NFL Old School Game of the Week: "The Hit" Propels Giants to Victory over Broncos

During the 1980s, the most famous New York Giants linebacker was Lawrence Taylor who almost single-handily transformed the Giants from a bottom feeder into a winner as New York ended a 18-year absence from the postseason in Taylor's rookie year which was followed five years later with the Giants winning their first Super Bowl.

Taylor was not the only Giants linebacker as he played alongside future Hall-of-Famer Harry Carson as well as all-pro Brad Van Pelt in the early part of the 80s and then Carl Banks in the later part of the decade.

Another name in the Giants' linebacker corps as Gary Reasons, who had been selected in the fourth round of the 1984 NFL Draft out of Northwestern State, who would go to be a member of the Giants' two Super Bowl championship squads in 1986 + 1990 as he played 122 games for the Giants with 80 of those as a starter.

Reasons' most famous moment would come in week 14 of the 1989 regular season when the Giants traveled to Denver to take on the Broncos on a snowy day in Denver where Reasons would etch his name in New York Giants lore.

The Giants came into the game with a 9-4 record but had lost three of their previous four games to fall behind the Philadelphia Eagles in the race for the NFC East division title.

The Giants were led by head coach Bill Parcells, who was in his seventh season as the New York head coach having led the Giants to their first NFL title since 1956 as he help guide New York to a win in Super Bowl XXI, ironically over the Broncos in a 39-20 triumph thanks in large part to quarterback Phil Simms MVP performance in which he completed 22 of 25 passes for 268 yards and threw three touchdowns.

However, ever since that win in January of 1987, the Giants had not made the playoffs as they finished with a losing record in 1987 then had their playoff hopes for 1988 dashed in the final game of the regular season as the New York Jets eliminated their crosstown rival from playoff contention(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2023/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-jets-derail.html).

The Giants would go into the game with the Broncos a wounded animal as Taylor would be sidelined because of back spasms while running back Ottis Anderson was recovering from hemorrhoid surgery, though he would give it a go.

On the other side of the field were the Denver Broncos with a 10-3 record who were looking to secure the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs if they could defeat the Giants.

Led by one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in John Elway, the Broncos were hoping to return to the postseason after missing the playoffs in 1988 following two straight trips to the Super Bowl which both ended in defeat.

Strangely in 1989, it was not Elway that was the biggest reason for Denver's success as rookie running back Bobby Humphrey had given the Broncos the running game they had lacked in previous seasons as well as one of the top defenses in the league with the addition of another rookie in safety Steve Atwater.

With the absence of Taylor and the limitation of Anderson, the Giants were given a difficult task in defeating the Broncos which was made even more challenging with the game would be played in a steady snow with temperatures at 23 but with a wind chill of near zero.

The Broncos would get the ball to start the game as they would drive from their 25-yard-line to the Giants' 44-yard-line until they were forced to punt the ball to the Giants who would begin their opening possession of the game at their 15-yard-line.

Following a four-yard run by Anderson to start the drive, fullback Maurice Carthon would carry the ball on the next three plays as he gained 31 yards to move the Giants to the 50-yard-line as Anderson would catch a seven-yard pass from Simms to set up 3rd & 1 when Carthon get the ball again as he run for three yards to pick up a New York 1st down at the Denver 40-yard-line.

A holding penalty would push the Giants back to their 49-yard-line as Carthon would catch two straight passes for 16 yards to set up 3rd & 5 when Simms hit wide receiver Stephen Baker for 11 yards to move the sticks and give New York a 1st down at the Denver 24-yard-line.

Three straight runs by Anderson totaled 10 yards to give the Giants another 1st down as Lewis Tillman would carry the ball on the last play of the first quarter as he gained one yard to bring up a 3rd & 9 at the Broncos' 13-yard-line.

Simms would then complete a 10-yard pass to George Adams to give the Giants a 1st & goal situation when Anderson punched it in for a three-yard touchdown to end the 15-play, 85-yard drive that took nearly nine minutes off the clock and give New York a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter.

After forcing the Broncos to go three-and-out on their ensuing possession, the Giants got the ball back at their 46-yard-line as a 24-yard pass from Simms to Mark Ingram would put the Giants in Denver territory only for the drive to stall as Simms was sacked by Broncos defensive end Alphonso Carreker for a seven-yard loss that would force the Giants to punt the ball back to the Broncos.

The drive began with an apparent 50-yard run by Humphrey which was called back because of a holding penalty on left tackle Gerald Perry that would push the Broncos back 10 yards as they would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Giants, who would get great field position as rookie Dave Meggett returned the ensuing punt 26 yards to the Broncos' 36-yard-line.

However, the Giants would go backwards as a tripping penalty on center Bart Oates plus a quarterback sack by defensive end Ron Holmes that dropped Simms for a 12-yard-loss would put the Giants in a 3rd & 31 situation or as Parcells said after the game "3rd & Arkansas".

Seemingly content to punt the ball back to the Broncos, Simms threw a screen pass in the left flat for Meggett, who made the catch despite bobbling the ball at his 45-yard-line, then got two key blocks by Oates and left guard William Roberts to help spring Meggett loose as he dodged the tackle attempts of Atwater and Tyrone Braxton on his way for a stunning 57-yard touchdown that increased the Giants' lead to 14-0 midway through the second quarter.

The Broncos would get the ball back at their 23-yard-line for their next possession as it took Denver one play to get into Giants territory as Elway completed a 42-yard pass to Vance Johnson to give Denver a 1st down at the New York 35-yard-line.

After the next three plays netted five yards, the Broncos were faced with a 4th & 5 at the Giants' 30-yard-line when Reeves decided to go for the 1st down as he felt a field goal from 47 yards out would be difficult in the snowy conditions.

The gamble would not pay off as Elway would throw an incomplete pass to give the ball back to the Giants at their 30-yard-line with 4:14 left before the end of the first half.

It seemed that the Broncos had forced a three-and-out as the Giants lined up to punt at their 39-yard-line when Reasons had his first big moment of the game as he had the ball snapped to him on a fake punt that only gained two yards but enough for a 1st down at the New York 41-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

From there, the Giants would drive to the Broncos' 30-yard-line when with one second left, Parcells would send in the field goal unit in hopes of increasing the lead to 17 points after thirty minutes of play.

But Bjorn Nittmo's kick would sail wide right of the uprights to keep the score at 14-0 in favor of the Giants as the first half came to an end.

The third quarter would begin with the two teams traded punts until the Broncos got the ball at their 28-yard-line when they put together their best drive of the game as they drove to the Giants' 10-yard-line thanks to four straight 3rd down conversions as Denver seemed poised to get on the scoreboard.

