fumble at the same spot where Frizzell made his fumble recovery at the 49ers' 31-yard-line.

The 49ers would be unable to drive into Philadelphia territory as the Eagles' pass rush would begin to make its presence felt as Montana would be sacked twice on the ensuing drive, forcing them to punt the ball back to the Eagles.

However, the 49ers would not get the punt away  punter Mike Helton  mishandled the snap from center leading him to being dropped for a 13-yard loss by Eagles defensive end Clyde Simmons to give Philadelphia the ball at the San Francisco 33-yard-line.

Five plays later, the Eagles were in the end zone as Sherman punched it in for a two-yard touchdown to tie the game at seven with 1:48 left in the first quarter.

Eagles defensive end Reggie White accounted for 2.5 sacks as Philadelphia sacked Joe Montana eight times.

The 49ers would have another special teams blunder on the ensuing kickoff as Terrence Flagler would mishandle the kick leading to him being tackled at his 11-yard-line where San Francisco would begin its next possession.

Things would get worse for the 49ers as Montana was sacked by White for an eight-yard loss on 1st down, which was followed by a delay of game penalty that pushed the 49ers back another yard, and then followed by right guard Bruce Collie stepping on Montana's foot, causing the quarterback to fall to the ground in the end zone as Eagles linebacker Al Harris would touch Montana for a safety to give Philadelphia a 9-7 lead and the ball at their 28-yard-line following the ensuing kick by the 49ers.

From there, the Eagles would drive 55 yards in eight plays to set up a 35-yard field goal by Luis Zendejas which increased their lead to 12-7 with 12 minutes left in the second quarter.

The 49ers would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as Craig opened the drive with a four-yard run, which was followed by three straight completions by Montana for 35 yards to put the 49ers at the Eagles' 41-yard-line when the drive stalled as a false start penalty and another quarterback sack, this time by defensive tackle Mike Pitts, would force another San Francisco punt.

The San Francisco defense would force the Eagles to punt the ball back to the 49ers, who took over at their 31-yard-line as Montana completed passes of nine yards to wide receiver John Taylor, 14 yards to Rice, and 23 yards to tight end Brent Jones to put San Francisco at the Philadelphia nine-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal.

But the Eagles' pass rush would strike again as White sacked Montana for a seven-yard loss on 3rd & goal from the eight-yard-line, forcing the 49ers to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Mike Cofer which cut the Philadelphia lead to 12-10 with 2:11 remaining in the second quarter.

Neither team would mount another scoring threat for the rest of the first half as the Eagles went into the halftime break leading 12-10 after sacking Montana six times in the game's first 30 minutes.

The Eagles would get the ball to start the second half as three runs by Sherman for 20 yards and an incomplete pass would bring up 4th down when Philadelphia lined up to punt, only to run a fake as punter John Teltschik took the ball and ran for 23 yards to give the Eagles a 1st down at the 49ers' 37-yard-line.

From there, the Eagles would drive to the 49ers' 17-yard-line until Zendejas came on and kicked a 35-yard field goal to cap off the 13-play, 63-yard drive and increase Philadelphia's lead to 15-10.

Following a 49ers punt, the Eagles would drive 40 yards in eight plays to set up another Zendejas field goal, this one from 44 yards out which increased Philadelphia's lead to 18-10 with 3:15 remaining in the third quarter.

The Eagles defense would give their offense a golden opportunity to possibly put the game away as Harris intercepted a Montana pass and returned the pick 11 yards to the 49ers' 15-yard-line where Cunningham and the offense would take over.

However, the Eagles could not put it in the end zone as they had to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Zendejas on the second play of the fourth quarter which pushed their lead to 21-10 as the 49ers would begin their ensuing possession at their nine-yard-line following a penalty on the kickoff.

49ers wide receiver John Taylor caught six passes for 136 yards and scored one touchdown.

When the 49ers' offense came back onto the field, they lined up in a four wide receiver formation in hopes that the Eagles' defense would bring in extra defensive backs in favor of pass rushers.

The strategy would pay off for the 49ers as Montana completed three passes in a row for a total of 21 yards to set up 2nd & 6 from the 30-yard-line when Joe threw a short pass to Taylor, who made the catch at his 32-yard-line, made a juke move on Eagles cornerback Izel Jenkins, and raced down the sideline for a 70-yard touchdown to bring San Francisco to within four at 21-17.

The 49ers seemed set to get the ball back as their defense forced a three-and-out only to have linebacker Bill Romanski have Teltschik's punt bounce off his helmet, leading to a recovery by Henry Williams to give the Eagles the ball at the 50-yard-line.

A 31-yard pass from Cunningham to tight end Jimmie Giles would be the big play of the eight-play, 50-yard drive that culminated with a three-yard touchdown pass from Cunningham to Giles which pushed the Eagles' lead back to 11 points at 28-17 with 8:24 left in the fourth quarter.

The 49ers would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as Montana scrambled for 19 yards to pick up the initial 1st down of the drive, then handed the ball off to running back Harry Sydney who ran for 18 yards to give San Francisco a 1st down at the Eagles' 41-yard-line.

From there, Montana would complete four consecutive passes beginning with a 11-yard pass to Sydney, then 15 yards to Rice, followed by nine yards to Taylor, and wrapped up with an eight-yard touchdown pass to fullback Tom Rathman which cut the 49ers' deficit back to four points at 28-24 with 6:03 to play.

After the Eagles went three-and-out on their next possession, the 49ers would get the ball back at the Eagles' 47-yard-line with a chance to take the lead when White struck again as he sacked Montana for a 13-yard loss, pushing San Francisco back to its 40-yard-line where they would face a 2nd & 23.

That is when Montana found Taylor for 36 yards to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Eagles' 24-yard-line as Montana would loft a pass for Jones, who made the catch at the Philadelphia 10-yard-line and outran linebacker Seth Joyner to complete the 24-yard touchdown and give San Francisco a 31-28 lead with 3:17 left in regulation.

The Eagles would begin their ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line as Cunningham completed a 17-yard pass to Sherman, then scrambled for three yards, before throwing a pass for fullback Keith Byars, which bounced off his hands and into the arms of Lott, who made the interception and returned it six yards to the Philadelphia 39-yard-line.

Two straight running plays for six yards would set up 3rd & 4 when Montana found Rice down the middle for a 33-yard touchdown that increased the 49ers' lead to double digits at 38-28 with 2:02 remaining in the game.

The Eagles would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as Cunningham completed three of his next five passes for 33 yards until the quarterback scrambled for nine yards when he was hit by Romanski leading to a fumble that was recovered by 49ers defensive back Jonnie Jackson at the San Francisco 41-yard-line with 52 seconds to go.

Montana would come on and take two knees to run out the clock as the 49ers had pulled out the 38-28 victory following a fabulous fourth quarter by "Joe Cool" in which he completed 11 of 12 passes for 227 yards and threw four touchdown passes in the game's final 15 minutes.

Jerry Rice would catch six passes for 164 yards and score two touchdowns.

The Eagles would finish the regular season with a 11-5 record good enough to earn a spot in the NFC Wild Card game where they would play the Los Angeles Rams on a rainy New Year's Eve in Philadelphia.

The Rams would upset the Eagles 21-7 to end Philadelphia's season as "Gang Green" would not fulfill the prophecy of becoming the "Team of the 1990s" as Ryan would be fired after the 1990 season in which the Eagles were once again eliminated at home in the NFC Wild Card Game, this time to the Washington Redskins.

As for the 49ers, they would go on to finish with the league's best record at 14-2, which included another dramatic comeback win, this one over the Rams 30-27 on Monday Night Football(To read about that game, click on the link highlighted here:https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2019/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-montana.html) as San Francisco earned the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

In the playoffs, the 49ers would defeat the Minnesota Vikings 41-13 in the Divisional Round, then knock off the Rams 30-3 in the NFC Championship Game, and finally destroyed the Denver Broncos 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV, to earn the franchise their second straight Super Bowl title and fourth in nine years.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Patriots Clinch 1st Round Bye With Comeback Win over Giants

 

Patriots tight end Ben Coates lunges for the goal line on his game-winning touchdown against the Giants in 1996.

While the New England Patriots had already locked up the AFC East division title as they traveled to the Meadowlands to take on the New York Giants in the final week of the 1996 regular season, they still had plenty to play for as a win over the Giants would clinch the #2 seed and a first round bye.

The Patriots came into the game with a 10-5 record under head coach Bill Parcells, who was in his fourth season as the New England head coach but was in a dispute with owner Robert Kraft over who should be in charge of choosing the Patriots' personnel.

Parcells was upset when the Patriots chose wide receiver Terry Glenn in the first round of the 1996 NFL draft instead of choosing a defensive player to go along with quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who was also entering his fourth season in Foxboro.

However, Glenn would win over Parcells as he caught 82 passes for 1,008 yards up entering the Patriots' regular season finale with the New York Giants, Parcells' former team where he spent eight years from 1983-1990 and led "Big Blue" to two Super Bowl titles.

