NFL Old School Game of the Week: Reich's Monday Night Miracle

Bills quarterback Frank Reich completed 21 of 37 passes for 214 yards and threw two touchdown passes in his first NFL start.

 Quarterback Frank Reich is known for directing two of the greatest comeback wins in the history of football.

In 1984, Reich came off the bench to relieve a struggling Stan Gelbaugh to start the second half of the Maryland Terrapins' game against the Miami Hurricanes where he led the Terps to six straight scoring drives as Maryland overcame a 31-0 halftime deficit to shock the Hurricanes 42-40 in what was at the time the largest comeback in college football history.

Eight years later while filling in a for injured Jim Kelly, Reich led the Buffalo Bills to the greatest comeback in NFL playoff history as Buffalo overcame a 35-3 deficit to knock off the Houston Oilers 41-38 in overtime of their 1992 AFC Wild Card game.

But there is a lesser known comeback or miracle Reich was at the helm of when he made his first career NFL start in the Buffalo Bills' week 6 game with the Los Angeles Rams.

Having been selected in the third round of the 1985 NFL draft, Reich served as the backup quarterback to Vince Ferragamo for the 1985 season and then Kelly who took over as the Bills' starting quarterback in 1986 after a two-year stint in the USFL.

In his first four seasons, Reich had attempted only 20 passes as the Bills rose from the one of the worst teams in the NFL to an appearance in the 1988 AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals which they lost 21-10.

The Bills entered the 1989 season as Super Bowl contenders but several disputes amongst the Bills roster which included running back Thurman Thomas, wide receiver Andre Reed and defensive end Bruce Smith led to those in the media to nickname the Bills the "Bickering Bills".

In week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts, Kelly separated his left shoulder after a hit by Indianapolis Colts defensive end Jon Hand, in which Kelly blamed right tackle Howard Ballard for missing the block, as Reich would come in to 11 of 19 passes for 171 yards and threw his first career touchdown pass in a 37-14 loss to the Colts which dropped the Bills to 3-2.

With Kelly out for the next month, Reich would assumed the reins as the Bills' starting quarterback as Reich's first start would come in front of a nationwide audience on Monday Night Football.

The Bills' opponent for this week were the Los Angeles Rams, who were off to a 5-0 start to the season which included a 13-12 over the defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers in San Francisco.

The biggest reason for the Rams' hot start was their offense which was led by quarterback Jim Everett and included former Bills running back Greg Bell and the wide receiver tandem of Willie "Flipper" Anderson and Henry Ellard as the offense averaged 28.4 points and 395.4 yards per game in the first five games of the season.

With their high-powered offense going up against a Buffalo defense that was minus three starters and a backup quarterback making his first career NFL start, the Rams were expected to came out of western New York with a 6-0 record.

 After the Rams punted on their opening possession of the game, the Bills got the ball at their eight-yard-line where Reich completed his first pass of the game, a five-yard screen pass to Thomas on the first play of the drive.

Thomas would then reel off a 38-yard run to get the Bills into Los Angeles territory until Reich was intercepted by Rams cornerback Jerry Gray on a pass intended for Buffalo wide receiver Flip Johnson as the Rams would take over at the Bills' 46-yard-line.

It looked like the Bills would get the ball back as they held the Rams to a three-and-out but Mickey Sutton would muff the ensuing punt as LA linebacker Richard Brown would make the recovery to give the Rams a golden opportunity to get on the scoreboard as they begin their next possession at the Buffalo 16-yard-line.

A two-yard run by Bell and an incomplete pass would set up 3rd & 8 when Everett found running back Buford McGee over the middle for a 10-yard completion to give Los Angeles a 1st & goal at the Bills' four-yard-line as Bell would run for one yard to set up 2nd & goal when Everett connected with McGee again, this time for the three-yard touchdown to give the Rams a 7-0 lead with 5:02 left in the first quarter.

The two teams would trade punts as the game moved into the second quarter when on a 2nd & 23 from the Bills 41-yard-line, Everett threw deep for Ellard, only to have the pass intercepted by Buffalo free safety Mark Kelso, whose 33-yard return gave the Bills the ball at the Rams' 47-yard-line.

However, the Bills could not convert the turnover into points as they would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Rams, but would get another chance later in the second quarter when Bell fumbled the football after a hit by Bills defensive end Art Still as defensive tackle Jeff Wright would recover the fumble at the Los Angeles 20-yard-line.

While the Bills' offense would not gain a yard on their next drive, they would get some points as Scott Norwood would come on to kick a 38-yard field goal to cut the Rams' lead to 7-3 with 4:10 left in the second quarter.

Following a Los Angeles three-and-out, the Bills got the ball back at the Rams' 49-yard-line as Reich completed two passes to Reed for 15 yards while Thomas ran for six yards to set up another Norwood field goal, this one from 48 yards out, which barely glazed the crossbar to trim the deficit to one point at 7-6 with 56 seconds left before halftime.

Bills running back Thurman Thomas had 24 carries for 105 yards and caught nine passes for 67 yards

Buffalo got the ball to start the second half only to give the ball right back to the Rams on the first play from scrimmage when Thomas would lose the football at the end of a six-yard run as Rams defensive back Michael Stewart would make the recovery to give Los Angeles an opportunity to extend their lead as they took over possession at the Bills' 33-yard-line.

But a sack by Smith for a five-yard loss would knock the Rams out of field goal range and force them to punt the ball back to the Bills as the two teams would trade punts until the Rams would put together their best drive of the game later in the third quarter.

Starting at their 37-yard-line, Everett would complete a seven-yard pass to tight end Pete Holohan which was followed by two runs by Bell for five yards to pick up a Rams 1st down at the LA 49-yard-line.

Everett would then connect with Ellard for 24 yards and again for 19 yards to move Los Angeles to the Buffalo eight-yard-line when the Rams averted disaster when Bell fumbled the football after a hit by Wright as Everett would fall on the football after a nine-yard loss that pushed the Rams back to the Bills' 17-yard-line.

Two incomplete passes later, the Rams would settle for a 34-yard field goal by Mike Lansford to extend their lead back to four points at 10-6 with 2:56 to go in the third quarter.

The Bills would get the ball back at their 25-yard-line as Thomas would carry the ball four times for 20 yards plus catch a 13-yard pass from Reich on a 12-play, 52-yard drive that culminated with a 40-yard field goal by Norwood make it a one-point game once again at 10-9 in favor of the Rams just 51 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The Rams would begin their ensuing possession at their 21-yard-line as Everett would complete two passes to Ellard for 27 yards to move Los Angeles to the Buffalo 41-yard-line when on 3rd & 13, Everett tried to connect with Ellard again on a pass that fell incomplete but drew a 25-yard pass interference penalty on Sutton to give the Rams a 1st down at the Bills' 16-yard-line.

However, the Rams would lose three yards on the next three plays to force Los Angeles to settle for a 36-yard field goal by Lansford to increase the LA lead to 13-9 with 9:01 to in the fourth quarter.

Reich, who had completed 11 of 26 passes for only 78 yards, would have his longest completion on the opening play of the Bills' next drive as he hit Reed for a 49-yard pass to move the Bills into Rams territory at the Los Angeles 39-yard-line.

It looked like the Rams defense was going to force a punt as they would sack Reich on 3rd & 8 only to have defensive back Anthony Newman get called for a holding penalty to give the Bills a fresh set of downs at the Los Angeles 32-yard-line.

Three straight running plays for 11 yards would move Buffalo to the LA 21-yard-line when Reich found Reed again, this time for 15 yards to give the Bills a 1st & goal at the six-yard-line.

After a five-yard run by Larry Killebrew and a Thomas run that went nowhere, Reich would throw the second touchdown pass of his NFL career, a one-yard toss to Thomas to give the Bills their first lead of the game at 16-13 with 2:23 left in regulation.