An eight-yard run by Humphrey on 1st & goal would put the Broncos at the Giants' two-yard-line as fullback Mel Bratton tried to dive it into the end zone from the two-yard-line, picking up one yard to set up 3rd & 1 when Humphrey was stopped by Reasons for no gain to force a 4th & 1 at the one-yard-line.

The Broncos would go try for the touchdown as Elway would take the snap and handed off to Humphrey, who tried to dive into the end zone, only to be met mid-air by Reasons as the rookie running back was stopped in his tracks for an one-yard loss but more importantly gave the ball back to the Giants with their 14-0 still intact.

The Giants would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Broncos as a 18-yard return by Ricky Nattiel would put Denver at the New York 32-yard-line as the fourth quarter got underway.

After two straight incomplete passes, Elway would threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Michael Young to finally put Denver on the scoreboard as they cut the Giants' lead to 14-7 just 31 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The two teams would exchange punts until 5:27 remained in regulation when the Broncos took over possession at their 20-yard-line hoping for Elway to deliver another 4th quarter comeback.

The drive would began with Elway completing a 10-yard pass to Johnson, which was followed by an incomplete pass and then two consecutive completions to Johnson for 15 yards to put the Broncos at their 45-yard-line as Elway would hit tight end Clearance Kay for 13 yards to move Denver into Giants territory with a 1st down at the New York 42-yard-line.

Elway would then two passes to Humphrey for 24 yards to move the Broncos to the Giants' 42-yard-line as a three-yard run by Bratton would set up a 2nd & 7 as the two-minute warning hit.

Two incomplete passes later, the Broncos were faced with a 4th & 7 at the Giants' 15-yard-line when Elway threw a pass intended for Johnson in the end zone only for running back Steve Sewell to mistakenly think the pass was intended for him as he tried to catch the ball but ended being unsuccessful as Denver turned it over on downs.

Needing one 1st down to end the game, the Giants would go three-and-out as the Broncos spent all three of their timeouts to preserve as much time as possible as New York would punt the back to Denver who would take over at their 23-yard-line with 1:15 left in regulation.

After two incomplete passes to begin the drive, Elway would hit Young for 22 yards to give the Broncos a 1st down at their 45-yard-line as a five-yard run by Elway and a spike to stop the clock would set up 3rd & 5 at the 50-yard-line when Elway found Mark Jackson for 16 yards and a Denver 1st down at the Giants' 34-yard-line.

From there, Elway would threw two passes into the end zone but neither of them connected for what would be the game tying touchdown as time expired with the Giants on top 14-7 in what Parcells called one of the greatest wins he had ever had since he became the New York head coach.

Despite the loss, the Broncos would clinch home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a 37-0 rout of the Phoenix Cardinals in the penultimate week of the season as Denver would finish the regular season with a 11-5 record while the Giants would win their remaining two games of the regular season that cupped with a Eagles loss, gave the NFC East to New York with a 12-4 record.

In the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, the Broncos would slip past the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-23 while the Giants would be eliminated by the Los Angeles Rams 19-13 in overtime on Jim Everett's game-winning 30-yard touchdown pass to Flipper Anderson(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2021/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-flippers.html).

The Broncos would go on to defeat the Cleveland Browns 37-21 in the AFC Championship Game to earn Denver its third trip to the Super Bowl in four years where they would be destroyed by the San Francisco 49ers 55-10 in the most lopsided game in Super Bowl history.

As for the Giants, they would redeem themselves one year later as they would win they second Lombardi Trophy in five years thanks in large part to a key contribution from Reasons in the Giants' 15-13 upset win over the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game as Reasons ran for 30 yards on a fake punt to set up a key field goal by Matt Bahr.

Reasons would be cut by the Giants after the 1991 season as the linebacker played one more season in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals before ultimately retiring following the 1992 season after a nine-year career.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Jets Derail Giants' Playoff Hopes With Win in Regular Season Finale

 

Al Toon makes what would be the game-winning touchdown in the Jets' 1988 victory over the Giants.

The rivalry between the New York Giants and the New York Jets is an unusual one as the teams often do not play each other because they represent different conferences as the Giants are in the NFC and the Jets are in the AFC.

While they do meet annually in the preseason ever since 1969, the two teams have only met only 15 times as of the 2023 season.

But in 1988, the two teams met in the final week of the regular season where one team needed a win to secure a spot in the playoffs while the other could play spoiler.

The Giants came into the game with a 10-5 record needing just one more victory to clinch the NFC East division title and return to the playoffs after missing the previous year.

"Big Blue" was led by head coach Bill Parcells who along with quarterback Phil Simms and linebacker Lawrence Taylor helped led the Giants to a 39-20 win in Super Bowl XXI on January 25, 1987 for the franchise's first NFL title since 1956.

Standing in their way were their crosstown rivals, the New York Jets, who had already been eliminated from the playoff race as they came in with a 7-7-1 record under head coach Joe Walton.

It had been tumultuous year for "Gang Green" as defensive end Mark Gastineau, part of the famed "New York Sack Exchange" retired seven weeks into the season to be with then-fiancee Brigette Nielsen, who was going through a health crisis at the time.

Having been eliminated with a loss two weeks earlier, the Jets came into the regular season finale hoping to prevent the Giants from making the playoffs as a Jets victory plus wins by the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams would keep the Giants from reaching the postseason as the two teams met in Giants Stadium with the Jets as the designated hometeam.

The Giants would get the ball to start the game as they would drove from their 25-yard-line to the Jets' 13-yard-line in 13 plays to set up a 31-yard field goal attempt by Paul McFadden, only for the kick to sail wide left to keep the game scoreless as the Jets would take over at their 20-yard-line with just over nine minutes left in the first quarter.

The Jets would run the ball four straight times, picking up 31 yards to drive into Giants territory when O'Brien completed a 28-yard pass to Al Toon to put New York at the Giants' 21-yard-line when the drive stalled as the Jets would settle for a 41-yard field goal by Pat Leahy to give the Jets a 3-0 lead with 4:31 to go in the first quarter.

Following a Giants three-and-out, the Jets would get the ball back at their 46-yard-line for their second possession of the game which started with a 37-yard pass from O'Brien to Wesley Walker to give the Jets a 1st down at the Giants' 17-yard-line.

From there, the Jets would run the ball four straight times for a total of 12 yards to put them at the Giants' five-yard-line when O'Brien found tight end Mickey Shuler in the end zone for the five-yard touchdown to increase the Jets' lead to 10-0 with 82 seconds to go in the opening quarter.