The Giants were far away from being a Super Bowl contender as they came into the game with a 6-9 record under head coach Dan Reeves, who was on the hot seat as speculation in the New York media was that Reeves would be fired as head coach following the Patriots game.

If Reeves was to go out as Giants head coach, he hoped to go say with a win over the Patriots.

After the Patriots went three-and-out to start the game, the Giants got the ball at their 34-yard-line as four runs by Gary Downs for 19 yards and two completions by quarterback Dave Brown for 43 yards to help give New York a 1st & goal at the New England four-yard-line.

Downs would get the ball on three straight plays picking up three yards to set up 4th & goal from the one-yard-line when Reeves decided to go for the touchdown as Downs would get another shot at the end zone only to be stopped for no gain by Patriots defensive tackle Mark Wheeler and defensive end Mike Jones to keep the game scoreless as New England would take over at its one-yard-line.

Following an exchange of punts, the Patriots had the ball at their five-yard-line when Bledsoe tried to advert a pass rush from Giants defensive end Michael Strahan and ended up throwing the ball into the turf in the end zone to draw an intentional grounding which resulted in a safety for the Giants and a 2-0 lead with 10 seconds left in the first quarter.

After the free kick, the Giants would begin their next possession at the Patriots' 44-yard-line as Brown completed passes of 12 and 14 yards to Thomas Lewis, then connected with running back Charles Way for 18 yards to set up Way's one-yard touchdown run which increased New York's lead to 9-0 with 12:18 remaining in the second quarter.

The Patriots would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Giants who took over at their 33-yard-line as a 35-yard pass from Brown to Charles Alexander would set up a 30-yard field goal by Brad Daluiso to push the New York lead to double digits at 12-0.

After another three-and-out by the Patriots, the Giants would drive from their 47-yard-line to the New England nine-yard-line in three plays as Brown completed two passes to Way for 41 yards while Downs ran for three yards on the play.

However, the Patriots' defense would keep the Giants out of the end zone as Daluiso would come on to kick a 27-yard field goal to make it 15-0 in favor of New York.

If things weren't bad enough for the Patriots, it would get worse on their next play from scrimmage as Bledsoe was picked off by Giants cornerback Jason Sehorn who took it to the house for a 27-yard pick six to increase the New York to 22-0 with 2:45 left in the first half.

Having mustered just 26 yards of total offense and one 1st down, the Patriots needed a drive to get some points before the end of the first half.

New England would get great field position to start their ensuing possession as they took over at their 44-yard-line as Bledsoe would complete six passes in a row totaling 26 yards to put the Patriots at the Giants' 30-yard-line when after two incomplete passes, Bledsoe hit Shawn Jefferson for 22 yards to give New England a 1st & goal at the New York eight-yard-line.

But just when it seemed the Patriots were going to put points on the scoreboard, Bledsoe would be intercepted in the end zone by Giants cornerback Philippi Starks as time expired in the first half with New York ahead 22-0.

Giants quarterback Dave Brown completed 14 of 34 passes for 215 yards and threw one interception.

The two teams would trade punts to start the third quarter until the Patriots got out of a 2nd & 19 hole at their eight-yard-line as Bledsoe found Glenn for 31 yards, then again for 29 yards to put New England at the Giants' 32-yard-line.

Five plays later, Adam Vinatieri would come on to kick a 40-yard field goal to put the Patriots on the board but still behind 22-3 with 4:12 left in the third quarter.

The New England defense would force the Giants to punt on their next possession to give their offense the ball back at their 12-yard-line as Bledsoe would complete six of eight passes for 81 yards on the 10-play, 88-yard drive that culminated with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Bledsoe to Glenn to cut the Giants' lead to 22-10 with 12:20 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots were set to get the ball back when they forced a three-and-out when Dave Meggett, who served as the Giants' kick returner from 1989-1994, made his presence felt as he would return the New York punt 60 yards for a touchdown that made it an one-possession game at 22-17 with 11:09 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The momentum had clearly shifted to the Patriots as cornerback Otis Smith would intercept a Brown pass on the Giants' next possession to give New England the ball at their 36-yard line with a chance to drive down for the go-ahead score.

However, the Patriots would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Giants, who would then go three-and-out to punt it back to New England who would get the ball at their 25-yard-line with 7:08 to go in the game.

The drive would begin with a 17-yard pass from Bledsoe to running back Keith Byars to give the Patriots a 1st down at its 42-yard-line as Bledsoe would throw an incomplete pass then complete a two-yard pass to tight end Ben Coates to set up 3rd & 8.

That is when Bledsoe found Glenn for 17 yards and another 1st down at the Giants' 39-yard-line as two straight running plays would lose three yards to force 3rd & 13 when Bledsoe hit Brown for the 13 yards to give the Patriots a new set of downs at the New York 29-yard-line.

Another incomplete pass followed by a 13-yard pass to Glenn put the Patriots at the Giants' 16-yard-line as New England would pick up three yards to set up a do-or-die 4th & 7 at the 13-yard-line with 1:30 to play in the game.

That is when Bledsoe threw a pass for Coates, who made the catch at the two-yard-line, then dragged two Giant defenders into the end zone as he would complete the 13-yard touchdown to give the Patriots their first lead of the game at 23-22.

The Patriots would go for two but Bledsoe's pass would fall incomplete to keep the score at 23-22 with 1:23 to go, giving the Giants enough time to save themselves from a hulmiliating collapse.

Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe completed 31 of 47 passes for 301 yards and threw two touchdown passes.

The Giants would start their ensuing possession at their 36-yard-line as Patriots cornerback Ty Law drew a pass interference penalty to give New York a fresh set of downs starting at their 45-yard-line.

Two incomplete passes and a three-yard scramble by Brown would bring up 4th & 7 when Brown completed a 11-yard pass to Chris Calloway to give the Giants a 1st down at the Patriots' 40-yard-line.

But the Giants would go no further as an intentional grounding penalty and three incomplete passes would force New York to turn it over on downs, allowing the Patriots to run out the clock as New England would come away with the 23-22 victory and the AFC East division title plus a first round bye.

Two days after the loss to the Patriots, Reeves was fired as head coach as he was replaced by Jim Fassel, who helped lead the Giants to the Super Bowl in the 2000 season, while Reeves would go south to become the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and lead them to the Super Bowl in 1998.

As for the Patriots, they would knock off the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-3 in their AFC Divisional Playoff to advance to the AFC Championship Game where they would face the second-year Jacksonville Jaguars as a 47-yard pick six by Smith would seal the 20-6 victory for New England and send them to the Super Bowl.

But the Patriots would fall to the Green Bay Packers 35-21 in  Super Bowl XXXI as Parcells would step down as head coach of the Patriots and become the coach for the New York Jets.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Georgia "Stings" Georgia Tech on Bobo-to-Allen Last Second TD

 

Mike Bobo(14) hugs Corey Allen after their game-winning heroics in the Bulldogs' 1997 contest with Georgia Tech.

On November 16, 1996, Georgia quarterback Mike Bobo completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Corey Allen on the final play of regulation to send the Bulldogs' game with the Auburn Tigers into overtime where the Dawgs would prevail 56-49 after four overtime periods.

Many Georgia observers and fans probably thought that Bobo and Allen would never complete another touchdown like the one at the end of that game.

But one year later, Bobo and Allen would once again etch their names into Georgia Bulldogs lore with a miracle finish in the 1997 meeting with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

The Dawgs came into their annual showdown with Tech ranked #14 in the country as they held a 8-2 record under second year head coach Jim Donnan as Georgia was looking to complete its best season in five years.

With an offense featuring Bobo, Allen, running back Robert Edwards and future Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, the Dawgs were on the doorstep of playing in a New Year's Day bowl game if they could beat their intrastate rivals for the seventh year in a row.

The Yellow Jackets came into the game as underdogs with a 6-4 record under head coach George O' Leary who was in his third full season as the Tech head coach after taking over for Bill Lewis midway through the 1994 season where the Ramblin Wreck finished with a 1-10 record.

O'Leary was rebuilding the Yellow Jackets back into a formidable foe in the ACC thanks in large part to sophomore quarterback Joe Hamilton, who had thrown for 2,038 yards and ran for 423 yards up to this part in the season as Tech was not only hoping to beat Georgia for the first time since 1990 but also be invited to play in a bowl game for the first time since 1991.

 The Dawgs got the ball to start the game as they ran the ball twice to pick up 26 yards and a 1st down at their 46-yard-line when Bobo threw his first pass of the game, a short pass for Ward near the left sideline.

Ward would make the catch and then outrun the Tech defense for a 54-yard touchdown to give Georgia a 7-0 lead just 78 seconds into the game.

After a three-and-out by the Yellow Jackets, the Dawgs would get the ball at their 35-yard-line as they would drive to the Tech 29-yard-line until they were faced with a 4th & 1 when Donnan decided to go for the 1st down.