The Rams would take over at their 26-yard-line with a chance to drive at least a game-tying field goal or a go-ahead touchdown but after a six-yard scramble by Everett to start the drive, the quarterback would throw three straight incomplete passes to force a turnover on downs and give the Bills the ball at the Los Angeles 32-yard-line with 1:53 left on the clock.

With all three timeouts left, the Rams holped to stop the Bills from picking up a 1st down as two straight running plays for two yards would set up a crucial 3rd & 8 when Thomas appeared to pick up the 1st down, only for Rams linebacker Mel Owens to strip Thomas of the football, causing a fumble that was recovered by Stewart to give Los Angeles the ball at their 22-yard-line with 1:33 left in the game.

It would take the Rams just one play to get into the end zone as Everett threw a pass over the middle for Anderson, who made the catch around midfield and outran the rest of the Buffalo defense for a shocking 78-yard touchdown to give Los Angeles a 20-16 lead with 82 seconds left to play.

A squib kick plus a 18-yard return on the ensuing kickoff would give the Bills good field position for their next drive which would begin at their 36-yard-line as Buffalo had 1:17 left on the clock and all three timeouts in their pocket as Buffalo needed a touchdown to win the game.

The Bills averted disaster to start the drive as Reich completed a six-yard pass to Reed, who fumbled the football after a hit by Rams linebacker Mike Wilcher as center Kent Hull would recover the fumble at the Buffalo 42-yard-line but more importantly keep the drive going.

Reich would then complete a three-yard pass to Thomas to set up 3rd & 1 which became 3rd & 6 after a false start penalty on Bills left tackle Will Wolford, when Reich found Thomas for 17 yards to give Buffalo a 1st down at the Los Angeles 43-yard-line as Buffalo called timeout with 40 seconds to go.

Reich would then hit Thomas for six yard and then again for 15 yards for a fresh set of downs at the Rams' 22-yard-line as the Bills spent their second timeout with 26 seconds to go.

A 14-yard pass to Harmon, who was knocked out of bounds at the Rams' eight-yard-line, would set up a 1st & goal with 20 seconds to go when Reich found Reed on a slant pass, who was able to outmuscle Rams cornerback LeRoy Irvin to cross the plane with the ball for the touchdown with 16 seconds to go and give the Bills a 23-20 lead.

The Rams would get one last chance at a miracle as Everett would threw a Hail Mary from his 40-yard-line only for it to fall incomplete as time expired with the Bills on top 23-20 to hand the Rams their first loss of the 1989 season.

The loss to the Bills would begin a four-game losing streak for the Rams as they would go on to finish the season with a 11-5 record which included a 23-20 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints where Anderson set the all-time mark for most receiving yards in a game with 336(To read about that game click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-flipper.html)to earn a playoff spot as a Wild Card team as Los Angeles would upset the Philadelphia Eagles 21-17 in the Wild Card round, then knock off the New York Giants 19-13 in overtime of their divisional playoff game(To read about that game, click on the link highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2021/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-flippers.html)as the Rams would fall to the 49ers 30-3 in the NFC Championship Game.

Reich would remain the Bills' starter for the next two games, which they both won to improve to 6-2, before Kelly returned from injury as the Bills would struggle for the second half of the season as they would lose five of their final eight games to finish the season with a 9-7 record but still good enough to win the AFC East division.

The Bills would be eliminated by the Cleveland Browns 34-30 in their AFC divisional playoff to end their 1989 season before going on their four-year run as AFC Champions as they would play in the next four Super Bowls but failing to capture the Lombardi Trophy in each of their four Super Bowl appearances.

Reich would remain with the Bills through the next five seasons, starting in seven games across that span, including the legendary comeback against the Oilers in the 1992 playoffs, before bouncing around the league as he played for three different teams over the next four seasons before retiring after the 1998 NFL season.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Andersen's Last Second FG Clinches Playoff Spot for Saints

Saints kicker Morten Andersen raises his arms in celebration after his game-winning field goal in the Saints' 1990 regular season finale with the Rams.

New Orleans, Louisiana is often one of the places to be on New Year's Eve as thousands of partiers go to Bourbon Street or the French Quarter to ring in the new year.

But the New Year's Eve in 1990 in New Orleans might be considered the greatest New Year's Eve in the history of the city as the Saints secured a spot in the NFL postseason for only the second time in team history.

The Saints came into the game with a 7-8 record in what had been a disappointing season up to this point after three straight winning seasons under head coach Jim Mora, who had become the team's head coach prior to the 1986 season and led the Saints to their first ever playoff spot in 1987.

Things got off to a rocky start during the offseason as the team was engaged in a contract dispute with starting quarterback Bobby Hebert that resulted in the "Cajun Cannon" sitting out the entire 1990 season.

The team would go back-and-forth at quarterback between veteran John Fourcade and second-year man Steve Walsh, who the Saints acquired in a trade early in the season from the Dallas Cowboys, as the offense struggled while the defense led by the "Dome Patrol" linebacker corps of Ricky Jackson, Vaughn Johnson, Sam Mills, and Pat Swilling kept New Orleans in the playoff race as they held offenses to 10 points or fewer six times during the 1990 season.

After a 2-5 start to the season, the Saints entered the regular season finale with a chance to clinch a Wild Card berth in the NFC if they could defeat the 5-10 Los Angeles Rams or if the game ended in a tie. 

If the Rams won, then the 7-9 Cowboys would become the first team to make the NFL playoffs with a losing record.

The Rams would get the ball to start the game as they began their first possession at their 20-yard-line with a three-yard run by Marcus Dupree followed by an incomplete pass to set up 3rd & 7 when quarterback Jim Everett went deep and hit Ellard, who made a diving catch, for a 32-yard completion and a 1st down at the Saints' 45-yard-line.

After the next three plays netted eight yards, the Rams were faced with a 4th & 2 at the New Orleans 37-yard-line when head coach John Robinson kept the offense on the field as they would go for the 1st down which they got when Everett completed a three-yard pass to tight end Pete Holohan.

On the next play from scrimmage, Everett would find Ellard again, this time for 25 yards to give Los Angeles a 1st & goal at the Saints' nine-yard-line as the drive would stall thanks in large part to a holding penalty on tight end Pat Carter which pushed the Rams back 10 yards.

Mike Lansford would come on to attempt a 30-yard field goal but his kick would sail wide left of the uprights to keep the game scoreless as the Saints would take over at their 20-yard-line.

The first two plays of the drive would gain seven yards to set up 3rd & 3 when Walsh completed a short pass to wide receiver Eric Martin, who took the pass and ran it down to the Rams' 39-yard-line after a 34-yard gain.

The Saints would pick up six more yards before calling on Morten Andersen to attempt a 51-yard field goal which was long enough but sailed wide left to keep it a 0-0 game as the Rams would take over at their 33-yard-line.

The Saints defense would force the Rams to go three-and-out as returner Vince Buck received the ensuing punt and returned it 33 yards to the Los Angeles 36-yard-line for the longest punt return of the season for New Orleans.

Following two runs for 10 yards, Walsh would find wide receiver Floyd Turner over the middle for a 26-yard touchdown for the first points of the game as the Saints took a 7-0 lead with 2:13 remaining in the first quarter.

The Rams would begin their next possession at their 20-yard-line as a 43-yard pass from Everett to Ellard would help led to a 26-yard field goal by Lansford which put Los Angeles on the scoreboard and cut the New Orleans lead to 7-3 early in the second quarter.

The Saints would get great field position for the second drive in a row as Gene Atkins returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards to the Los Angeles 47-yard-line.

From there, the Saints would run the ball on 10 straight plays with running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward getting the bulk of the work as he carried the ball seven times for 27 yards on the drive with his last carry being an one-yard touchdown to extend New Orleans' lead to 14-3 with 4:27 left in the second quarter.