The Giants would get the ball back at their 25-yard-line as they would turn to running back Joe Morris to get them to drive down the field as he carried the ball six straight times for 46 yards to put the Giants at the Jets' 29-yard-line when Simms scrambled for 12 yards to give New York a 1st down inside the Jets' red zone.

That is when the "Sack Exchange" rose up as they sacked Simms on back-to-back plays to force another field goal attempt from McFadden, this time from 49 yards out.

Once again, McFadden would fail to make the field goal as his kick fell short of the uprights to give the Jets the ball at their 32-yard-line with a chance to increase their lead.

Giants quarterback Phil Simms threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns while running for 57 yards.

The drive would begin with a 10-yard pass from O'Brien to Shuler, which was followed by a three-yard run by Roger Vick to set up 2nd & 7 when O'Brien connected with Walker for 49 yards to give the Jets a 1st & goal at the Giants' six-yard-line.

That is when the "Big Blue Wrecking Crew" rose to the occasion as they would allow three yards on the next three plays to force the Jets to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Leahy which pushed the Jets' lead to 13-0 with 5:58 left in the second quarter.

The two teams would trade punts until the Giants got the ball at the 50-yard-line with 81 seconds left before halftime when Simms scrambled for 16 yards, then hit three straight passes for 29 yards to give the Giants a 1st & goal at the Jets' five-yard-line.

After throwing two incomplete passes, Simms would throw a five-yard touchdown pass to Stephen Baker to cut the Jets' lead to 13-7 with 10 seconds left in the first half as the Jets would take a knee to run out the clock on the first half.The Jets got the ball to start the second half but would go three-and-out to punt the ball to the Giants only to have Phil McConkey muff the punt, leading to a recovery by Kurt Sohn to give the Jets the ball at the Giants' six-yard-line.

It would take one play for the Jets to cash in on the turnover as Freeman McNeil ran it in for the six-yard touchdown to push the Jets' lead back to 13 points at 20-7 almost two minutes into the second half.

Following another exchange of punts, the Giants had the ball at their 33-yard-line as Morris would get his hands on the football on back-to-back plays, picking up 12 yards which was followed by an incomplete pass and a six-yard run by Ottis Anderson to bring up 3rd & 4 as Simms ran for 17 yards to give the Giants a 1st down at the Jets' 32-yard-line.

From there, Simms hit tight end Mark Bavaro for 21 yards, then handed the ball off to Morris who picked up two yards to bring up 2nd & 8 when Simms found Baker in the left corner of the end zone for the nine-yard touchdown to make it an one-possession game at 20-14 with 20 seconds to go in the third quarter.

The Jets would hold the ball for four minutes before they punted the ball back to the Giants who took over at their 20-yard-line with 11:08 left in the fourth quarter.

After Simms was sacked on 1st down by Jets linebacker Alex Gordon for a 10-yard-loss, Simms would complete a 19-yard pass to tight end Zeke Mowatt to set up 3rd & 1 when he handed the ball off to Anderson who picked up the single yard to give the Giants a fresh set of downs at their 30-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass on 1st down, Simms handed the ball off to Anderson, who gained 14 yards to give the Giants another 1st down at their 44-yard-line when Simms hit Lionel Manuel for 36 yards to put the Giants at the Jets' 20-yard-line.

Three plays later, Simms would find Manuel for a nine-yard touchdown that with the extra point gave the Giants their first lead of the game at 21-20 with 4:54 remaining in the game.

The Jets would get great field position to start their ensuing possession as Bobby Humphrey would return the ensuing kickoff 37 yards to the Jets' 48-yard-line, giving O'Brien a short field as the Jets needed only a field goal to retake the lead.

The drive would begin with O'Brien completing back-to-back passes to Vick for 18 yards to give the Jets a fresh set of downs at the Giants' 34-yard-line which was followed by a  four-yard pass from O'Brien to Toon.

O'Brien would then hand the ball off to Johnny Hector who gained three yards to set up 3rd & 3 when  O'Brien found Shuler for 16 yards to give the Jets a 1st down at the Giants' 11-yard-line.

Clearly in field goal range, the Jets seemed poised to milk as much time off the clock before attempting the field goal as McNeil would carry the ball on the next two plays to gain six yards to set up 3rd & 4 from the five-yard-line

That is O'Brien surprised the Giants and his coach as he called an audible from a running play to a pass as he lofted a pass for Toon, who was in man-to-man coverage, in the left corner of the end zone.

Toon would outjump Giants cornerback Tom Flynn to make the catch for the five-yard touchdown that with Leahy's extra point gave the Jets a 27-21 lead with 37 seconds left in the game.

Jets quarterback Ken O'Brien would complete 16 of 26 passes for 214 yards and throw two touchdowns.

With their playoff hopes on life support, the Giants would begin their next possession at their 24-yard-line needing a touchdown and an extra point to win.

Simms would complete a nine-yard pass to running back George Adams, then hit Manuel for 20 yards to give the Giants a 1st down at the Jets' 47-yard-line as they spent their last timeout with 15 seconds to go.

After Simms couldn't connect with Maneul on 1st down, he lofted a "Hail Mary"pass down the left side of the field only to have Jets cornerback James Hasty knock it down as time expired with the Jets coming away with the 27-21 victory.

The loss to the Jets was the start of a chain of events that did not go in the Giants' favor as it came to their playoff hopes as the Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys 23-7 to win the NFC East title as Philadelphia won both regular season games with the Giants to win the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Then, the  Rams knocked off the San Francisco 49ers 38-16 to clinch the last Wild Card spot, thus ending the Giants' season despite a 10-6 record.

The Giants would recover the following year to win the NFC East division then followed it up in 1990 with their second Super Bowl title in five years.

As for the Jets, the win over the Giants gave them a winning season as they finished with a 8-7-1 record for the team's fifth winning season in the past eight years.

However, the Jets would go into a decline the following season as they would go 4-12 which resulted in the firing of Walton as head coach as "Gang Green" would not have a winning season again until 1997.

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: Hostetler Comes off Bench to Lead Giants To Last-Second Win over Cardinals

Giants quarterback Jeff Hostetler came off the bench to complete 11 of 21 passes for 180 yards and throw a touchdown in the Giants' comeback win over the Cardinals.

 There are some games in a NFL season that later turn out to be a preview of things to come for the rest of that season.

For the New York Giants, such a game occurred in Week 7 of the 1990 NFL season when they hosted the Phoenix Cardinals.

