Colts 34, Steelers 17

Two so far disappointing teams meet up in Indianapolis.  The Super Bowl champ 2008 Steelers come in with a 2-4 record and the nearly perfect 2009 Colts are 3-3.  Thus far in the season, Peyton Manning had thrown 15 interceptions in 6 games, just one less than he had in the entire 2009 campaign

Indianapolis was happy to get through the first quarter with Manning having only thrown one pick, to Troy Polamalu.  In fact Indy was outrageously happy to leave the first quarter with a 3-0 lead on a Matt Stover 23 yard field goal.  However, the second quarter was not the happy fest the first was.  Manning was picked twice, once by Ike Taylor and a second interception for Polamalu.  In between, the Steelers mounted a scoring drive of their own with Ben Roethislsberger hitting Willie Parker  on a one yard flare pass for a touchdown.  After the second Polamalu interception, the Steelers were unable to gain any headway and had to punt.  But Manning came back and threw his fourth interception of the game, this time to Lawrence Timmons.  Timmons nearly took it to the house, being pushed out on the 2 after a 43 yard return.  On the next play Parker (16-52, 1 td) carried the ball over and the Steelers had a 14-3 lead.  Manning got the ball back on his own 32 with 2:10 left in the half.  Perhaps having had a dad who was not unfamiliar with interceptions helped his psyche as Manning called nine straight pass plays, missing two times, being sacked once and hitting five, including the last one to Dallas Clark for a 27 yard touchdown.  The extra point made it 14-10 at halftime.

On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, the Steelers lost Michigan alum Lamar Woodley for the game.  This seemed to take a little steam out of the Steelers and gave the Colts added zest.  The two teams traded punts and then Manning went to work again.  A 68 yard drive consisting of 4 passes and a draw to Joseph Addai put the Colts on the Steelers 3.  With three wideouts in the game, the Steelers expected pass, but Addai took the ball instead, scooted around end and the Colts were back in font 17-14.  The teams traded punts the remainder of the third quarter and the fourth quarter opened with Jeff Reed hitting a 39 yard field goal to tie the game.

With the Steelers looking to defend the pass, Addai had one of his better series of the season, carrying the ball 3 times for 18 yards (this is the Colts, remember) and helping his team down to the Steeler 6.  There Manning found Dallas Clark for a touchdown and a 7 point lead. Now Roethisberger (14-31, 167 yds, 1 td, 1 int, 5 sacks)did a Manning impersonation, the bad Manning, not the good.  Antoine Bethea intercepted an errant throw and returned it to the Pittsburgh 29.  A pass to Austin Collie (3-22).  Another to Dallas Clark (11-169, 2 tds) and the Colts were on the one.  After Addai (18-61, 1 td) failed to punch the ball over, Manning went play action and flipped the ball to Addai (4-18, 1 yd) in the end zone and the Colts were up 14. The Steelers were unable to make a first down and punted.  With 7:06 remaining, Manning (28-41, 377 yards, 4 ints, 3 tds, 2 sacks) went to work on the clock.  A 7 play drive featured only two passes and the Stover added another field goal to make the final score 34-17.

--submitted by Tom “Crash” Davis--

Pats squish the Fish 38-21

The game today between the 2008 Miami Dolphins and the 2007 New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium saw 61 degrees on a cloudy day, with a slight wind of 10 mph. The Pats won the toss.

On the very first series, the Pats went to work on the ground using Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk, with a couple of quick tosses mixed in here and there. They drove down to the Miami 36 and were faced with a 4th-and-1. Too short for a punt and too far for a FG, they went for it. Miami stacked the line just waiting for Maroney, but Brady instead threw a hitch to TE Benjamin Watson for 10 yards to keep the drive alive. On the very next series, Brady was now faced with 3rd and a long 11. With the Miami linebackers ready to blitz, Brady hit Maroney with a long pass for a 27-yard TD. Eager to answer, Miami threw long on first down, but Ted Ginn dropped the pass – then they proceeded to go 3-and-out. Both defenses tightened up, and these teams traded a series Punts to end the First Quarter 7-0.

To start the Second Quarter, the Pats had driven down to the Miami 34 on a couple of Draws to Faulk. Still working the run, the Pats went to rarely used Kyle Eckel a couple of times, and he eventually scampered in for a 4-yard TD increasing the lead to 14-0. The teams traded Punts again, as Miami did not have any answers during this First Half. They would run with Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, but dropped passes and a couple of sacks would soon end the drive. The Pats got the ball back on their own 20 with 2:45 left in the Half. Despite a couple of successful Draws to Maroney, Brady went to the air as time was running out. He hit Wes Welker for 40 yards and then Donte Stallworth for another 23 yards, as he quickly marched the Pats down to the Miami 10 with 1:45 left. He hit Randy Moss on a slant for a short 4 yards and then hit Benjamin Watson in the back of the Endzone for 5 yards when no one was looking. Miami still had 0:43 seconds left, but they were unable to get more than 25 yards, and the Half ended 21-0.

Miami started the Third Quarter with a bang, as Brown ran for 63 yards and the score on the very first play from scrimmage. This gave Miami some hope. Trying to capitalize on the momentum, the Miami D Blitzed and Joey Porter sacked Brady for a 9-yard loss and a Fumble – but Dan Koppen recovered it for NE. Brady then hit Moss for 16 yards, who was smashed by the cornerback causing another Fumble – but as luck would have it, Moss recovered his own Fumble at the Pats 35. Not satisfied, Brady went back to the air and hit Welker for 16 yards and Stallworth for 29 yards. With 9:43 left on the clock in the Third Quarter, the Pats were sitting on the Miami 13. Brady threw a short slant to Maroney for 9 yards and eventually hit Watson again for the score on a drive that lasted almost 7 minutes. After another round of Punts, Miami got the ball back with 4:23 left in the Third Quarter. Despite a nice 38-yard grab by Davone Bess, Miami stuck with the run switching between Williams and Brown. Facing 3-and-Goal on the 8, they gave Williams the ball, who bullrushed for 6 yards but Fumbled himself at the 2. Fortunately, the ball took a funny bounce and Vernon Carey pounced on it in the Endzone for a Miami score. Despite the clear advantage NE had in Time of Possession, Miami hung in there and the Third Quarter ended 28-14.