Saints quarterback Steve Walsh completed 11 of 26 passes for 174 yards and threw one touchdown and zero interceptions.

The two teams would trade punts until 25 seconds remained in the second quarter when the Saints took over at the Rams' 41-yard-line after a poor punt LA punter Keith English as a nine-yard pass from Walsh to running back Gill Fenerty would give Andersen another chance at a field goal.

But once again Andersen could not connect as his 48-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right as the score remained at 14-3 in favor of the Saints as the first 30 minutes of play.

The third quarter would be a stalemate as both teams exchanged punts for the majority of the quarter with the exception of Rams possession midway through the quarter.

Starting at their 36-yard-line, the Rams would advance into Saints territory, thanks in large part to a 25-yard pass from Everett to Flipper Anderson, who had caught 15 passes for 336 yards in the Rams' last game in the Superdome(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here:https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-flipper.html)as Los Angeles had a 1st down at the New Orleans 25-yard-line when Everett found over Ellard over the middle for a big gain.

Ellard appeared on his way to a touchdown until he was met by Atkins at the five-yard-line as the free safety would knock the ball loose as Mills would end up making the recovery at the Saints' nine-yard-line as the game would go into the fourth quarter with New Orleans holding on to a 14-3 lead.

The Rams would begin their first possession of the final quarter at their 33-yard-line as a 14-yard pass from Everett to Ellard followed by a six-yard run by Dupree would set up 2nd & 4 when Everett was able to hit Anderson in stride for a 47-yard touchdown to cut the Saints' lead to 14-10 with 13:31 to go in the fourth quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Saints would get the ball back at the Rams' 38-yard-line as three runs by Fenerty for 14 yards would set up a 41-yard field goal attempt by Andersen, which this time he made to increase the Saints' lead back to a touchdown at 17-10 with 5:59 to go in the final period.

The Rams would get the ball back at their 19-yard-line as Everett would complete a seven-yard pass to Holohan to begin the drive which was followed by a two-yard run by running back Robert Delpino and then a pass to Delpino that went for no gain to set up 4th & 1.

Once again, Robinson gambled and went for the 1st down which he got as Everett completed a two-yard pass to Holohan to move the sticks as the Rams had a fresh set of downs at their 30-yard-line.

Two plays later on 3rd & 9, Everett would find wide receiver Aaron Cox for a 32-yard completion to give Los Angeles a 1st down at the Saints' 37-yard-line which was followed up with an incomplete pass to bring up 2nd & 10 when running back Cleveland Gary bursted through the middle for a 26-yard run to give the Rams a 1st down at the New Orleans 11-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

After the timeout, Everett would hit Holohan for a 10-yard pass to give the Rams a 1st & goal when Everett found Delpino in the right corner of the end zone for the one-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 17 with 1:19 to go in regulation.

The game seemed destined for overtime especially since the Saints offense had gone quiet in the second half compiling only 70 yards of total offense over six possessions.

However, they would get good field position to start their attempt at a game-winning drive as Atkins returned the ensuing kickoff 27 yards to the New Orleans 44-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass on 1st down, Walsh would hit wide receiver Brett Perriman for 11 yards and a New Orleans 1st down at the Los Angeles 45-yard-line where the threw another incomplete pass to bring up 2nd & 10.

That is when Walsh connected with Martin for a 34-yard completion to give the Saints a 1st down at the Rams' 11-yard-line as Walsh would take one knee before Andersen would come on to the field to attempt a 29-yard field goal that if successful would send New Orleans to the playoffs.

It looked the Rams had saved themselves when defensive tackle Alvin Wright was able to break through the Saints' line of defense to block the kick to send the game into overtime, only for Wright be called for being offsides, which negated the blocked kick, moved the Saints five yards closer but more importantly give Andersen another chance at a game-winning field goal.

This time, Andersen would make the kick from 24 yards out to give the Saints a 20-17 lead with two seconds left which meant the Rams had one more chance if they could return the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown.

Gaston Green would receive the kick at his six-yard-line as he would give the Saints a scare as he returned the kick into New Orleans territory until he was tackled by Buck at the Saints' 38-yard-line which ended the game with New Orleans on top 20-17 as the Saints had secured their second ever trip to the NFL postseason.

One week after their dramatic win over the Rams, the Saints would be eliminated from the postseason as they would be held to just 193 yards of total offense in a 16-6 loss to the Chicago Bears.

Hebert would return as the team's starting quarterback for the next two seasons as the Saints won their first ever division title in 1991 with a 11-5 record then clinched a Wild Card spot in 1992 with a 12-4 record, only for New Orleans to be eliminated in the Wild Card round in both seasons, first by the Atlanta Falcons in '91 and the Philadelphia Eagles in '92.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Fryar's Hail Mary TD Gives Patriots Win over Rams

Irving Fryar holds the ball up high after catching the game-winning touchdown in the Patriots' 1986 game with the Rams.

In Game 5 of the 1986 American League Championship Series, the California Angels were one strike from advancing to the World Series until Dave Henderson hit a two-run home run to give the Boston Red Sox a 6-5 in the 9th inning of a game in which Boston would win 7-6 after innings as the Red Sox would overcome a 3-1 series deficit to win the American League pennant to earn a trip to the World Series.

Almost a month after that fateful game, another Boston sports teams would pull off a miracle win in that stadium, Anaheim Stadium, as the New England Patriots faced off with the Los Angeles Rams in a key week 11 game of the 1986 NFL season.

The Patriots came into the game with a 7-3 record as New England was hoping to make another run to the Super Bowl were one year earlier, the Patriots made the NFL playoffs as a Wild Card team and won three games on the road to win the AFC championship.

New England was led by head coach Raymond Berry, who was in his second full season as the Patriots head coach with his starting quarterback being Tony Eason, who was selected with the #15 overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft as Eason was the fourth of the six quarterbacks picked in the first round in a class that included John Elway, Jim Kelly, and Dan Marino.

After going back-and-forth as the Patriots starting quarterback for the past two seasons with veteran Steve Grogan, Eason was firmly set as the starting quarterback in the 1986 season as he had started all but two games up to this point in the season.

While the Patriots had seemingly found their franchise quarterback, the Rams were still looking for their as they also came into the game with a 7-3 record under head coach John Robinson, who was in his fourth season as the LA head coach.

The Rams had made the playoffs the previous three seasons primarily on the legs of Eric Dickerson, as he had finished as the NFL's leading rusher in his first two seasons in 1983 and 1984 with Dickerson breaking the single season rushing record in 1984 as he ran for 2,105 yards.

However, the Rams' fortune relied on finding a new quarterback as they had finished toward the bottom of the league when it came to passing offense in 1984 + 1985 as the likes of Jeff Kemp and Dieter Brock had served as the team's starting quarterbacks during that time.

For 1986, the Rams had signed veteran Steve Bartkowski as a free agent to become the new starting quarterback only to be replaced after six starts by backup Steve Dils as Ram fans were clamoring to see if rookie Jim Everett, who had been acquired in a trade after Everett could not come to a contract agreement with the Houston Oilers after they selected him with the #3 overall pick in the 1986 NFL draft, could take the reins as the LA quarterback.

Everett would go into the New England game as the team's backup quarterback behind Dils as Los Angeles was seeking on at least a return to the NFC Championship Game, where they would fall to the Chicago Bears in the previous year.

   The Patriots would get the ball to start the game as Stephen Starring would return the opening kickoff 42 yards to give the New England offense the ball at their 44-yard-line.

From there, Eason would complete three straight passes, totaling 27 yards, to move the Patriots deep into LA territory to set up a 42-yard field goal by Tony Franklin to give New England a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter.