The Giants were off to a 5-0 start under head coach Bill Parcells, whose formula of a strong running game and strong defense were still being used as the Giants were considered Super Bowl favorites.

The offense was led by former Super Bowl MVP Phil Simms, who was the league's highest rated passer entering the Cardinals game, and wily old veteran Ottis Anderson in the backfield at running back,  plus one of the league's top defenses which was led by linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

While the Giants had Super Bowl aspirations, the Cardinals were just trying to figure out how to get their franchise moving since their move from St. Louis to Phoenix back in 1988.

The Cardinals were led by head coach Joe Bugel, famous for being the offensive line coach for the Washington Redskins during two Super Bowl championships in 1980s, who was trying to build a winner in Phoenix(They would not be called the Arizona Cardinals until 1994)with second-year quarterback Timm Rosenbach and rookie running back Johnny Johnson.

If the Cardinals could knock off the Giants, they were push their record back to .500 as they stood 2-3 entering the New York game and perhaps could their season moving in the right direction.

A player that did not figure to be a factor in the game as Giants backup quarterback Jeff Hostetler, who was in his seventh season in the NFL and had made only two career starts in his previous six seasons.

Hostetler was at the point of thinking he should retire from the NFL since he didn't feel he was going to get an opportunity to showcase his talents in New York.

But in this upcoming game and later down the road, Hostetler would showed the world what he could do.

The Giants got the ball to start the game at their 30-yard-line and it appeared were set to punt after failing to pick up a 1st down following three plays that gained nine yards.

The Giants did line up in a punt formation but then had Hostetler, who was lined up as one of the protect man, get behind center and pitch out to running back Lee Rouson, who ran for three yards and the 1st down at the New York 42-yard-line.

Seven plays later, the Giants were in the end zone as Anderson punched it in for a four-yard touchdown to give New York a 7-0 lead with 8:49 left in the first quarter.

The Cardinals would begin their initial possession of the game at their 28-yard-line where on the first play from scrimmage, Johnson ran for 28 yards to the Giants' 44-yard-line, which was soon followed by a 16-yard pass from Rosenbach to Terrance Flagler for a Phoenix 1st down at the Giants' 24-yard-line.

The drive would stall as the Cardinals would pick only three yards on the next three plays, forcing them to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Al Del Greco to cut the Giants' lead to 7-3 with 5:43 to go in the opening period.

Following an exchange of punts, the Giants got the ball at their 23-yard-line where two runs by Anderson picked up four yards setting up 3rd & 6 when Simms dropped back to pass, only to get crushed by Cardinals linebacker Ken Harvey and cornerback Cedric Mack, leaving Simms with a concussion and sprained left ankle.

Simms would walk off on his power but would not return to the game as Hostetler warmed up on the sidelines while the Giants punted the ball back to the Cardinals.

After a three-and-out by the Cardinals, Hostetler and the Giants' offense came out onto the field with the ball with the ball at their 37-yard-line.

Hostetler's first play from scrimmage was a good one as he hit tight end Mark Bavaro for 19 yards and a 1st down at the Cardinals 44-yard-line.

Following an eight-yard run by Lewis Tillman on 1st down, disaster nearly struck for the Giants as fullback Maurice Carthon was stripped of the football by Cardinals linebacker Freddie Joe Nunn, only for Hostetler to land on the football at the Phoenix 35-yard-line.

The next play was a 10-yard run by Anderson for a 1st down at the Cardinals' 25-yard-line from where the Giants drove to inches with a 1st down on the next three plays.

Instead of going with a Matt Bahr field goal, Parcells decided to go for the 1st down, but this time was unsuccessful as Hostetler was stopped for no gain, giving the ball back to the Cardinals at their 16-yard-line.

The Cardinals would go three-and-out forcing them to punt the ball back to the Giants, who got a 27-yard return by Dave Meggett to the Phoenix 30-yard-line, which was followed by a 19-yard run by Anderson to set up a 34-yard field goal by Bahr to increase the New York lead to 10-3 with 4:15 left in the second quarter.

Giants running back Ottis Anderson ran for 88 yards on just 11 carries and scored one touchdown.

The Cardinals would get the ball at their 35-yard-line to start their next drive when Rosenbach got hot as he completed six of seven passes for 58 yards on a 10-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a bit of trickery by the Cardinals as Rosenbach hit offensive tackle Luis Sharpe, who lined up as an eligible receiver, for an one-yard touchdown that with Del Greco's extra point tied the game at 10 with 23 seconds to go in the first half.

The Giants would get the ball back at their 35-yard-line with enough time to drive to the Cardinals' 39-yard-line to allow Bahr to attempt a 56-yard field goal with one second left in the half.

Bahr's kick was short and the two teams went into the halftime break still tied 10-10 with the Cardinals set to get the ball to start the second half.

The Cardinals got the ball at their 30-yard-line and went to their running back Johnson to lead them down the field as he carried the ball eight times for 39 yards to set up a 3rd & goal from the Giants' five-yard-line when Rosenbach took the ball on a quarterback draw and was tackled short of the end zone at the one-yard-line by New York defensive lineman Eric Dorsey and Erik Howard to set up 4th & goal.

Phoenix could have gone for the touchdown but Bugel decided to play it safe and go for the field goal which he got as Del Greco made the 18-yard chip shot to give the Cardinals their first lead of the game at 13-10 with 8:17 left in the third quarter.

The Giants got the ball back at their 25-yard-line where one play after an one-yard-run by Anderson, Hostetler was sacked by Harvey causing a fumble that was recovered by Phoenix defensive end Ron Saddler at the New York 31-yard-line.

The Cardinals would drive 14 yards before settling for a 34-yard field goal by Del Greco to increase the Phoenix lead to 16-10 with 4:15 remaining in the third quarter.

After another exchange of punts, the Giants had the ball at the Cardinals' 35-yard-line where they drove to the Phoenix 26-yard-line when they were faced with a 4th & 1 situation.

Once agian, Parcells decided to go for it and once again the Giants were denied a 1st down as Carthon was stopped for no gain by Cardinals free safety Mike Zordich.

The Giants would force another three-and-out to get their offense the ball back at their 25-yard-line only to have Hostetler get picked off by Cardinals strong safety Tim McDonald, whose 20-yard return gave Phoenix the ball at the New York 25-yard-line.

The New York defense would hold strong not allowing a yard as the Cardinals were pushed back three yards on three plays as they ended up settling for a 45-yard field goal by Del Greco which increase Phoenix's lead to 19-10 with 5:38 left in the fourth quarter.