The gamble would not pay off as Edwards was stopped for no gain to give the ball to the Yellow Jackets, who took over at their 29-yard-line and drove to the Georgia one-yard-line, primarily on the ground game as five straight running plays picked up 43 yards.

However, the drive would not result in any points as Hamilton fumbled the snap from center on a 2nd & goal, leading to a recovery by Georgia linebacker Greg Bright to give the Dawgs the ball at their one-yard-line.

Georgia would run the ball four straight times to move to their 12-yard line when they decided to put the ball back in the air only to have Yellow Jackets defensive end Jesse Tarplin intercept Bobo's pass at the line of scrimmage to give Tech the ball at the Dawgs' six-yard-line.

Hamliton would then run a quarterback draw for the six-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at seven with 1:43 left in the first quarter.

Georgia wide receiver Hines Ward caught six passes for 102 yards and scored two touchdowns.

After both teams traded punts on their ensuing possessions, the Dawgs got the ball at their 26-yard-line as Bobo would complete five of his next six passes for 49 yards to lead Georgia to the Yellow Jackets' 15-yard-line red zone until he was picked off by Tech strong safety Tavares Tillman to give the Ramblin Wreck the ball at their four-yard-line.

A 54-yard pass from Hamilton to Harvey Middleton help move the Yellow Jackets to the Georgia 28-yard-line when David Frakes come on to attempt a 45-yard field goal, which fell short of the uprights to give the ball back to the Dawgs with 2:18 left in the second quarter

Georgia's ensuing possession would begin with Bobo hitting Allen on a slant pass for 13 yards and a 1st down at their 41-yard-line when the Dawgs decided to run the same play as Bobo connected with Allen again, who turned it upfield for a 59-yard touchdown to give Georgia a 14-7 lead with 1:47 left in the first half.

The Yellow Jackets would start their ensuing possession at their 35-yard-line as Hamilton would complete five consecutive passes for 61 yards to put Tech at the Georgia four-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal situation.

However, Hamilton would throw three straight incompletions, forcing the Yellow Jackets to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Frakes which cut the Georgia lead to 14-10 with 43 seconds left before halftime.

That gave the Dawgs enough time to try and drive into field goal range as Ward ran for 21 yards to start the drive, then caught a 22-yard pass from Bobo to help put Georgia at the Yellow Jackets' 18-yard-line to give Dax Langley a chance at a 35-yard field goal.

But the kick would be blocked to keep the score 14-10 in favor of the Bulldogs as the first half came to an end.

After the Yellow Jackets punted on their opening possession of the second half, the Dawgs got the ball at their 26-yard-line as they would drive down the field behind Bobo's right arm  he would complete six of his next seven passes for 72 yards to put Georgia at the Yellow Jackets' eight-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal situation.

Three straight runs by Edwards for seven yards put Georgia at the Tech one-yard-line facing a 4th & 1 when Donnan decided to go for the touchdown as Bobo found Ward in the right corner of the end zone for the one-yard touchdown to increase Georgia's lead to 21-10 with 4:51 left in the third quarter.

Tech would then drive 68 yards in 10 plays as Frakes would come to kick a 23-yard field goal to cut the Georgia lead to 21-13 with 22 seconds to go in the third quarter.

The Dawgs would begin their next possession at their 35-yard-line as Edwards was dropped for a three-yard loss on 1st down, which was followed by two passes for 12 yards to set up 4th & inches when Donnan again decided to go for it as Bobo tried to sneak ahead only to be stopped for no gain to give the ball to Tech right there.

A 16-yard pass from Hamilton to Middelton would set up another field goal by Frakes, this one from 45 yards out which barely cleared up the goal posts to trim the Yellow Jackets' deficit to five points at 21-16 with 12:29 left in the fourth quarter.

The two teams would then trade punts for most of the fourth quarter until the Yellow Jackets got the ball at the Georgia 48-yard-line with 2:16 left and needing a touchdown to take the lead.

Georgia Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton threw for 276 yards and ran for 55 yards.

Hamilton would complete a 15-yard pass to Middleton to start the drive, then would avoid a quarterback sack to fire a 21-yard pass to fullback Ed Wilder to give Tech a 1st down at the Georgia 12-yard-line.

Two runs by Hamilton for five yards set up 3rd & 5 when Hamilton handed the ball off to Wilder, who picked up four yards to set up a do or die 4th & 1 at the Georgia three-yard line.

That is when Hamilton handed it off to tailback Charles Wiley, who took up the gut for the three-yard touchdown to give Tech a 22-21 lead as the Yellow Jackets would go for two which they got when Hamilton found Mike Sheridan in the end zone to make it 24-21 with 48 seconds to go.

It looked like it was going to take a miracle for the Dawgs to extend their winning streak over Tech until they were given great field position after the kickoff went out of bounds which allowed Georgia to start its ensuing possession at their 35-yard-line.

With just 48 seconds and two timeouts, Donnan decided to insert cornerback Champ Bailey as a wide receiver in hopes the sophomore could turn a short pass into a big gain.

That is exact;y what happened as Bobo hit Bailey on a slant pattern as the sophomore made the catch and outran several Tech defenders until he stepped out of bounds at the Yellow Jackets' 37-yard-line after a 28-yard reception.

Bobo would go back to Bailey on the next play, which this time only went for seven yards, before hitting Edwards on a nine-yard screen pass as the running back dove out of bounds at the Yellow Jackets' 21-yard-line.

But on the very next play, it appeared that Tech was going end the drought as Tillman intercepted Bobo's pass intended for Ward, only to have it wiped out as free safety Brian Wilkins was called for pass interference as he grabbed Ward's jersey while the ball was in the air.

This gave the Dawgs a reprieve as they would get a 1st & goal at the Tech eight-yard-line with 14 seconds to go when Bobo lofted a pass for Allen in the left corner of the end zone.

With a step ahead of his defender, Allen caught the ball and got one foot inbounds to complete the eight-yard touchdown and send Georgia players and fans into a frenzy as the Dawgs took a 27-24 lead with eight seconds to play.

 The Yellow Jackets would get one last shot at winning the game but Hamilton's Hail Mary pass would fell well short of the goal line and incomplete as the Dawgs would come away with the 27-24 win, thanks to Bobo's 30-of-39 for 415 yards and four touchdown performance.

 Despite the heartbreaking loss, the Yellow Jackets would be invited to play in a bowl as they traveled to Miami to take on West Virginia in the Carquest Bowl, which Tech won 35-30 as they finished the season with a 7-5 record and #25 in the final AP poll.

As for the Bulldogs, they would get a chance to play on New Year's Day as they traveled to Tampa Bay to play in the Outback Bowl where they would face the  Wisconsin Badgers as Bobo would completed 26 of 28 passes for 267 yards and one touchdown as the Dawgs won the game 33-6 to finish with a 10-2 record and #10 ranking in both the AP and coaches polls.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Steelers Rally From 15 Points Down to Beat Browns in Battle for 1st Place

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would throw for 278 yards and two touchdowns while running for 49 yards and one touchdown.

 In Week 10 of the 2007 NFL Season, the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Cleveland Browns in a key AFC North showdown where the winner would assume first place in the division.

The Steelers came into the game with a 6-2 record under first-year head coach Mike Tomlin who had taken over after Bill Cowher stepped down following his 15-year stint as the Pittsburgh head coach which included only three losing seasons and a Super Bowl championship following the 2005 season.

On the field, the Steelers were led by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger who was in his fourth year at the controls of the Pittsburgh offense which featured running back Willie Parker and wide receiver Hines Ward who was the Super Bowl MVP following the Steelers' 21-10 win in Super Bowl  XL.

The Steelers were hoping to return the postseason after missing out the year before with a 8-8 record and a win over the Browns would go a long way in accomplishing that goal.

Meanwhile, the Browns came into their game with the Steelers with a 5-3 record under head coach Romeo Crennel, who was in his third season as the Cleveland head coach after serving as defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots for their three Super Bowl wins in a four-year span from 2001 through 2004.

The Browns' starting quarterback was a unlikely one in Derek Anderson, who was seen as the odd man out during the preseason as the competition was between Charlie Fyre and 2007 first-round pick Brady Quinn.

However, Fyre was yanked midway through the second quarter of the Browns' 34-7 loss to the Steelers in Week 1 after he was replaced by Anderson who would become the Cleveland starter as Fyre was traded to the Seattle Seahawks.

Anderson would reward Crennel and the Browns with a 328-yard and five touchdown performance in a 51-45 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in week 2(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2022/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-browns.html)as Cleveland would go to Heinz Field with a chance to take over 1st place in the AFC North division.

  After the Steelers went three-and-out to start the game, the Browns would get the ball at their 29-yard-line as Cleveland would hold the ball for nearly nine minutes as they drove 71 yards in 16 plays, culminating with a four-yard touchdown pass from Anderson to Kellen Winslow Jr.

Anderson completed seven of 10 passes for 56 yards on the drive with four of those completions going to Winslow for 33 yards as the Browns took a 7-0 lead with 4:10 left in the first quarter.