The Rams would start their initial possession of the game at their 31-yard-line as a 21-yard pass from Dils to David Hill would help Los Angeles get to the New England 25-yard-line where Mike Lansford would come on to attempt a 42-yard field goal, which would sail wide left to keep the score 3-0 in favor of the Patriots.

Patriots quarterback Tony Eason would complete 36 of 52 passes for 375 yards and throw touchdown passes.

 

Taking over at their 25-yard-line, the Patriots would drive to the Rams' 46-yard-line until Eason was intercepted by Rams cornerback Leroy Irvin, who retuned the pick 23 yards until he fumbled the football which was recovered by Patriots running back Craig James, allowing New England to retain possession at the Los Angeles 47-yard-line.

From there, the Patriots would drive to the Rams' 28-yard-line until Franklin came on to kick a 45-yard field goal which increased New England's lead to 6-0 with 3:32 left in the first quarter.

The Rams would go three-and-out on their next possession to punt the ball back to the Patriots but would get a reprieve when Irving Fryar fumbled the punt which was recovered by Rams linebacker Norwood Vann to give the ball back to Los Angeles at their 47-yard-line.

However, the Rams could not take advantage of the turnover as they would go three-and-out again, forcing them to punt again when disaster would strike for LA when Dale Hatcher's punt was blocked by Patriots defensive back Rod McSwain, who scooped up the football at the LA 31-yard-line to run it in for a touchdown to increase New England's lead to 13-0 just 15 seconds into the second quarter.

With the game slipping away, Robinson inserted Everett into the game on the Rams' next offensive possession which did not seem to provide a spark as they would go three-and-out again to punt the ball back to the Patriots.

But the Rams would not get another gift from Fryar as he fumbled the football after a hit by LA free safety Vince Newsome as Vann would make his second recovery to give the ball back to the Rams at the Patriots' 34-yard-line.

This time, the Rams would cash in on the turnover as Everett threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Henry Ellard to put Los Angeles on the scoreboard to cut the Patriots' lead to 13-7 with 13:02 left in the second quarter.

The two teams would exchange punts until 3:45 left in the second quarter when the Rams took over at their 21-yard-line as Dickerson got the ball on the first two plays of the drive, gaining 15 yards to give LA a 1st down at its 36-yard-line when Everett completed a seven-yard pass to Ellard, which was followed by an one-yard loss by Dickerson to set up 3rd & 4 at the Rams' 42-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

After the timeout, Everett would complete a 10-yard pass to running back Mike Guman to give the Rams a 1st down at the New England 48-yard-line where Everett would find Ellard for 22 yards to give the Rams another 1st down at the Patriots' 26-yard-line.

Following a two-yard run by Dickerson, Everett would scramble out of the pocket before firing a 24-yard touchdown pass to running back Barry Redden that with the extra point gave the Rams a 14-13 lead with 90 seconds left before halftime.

The Patriots would get the ball back at their 23-yard-line as Eason would complete four straight passes for 58 yards to move New England to the LA 19-yard-line when Eason handed the ball off to Tony Collins, who would run for 17 yards to give the Patriots a 1st & goal at the Los Angeles two-yard-line with 48 seconds left in the first half.

However, the Patriots could not punch into the end zone as a run by Mosi Tatupu would go nowhere while Eason would throw back-to-back incomplete passes to bring up 4th & goal when Franklin would come on to kick a 19-yard field goal to give New England a 16-14 lead with 24 seconds left in the first half.

The Rams took a knee to end the first half as they would go on into the locker room down 16-14 but set to get the ball to start the second half.

After both teams punted on their first possessions of the second half, the Rams would get the ball at the New England 37-yard-line as three runs by Dickerson for 17 yards plus a nine-yard pass from Everett to Ron Brown would set up an 11-yard touchdown run by Redden to give the lead back to Los Angeles at 21-16 with 9:15 to go in the third quarter.

Following a New England three-and-out, the Rams would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as they would drive to the Patriots' 36-yard-line until Redden fumbled the football after he was hit by Patriots linebacker Don Blackmon, leading to a recovery by fellow linebacker Ed Reynolds to give New England the ball at their 33-yard-line.

After another exchange of punts, the Patriots took over at the 50-yard-line when Eason was picked off by Irvin again, who returned the pick 22 yards until like he did in the first quarter, fumble the football which this time was recovered by Collins to seemingly give the ball back to New England.

But an inadvertent whistle by back judge Jimmy Rosser before the fumble allowed the Rams to keep the football at the Patriots' 39-yard-line with 1:16 to go in the third quarter.

Everett would complete a swing pass to Dickerson that would go for 24 yards to put the Rams at the New England 15-yard-line when a holding penalty pushed Los Angeles back to the 25-yard-line as Dickerson would run for five yards on 1st & 20 to put the Rams at the Patriots' 20-yard-line as the third quarter came to an end.

The fourth quarter would begin with a bang as Everett would find Ellard in the end zone for the 20-yard touchdown which extended Los Angeles' lead to 28-16 just six seconds into the fourth quarter.

Rams quarterback Jim Everett would come off the bench to throw three touchdown passes on 12-of-19 passing for 193 yards.

Following another exchange of punts, the Patriots got the ball at their 42-yard-line when New England went into their two-minute offense as Eason would complete four passes in a row, totaling 52 yards to give New England a 1st & goal at the Rams' six-yard-line when Eason would finally throw an incomplete pass to bring up 2nd down.

That is when Eason found Fryar in the end zone for a six-yard touchdown to cut the Rams' lead to 28-23 with 7:06 to go in the game.

The Rams would begin their next possession at their 29-yard-line as LA reverted back its ground attack to try and milk the clock as they would run the ball seven straight times as they picked up a pair of 1st downs as they moved to the Patriots' 33-yard-line where they had a 3rd & 1 with a little over two minutes to go.

Dickerson appeared to get the 1st down only to have it called back because of a holding penalty to push them back 10 yards to the New England 43-yard-line when Everett threw an incomplete pass, forcing the Rams to punt the ball back to the Patriots, who would take over at their 13-yard-line with 1:45 left to play in the game.

The drive would start off with Eason completing an eight-yard pass to Fryar which was followed by a 18-yard pass to Stanley Morgan to give the Patriots a 1st down at their 39-yard-line.

The Patriots would go backwards on 1st down when Rams linebacker Kevin Greene sacked Eason for a five-yard loss to make it 2nd & 15 where Eason found Fryar for 13 yards to set up 3rd & 2 at the New England 47-yard-line.

It looked like the Patriots had converted as Eason completed a 23-yard pass to tight end Greg Baty only to have it nullified because Eason crossed the line of scrimmage before throwing the pass resulting in a five-yard penalty and a loss of down to make it 4th & 7 at the New England 42-yard-line with 34 seconds to go.

The Patriots would keep their hopes alive as Eason completed a pass to Collins for the needed seven yards to give New England a 1st down at their 49-yard-line as Eason stopped the clock with an incomplete pass with 15 seconds to go.

Eason would scramble for 26 yards before stepping out of bounds at the Rams' 25-yard-line with three seconds to go, giving the Patriots a chance at one throw into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

Eason would loft a pass for the right corner of the end zone where Morgan was able to tip the ball amongst a sea of Ram defenders that would fall into the hands of Fryar for a shocking 25-yard touchdown with no time left on the clock.

After the wild celebration following the touchdown, Franklin would come on to kick the extra point to make the Patriots' victory official with the score of 30-28.

Even though they lost the game, the Rams found their quarterback as Everett would be the starting quarterback for the rest of the season as he helped Los Angeles earn a spot in the playoffs with a 10-6 record as the Rams would fall to the Washington Redskins 19-7 in the NFC Wild Card Game.

Everett would remain as the Rams' starting quarterback for the next seven seasons as he would finish his LA career as the all-time leader passer in Rams history with 23,758 yards.

As for the Patriots, they would finish the season with a 11-5 record that aided with a collapse by the New York Jets, would help New England clinch the AFC East division title for the Patriots' first division title since 1978.