Cardinals running back Johnny Johnson would run the ball 30 times for 108 yards.

At this point, many Giants fans began to rush for the exits as it looked like their beloved Giants were going to fall from the ranks of the unbeaten at the hands of the lowly Cardinals.

But that is when the fun began.

The Giants would begin its next possession at their 23-yard-line and went to a no-huddle offense in effort to score as quickly as possible.

The drive began with a Hostetler seven-yard run on 1st down, followed by an incomplete pass, and then a five-yard run by Meggett to give the Giants a 1st down at their 35-yard-line.

Hostetler would hit Mark Ingram for 11 yards and another 1st down at the Giants' 46-yard-line, which was followed by another run by Hostetler this time for five yards, and then an 11-yard run by Meggett to give New York a 1st down at the Cardinals' 38-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass, Hostetler dropped back and went deep for Stephen Baker, who got behind McDonald and cornerback Lorenzo Lynch, to catch Hostetler's 38-yard touchdown pass to cut the Cardinals' lead to 19-17 with 3:21 to go in the game.

The Giants could have gone with an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, but Parcells decided to kick it deep, giving the ball back to the Cardinals at their 20-yard-line.

The Cardinals put the game in Johnson's hands, who carried the ball four straight times gaining 13 yards to set up a crucial 3rd & 9 from the Phoenix 33-yard-line.

That is when Rosenbach kept the ball on a quarterback bootleg only to be stopped four yards shy of the 1st down, forcing the Cardinals to punt the ball back to the Giants who would take over at their 29-yard-line with 58 seconds left and no timeouts remaining.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Hostetler hit Ingram, who made a sliding catch to give the Giants a 1st down at the Cardinals' 45-yard-line.

Hostetler's next pass would be incomplete by the Giants would catch a break as Lynch was called for holding giving the Giants five free yards and a fresh set of downs at the Cardinals' 40-yard-line.

Following two incomplete passes, Hostetler found Lionel Manuel for a 17-yard reception at the Phoenix 23-yard-line when the Giants ran to the line so that Hostetler could spike the ball which he did with three seconds remaining in the game.

Bahr would come on to attempt the game-winning 40-yard field goal, which he made right down the middle as the clock expired to give the Giants an unlikely 20-19 win and improve their record to 6-0 while dropping the Cardinals to 2-4.

Hostetler raises his arms in celebration after Matt Bahr kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired.

While the Cardinals would go on to finish the season with a 5-11 record, the Giants would continue to improve on their best start in team history as they moved to 10-0 until a late season slump where they lost three of their next four games dropped them to 11-3.

Even worse, they lost Simms for the year as he broke his foot in a 17-13 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Hostetler would come in and fill in for Simms for the rest of the season as he lead the Giants to two straight wins to end the regular season, including a 24-21 win over the Cardinals as New York clinched the NFC East title with a 13-3 record good enough to earn the #2 seed in the NFC and a first round bye.

In the Divisional Playoffs, the Giants would rout the Chicago Bears 31-3, then stunned the two-time defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers 15-13 as Bahr kicked five field goals, including the game-winning 42-yard field goal as time expired to send New York to Super Bowl XXV where they faced off with the Bills.

Using a ball-control offense that took up 40 minutes off the clock and behind Hostetler's 222 passing yards, the Giants would upset the Bills 20-19 as Scott Norwood missed a 47-yard field goal in the final seconds to preserve the Giants' second Super Bowl title in five years.

Hostetler would spend the next two years in New York competing with Simms for the starting quarterback job before being signing with the Los Angeles Raiders as a free agent before the 1993 NFL season where he spent four years as he lead the Raiders to a playoff spot in the 1993 season, then spent the 1997 + 98 seasons with the Washington Redskins before his retirement after a 15-year career in the NFL.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NFL Old School Game of the Week: 4th & 17 Conversion Leads to "Giant" Win over Minnesota

Giants quarterback Phil Simms would throw for 310 yards on 25-of-38 passing and convert on a key 4th & 17 in the Giants' win over the Vikings.

There are moments in a championship season when a team, its fans, and the media start to believe that this team is destined to win a championship.

For the 1986 New York Giants, that moment came in Week 11 of the 1986 NFL season in a game against the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

The Giants entered the 1986 season as a heavy preseason favorite to win the Super Bowl based on their previous two seasons where they had won playoff games but had been knocked out in the Divisional Round by the eventual Super Bowl Champion(In 1984, they lost to the 49ers while in 1985 they lost to the Bears).

With head coach Bill Parcells plus all-pro linebacker Lawrence Taylor, the Giants stood at 8-2 as they prepared to travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings.

But yet questions remained if this team could go all the way as quarterback Phil Simms, who had thrown for over 4,000 yards in 1984 and nearly accomplished the feat again in 1985, was in the midst of a slump.

After starting out the season with an average of 281 yards per game in the first four games of the season, Simms' average had dropped to 154 yards over the next six games and in the previous two games, Simms had combined to throw for just 197 yards on 14-of-32 passing and threw three interceptions and zero touchdown passes.

Though they had running back Joe Morris, who would go over the 1,000 yard mark in this game, the Giants needed Simms to get back on track if they were to fulfill their Super Bowl expectations.

While the Giants were trying to get ready for a Super Bowl run, the Vikings were just trying to get into the playoffs as they stood with a 6-4 record as the Giants came to town.

The Vikings were led by first-year head coach Jerry Burns and had Tommy Kramer at quarterback, who would finish the year as the NFL's highest rated passer.

Kramer was going face a big test as he and the Vikings offense prepared to take on Taylor, who had accumulated 14.5 sacks up to this point in the season.

Even though it was mid-November, this game felt like a must-win game for both teams.

After the Vikings punted on their opening possession, the Giants got the ball at their 20-yard-line where they came out throwing as Simms would hit his first three passes for 46 yards, leading the Giants to the Minnesota 25-yard-line.

However, the drive would stall as Simms would threw two straight incomplete passes after an one-yard run by fullback Maurice Carthon, forcing the Giants to settle for a 41-yard field goal by Raul Allegre to give New York a 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

The Vikings would respond with a 13-play, 57-yard drive which ended with a 39-yard field goal by Chuck Nelson to tie the game 3-3 with 1:19 left in the first quarter.

The Giants would go rely on Morris for their next drive as he carried the ball three times for 21 yards and caught a 17-yard pass from Simms, leading to a 3rd & 6 situation at the Vikings' 12-yard-line as the game moved into the second quarter.