The Steelers would begin their next possession at their 38-yard-line as Roethlisberger completed a 15-yard pass to Hines Ward, then threw a three-yard pass to Parker, before handing the ball off to "Fast Willie" who ran for 31 yards to give Pittsburgh a 1st down at the Browns' 13-yard-line.

However, the drive would stall as two incomplete passes and a three-yard run by Parker would lead to a 28-yard field goal by Jeff Reed to make it a 7-3 game with 93 seconds remaining in the opening period.

It did not take long for the Browns to respond as Josh Cribbs returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards to the Pittsburgh three-yard-line to set up Anderson's two-yard touchdown pass to fullback Lawrence Vickers on the opening play of the second quarter to increase the Cleveland lead to 14-3.

Browns quarterback Derek Anderson would throw for only 123 yards but threw three touchdown passes.

The Steelers would then drive 55 yards in nine plays to set up a 35-yard field goal by Reed which cut the Browns' lead to 14-6 as the Pittsburgh defense would force a Cleveland punt to give their offense the ball at their 13-yard-line.

That is when Roethlisberger was intercepted by Cleveland free safety Bradley Pool on a pass intended for Santonio Holmes to give the Browns the ball at the Steelers' 18-yard-line.

Cleveland would almost give it right back to the Steelers as running back Jamal Lewis fumbled the football after a hit by Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison only for center Hank Fraley to fall on the football, allowing the Browns to retain possession as two plays later, Anderson would find Braylon Edwards for a 16-yard touchdown to push the Browns' lead to 21-6 with 5:24 left in the first half

The Steelers would get the ball back at their 31-yard-line as Roethlisberger would hit Ward for a 12-yard completion on 3rd & 10, then connected with Nate Washington for 17 yards on another 3rd & 10 to put Pittsburgh at the Cleveland 30-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

From there, the Steelers would drive to the Clevleand five-yard-line until a quarterback sack by Browns linebacker Antwan Peek on 3rd & goal would force Pittsburgh to settle for another Reed field goal, this one from 30 yards out to trim the deficit to 21-9 as the first half came to a close.

The two teams would trade punts until midway through the third quarter when Harrison stripped Lewis of the ball leading to a recovery by cornerback Ike Taylor to give the Steelers the ball at the Browns' 38-yard-line.

Roethlisberger would hit Ward for 19 yards to start the drive then after two plays netted seven yards, Big Ben would connect with Ward again, this time for a 12-yard touchdown to make it an one possession game at 21-16 with 6:14 remaining in the third quarter.

The two teams would again trade punts as the game moved into the fourth quarter when the Steelers drove from their 34-yard-line to the Cleveland 30-yard-line thanks to passes of 18 yards to Ward and 16 yards to Washington.

But two incomplete passes would bring up 3rd & 10 when Roethlisberger scrambled up the middle and ran it in for a 30-yard touchdown that with Big Ben's two-point pass to Ward gave the Steelers their first lead of the game at 24-21 with 11:32 left in regulation.

However, the lead would only last 18 seconds as Cribbs made a spectcular return for a touchdown as he picked up the ball near the goal line, dodged four Steeler tacklers inside the five-yard-line, then stayed in bounds following another tackle attempt at the 15-yard-line to run it back 100 yards and give Cleveland a 28-24 lead.

The Steelers would start their next possession at their 22-yard-line as two runs by Parker gained four yards to set up 3rd & 6 when Roethlisberger found Holmes for 18 yards for a 1st down at the Pittsburgh 44-yard-line as the two would connect again on the very next play, this time for 15 yards and another fresh set of downs at the Cleveland 41-yard-line.

Four plays later, the Steelers were faced with a 3rd & 18 at the Browns' 33-yard-line when Roethlisberger found tight end Heath Miller for 20 yards to give Pittsburgh a 1st down at the 13-yard-line.

Two runs by Parker gained only one yard to set up 3rd & 9 when Big Ben used his legs again as he ran for 10 yards to give the Steelers a 1st & goal at the two-yard-line as Najah Davenport was stopped for no gain to bring up 2nd & goal.

That is when Roethlisberger would find Miller in the end zone for a two-yard touchdown to cap off the 14-play, 78-yard drive which took over eight minutes to complete and more importantly give the Steelrs a 31-28 lead with 3:13 left in regulation.

The Steelers' defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball at their 11-yard-line with 2:42 remaining and a chance to run out the clock only for the Clevleand defense force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball at their 33-yard-line with 64 seconds left and a chance to tie the game.

After an incomplete pass to start the drive, Anderson would hit Joe Jurevicius for 16 yards and a 1st down at the Cleveland 49-yard-line as Anderson would spike the ball to stop the clock with 38 seconds left.

A 13-yard pass to Winslow and another spike would put the Browns at the Steelers' 38-yard-line when Anderson completed a three-yard pass to Jurevicius who was tackled in bounds, leading to one more quarterback spike as the Browns were faced with a 4th & 7 at the Steelers' 35-yard-line with 10 seconds remaining.

Crennel would send the field goal unit in to tie the game as Phil Dawson would attempt a 52-yard field goal that would send the game into overtime.

Dawson's kick was on target but it fell short of the goal posts and no good, allowing the Steelers to run out the clock and come away with the 31-28 win.

Steelers tight end Heath Miller would catch the game-winning touchdown pass.

The narrow defeat would come back to haunt the Browns as they would finish the season with a 10-6 record but would miss the playoffs as they lost the head-to-head tiebreaker for the AFC North with the Steelers and would lose a tiebreaker with the Tennessee Titans for the last Wild Card spot as the Titans had a better record against common opponents than the Browns(Tennessee 4-1 Cleveland 3-2).

As for the Steelers, they would go on to clinch the AFC North division title and host a Wild Card game, but would be eliminated by the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-29 as a 32-yard run by Jaguars quarterback David Garrard on 4th & 2 would set up the game-winning 25-yard field goal by Josh Scobee.

The Steelers would rebound the following year as they would win their sixth Super Bowl title.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Ohio State Rallies From 31 Points Down to Beat Minnesota

Ohio State quarterback Greg Frey would complete 18 of 23 passes for 327 yards and throw three touchdowns in the second half alone.

In 1984, the Maryland Terrapins overcame a 31-point deficit to beat the Miami Hurricanes 42-40 to pull off the greatest comeback in college football history.

Five years later, the Ohio State Buckeyes would tie the record for largest deficit overcome to win a college football game as they came back from 31 points down to beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

The Buckeyes came into the Minnesota game with a 4-2 record under second-year head coach John Cooper whose team had already equaled the same amount of victories they got in his first season in 1988.

On the field, the Buckeyes were led by junior quarterback Greg Frey, who had started every game for Ohio State since the beginning of the 1988 season with his top performance coming on September 24, 1988 when he led the Buckeyes back from a two-touchdown deficit in the final four minutes to a 36-33 comeback win over LSU.

Frey and the Buckeyes were looking for two more victories to become eligible for a bowl as they traveled to the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" to take on the Golden Gophers.

Minnesota also came into the game with a 4-2 record under fourth-year head coach John Gutekunst, who had complied a 18-20-2 since his arrival in 1986 and taken the Gophers to just one bowl game during that time.

If the Gophers were going to get bowl eligible, they would need to ride the legs of senior running back Darrell Thompson, who needed just 77 yards to cross the 4,000 yard career rushing mark, as the Gophers hoped to knock off the Buckeyes for the first time since 1981.

The Gophers got the ball to start the game as they did not pick up and were forced to punt the ball to the Buckeyes only to have the punt hit the leg of Ohio State tight end Rich Huffman leading to a recovery by Scott Streiff to give the Gophers the ball at the Buckeyes' 28-yard-line.

Four plays later, the Gophers were in the end zone as Thompson punched it in from 12 yards out to give Minnesota a 7-0 lead just 2:49 into the game.

After both teams traded punts on their ensuing possessions, the Buckeyes had the ball at their 33-yard-line when Frey was sacked by Minnesota defensive end Eddie Miles to jar the ball loose as defensive tackle Bob Coughlin recovered the fumble at the Ohio State 22-yard-line.

A pair of runs by Thompson which totaled 13 yards gave Minnesota a 1st & goal at the nine-yard-line as three straight running plays gained six yards to set up 4th & goal from the three-yard-line when the Gophers decided to go for the touchdown.

It looked like the gamble was going to pay off as quarterback Scott Schaffner took it in for a three-yard touchdown only to have it nullified by a holding penalty which pushed the Gophers back 10 yards to the Ohio State 13-yard-line.

Brent Berglund would come on to kick a 30-yard field goal which increased Minnesota's lead to 10-0 with  as Carlos Snow would return the ensuing kickoff 79 yards to give Ohio State a 1st & goal at the Gophers' nine-yard-line.

But after the next two plays netted only one yard, disaster struck for the Buckeyes on 3rd & goal when Frey was hit by Minnesota defensive tackle Mike Sunvold, causing the ball to come loose and land in the arms of defensive back Sean Lumpkin, who then ran it back for a 85-yard touchdown to increase the Gophers' lead to 17-0 with 3:07 left in the first quarter.