However, the Patriots would fall to the Denver Broncos 22-17 in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs as New England would not return to the postseason until 1994 and with Drew Bledsoe at quarterback.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Flipper's Walk-off OT TD Gives Rams Playoff Win over Giants

Rams wide receiver Flipper Anderson makes the game-winning touchdown catch in overtime of the Rams' 1989 NFC Divisional Playoff against the Giants.

 1989 was a magical season for Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Willie "Flipper" Anderson as he caught 44 passes for 1,146 yards during the season, broke the NFL record for most receiving yards in one game as he gained 336 yards on 15 catches in the Rams' 20-17 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 12(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted below: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-flipper.html), then became a playoff hero in the Divisional Round against the New York Giants.

The Rams finished the 1989 regular season with a 11-5 record, good enough to earn them the second Wild Card spot in the NFC playoffs, marking the sixth time in seven years the Rams had made the playoffs under head coach John Robinson.

The Rams had transformed from a run-dominated team to a pass-happy offense under quarterback Jim Everett, who threw for 4,310 yards and a league high 29 touchdowns during the regular season, with the help of Anderson and fellow wide receiver Henry Ellard, who also finished with over 1,000 receiving yards as he caught 70 passes for 1,382 yards during the 1989 season.

But it was the running game that got the Rams into the Divisional Round as running back Greg Bell carried the ball 27 times for 124 yards and scored one touchdown in LA's 21-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Game to earn a trip to the Meadowlands to take on the New York Giants.

The Giants entered their game with the Rams as the #2 seed in the NFC with a 12-4 record, which earned them the NFC East division title and a return to the playoffs for the first time since they won Super Bowl XXI at the end of the 1986 season.

The Giants were led by head coach Bill Parcells, who was making his fourth appearance in the NFL playoffs since becoming the head coach of the Giants in 1983.

On the field, quarterback Phil Simms led the offense which was built primarily on the run as Ottis Anderson, who four seasons where he ran for just 1,086 yards, had his first 1,000 yard rushing season since 1984 as he ran for 1,023 yards and scored 14 touchdowns in a renaissance season after rushing for over 1,000 yards in five of his first six seasons with the then St. Louis Cardinals.

The Giants also had a ferocious defense led by all-Pro linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who finished with 15 quarterback sacks after the regular season.

So that the stage was the set for the NFC Divisional Playoff where the winner would earn a trip to the NFC Championship Game to take on the defending Super Bowl  San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park.

The Giants got the ball to start the game where it took them only one play to drive into LA territory as Simms connected with Stephen Baker on a 27-yard pass to give New York a 1st down at the Rams' 48-yard-line.

Then Anderson would get his hands on the ball on the next four plays as he ran for 27 yards on three carries and caught a six-yard pass to push the Giants to the Rams' 15-yard-line where the drive would stall as Anderson was dropped for a three-yard loss on 2nd & 5 which was followed by an incomplete pass on 3rd down.

Raul Allegre came on and kicked a 35-yard field goal to give the Giants a 3-0 lead with 10:27 left in the opening quarter.

The Rams would get great field position for their opening possession of the game as Ron Brown returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the LA 46-yard-line as the Rams would drive to the Giants' six-yard-line thanks to the running of Bell, who carried the ball four times for 27 yards while Everett completed passes of nine yards to Buford McGee and 12 yards to Henry Ellard.

But at the six-yard-line, Lawrence Taylor would make his presence felt as he not only sacked Everett on 3rd & 5, but knocked the ball loose leading to a fumble that was recovered by fellow Giants linebacker Gary Reasons at the 11-yard-line, killing the Rams' drive.

Anderson would get the call on the next three plays from scrimmage as he ran for 28 yards on three straight carries to lead the Giants to their 39-yard-line where after two straight incomplete passes, Simms connected with running back Dave Meggett for 16 yards to give New York a 1st down at the Rams' 45-yard-line.

A five-yard run by Anderson followed by a 13-yard scramble by Simms gave the Giants another 1st down at the LA 27-yard-line where the Rams' defense stiffened again and only permitted three more yards on the next plays, forcing New York to settle for a 41-yard field goal by Allegre which increased the Giants' lead to 6-0 with 55 seconds left in the first quarter.

Giants running back Ottis Anderson carried the ball 24 times for 120 yards and scored one touchdown.

Following Allegre's second field goal, the defenses would take over as both teams traded punts until 1:45 left in the first half when the Giants got the ball at their nine-yard-line and looked to put together a drive that could result in another field goal before the halftime break.

The Giants drove to their 35-yard-line until Simms threw a pass that was deflected by Rams cornerback Jerry Gray and landed in the hands of strong safety Michael Stewart, who returned the interception 29 yards to the Giants' 20-yard-line with 24 seconds left, giving the Rams just enough time to take a shot at the end zone.

On the very next play, Everett fired a 20-yard touchdown pass to Anderson that with the extra point gave Los Angeles a 7-6 lead with 17 seconds left in the first half.

Simms would take a knee to end the first half as the Giants, controlling the game for much of the first half, were down 7-6 at halftime.

The Rams got the ball to start the second half as they began their first possession of the half at their 29-yard-line where Everett would connect with Ellard for five yards to start the drive, then hit Ellard for 27 yards on the next play to give LA a 1st down at the Giants' 39-yard-line.

That is when Everett took a shot at the end zone as he threw a pass intended for Anderson, only to have it intercepted by Giants cornerback Mark Collins who stayed in the end zone for a touchback to give the Giants the ball at their 20-yard-line.

After an exchange of punts, the Giants got the ball back at their 18-yard-line when they put together their best drive since the first quarter.

The drive began with three straight runs by Anderson that picked up 19 yards before Simms threw an incomplete pass to set up 3rd & 1 where fullback Maurice Carthon got the ball and ran for three yards and the 1st down.

After an holding penalty on the Rams' Stewart gave the Giants a 1st down at their 49-yard-line, Simms would complete three of his next four passes, hitting Meggett for 11 yards to push the Giants to the Rams' 40-yard-line, then hitting Carthon for eight yards, and then finally connecting with tight end Zeke Mowatt for 23 yards to give New York 1st & goal at the LA nine-yard-line.

From there, Anderson would get the call on three straight carries picking up six, then one, and finally running it in for a two-yard touchdown to cap off the 12-play, 82-yard drive which took six and a half minutes off the clock, but more importantly gave the Giants a 13-7 lead with 1:57 left in the third quarter.

The Rams would begin their next drive at their 17-yard-line where after an incomplete pass on 1st down and a five-yard pass to Damone Johnson on 2nd down, Everett connected with Ellard for 23 yards and a 1st down at the LA 45-yard-line, which was followed by a seven-yard run by Bell to push the Rams into Giants territory as the third quarter came to an end.

Bell would get the ball to start the 4th quarter as he ran for 18 yards, which was followed by a 16-yard pass from Everett to Ellard to give the Rams a 1st down at the Giants' 14-yard-line.

However, the Giants' defense would hold and force the Rams to settle for a 31-yard field goal by Mike Lansford which cut the New York lead in half to 13-10 with 12:51 remaining in the 4th quarter.

Rams wide receiver Henry Ellard finished with eight catches for 125 yards.

Following an Giants punt, the Rams got the ball back at their 20-yard-line with 9:32 left in the 4th quarter and a chance to at least tie the game.

Everett would come out firing to start the drive as he completed back-to-back passes of five yards each, first to Bell and then to Johnson, to pick up a LA 1st down when Bell was dropped for a three-yard-loss to set up 2nd & 13.

That is when Everett went to Ron Brown, who made a 10-yard catch on 2nd down, then a 11-yard catch on 3rd & 3 to give the Rams a 1st down at their 48-yard-line.