That is when Vikings defensive end Mark Mullaney came in to sack Simms, dropping him for an eight-yard loss and forcing the Giants to settle for another Allegre field goal, this one from 37 yards out to put New York ahead 6-3 with 12:46 to go in the second quarter.

Kramer got going on the Vikings' next possession as he would complete three of four passes for 49 yards to drive the Minnesota offense to the Giants' 23-yard-line where they had a 1st & 10 situation.

But that is when the Giants defense struck as running back Darrin Nelson was dropped for a four-yard loss on 1st down, followed by a Taylor sack of Kramer for a five-yard-loss, pushing the Vikings back to the New York 32-yard-line.

Kramer would get six yards back on a quarterback scramble to set up Chuck Nelson's 44-yard field goal which tied the goal at 6 with 6:53 left in the first half.

When the Giants got the ball back at their 23-yard-line, Simms would continue his hot streak as he would complete his next four passes for 69 yards, including back-to-back 25-yard completions to tight end Mark Bavaro to give New York a 1st down at the Vikings' 11-yard-line.

But for the third time in a row, the Minnesota defense would hold the Giants to a field goal as Allegre made a 24-yard field goal to give the Giants a 9-6 lead with 2:23 remaining before halftime.

The Vikings got the ball at their 24-yard-line and quickly drove to the Giants' 26-yard-line in just five plays before the Giants defense stiffened and allowed only four yards on the next plays, forcing the Vikings to call on Chuck Nelson again to keep the kicking duel going as he would attempt a 39-yard field goal.

However, Nelson's kick would sail wide right, keeping it a 9-6 game in favor of the Giants, who would get the ball at their 21-yard-line with 55 seconds left to drive and pick up some more points.

Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer would complete 16 of 25 passes for 187 yards but leave the game with a thumb injury.

The Giants would go to a no-huddle offense as Simms would hit Tony Galbreath for six yards, Bavaro for 18 yards, and Bobby Johnson for 20 yards to put New York in Minnesota territory, primed for another Allegre field goal until a 10-yard penalty on left tackle Brad Benson pushed the Giants back to the Vikings' 43-yard-line with five seconds left.

Instead of attempting a Hail Mary pass, Parcells sent Allegre to attempt a 60-yard field goal, which was on target but fell a few yards short, keeping it a 9-6 game as the first half came to a close.

Even though they had not gotten into the end zone, the Giants had to feel good about their offense at the halftime break as Simms had completed 11 of 15 passes for 173 yards in the first half and would be getting the ball to start the second half.

However, the Giants would go three-and-out to start the second half, punting the ball back to the Vikings who took over at their 21-yard-line and drive to the Giants' 13-yard-line as Kramer completed four of six passes.

That is when the Vikings were faced with a 3rd & 11 where the Giants defense appeared to stop the Vikings as Darrin Nelson was dropped for a loss on the play, only to have Giants nose tackle Jerome Sally be called for lining up offsides, drawing a five-yard penalty and making it 3rd & 6 from the eight-yard-line.

The Vikings would take advantage of the penalty as Kramer hit Allen Rice for the eight-yard touchdown to give Minnesota their first lead of the game at 13-8 with 8:34 left in the third quarter.

The Giants got the ball back at their 15-yard-line and drive to the Vikings 14-yard-line until Simms threw his first interception of the game as he was picked off by Minnesota cornerback Issiac Holt on a pass intended for Phil McConkey.

Holt's 25-yard return gave the Vikings the ball at their 29-yard-line with 6:12 to play in the third quarter and still holding on to a 13-9 lead.

But the Minnesota offense would go three-and-out on their next possession, punting the ball back to the Giants who took over at their 42-yard-line.

The Giants would pick up a 1st down at the Minnesota 43-yard-line when the strangest play of the game occurred as Simms was intercepted again by Holt, only to be hit by Johnson, jarring the ball loose which was recovered by Bavaro at the Minnesota 46-yard-line to give New York a fresh set of downs.

On the next play from scrimmage, Simms attempted to go deep for McConkey, who drew a pass interference penalty on Holt for 31 yards, giving the Giants a 1st down at the Vikings' 15-yard-line.

But just like the first half, the Vikings defense rose up in the red zone as they would not permit a 1st down as they tackled for Carthon for a four-yard loss on 1st down and forced Simms to two incomplete passes on the next two plays.

Allegre came in and kicked a 37-yard field goal to make it an one-point game at 13-12 with just 1:08 left to go in the third quarter.

The Vikings would go three-and-out on their next possession, but even worse lost Kramer for the game when his right thumb got stuck in the facemask of Taylor's helmet, jamming it and causing him to exit the game.

Meanwhile, the Giants took over at their 30-yard-line as the game had moved into the fourth quarter with New York trailing 13-12.

After Morris picked up three yards on a screen pass on 1st down, then ran for two yards on 2nd down, the Giants were faced with a 3rd & 5 at their 35-yard-line.

That is when Simms connected with Galbreath for a seven-yard gain to give New York a 1st down at their 42-yard-line.

Simms would connect with Carthon on the next two plays, gaining 11 yards and picking up another 1st down at the Minnesota 47-yard-line.

That is when Johnson made his presence felt as he ran for 22 yards on a reverse play, then caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Simms for the Giants' first touchdown of the game, but more importantly give New York a 19-13 lead with 9:30 to go in the game.

Giants wide receiver Bobby Johnson would catch four passes for 79 yards and a touchdown.

As the Vikings came back onto the field to begin their next possession at their 20-yard-line, they would do so with backup quarterback Wade Wilson who only attempted 16 passes up to this point in the season.

But Wilson would come in and complete three of five passes for 68 yards, including the go-ahead 33-yard touchdown pass to Carter that with Nelson's extra point put Minnesota back on top 20-19 with 6:53 remaining in the game.

The Giants would take over at their 22-yard-line and pick up one 1st down, but would punt the ball back to the Vikings after failing to convert on 3rd & 1 at the New York 41-yard-line when Simms overthrew Morris on a wheel route.

The Vikings got the ball back at their 17-yard-line with 3:53 and a chance to run out the clock if they could pick up some 1st downs.

However, the Giants defense would force a three-and-out and after McConkey returned the ensuing punt 17 yards, New York had the ball at their 40-yard-line with 2:14 left.

Most people assummed the Giants would try to drive down the field with either a short passing game or the running attack, but on the first play from scrimmage, Simms dropped back and went deep for Robinson, who dropped what would have been the go-ahead touchdown.