The score remained 17-0 as the game moved into the second quarter when the Gophers got the ball at their 27-yard-line as wide receiver Steve Rhem ran for 15 yards on two carries, then caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Schaffner at the end of the four-play drive which pushed the Minnesota lead to 24-0.

Things would get worse for the Buckeyes on their ensuing possession as Frey had a pass intercepted by Minnesota linebacker Joel Staats after it was tipped by defensive end Skeeter Akre to give the Gophers the ball at the Ohio State 44-yard-line.

From there, it would take nine plays for the Gophers to get back into the end zone as Schaffner threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Chris Gaiters to push the Minnesota lead to 31-0 with 4:29 left in the first half.

Minnesota running back Darrell Thompson would carry the ball 29 times for 133 yards and score one touchdown.

It seemed hopeless for the Buckeyes as they now trailed by 31 points and would go three-and-out on their ensuing possession to punt the ball back to the Gophers,

However, the Buckeyes would get a reprieve as Minnesota was called for 12 men on the field during the punt, drawing a 15-yard penalty and giving Ohio State a 1st down at its 35-yard-line.

A pass interference penalty on the Gophers would give the Buckeyes another 15 yards and a 1st down at the 50-yard-line as Snow would run the ball twice as he gained 13 yards to give Ohio State a fresh set of downs at the Minnesota 37-yard-line when Frey connected with Bobby Olive for a 30-yard completion to give the Buckeyes a 1st & goal at the Gophers' seven-yard-line.

Three straight runs by Snow for a total of six yards would set up 4th & goal from the one-yard-line as the Buckeyes would go for the touchdown which they got when Snow punched it in for the one-yard touchdown that with Frey's two-point pass to Jeff Graham cut the Gophers' lead to 31-8 as the first half came to an end.

The Buckeyes would get the ball to start the second half as they were able to drive 66 yards in nine plays to set up a 25-yard field goal by Pat O'Morrow which trimmed Minnesota's lead to 31-11 with 10:04 remaining in the third quarter.

The Buckeyes would be given a golden opportunity to cut even further into the lead when on the first play of the Gophers' ensuing possession, Thompson lost the football as Ohio State linebacker Steve Tovar would recover the fumble to give Frey and the offense the ball at the Minnesota 23-yard-line.

However, the Buckeyes would give the ball right back when on the very next play as running back James Bryant tried to throw a halfback pass, only to have it intercepted by Minnesota cornerback Fred Foggie to give the Gophers the ball back at their five-yard-line.

Six straight runs by Thompson for 50 yards would help Minnesota drive to the Ohio State 38-yard-line until the Gophers punted the ball back to the Buckeyes, who would take over at their two-yard-line.

The Gophers seemed poised to get the ball back in good field position as the first two plays of the Buckeyes' drive picked up only three yards until Frey completed a 13-yard pass to Snow on 3rd & 7 to give Ohio State a 1st down at its 18-yard-line.

From there, Frey completed a 20-yard pass to Graham, then handed the ball off to Snow who ran for nine yards to set up 2nd & 1 when Scottie Graham would carry the ball for six yards to pick up another Ohio State a 1st down at the Minnesota 47-yard-line.

Frey would then hit Greg Beatty for 21 yards which was followed by a nine-yard run by Snow and two straight runs by Scottie for two yards, all leading to Frey's 15-yard touchdown pass to Snow to end the 11-play, 98-yard drive which cut the deficit to 31-18 with 20 seconds left in the third quarter.

With their lead now down to 13 points, the Gophers would get great field position to start their next drive as Gaiters returned the ensuing kickoff 44 yards to the Minnesota 49-yard-line.

From there, the Gophers would drive 37 yards in nine plays as Berglund would come on to kick a 32-yard field goal to increase the Minnesota lead to 34-18 with 11:24 left in the fourth quarter.

It would only take the Buckeyes 93 seconds to get back into the end zone as a 45-yard return by Dante Lee on the ensuing kickoff would give Ohio State the ball at the Minnesota 46-yard-line as Frey would complete a 17-yard pass to Olive on 3rd &8, then connected with Snow on a 27-yard touchdown to cut the Gophers' lead to 10 points.

The Buckeyes would go for two again and would again be successful as Snow caught the two-point pass from Frey to make it an one-possession game at 34-26 with 9:51 remaining.

Ohio State would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball at their 33-yard-line with a chance to tie the game, only to have them turn it over for the sixth time in the game when a bad snap out of the shotgun formation lead to a fumble recovery by Lumpkin to give Minnesota the ball at the Buckeyes' 28-yard-line.

After a holding penalty pushed them back 10 yards, the Gophers would pick up 14 yards on the next three plays to set up a 42-yard field goal by Berglund to push the Minnesota lead back to double digits at 37-26 with 5:15 left in the game.

Carlos Snow would account 278 all-purpose yards on 30 touches as he scored three touchdowns.

The Buckeyes would start their ensuing drive at their 32-yard as Frey completed four consecutive passes for 60 yards to put Ohio State at the Minnesota eight-yard-line as two incomplete passes and a holding penalty would push the Buckeyes back 10 yards to the Gophers' 18-yard-line where they faced a 3rd & goal.

That is when Frey would complete a 17-yard pass to Jeff Graham to set up a 4th & goal from the one-yard-line when Cooper decided to go for the touchdown as Frey would keep it himself on a quarterback option as he punched it in for one-yard touchdown that with his two-point pass to Graham made it 37-34 in favor of the Gophers with 3:04 to go in the game.

The Gophers would get the ball at their 32-yard-line to start their next possession only to pick up a 1st down or two and run out the clock so they could escape with the win.

But with Thompson on the sidelines with a bruised right hip, the Gophers could not pick up a 1st down as they gained four yards on three plays, forcing them to punt the ball back to the Buckeyes who would take over at their 27-yard-line with 1:52 left and no timeouts.

Frey would complete an 18-yard pass to Snow to start the drive, then hit Chris Stablein for 19 yards to give Ohio State a 1st down at the Minnesota 36-yard-line when Akre would sack Frey, dropping him for a 13-yard loss to force 2nd & 23.

However, Frey would overcome the loss of yards as hit tight end Jim Palmer for 34 yards to give the Buckeyes a 1st down at the Minnesota 15-yard-line when Frey threw a pass for Jeff Graham in the right corner of the end zone.

Graham would make the catch for the 15-yard touchdown that with the extra point gave the Buckeyes their first lead of the game at 41-37 with 51 seconds left in the game.

The Gophers would get one last chance to salvage themselves from an historic defeat as they began their next possession at their 38-yard-line as Schaffner completed a seven-yard pass to tight end Shane Strain, then completed back-to-back passes to Pat Tingelhoff for a total 33 yards to put Minnesota at the Ohio State 22-yard-line with seven seconds to play.

That is when Schaffner rolled to his left and fired a pass for Rhem in the back of the end zone who got his fingertips on the ball before it fell to the ground for an incomplete pass to end the game with the Buckeyes on top 41-37.

The Gophers would somewhat recover from their collapse against Ohio State to finish the season with a 6-5 record as they defeated rivals Wisconsin and Iowa in the final month of the regular season though they would not be invited to a postseason bowl game.

As for the Buckeyes, they would finish the regular season with a 8-3 record to earn them an invitation to play Auburn in the Hall of Fame Bowl in Tampa, Florida where the Tigers would defeat Ohio State 31-14 as the Buckeyes would finish ranked #24 in the final AP poll.

The win over Minnesota remains the greatest comeback in Ohio State history while the record for greatest comeback in college football history was broken in 2006 by the Michigan State Spartans as they overcame a 35-point deficit to beat Northwestern.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Bills Blitz Broncos With 20 Points in 77 Seconds

Buffalo linebacker Cornelius Bennett scored a touchdown and recovered a fumble in the Bills' comeback win against the Broncos.

The Buffalo Bills of the early 1990s were defined by their no-huddle offense which would helped propel the Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances.

But in week 4 of the 1990 NFL season, it would be the Bills' defense and special teams that would spark a 4th quarter comeback win for the ages as the Bills hosted the Denver Broncos.

Buffalo came into the game with a 2-1 record under head coach Marv Levy, who was in his fourth full season as the Bills' head coach as he helped turn around Buffalo from a bottom dweller to a Super Bowl contender as the Bills won the AFC East division title in 1988 and 1989.

The Bills had adapted a no-huddle offense with quarterback Jim Kelly running the show with a roster which featured running back Thurman Thomas and wide receivers Andre Reed and James Lofton as Buffalo averaged 21 points through their first three games of the season.

On defense, the Bills were led by defensive end Bruce Smith who had recorded four straight seasons of double-digit sacks  and featured Cornelius Bennett and Darryl Talley in the linebacking corps as Buffalo prepared to host the defending AFC Champions.