Everett would then connect with Pete Holohan for eight yards, then with Johnson for five yards to give the Rams a 1st down at the Giants' 39-yard-line.

From there, the Rams would go to the running game as McGee ran for 14 yards and another 1st down which was followed by a 13-yard scramble by Everett for a 1st down at the New York 12-yard-line.

Bell carried the ball on the next two plays, gaining seven yards to set up 3rd & 3 at the Giants' five-yard-line when disaster nearly struck as Giants cornerback Perry Williams nearly picked off Everett's pass intended for Anderson only to have be incomplete.

Lansford would come and kick a 22-yard field goal to tie the game at 13 with 3:01 left in regulation.

The Giants would get the ball at their 31-yard-line with hopes of driving down the field and getting the winning score before the end of regulation only to have the drive began with a quarterback sack by Rams linebacker Fred Strickland to drop Simms for an eight-yard-loss.

Following an incomplete pass, Simms would connect with Lionel Manuel for 24 yards and a 1st down at the New York 47-yard-line where two incomplete passes and a pass to Anderson that went for no yards forced the Giants to punt the ball back to the Rams, who took over at their 20-yard-line with 47 seconds left and only one timeout.

A six-yard run by McGee followed by an eight-yard pass to Holohan gave the Rams a 1st down at their 34-yard-line as Everett called timeout with 20 seconds to go.

McGee would get the ball again, running for 14 yards before stepping out of bounds at the LA 48-yard-line, setting the Rams up with a shot to take a "Hail Mary".

But Everett would be forced to scramble as he ran 12 yards to run out the clock as the game would go into overtime tied at 13.

Rams quarterback Jim Everett completed 25 of 44 passes for 315 yards and threw two touchdowns.

The Rams won the coin toss and of course took the ball needing just a field goal to win the game.

Starting at his 23-yard-line, Everett would find Holohan for 12 yards and a 1st down at the LA 35-yard-line where after an incomplete pass, Everett connected with Ellard for 13 yards and another 1st down at the Rams' 48-yard-line.

Then, Everett tried to hook up with Anderson on a slant pattern, only to have Giants cornerback Sheldon White get called for pass interference to give the Rams a 1st down at the New York 25-yard-line.

Robinson planned to have Everett just hand the ball off three times before calling on the field goal unit but his thinking changed when right tackle Jackie Slater get called for a false start penalty to push the Rams back five yards to the Giants' 30-yard-line to set up 1st & 15.

Instead of just trying to set up a field goal, Robinson wanted Everett to take a shot at the end zone as Everett dropped back and fired a pass down the right side of the field for Anderson.

Anderson made the catch inside the Giants' five-yard-line and ran it for the 30-yard touchdown to give the Rams a 19-13 win just 66 seconds into overtime.

Anderson kept the ball and immediately ran toward the locker room as the fans at Giants Stadium were stunned to see their beloved Giants' season came to an end.

The Giants would get redemption the following year as they would beat the Buffalo Bills 20-19 in Super Bowl XXV for the team's second Super Bowl title in five years, thanks in large part to Ottis Anderson's MVP performance as he carried the ball 21 times for 102 yards and scored a touchdown.

As for the Rams, their Cinderella run would come to an end the following week as they were crushed by the 49ers 30-3 in the NFC Championship Game.

The Rams would not return to the playoffs for a decade as the team would have nine straight losing seasons with eight of them featuring 10 or more losses before the Rams returned to the playoffs in 1999 as the St. Louis Rams as the team had moved from Los Angeles following the 1994 season before returning to LA in 2016.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Marino Throws 5 Touchdowns to Lead Dolphins To Win over LA Rams

Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino completed 29 of 46 passes for 403 yards and threw five touchdown passes in the Dolphins' win over the Rams.

As the Miami Dolphins traveled to southern California to take on the Los Angeles Rams in week 15 of the NFL season, they knew their season was on the line.

Miami entered the game with a 7-7 record needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The Dolphins were lead by head coach Don Shula, who was in his 17th season at Miami, and a high-powered offense led by quarterback Dan Marino, who had rewritten the history books two years earlier to lead Miami to the Super Bowl.

While Marino had had another stellar season, with the helps of the "Marks Brothers" wide receivers Mark Clayton and Mark Duper, the Dolphins' defense had struggled ranking near the bottom of the league in points allowed and yards allowed.

The defense was so bad it gave up at least 30 points in five games, with two of those where the opponent scored at least 50, including 51 by the New York Jets in the famous 51-45 overtime shootout in Week 3(For more information, click on the highlighted link to read more about it:)

However, the Dolphins had won five of their last seven games to get back to .500 as the defense had not given up more than 30 points in the previous seven games.

The Dolphins' defense would have their hands full as they took on the Rams and running back Eric Dickerson who had run for 1,629 yards to lead Los Angeles to a 10-4 record entering their game with the Dolphins.

Despite Dickerson's excellence, the Rams were still looking for an answer at quarterback as LA possessed the NFL's worst passing attack.

After going through quarterbacks Steve Bartkowski and Steve Dils, Rams head coach John Robinson turned to rookie Jim Everett to steer the ship for the Rams.

Everett lead the Rams to a 3-1 record over his first four career starts and to the brink of the NFC West Division championship if they could beat the Dolphins.

 After the Rams went three-and-out on their opening possession of the game, the Dolphins got the ball at their 37-yard-line and quickly drove down to the LA 23-yard-line as Marino completed his first three passes for 33 yards.

But on 1st & 10 from the Rams' 23-yard-line, running back Lorenzo Hampton dropped a pitch from Marino, which was recovered by Rams cornerback Jerry Gray at the Los Angeles 18-yard-line.

The Rams would go three-and-out again on their following possession, punting the ball back to the Dolphins who took over at the 50-yard-line and once again drove down the field as a 24-yard pass from Marino to Clayton and a 14-yard run by Hampton set up 1st & goal at the LA nine-yard-line.

But for the second straight drive, the Dolphins would turn it over as on 3rd & goal, Marino's pass for Nat Moore deflected off several players before landing in the hands of Rams free safety Vince Newsome, who took a knee in the end zone for a touchback, which would allow LA to start its ensuing possession from its 20-yard-line.

That is when the Rams' offense got going as Everett completed three passes to Henry Ellard for a total of 38 yards to drive LA to the Miami 18-yard-line as the first quarter came to an end.

Everett would connect with Ellard again for 13 yards on the first play of the second quarter to set up a 1st & goal at the Dolphins' five-yard-line when Dickerson got the call.

Dickerson ran up the middle, on his way to an apparent touchdown, when he was hit at the one-yard-line by Dolphins linebacker John Offerdahl, forcing a fumble that was recovered in the end zone by Rams left guard Tom Newberry for a LA touchdown to give the Rams a 7-0 lead on the second play of the second quarter.

Rams running back Eric Dickerson ran the ball 28 times for 124 yards and scored one touchdown.

The Dolphins would begin its next possession at their 20-yard-line where after picking up one 1st down, Marino handed the ball off to Ron Davenport, who threw it back to Marino on a flea-flicker and fired a pass to Duper, who made the catch at the LA 30-yard-line and then outran the Rams defense for a 69-yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7, just 69 seconds after the Rams' touchdown.

The Rams would get the ball back at their 21-yard-line when they called on Dickerson's name to help lead them down the field as he carried the ball three straight times for 11 yards, then caught a 13-yard screen pass from Everett to give LA a 1st down at their 45-yard-line.

But that is where Dickerson fumbled the football again this time the Dolphins recovered as Miami linebacker Larry Kolic made the recovery at the Rams' 39-yard-line.

From there, the Dolphins drove 39 yards in nine plays, culminating with a six-yard touchdown pass to James Pruitt to give Miami a 14-7 lead with 7:11 left in the second quarter.