Instead it was 2nd & 10 as Simms, with Vikings linebacker Scott Studwell around his waist, found Johnson for 15 yards and a 1st down at the Minnesota 45-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

Simms would threw a two-yard pass to running back Ottis Anderson, which was followed by an incomplete pass on 2nd down, and then Simms being sacked by three Viking defenders for a nine-yard loss, setting up a do-or-die 4th & 17 at the Giants' 48-yard-line with 1:12 to play.

With the Metrodome crowd yelling at a fever pitch, Simms lined up behind center so he could get the snap which he did with no problems.

Just as Vikings defensive tackle Mike Stensrud was able to drill him, Simms got the pass away that lofted over the head of Holt and landed in the hands of Johnson, who was then pushed out of bounds, but not before making a 22-yard catch to give the Giants a 1st down at the Vikings' 30-yard-line with 66 seconds to play in the game.

Following the improbable 4th down conversion, Vikings defensive end Doug Martin jumped offsides giving the Giants five yards and a 1st & 5.

That is when the Giants went back to Morris, who despite being held in check for most of the game, would pick up eight yards to give New York a 1st down at the Minnesota 17-yard-line.

Morris would get the ball two more times, picking up one more yard, before Parcells sent in Allegre on 3rd & 9 to attempt a potential game-winning field goal from 33 yards out.

Allegre, who was the Giants' fourth kicker of the season, made the 33-yard field goal to give New York a 22-20 lead with 12 seconds left.

Giants kicker Raul Allegre gets a hug from linebacker Gary Reasons after hitting his game-winning field goal.

The Vikings got one last chance to pull out a miracle but their attempt at the famous Cal lateraling the ball all over the field did not work and New York had come away with a 22-20 win.

The loss proved devasting for the Vikings as they would finish the season with a 9-7 record, one game behind the Los Angeles Rams for the final playoff spot in the NFC.

However, the Vikings would make the playoffs the next three seasons, including a trip to the 1987 NFC Championship Game with Wilson as the starting quarterback for the Vikings during those three seasons.

As for the Giants, they would go on to win the Super Bowl that year, defeating the Denver Broncos 39-20 behind Simms' 22-of-25 for 268 yards and three touchdown MVP performance.

Yet, if you talk to Simms, he will say that the win against the Vikings was the favorite game of his career and not his performance in the Super Bowl.

The other hero of the Giants' win against Minnesota, Bobby Johnson, would be out of the league after the 1986 season as an addiction to crack cocaine would consume his life for the next several years, leading him to acts such as selling his Super Bowl ring just to get money for crack cocaine.

However, this story has a happy ending as Johnson was able to overcome his crack cocaine addiction and has been sober ever since 1994 and got a new Super Bowl ring to replace his old one just a few years back.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Bavaro Catch & Run Sparks Giants Monday Night Comeback

Mark Bavaro carries Ronnie Lott down the field for his famous 31-yard reception in the Giants' 1986 Monday Night game with the 49ers.

Throughout the long, storied history of Monday Night Football, there have been plays and performances that have become legendary because they have occurred in one of television's longest running primetime programs.
An example of this is a 31-yard reception made by New York Giants tight end Mark Bavaro during a Monday Night game against the San Francisco 49ers that has become one of the most famous plays in MNF history.
The Giants entered the game with a 10-2 record and were on track to capture home field advantage for the AFC playoffs.
Led by head coach Bill Parcells, the Giants were living up to their preseason expectations as Super Bowl contenders thanks to the "Big Blue Wrecking Crew" defense led by linebacker Lawrence Taylor and a steady ground-control offense with running back Joe Morris.
Still, whenever they needed a big play in the passing game, quarterback Phil Simms would usually hook up with Bavaro, who in his 2nd NFL season, had become Simms' go-to-guy as he ended up finishing the season with 66 catches and 1,001 yards receiving.
Simms and Bavaro would have to have big games for their Monday Night contest with the 49ers at Candlestick Park.
The 49ers stood at 7-4-1 having endured a mediocre stretch of 4-3-1 in the middle of the season after losing starting quarterback Joe Montana to a back injury that was so severe that doctors thought he would never play again.
But in Week 10, Montana returned and threw three touchdown passes to Jerry Rice in a 43-17 rout of the then St.Louis Cardinals.
With Montana back and Rice at wide receiver plus running back Roger Craig, who had run for 1,050 yards and caught 92 passes for 1,016 yards the year before, the 49ers were hoping to make a late season run that would start with a win over the Giants.
 The Giants got the ball to start the game from their 30-yard-line, but seemed to be on their way to a three-and-out as they faced a 3rd & 17 from their 23-yard-line.
However, Simms found wide receiver Phil McConkey for 32 yards to give the Giants a 1st down at the 49ers' 45-yard-line.
But three plays later, Simms was intercepted when his pass was deflected by 49ers cornerback Tim McKyer and landed in the hands of his teammate Jeff Fuller who returned it 14 yards to the 49ers' 42-yard-line.
After both teams punted on their ensuing possessions, the 49ers had the ball at their 19-yard-line when they put together a 12-play, 69-yard drive which ended with the first points of the game, a 30-yard field goal by Ray Wersching that put San Francisco on top 3-0 with 25 seconds left in the first quarter.

Jerry Rice celebrates with Joe Montana and another teammate after one of his two touchdowns.

The Giants got off two plays before the first quarter, picking up 29 yards on a pair of Simms passes that had New York at the San Francisco 47-yard-line as the second quarter was set to begin.
But on the first play of the quarter, Simms was intercepted again, this time by 49ers strong safety Carlton Williamson, who gave the 49ers the ball back at their 28-yard-line.
From there, the 49ers drove 72 yards in 11 plays, primarily through the air as Montana completed seven of eight passes for 52 yards, with the last completion being a 11-yard touchdown pass to Rice to extend San Francisco's lead to 10-0 with 10:26 left in the second quarter.
Following the touchdown, the Giants took over at their 23-yard-line and once again drove into San Francisco territory as Simms hit Tony Galbreath for 19 yards, then connected with Bavaro for 17 yards and then again for 10 yards, to set up a 1st & 10 at the 49ers 23-yard-line.
But Simms would throw three straight incomplete passes forcing the Giants to settle for a 41-yard field goal attempt by Raul Allegre, which fell short and no good, keeping it a 10-0 game in favor of the 49ers with 5:55 left before halftime.
From there, the 49ers put together a 14-play, 77-yard drive that culminated with a one-yard touchdown run by Rice off a reverse to give San Francisco a 17-0 lead with just 45 seconds left in the first half.
However, with all three timeouts left in their pocket and Simms having an effective game throwing the ball, the Giants tried to put together a drive to get into field goal range and get some points before halftime.
Starting at his 28-yard-line, Simms hit back-to-back passes to Galbreath for a total of 16 yards, then found Bobby Johnson for eight yards which got five yards added to it when 49ers linebacker Keena Turner was called for a face mask penalty.
Then after Simms connected with McConkey for 18 yards to put the Giants at the 49ers' 25-yard-line, Simms called the Giants' last timeout with two seconds left, giving Allegre a shot at redemption and a 43-yard field goal.
However, Allegre's kick sailed wide left and the Giants went into the locker facing a 17-0 halftime deficit.
The 49ers got the ball to start the second half but went three-and-out punting the ball back to the Giants who took over at the 49ers' 49-yard-line.
After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Simms went back to pass and found Bavaro at the 49ers' 40-yard-line.
That is when Bavaro went into Beast mode as he broke two San Francisco tacklers, then found himself wrapped around the arms of Lott at the 30-yard-line.
But Bavaro kept moving, carrying Lott with him before ultimately falling down at the San Francisco 18-yard-line to complete the 31-yard reception and give the Giants a 1st down.