The Denver Broncos also came into the game with a 2-1 record under head coach Dan Reeves who along with quarterback John Elway had led the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances in the previous four seasons.

Elway was aided in the backfield with running back Bobby Humphrey, who had ran for 1,151 yards and scored seven touchdowns in his rookie season in 1989 to help Denver make the Super Bowl that year.

Many experts believed that if Humphrey had another strong year, the Broncos could make the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five seasons.

 The Broncos got the ball to start the game as they relied on Humphrey to drive down the field as he carried the ball seven times for 50 yards on a 12-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with Humphrey punching it in from one yard out to give Denver a 7-0 lead with a little over eight minutes left in the first quarter.

After the Bills punted on their opening possession of the game, the Broncos got the ball back at their 36-yard-line as Denver would move into Buffalo territory until Humphrey fumbled the football when he was hit by Bills strong safety Leonard Smith, which was recovered by cornerback Nate Odomes.

The Bills would drive from their 29-yard-line to the Denver 38-yard-line until fullback Jamie Mueller lost the football when he was hit by Broncos nose tackle Greg Kragen who also recovered the fumble to give the Broncos the ball back at their 35-yard-line.

The Broncos would hold the ball for the rest of the first quarter and into the second quarter as they drove to the Bills' 32-yard-line until they were forced to attempt a 49-yard field goal by David Treadwell, which was blocked by Talley, who then scooped up the loose football and ran it back 16 yards until he was tackled at the Buffalo 45-yard-line.

After Thomas was dropped for an one-yard-loss on 1st down and an incomplete pass on 2nd down, Kelly connected with Lofton for 19 yards on 3rd & 11, which he followed it up with an 18-yard pass to Reed to put the Bills at the Broncos 19-yard-line.

However the drive would stall as Thomas would be stopped for no gain on 1st down which was followed by two straight incomplete passes, forcing Scott Norwood to attempt a 37-yard field goal, which unfortunately for the Bills, bounced off the right upright and no good to keep the score 7-0 with 9:59 left in the second quarter.

Following a Denver punt, the Bills would have the ball at their 21-yard-line when Kelly was picked off by Broncos free safety Steve Atwater to give Denver the ball at the Buffalo 30-yard-line.

That is when Elway hit Vance Johnson for 25 yards to give the Broncos a 1st & goal at the Bills' five-yard-line as Humphrey would run for three yards on 1st down as the two-minute warning hit.

After the timeout, Elway would find running back Steve Sewell for a two-yard touchdown to increase the Broncos' lead to 14-0  with 1:57 left in the first half.

Broncos running back Bobby Humphrey ran for 177 yards on 34 carries and scored one touchdown.

Buffalo would start its ensuing possession at its 28-yard-line as a quarterback sack and an incomplete pass would bring up 3rd & 17 when Kelly completed a 21-yard pass to Lofton to give the Bills a 1st down at their 42-yard-line.

From there, running back Don Smith would get his hand on the ball on three of the next five plays as he caught two passes for 24 yards and ran it once for 10 yards to put the Bills at the Denver 24-yard-line.

A five-yard pass to Al Edwards and two incomplete passes later, the Bills would attempt another field goal, this one from 37 yards out, which this time Norwood would make which cut the Broncos' lead to 14-3 as the first half came to a close.

After the Bills went three-and-out to start the second half, the Broncos would have the ball at their 23-yard-line when Elway was picked off by Bills cornerback Kirby Jackson to give Buffalo the ball at its 49-yard-line.

However, the Bills would not be able to convert the turnover into points as Kelly was sacked by Broncos defensive lineman Andre Townsend on 3rd & 5 at the Denver 34-yard-line, which led to Buffalo punting the ball back to Denver, who would take over at its 20-yard-line.

Two plays later, Bruce Smith would make his presence felt as he sacked Elway, causing a fumble that was recovered by Talley at the Denver 10-yard-line as an incomplete pass and a quarterback sack would force 3rd & goal when Don Smith ran it in for a 12-yard touchdown to cut the Broncos' lead to 14-9 as Frank Reich mishandled the snap on the extra point.

The Broncos would be forced to punt on their ensuing possession to give the ball back to the Bills who took over at their 20-yard-line when Thomas mishandled a Kelly handoff and fumbled the football, which was recovered by Kragen to give Denver the ball at the Buffalo 19-yard-line.

Running back Sammy Winder would get his hands on the next two plays as he caught a 13-yard pass from Elway on 1st down, which got three yards added to it after Bills linebacker Shane Conlan was called for a late hit, which Winder followed up with a three-yard touchdown to give the Broncos their largest lead of the game at 21-9 with 4:43 left in the third quarter.

The Bills would drive into Denver territory on their ensuing possession until Kelly was dropped for a 13-yard loss on a quarterback sack by linebacker Karl Mecklenburg, forcing another Buffalo punt as the Broncos would take over att their 28-yard-line with 61 seconds left in the third quarter.

From there, the Broncos would hold the ball for the next four and a half minutes as they drove to the Bills' six-yard-line when David Treadwell came on to attempt a 24-yard field goal that would increase the Denver lead to 15 points.

However, the Bills would turn the game around when Odomes came in to block the kick which led to Bennett picking up the football at his 20-yard-line and running down the left sideline for a 80-yard touchdown that cut the Broncos' lead to 21-16 with 10:27 to go in the fourth quarter.

Denver would starts its next possession at its 29-yard-line as Humphrey ran for one yard to start the drive which was followed by Elway's 2nd down pass being deflected by Bills defensive end Leon Seals as the ball would fall into the hands of Leonard Smith, who then ran it in for a 39-yard pick-six to give Buffalo its first lead of the game at 22-21.

Norwood would miss the extra point as his kick hit the left upright to keep the score 22-21 with 9:27 left in the fourth quarter.

Things would get worse for the Broncos on the ensuing kickoff when Vance Johnson was tackled at his 10-yard-line only to lose five more yards because of an illegal block penalty which meant the Broncos would start its next possession at their five-yard-line.

But the drive would only last one play as Elway fumbled the snap from center leading to a recovery by Bennett at the Broncos' two-yard-line as it took only Buffalo one play to get into the end zone as Kenneth Davis punched it in for a two-yard touchdown, the Bills' third touchdown in 77 seconds as Norwood would make the extra point to make it 29-21 in favor of the Bills with 9:10 left in the fourth quarter.

Bruce Smith had two sacks and forced a fumble in the Bills' win over the Broncos.

Following a Denver three-and-out, the Bills got the ball back at their 45-yard-line as they took four minutes off the clock as they drove to the Broncos' 30-yard-line when Norwood come on to attempt a 48-yard field goal, which sailed wide right to keep the score at 29-21.

Even though they were down eight points, the Broncos needed two scores as the two-point conversion did not exist in the NFL in 1990 as they got the ball back at their 30-yard-line with 3:37 left on the clock.

Three incomplete passes later, Elway would hit Ricky Nattiel for 20 yards on 4th down, which was followed by another Elway-to-Nattiel completion for 11 yards, and then a 14-yard pass to Mark Jackson for a 1st down at the Buffalo 25-yard-line.

After a false start penalty pushed them back five yards, the Broncos would turn to Winder, who got his hands on the ball on the next three plays, gaining 20 yards to set up Elway's 10-yard touchdown pass to Nattiel that with the extra point brought the Broncos to within one point at 29-28 with 1:35 left in the game.

Now, the Broncos would attempt an onside kick in hopes of getting the ball back with a chance to drive for a potential game-winning score.

However, Bills tight end Pete Metzelaars would recover the onside kick to allow Kelly to take two knees to run out the clock as Buffalo would come away with the 29-28 win despite being outgained 410-197.

The loss to the Bills would begin the Broncos' downfall as they would finish with a 5-11 record, the firs time Denver had finished with a losing record since 1982.

As for the Bills, the win over the Broncos would be the second win in an eight-game winning streak as Buffalo would finish with a 13-3 record to earn the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs where the Bills would defeat the Miami Dolphins 44-34 in the Divisional Round, then destroyed the Los Angeles Raiders 51-3 in the AFC Championship Game to earn a trip to Super Bowl XXV, where they would fall to the New York Giants 20-19 as Norwood missed a potential game-winning 47-yard field goal in the final seconds.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: "Wide Left" Allows #1 Miami to Escape FSU Upset Bid

 

Xavier Beitia angusihes after his potential game-winning field goal sailed wide left in the Seminoles' 2002 game with Miami.

It's the two most frightening words to Florida State Seminole fans: Wide Right.

Those are the two words to describe a trio of heartbreaking losses to the Miami Hurricanes which occured over a decade in the annual rivalry between the Canes and the Noles.

It started with "Wide Right I" in 1991 when Gerry Thomas missed a potential game-winning 34-yard field goal in the final seconds to give #2 Miami a 17-16 win over #1 Florida State.

One year later, Dan Mowrey had his 39-yard field goal attempt sail wide right on the final play of the game as #2 Miami prevailed with a 19-16 win over #3 Florida State.