After the Rams went three-and-out on their next possession, the Dolphins got the ball at their 47-yard-line where after three straight running plays picked up 10 yards, Marino fired a 43-yard touchdown pass to Clayton to increase Miami's lead to 21-7 with 4:24 left in the second quarter.

The Rams tried to mount one more drive before halftime but could only reach the Miami 44-yard-line before having to punt back to the Dolphins who ran out the clock in the first half and went into the locker room with a 21-7 lead thanks to Marino's three 2nd quarter touchdown passes.

The Dolphins got the ball to start the second half but would go three-and-out, punting the ball back to the Rams who took over at the Miami 47-yard-line after a 30-yard punt by Reggie Roby.

Everett would connect with Ellard for 14 yards to start the drive, then handed the ball off to Dickerson who carried it twice for 15 yards, which was followed by Everett hitting Ellard for a 19-yard touchdown pass to cut the Dolphins' lead in half to 21-14 with 11:33 left in the third quarter.

The Dolphins would punt again on their ensuing possession, giving the ball back to the Rams, who took over at their 26-yard-line when Dickerson bursted for 25 yards on the 1st play of the drive to put LA in Miami territory.

Following a nine-yard pass from Everett to Tim Tyrell, Dickerson would run for four yards on 2nd & 1, then for 13 more on the next play to set up Everett's 23-yard touchdown pass to Kevin House which tied the game at 21 with 6:24 remaining in the third quarter.

The Dolphins would respond with an eight-play, 83-yard drive where Marino completed all eight of his passes, including a 40-yarder to Duper which set up a Marino-to-Duper five-yard touchdown pass that allowed for Miami to retake the lead at 28-21 with 1:35 to go in the third quarter.

The Dolphins would force the Rams to go three-and-out on their ensuing possession, getting the ball back at their 44-yard-line as the 4th quarter began.

Marino stayed hot as he completed his next five passes, including a 19-yarder to Hampton on 2nd & 11 from the Miami 43-yard-line, then hitting Moore for 24 yards on 3rd & 3 from the LA seven-yard-line.

Marino's streak of 13 straight completions would end on 3rd & goal at the one-yard-line when Rams strong safety Nolan Cromwell's safety blitz caused Marino to throw an incomplete pass forcing Shula to make a decision on whether to kick the field goal or go for the touchdown.

Shula decided to keep it safe and kick the field goal which Fuad Reveiz made from 18 yards out to increase the Dolphins' lead to 31-21 with 10:06 left in the 4th quarter.

In just his fifth career NFL start, Rams quarterback Jim Everett completed 18 of 31 passes for 251 yards and threw two touchdowns.

The Rams would begin their next possession at their 22-yard-line where it took them only four plays to drive to inside the Dolphins' red zone as Everett connected with David Hill twice for 24 yards and then House for 31 yards to put LA at the Miami 17-yard-line.

However, the Dolphins' defense would stiffen and allow only two more yards on three plays, forcing the Rams to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Ray Lansford to cut the LA deficit to a touchdown at 31-24 with 6:47 left in the 4th quarter.

The Rams would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 25-yard-line with 5:29 left in regulation and a chance to drive for the game-tying touchdown.

The Rams would come out throwing as Everett hit Hill for 18 yards to start the drive, then connected with Ellard for 22 yards to put LA at the Miami 35-yard-line in just two plays.

However, Everett's next two passes would fall incomplete forcing a 3rd & 10 when Everett found House for 11 yards and a 1st down at the Dolphins' 24-yard-line.

Dickerson would get the ball on 1st down and ran for five yards, which was followed by a six-yard scramble by Everett to give the Rams a 1st down at the Miami 13-yard-line.

From there, Dickerson would carry the ball four straight times for 13 yards, with the last carry being an one-yard touchdown that with Lansford's extra point tied the game at 31 with 50 seconds left in regulation.

The Dolphins would not pick up a 1st down on their ensuing possession forcing them to punt the ball back to the Rams who took a knee to run out the clock in regulation and go into overtime tied at 31.

The Dolphins would win the coin toss and elected to receive as Craig Ellis returned the overtime kickoff 22 yards to the Miami 25-yard-line.

After Marino connected with Davenport for eight yards on 1st down, Davenport would bust loose for the longest run of the game as he ran for 35 yards to the LA 32-yard-line.

But two plays later, it appeared that the Rams had dodged a bullet as LA defensive back Mickey Sutton picked off a pass that bounced off the hands of Clayton, only to have nullified by an offsides penalty on linebacker Kevin Greene, giving the Dolphins five yards and a 2nd down at the LA 27-yard-line.

Davenport would run for five yards on the next play to pick up the 1st down which was followed by a two-yard run by Hampton to set up 2nd & 8 from the Rams' 20-yard-line.

That is when Marino fired a pass toward the end zone for Duper, who lived up to his nickname of "Super Duper" and made the catch despite excellent coverage from Rams cornerback LeRoy Irvin for his third touchdown of the game, a 20-yarder to give Miami a 37-31 overtime win.

Mark Duper makes the game-winning touchdown catch for the Dolphins in overtime.

The win kept the Dolphins' playoff hopes alive as they moved to 8-7 while the loss dropped the Rams to 10-5, who still clinched a playoff spot thanks to a loss by the Minnesota Vikings to the Houston Oilers.

The Rams would face the San Francisco 49ers in a winner-take-all game for the NFC West which the Rams lost 24-14, giving the 49ers the division title while the Rams had to play in the NFC Wild Card Game against the Washington Redskins which they lost 19-7.

As for the Dolphins, their chances of going to the playoffs were squashed when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers on the final Sunday of the season to clinch the final spot in the AFC playoffs as Miami would lose to the New England Patriots to end the season with a 8-8 record, the first of four straight seasons where the Dolphins would miss the playoffs.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Montana + Taylor Lead Niners to Comeback Win over Rams

49ers wide receiver John Taylor put together a historic performance against the Rams in 1989.

For a player that lined up alongside the greatest wide receiver of all time in Jerry Rice, John Taylor did not have a bad career.
In his nine-year career from 1987-95, Taylor caught 347 passes for 5,598 yards and score 43 touchdowns while being named to the Pro Bowl twice.
He also won three Super Bowl rings with the first one being the 49ers' legendary 20-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII where Taylor caught the game-winning touchdown pass with 34 seconds left.
Even though he caught the game-winning touchdown in the game, he was still in Rice's shadow as Rice caught 11 passes for 215 yards to earn Super Bowl MVP honors.
But one Monday night in December 1989, Taylor had the spotlight to himself as he put together a legendary performance against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football.
The 49ers were under the direction of first-year head coach George Seifert, who had taken over head coaching duties after Bill Walsh's retirement following their win in Super Bowl XXIII.
But with an offense which featured Rice, Taylor, running back Roger Craig and perhaps the greatest quarterback of all time in Joe Montana, Seifert's first year was less stressful as they entered the game with Los Angeles with a 11-2 record and one win away from their fourth straight NFC West division title and seventh in nine years.
Standing in their way of another NFC West division title were the Rams, who were 9-4 and one of only two teams who had defeated the 49ers in 1989 as they knocked off the San Francisco 13-12 in Candlestick Park in Week 4 of the season.
The Rams got off to a 5-0 start but then lost four games in a row before going on a four-game winning streak, which included a 20-17 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints where wide receiver Flipper Anderson set the NFL single game record for receiving yards as he picked up 336 yards on 15 catches.
With Anderson and quarterback Jim Everett at the helm of the offense, the Rams had the firepower to match the 49ers' legendary "West Coast Offense".
Plus, if they could pull off the win over the 49ers, they would be a game back of San Francisco with two weeks to go and would hold the tiebreaker for the division title if both teams ended the regular season with the same record.
So to say the game in Anaheim was a big deal, would be an understatement.