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Little did anyone know at the time, but that would be the turning point of the game as two plays later, Simms connected with Morris for a 17-yard touchdown for the Giants' first touchdown of the game which cut the 49ers' lead to 17-7 with 12:19 to go in the third quarter.
Perhaps inspired by Bavaro's play or the halftime adjustments made by defensive coordinator Bill Belichick, the Giants defense forced a second straight three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at their 29-yard-line.
From there, Simms hit running back Ottis Anderson for 12 yards on a screen pass to begin the drive, then hit Bavaro again for 11 yards following a three-yard loss by Morris.
After Morris was stopped for no gain on 3rd & 2 from the Giants' 49-yard-line, Parcells decided to roll the dice and go for the 1st down.
The gamble paid off as Morris busted for 17 yards to give the Giants a 1st down at the 49ers' 34-yard-line.
On the very next play, Simms went deep and hit Stacy Robinson for a 34-yard touchdown to bring the Giants to within three points at 17-14 with 7:37 left in the third quarter.
The Giants kept the momentum going as they forced another three-and-out and got the ball back at their 29-yard-line as Simms hit Maurice Carthon for seven yards, then McConkey for 14 yards to give New York a 1st down at exactly midfield.
Then after Anderson was stopped for no gain on 1st down, Simms went deep again and hit Robinson for a 49-yard completion to give the Giants a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line.
Simms handed the ball off to Anderson, who punched it in for the one-yard touchdown to give the Giants their first lead of the game, 21-17 with 3:41 remaining in the third quarter.
With their 17-point lead gone like that, the 49ers needed to put together a drive to regain control of the game.
But on the first play from scrimmage following Anderson's touchdown, Montana was picked off by Giants cornerback Perry Williams whose 14-yard return set up shop for the Giants at the 49ers' 39-yard-line.
The Giants seemed poised for another touchdown when Bavaro lost the football at the end of a 16-yard reception, which was recovered by 49ers linebacker Riki Ellison at the San Francisco six-yard-line.
After Wendell Tyler carried the ball for six yards, the third quarter came to an end with the Giants having outscored the 49ers 21-0, outgained them 226-20 and did not permit an single 1st down to turn the 17-0 deficit into a 21-17 lead.

Giants quarterback Phil Simms would complete 27 of 38 passes for 388 yards and throw two touchdown passes.

But almost like waking up from a nap, the 49ers offense got going as the 4th quarter began.
Following a 12-yard run by Tyler to give the 49ers a 1st down at their 22-yard-line, Montana completed five passes in a row to get the 49ers down to the Giants' 38-yard-line.
Montana then handed the ball off to Tyler who picked up seven yards, only to have Craig get only one yard on a 2nd down run, which was followed by an incomplete pass, setting up 4th & 2 from the 30-yard-line.
Though they were in Wersching's range for a field goal, the 49ers decided to go for the 1st down, but Rice caught Montana's 4th down pass out of bounds, giving the ball back to the Giants who took over at their 30-yard-line with 9:51 left in the 4th quarter.
Following an trade of punts, the 49ers got the ball back at their 32-yard-line with 5:05 left on the clock and needing a touchdown to win.
But with the ball in Montana's hands, 49ers fans were very hopeful that San Francisco could pull it out while Giants fans were probably biting their nails in nervousness.
After an incomplete pass to start the drive, Montana hit Rice for 11 yards, then connected with tight end Russ Francis on back-to-back completions totaling 21 yards, then handed it off to Joe Cribbs, who picked up two yards for a San Francisco 1st down at the Giants' 34-yard-line.
Following a false start that pushed the 49ers back five yards, Montana threw an incomplete pass, then hit Craig on back-to-back passes, gaining 14 yards and setting up 4th & 1 at the New York 25-yard-line with less than two minutes to go.
Montana snuck for the 1st down, picking up two yards, then hit Rice on two straight passes, but only picking up six yards, before handed it off to Tyler who was dropped for a three-yard-loss setting a do-or-die 4th & 7 at the Giants 20-yard-line with one minute left.
Montana dropped back to pass but was pressured by Giants linebacker Andy Headen, forcing a bad pass that fell incomplete giving New York the ball and allowing them to run out the clock which they did to come away with the 21-17 victory.
The two teams would meet again in the NFC Divisional Playoffs as both teams won their last three games to clinch their respective divisions to set up the Divisional Playoff in the Meadowlands.
The Giants annihilated the 49ers 49-3 as New York went on to win their first Super Bowl title as they defeated the Denver Broncos 39-20 in Super Bowl XXI, thanks to Simms' MVP performance where he completed 22 of 25 passes for 268 and three touchdown passes, including one to Bavaro that gave the Giants the lead for good early in the second half.
Bavaro remained with the Giants for four more seasons, helping them win another Super Bowl in 1990, before being cut in 1991 because of a degenerative knee condition.
After sitting out a year, Bavaro returned to the NFL playing the 1992 season with the Cleveland Browns, then playing two years with the Philadelphia Eagles before retiring for good after the 1994 season.
Bavaro finished his career with 351 catches for 4,733 yards and 39 touchdowns, with 266 of those catches for 3,722 yards and 28 touchdowns coming with the Giants, helping earn a spot in the New York Giants Ring of Honor in 2011.
But when Giants fans think of Bavaro, usually the first image that will come to their head is that memorable catch-and-run against the 49ers on Monday Night Football in 1986.

Bavaro would finish the game as the Giants' leading receiver with seven catches for 98 yards.