Eight years after that, the third chapter would occur as Matt Munyon's 49-yard attempt at the end of regulation would also go wide right to give Miami a 27-24 win over #1 Florida State.

Then in 2002, the next cruel chapter in the Seminoles' fortunes against Miami would occur with a slightly different twist.

The Hurricanes were the #1 ranked team in the country having won their previous 27 games and were the defending national champions after a 2001 season.

The Canes were led by second-year head coach Larry Coker who had a roster which featured quarterback Ken Dorsey who had this point had won 31 of his 32 career starts, future NFL Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Andre Johnson, tight end Kellen Winslow II son of former Hall-of-Fame tight end Kellen Winslow Sr. and running back Willis McGahee, who had run for 640 yards and 10 touchdowns in the first five games of the 2002 season.

While the Canes were seeking a second consectuive national championship, the Noles came into the game looking rebound following a tough 2001 season in which they went 8-4 and finished #15 in the final polls, ending a 14-year streak of finishing in the top 5 in the final AP and coaches polls.

The Noles were led by head coach Bobby Bowden, who was in his 27th season as the FSU head coach, as he saw his Seminoles led by quarterback Chris Rix get off to a 4-0 start before losing to unranked Louisville on a rainy Thursday night.

This loss helped drop FSU from #4 to #11 in the country as they bounced back with a 48-31 win over Clemson to move back up to #9 as the Noles traveled to South Florida to take on the defending national champions who entered the game as nearly two-touchdown favorites.

 After the Seminoles punted following their opening possession of the game, the Hurricanes would drive 89 yards in 13 plays for the game's first touchdown as McGahee punched it in for a four-yard touchdown to give Miami a 7-0 lead.

The drive featured Dorsey completing four of five passes for 77 yards as he hit Ethenic Sands for 14 yards, Johnson for 14 yards, Kevin Beard for 22 yards, and Winslow for 27 yards.

The two teams would trade punts until early in the second quarter when Miami had the ball at the Florida State 26-yard-line thanks in large part to a 37-yard pass from Dorsey to Sands, when Ken was intercepted by FSU linebacker Michael Boulware to give the Seminoles the ball at their six-yard-line.

The Miami defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball at their 44-yard-line as a holding penalty would derail the drive and force the Hurricanes to punt the ball back to the Seminoles, only for Leon Washington to muff the kick which was recovered by Antrel Rolle to give the Canes the ball at the FSU 15-yard-line.

But on the very next play from scrimmage, Dorsey would fumble the football while trying to scramble, leading to a recovery by FSU linebacker Allen Augustin to give the Seminoles the ball back at their 16-yard-line.

From there, the Noles would drive 84 yards in four plays as Nick Maddox would take it in for a 30-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 7 with 9:29 left in the second quarter.

Following a Miami three-and-out, the Noles would take the lead as Xavier Beitia would kick a 45-yard field goal to give the Noles a 10-7 lead with 6:12 remaining in the second quarter.

The Seminoles would force another three-and-out to give their offense the ball at the 50-yard-line where it took FSU five plays to get back into the end zone as Rix hit  Talman Gardner for a 10-yard touchdown to push the Florida State lead to double digits at 17-7 with 2:34 to go before halftime.

Seminoles running back Greg Jones ran for 189 yards on 31 carries and scored one touchdown.

Having allowed 17 unanswered points, the Hurricanes needed a response from their offense as the first half came to an end as Miami would begin its ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line.

Dorsey would complete three of his next four passes for 21 yards to put the Canes at their 41-yard-line as they would pick up the next 13 yards on the ground on runs of nine yards by Jason Geathers and four yards by McGahee to give Miami a 1st down at the FSU 46-yard-line.

That is when Dorsey completed back-to-back passes to Beard, first for 16 yards and the second for 20 yards to give Miami a 1st & goal at the FSU 10-yard-line as an illegal participation penalty on the Noles would give the Canes five extra yards and a fresh set of downs at the five-yard-line.

After two incomplete passes, Dorsey would find Winslow for the five-yard touchdown to end the 12-play, 80-yard drive which cut the FSU lead to 17-14 with 26 seconds left in the first half.

The Noles would run out the clock to end the first half to go into the locker room ahead 17-14 but set to give the ball back to the Hurricanes to start the second half.

The Canes would drive from their 36-yard-line to the FSU 48-yard-line until Dorsey was picked off by Seminoles free safety Kyler Hall to give the Noles the ball at their 14-yard-line.

Following an exchange of punts, the Noles got the ball back at their four-yard-line as they would drive into Miami territory primarily on the ground game as eight running plays totaled 38 yards while Rix complete passes of 24 and 9 yards to Anquain Boldin to set up a 42-yard field goal by Beitia to increase the FSU lead to 20-14 with 3:25 left in the third quarter.

The Canes would begin their next possession at their 16-yard-line as a 15-yard pass from Dorsey to Johnson on 3rd & 9 would give Miami a 1st down at its 32-yard-line when the Hurricanes appeared to be in FSU territory as Roscoe Parrish caught a 53-yard pass from Dorsey, only to have negated by a chop block which cost Miami 15 yards.

Miami would be forced to punt the ball back as the Noles would take over in Hurricanes territory as an incomplete pass and a run for no gain would set up 3rd & 10 as the third quarter came to an end.

The fourth quarter would begin with a run by Rix, who somersaulted over a few Hurricane defenders for a seven-yard gain which got 15 yards added to it as Miami linebacker Jonathan Vilma was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to give FSU a 1st down at the Canes' 24-yard-line.

Four plays later, the Noles were back in the end zone as Greg Jones took it in from 11 yards out to increase the FSU lead to 26-14 as Bowden opted to go for the extra point instead of attempting a two-point conversion which would have made it a 14-point game as Beitia would make the extra point to make it 27-14 with 11:44 left in the fourth quarter.

Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey threw for 362 yards and two touchdowns passes.

After both teams went three-and-out on their next possessions, the Canes got the ball at their 30-yard-line with 9:32 left in the game and Miami needing two touchdowns to take the lead.

That is when the Canes went to a no-huddle offense as Dorsey completed a 37-yard pass to Johnson to start the drive, which was followed by an incomplete pass and then an 11-yard run by McGahee to give Miami a 1st down at the FSU 22-yard-line.

After another incomplete pass, Dorsey would find Johnson again this time for 19 yards to give Miami a 1st & goal at the FSU three-yard-line as McGahee ran for one yard before Beard caught a two-yard touchdown pass to end the seven-play, 70-yard drive which took only 82 seconds to complete and cut the Noles' lead to 27-21.

The Noles would pick up one 1st down on their next possession before they punted the ball back to the Canes who took over at their 21-yard-line with 5:36 left in regulation.

That is when Dorsey completed a short screen pass to McGahee, who sprinted down the right sideline until he was tackled at the FSU 11-yard-line after a 68-yard play which would set up Geathers' 11-yard-touchdown run to give Miami a 28-27 lead with 5:17 left in the game.

The momentum had clearly turned in Miami's favor especially after they forced a three-and-out to get their offense the ball back at the 50-yard-line with 4:08 remaining and a chance to run out the clock with a few 1st downs.

However, the Seminole defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at their 46-yard-line after Freddie Capshaw shanked the punt which traveled only three yards.

After two running plays picked up six yards, the Noles faced a 3rd & 4 when Rix completed an eight-yard pass to Gardner to give FSU a 1st down at the Miami 40-yard-line.

Rix would find Gardner again, this time for 15 yards, to give the Noles a fresh set of downs at the Miami 25-yard-line as FSU kept it conservative as they ran two plays then spiked the ball to set up a 43-yard field goal attempt by Beitia that would in the game and end the Hurricanes' 27-game winning streak.

But Beitia would join the list of FSU kickers who missed a game-winning field goal against Miami as his kick sailed wide left, instead of wide right, as time expired with the Canes coming away with the 28-27 win as the Orange Bowl scoreboard put out the words "Wide Left I".

The Seminoles would go to win the ACC despite two more losses during the regular season as they earned a trip to the Sugar Bowl where they fell to the Georgia Bulldogs 26-13 to finish the season with a 9-5 record while Miami would run its winning streak up to 34 games before losing to Ohio State 31-24 in double overtime in the Fiesta Bowl to deny the Canes a second straight national title.

As for Beitia, he would get a chance at redemption 14 months after "Wide Left" as the Noles faced the Canes in the Orange Bowl on New Years' Day 2004 as he attempted a 39-yard field goal with five minutes left in the fourth quarter that would give FSU the lead.

However, his kick sailed wide right and no good, allowing for the Hurricanes to run out the clock and come away with the 16-14 win.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Marino Leads Dolphins to Playoff Comeback Win over Chiefs

 

Dan Marino would throw two touchdown passes in the 4th quarter to lead Miami back from 13 points down to beat Kansas City.

On Christmas Day in 1971, the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs participated in the longest game in NFL playoff history as the Dolphins defeated the Chiefs 27-24 when Garo Yepremian kicked a 37-yard field goal 7:40 into the second overtime period.