Joe Montana would complete 30 of 42 passes for 458 yards and throw three touchdowns, two of them to John Taylor.

The Rams got off to a hot start as they drove 75 yards in eight plays on the opening possession of the game as Everett connected with Anderson for 34 yards on the first play from scrimmage, then hit Ron Brown for 27 yards on a 3rd & 11, all leading to Greg Bell's three-yard touchdown run to give LA a 7-0 lead just 3:43 into the game.
Then after forcing a 49ers punt, the Rams would drive 66 yards in five plays with the key play being a 42-yard pass interference penalty on 49ers cornerback Daryl Pollard, leading to Everett's four-yard touchdown pass to Damone Johnson to increase the LA lead to 14-0 with 4:47 left in the opening quarter.
In a 14-point hole, the 49ers offense needed to get going but on the first play of their ensuing drive, Montana was picked off by Rams cornerback Leroy Irvin, whose 18-yard return gave the Rams the ball at the San Francisco 11-yard-line with a chance for another touchdown.
However, the 49ers defense would hold, forcing a 25-yard field goal by Mike Lansford which increased the Rams' lead to 17-0 with 2:56 left in the first quarter.
But holding the Rams to a field goal was the spark the 49ers needed as Terrence Flagler returned the ensuing kickoff 40 yards to the San Francisco 45-yard-line.
From there, Montana would complete four of his next five passes for 43 yards to set up a 1st & goal at the two-yard-line as the first quarter come to a close.
After the two teams walked down to the other end of the field, the Rams' defense would stiffen as they would not allow another yard, forcing the 49ers to settle for a 19-yard field goal by Mike Cofer to get San Francisco on the scoreboard, but trailing 17-3.
Following an exchange of punts, the Rams got the ball at their 20-yard-line but were quickly in 49ers territory as Everett hit Anderson for 38 yards to begin the drive.
The Rams would drive to the four-yard-line where they lined up to kick a 21-yard field goal, only to have holder Pete Holohan take the snap and try to run it in for a touchdown.
But Holohan was tackled one yard short of the end zone by 49ers linebacker Mike Walter, giving the 49ers the ball at their one-yard-line, but still down 17-3.
Montana threw an incomplete pass on 1st down, then hit tight end Brent Jones for seven yards to set up a 3rd & 3 when Taylor made his first big play of the game.
Montana took the snap, dropped back, and fired a pass for Taylor, who made the catch at the 49ers' 19-yard-line, then cut across the field toward the left sideline, where he faked out defensive back Anthony Newman at the San Francisco 47-yard-line, then ran down the left sideline for the remaining 53 yards to complete a 92-yard touchdown to bring the 49ers to within a touchdown at 17-10 with 2:27 left in the first half.

The 49ers defense would force the Rams to punt on their next possession to get the ball back at their 37-yard-line with 1:24 to go in the first half as Montana would complete five passes in a row to drive San Francisco to the Rams' five-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal with 17 seconds remaining before halftime.
That is when the 49ers started to go backwards as Montana threw an incomplete pass on 1st down, then was sacked for a 12-yard loss by Rams linebacker Kevin Greene on 2nd down, then lost 10 more yards on a holding penalty which wiped out a 22-yard touchdown pass to Craig, which was followed by another loss of five yards on a false start on Cofer's 49-yard field goal.
In total, the 49ers went 32 yards in the wrong direction and would come away with no points as Cofer missed a 54-yard field goal as the first half came to an end with the Rams still leading 17-10.
The 49ers got the ball to start the second half but went three-and-out, punting the ball back to the Rams, who took over at their 44-yard-line.
That is when Everett took command as he hit Holohan for 12 yards to begin the drive, then connected with Holohan again, this time for 16 yards to give LA a 1st down at the 49ers' 24-yard-line.
Everett would then connect with Buford McGee on back-to-back completions, with the second one being a 13-yard touchdown to push the Rams' lead back to double digits at 24-10 with 10:28 left in the third quarter.
After both teams punted on their next possessions, the 49ers got the ball at their 39-yard-line as they drove to the Rams' 12-yard-line in six plays with Montana accounted for all of the 49 yards on offense as he completed four passes for 34 yards and scrambled for 15 yards on two carries.
But on 1st down from the LA 12-yard-line, Montana was intercepted when his pass bounced off the hands of Craig and into the hands of Rams strong safety Michael Stewart, whose 35-yard return gave the Rams the ball at their 37-yard-line.
From there, the Rams would drive 58 yards in nine plays on a drive that would span into the 4th quarter and end with a 22-yard field goal by Lansford to increase the Rams' lead to 27-10 with 13:34 left in regulation.
Down by 17 points again, the 49ers needed "Montana Magic" if they were going to win or at least force the game into overtime.
They would get some of that magic on their ensuing possession as Montana connected with Taylor for 23 yards and then with Jones for 28 yards, leading to a seven-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wilson to cut the Rams' lead to 27-17 with just over 10 minutes to play in the 4th quarter.
But when the Rams got the ball back at their 26-yard-line for their next possession, it appeared LA was on the verge of putting the game away as they drove to the 49ers' four-yard-line where they had a 2nd & goal.
That is when Everett fumbled the snap from center which was recovered by 49ers linebacker Matt Millen at the San Francisco five-yard-line.
It would only take Montana one play to make the Rams pay as he hit Taylor in stride at the 16-yard-line, who then got away from three LA defenders as he once again cut toward the left sideline, where he ran untouched for his second 90+ yard touchdown of the game, this one for 95 yards.

However, Cofer would miss the extra point, keeping it a 27-23 game, which meant the 49ers would now need a touchdown for their next score, instead of a field goal which would have tied the game had Cofer made the extra point.
Nevertheless, the 49ers would get another gift courtesy of the Rams on the ensuing kickoff as Keith Henderson hit Brown on the kickoff, forcing a fumble which Henderson recovered to give San Francisco the ball at the Rams' 27-yard-line with 6:15 left in the game.
Taylor would strike again as he caught a 15-yard pass on 3rd & 5 from the 22-yard-line, setting up Craig's one-yard touchdown run, which gave the 49ers their first lead of the game at 30-27 with 3:42 left in regulation.
The Rams got the ball at their 20-yard-line but after Everett was sacked by 49ers defensive end Pierce Holt, LA head coach John Robinson sent in the punting unit as LA faced a 4th & 17 situation.
Dale Hatcher would get off a 42-yard punt which was returned by Taylor for nine yards, setting the 49ers shop at the LA 46-yard-line with 2:35 left and needed a 1st down to win the game.
After Craig ran for five yards on back-to-back carries and the Rams burned their two remaining timeouts, the 49ers were faced with a 3rd & 5 at the LA 41-yard-line with 2:20 to go.
That is when Montana would connect with Taylor for the 11th and final time in the game, this one for nine yards to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Rams' 32-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.
Montana would take a knee on the next three snaps to run out the clock to complete the improbable comeback as the 49ers came away with a 30-27 win and the NFC West title as Taylor finished the game with 11 catches for 286 yards and two touchdowns.
The Rams would recover from the 49ers loss to win their last two game of the regular season to finish with a 11-5 record and earn the final Wild Card spot in the NFC while San Francisco would win their last two games to finish with a 14-2 and earn home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
The Rams would go on the road and knock off the Philadelphia Eagles 21-7 in the NFC Wild Card Game, then upset the New York Giants 19-13 in overtime on Flipper Anderson's game-winning 30-yard touchdown pass.
This would set up a rematch with the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, who demolished the Minnesota Vikings 41-13, thanks to Montana's four touchdown passes.
In the title game, Montana would complete 26 of 30 passes for 262 yards and throw two touchdowns, one of them to Taylor as the 49ers stomped the Rams 30-3 to earn their fourth trip to the Super Bowl in nine yards, where they destroyed the Denver Broncos 55-10 for their fourth Super Bowl title.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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