Nearly two decades later, the two teams would face each other in another postseason classic as the Chiefs traveled to south Florida to take on the Dolphins in the Wild Card round of the AFC Playoffs.

The Dolphins were returning to the playoffs for the first time since 1985 as Miami went 12-4 thanks in large part to an improved defense which gave up nearly 15 points per game to after four straight seasons where the defense gave up at least 22 points per game.

Despite the improvement on defense, the Dolphins' Super Bowl hopes rested on the right arm of quarterback Dan Marino who threw for 3,563 yards in his eighth season as the Miami quarterback as he along with longtime head coach Don Shula was hoping to get back to the Super Bowl after playing in the big game following his record-shattering 1984 season.

Standing in the Dolphins' way were the Chiefs who making only their second postseason appearance since that fateful Christmas in 1971 as Kansas City would go 11-5 in 1990 to earn one of the three Wild Card berths in the AFC playoffs(The other two were the Dolphins and the Houston Oilers).

Kansas City was led by head coach Marty Schottenheimer, who had come over from the Cleveland Browns, to help begin a Chiefs renaissance as their appearance in the 1990 playoffs would be the first of six straight postseason appearances.

The Chiefs' offense was led by quarterback Steve Deberg who in his 14th year in the NFL had the best season of his career as he threw for 3,444 yards and 23 touchdown passes even though he broke his pinky finger on his left hand in week 14.

With his finger heavily tapped and almost entirely in the shotgun formation, DeBerg was good to go as for the Chiefs' AFC Wild Card Game with the Dolphins.

The Dolphins got the ball to start the game as they would drive from their 14-yard-line to the 50-yard-line until they were forced to punt only to have Chiefs defensive back Charles Washington block Reggie Roby's kick to give Kansas City the ball at the Miami 37-yard-line.

It looked like the Dolphins were going to avoid having the blocked punt be turned into points as free safety Louis Oliver intercepted a Deberg pass only to have it nullified because of a pass interference penalty on Oliver to give the Chiefs a 1st down at the Miami 32-yard-line.

Six plays later, the Chiefs would kick a field goal as Nick Lowery hit a 27-yarder to give Kansas City a 3-0 lead with 5:07 left in the first quarter.

The Dolphins would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as Miami would drive into Kansas City territory as the first quarter came to an end with Miami about to face a 4th & 6 at the Chiefs' 40-yard-line.

Instead of trying to pin the Chiefs back with a punt, Shula sent in the field goal unit as Pete Stoyanovich to attempt a 58-yard field goal, which he made to break the record of the longest field goal in NFL playoff history, which tied the game 3-3 as the second quarter began.

The Chiefs would begin their next possession at their 15-yard-line as DeBerg would complete a 33-yard pass to Stephone Paige which was followed by a 15-yard pass to Robb Thomas to give Kansas City a 1st down at the Dolphins' 37-yard-line.

The next three plays would pick up seven yards to set up 4th & 3 at the Miami 30-yard-line when Schottenheimer decided to go for the 1st down as DeBerg would throw a pass intended for Thomas which end up being intercepted by Miami strong safety Jarvis Williams to give the Dolphins the ball at their 12-yard-line.

After an exchange of punts, the Dolphins would drive from their 37-yard-line to the Chiefs' 39-yard-line when Stoyanovich came on to attempt another long field goal, this one from 57 yards out.

While the kick was on target, it did not have the distance as it fell short of the uprights to allow the Chiefs to get the ball at their 39-yard-line with 3:36 left in the first half.

Two runs by running back Christian Okoye for 19 yards and a 16-yard pass from DeBerg to Paige would put the Chiefs at the Dolphins' 26-yard-line when DeBerg threw a pass down the right sideline for Paige, who made the catch in the end zone for the first touchdown of the game to give the Chiefs a 10-3 lead with 1:54 left before halftime.

The Dolphins would drive from their 20-yard-line to the Kansas City 40-yard-line until Marino fumbled the football when he tried to scramble as Chiefs defensive end Neil Smith stripped Marino of the football which was recovered by cornerback J.C. Pearson to give Kansas City the ball at their 38-yard-line with 65 seconds left in the first half.

The Chiefs would drive to the Dolphins' 38-yard-line until they were faced with a 4th & 1 when Schottenheimer decided to go for the 1st down in hopes of making a Lowery field goal attempt shorter.

Okoye ran for three yards to pick up the 1st down only to have it called back because of an illegal motion penalty on the Chiefs, which led to Schottenheimer to punt the ball away as the first half would come to a close with Kansas City ahead 10-3.

Despite a broken finger, Chiefs quarterback Steve DeBerg would throw for 269 yards and a touchdown.

The two teams would trade punts to begin the second half as the Chiefs would begin their second possession of the half at their 30-yard-line as DeBerg completed a 26-yard pass to Emile Henry to give Kansas City a 1st down at the Miami 44-yard-line.

After a quarterback sack on 1st down and an incomplete pass on 2nd down, DeBerg completed a 13-yard pass to Todd McNair to set up 4th & 2 at the Miami 36-yard-line when Schottenheimer decided to go for the 1st down again which he got as Okoye ran for five yards to give the Chiefs a fresh set of downs at the 31-yard-line.

DeBerg would then hit passes of 11 yards to Alfredo Roberts and 16 yards to Paige to put Kansas City at the Miami four-yard-line with a 1st & goal as an intentional grounding would stall the drive and force the Chiefs to settle for a 25-yard field goal to increase their lead to 13-3 with 4:46 left in the third quarter.

The Chiefs seemed poised to put the game away when on the first play of the Dolphins' ensuing drive, Marino completed a short pass to Duper, who then fumbled after he was hit by Chiefs free safety Deron Cherry as linebacker Dino Hackett would recover the football to give Kansas City the ball at the Miami 29-yard-line.

However, the Chiefs would settle for another field goal as three runs by Okoye for eight yards set up a 38-yarder from Lowery which increased Kansas City's lead to 16-3 with 2:50 left in the third quarter.

Needing two touchdowns to take the lead, the Dolphins would begin their next possession at their 34-yard-line as running back Sammie Smith would catch a 13-yard screen pass from Marino, then ran the ball three straight times for eight yards to set up a 4th & 2 at the Kansas City 45-yard-line when Shula decided to go for the 1st down.

The gamble would pay off as Smith would pick up the two yards to give the Dolphins a 1st down at the Chiefs' 43-yard-line as the third quarter came to an end.

The fourth quarter would begin with Marino completing a nine-yard pass to Smith which was followed by a 23-yard pass to Mark Clayton to put the Dolphins at the Kansas City 11-yard-line as Smith would carry the ball on the next two plays picking up 10 yards to give Miami another 1st down at the one-yard-line.

That is when Marino found Tony Paige for the one-yard touchdown to end the 10-play, 66-yard drive and cut the Chiefs' lead to 16-10 with 12:18 left in the fourth quarter.

The Chiefs would start their next drive at their 25-yard-line as DeBerg completed a 33-yard pass to Henry to put Kansas City at the Miami 42-yard-line as the next three plays netted just one yard, forcing the Chiefs to punt the ball back to the Dolphins who would take over at their 15-yard-line with a chance to take the lead.

The drive got off to a great start as Marino found tight end Ferrell Edmunds for 37 yards to give the Dolphins a 1st down at the Chiefs' 48-yard-line.

From there, the Dolphins would convert on three straight 3rd down situations to drive to the Chiefs' 12-yard-line when Marino fired a pass for Clayton, who was being covered by Chiefs cornerback Albert Lewis, who tried to jump the route to make the interception.

However, Lewis would be unable to make the pick as the ball as Clayton would make the catch at the six-yard-line and then run into the end zone for the 12-yard touchdown to end the 11-play, 85-yard drive and give the Dolphins their first lead of the game at 17-16 with 3:28 to play.

Mark Clayton would catch what would be the game-winning touchdown in the Dolphins' 1990 AFC Wild Card win over the Chiefs.

Now behind for the first time in the game, the Chiefs would get the ball back at their 22-yard-line as DeBerg would connect with Paige for 20 yards, which was followed by a five-yard pass to tight end Johnathan Hayes and then a 26-yard run by Okoye to put Kansas City at the Miami 26-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

It looked like the Chiefs were going to have a 1st down at the Miami 14-yard-line as Okoye carried the ball up the middle for 12 yards only to have left guard Dave Szott get called for a holding penalty to push the Chiefs back to the Dolphins' 37-yard-line where they would face a 1st & 21.

Two incomplete runs and a three-yard run by Okoye would bring up 4th down when Schottenheimer sent in Lowery to attempt a go-ahead 52-yard field goal with 56 seconds left in the game.

Lowery's kick would be on target but it fell just inches short of the upright to make the kick no good as the Dolphins would take two knees to run out the clock as Miami would continue their season with a 17-16 victory.

However, Miami's quest for a Super Bowl title would end the following week as they fell to the Buffalo Bills 44-34.