The teams once again trade Punts to start the final Quarter. With the ball in hand and the game clearly not decided, Brady went back to the air. He hit Maroney for 5 yards, Moss for 14 yards, Stallworth for 16 yards, and finally Welker for 7 yards and the First Down on the Miami 34. The Miami D was frustrated, so on the next play they were hit with a Roughing The Passer penalty bringing the ball down to the 19. Not giving up, they Blitzed again – this time Porter got him, and that was Porter’s 3rd sack of the game. NE had to settle for a 39-yard FG…..but it was BLOCKED…..keeping hopes alive on the Miami sideline. Down 2 scores, Miami went to work. Williams got the ball and ran for 12 yards and then another 10 yards. Chad Pennington also hit David Martin for an 11-yard out. Brown and Lousaka Polite then traded carries driving the ball to the NE 34 with 5:05 left. Facing 4th-and-4, Miami had to go for it. Pennington hit Ginn right between the numbers, but he dropped the ball…..again. Not content to run out the clock, Brady hit Welker for 29 yards at the Miami 36. After another 5-yard penalty to back them up, Brady hit Moss in stride on a 41-yard bomb, making the score 35-14 with 3:39 left in the game. Miami’s hand was forced, as they went for it on a 4-and-9 on their own 21, but gave the ball back to Brady with 2:58 on the clock. Maroney ran the ball for 2 yards, forcing Miami to call a timeout. After Moss plucked one from the air for 7 yards and was forced out of bounds, it was 4-and-1 on the Miami 19. This time Stephen Gostkowski hit the uprights for a 36-yard FG. It was now 38-14 with 2:17 left. With nothing much to lose, Pennington went to the air himself. He hit Bess for 16 yards and then again for 12 yards. He hit Ginn for 6 yards and Anthony Fasano for 10 yards, all along working the sideline to stop the clock and marching down to the NE 4. With 0:44 left to play, Pennington hit Ginn – who did not drop the ball this time – for a 4-yard TD score. With the score now 38-21, Miami recovered the onside kick. Pennington dropped back but hit the turf, as Adalius Thomas sacked him. Not giving up, Pennington hit Ginn again for 25 yards and then scrambled on a QB Draw for 7 yards down to the NE 32 – but there was not enough time to spike the ball. The game ended 38-21.

The Game MVP was Tom Brady, who had 320 yards, 4 TD’s, and a 135 passer rating.

For Miami, Ricky Williams gained 75 yards on 12 carries (6.2 avg), and Ronnie Brown had 133 yards on just 17 carries (7.8 avg). In fact, Miami gained 231 yards on the ground using 5 players – but had only 125 yards in the air. NE had 152 rushing yards and 320 passing yards.

Other game stats:

1. There were no turnovers in this game, despite the ball hitting the turf 5 times.
2. Miami had 4 sacks, and NE had 5 sacks.
3. NE had the ball for 35:47 to Miami’s 24:13.
4. NE was 9-16 on 3rd downs and 1-1 on 4th down.
5. Miami was 6-17 on 3rd downs and 3-5 on 4th downs.
6. NE had 24 1st downs to Miami’s 16.
   

--submitted by Georges Bseraini--

Big Ben Bounces Back: PIT 38, CIN 31

The 1-3 Steelers headed to Paul Brown Stadium to play the 1-3 Bengals in a divisional clash that would help at least temporarily save one team’s season.  Pittsburgh had been the victims of 3 last minute drives and could easily be 4-0 or 0-4.  Cincy has been in every game as well, but their porous defense just can not be counted on to support their world class offense.

1st Qtr:  Both teams exchanged TD’s.  PIT struck first when Ben Roethlisberger hit Hines Ward for a 5 yard bullet in the back of the end zone.  Four minutes later Carson Palmer returned the favor with a 13 yard strike to Chad “OchoCinco” Johnson.

2nd Qtr:  The Steelers went on an 8 play drive that stalled on  Cincy’s 25 and had to settle for a Jeff Reed 42 yarder to make it 10-7.  Palmer hit Chris Henry for 35 yards to get down to the Steeler 26, but tried to force the next one into triple coverage on OchoCinco and All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu picked it off in the end zone for a touch back.  Big Ben decided to be generous and he too threw an ill-advised pick to Odell Thurman who was double covering Ward.  Cincy took over in great field position (PIT-12) after Thurman had a great 20 yard INT return.  The next three plays would be all Rudi Johnson, who gained 9 yards on the first one, 2 on the second and a 1 yard TD run on the 3rd.  Cincy was now up 14-10.  Mewelde Moore took full advantage of a shallow Shayne Graham kick off and PIT started off on their own 46.  Ben was ticked and he came out chucking.  Nate Washington caught one for 16 to put the ball on Cincy’s 38.  Two plays later Limas Sweed had a 9 yard grab for another 1st.  Facing a 3rd and 4 from the 19, Ben saw that the Bengals were lined up with 8 in the box and went for it all by hitting TE Heath Miller on a corner route for a TD.  The Steelers were now up 17-14.  With 6:31 left to play in the half Cincy was starting from their own 31 down by 3.  Palmer immediately hit Kevin Walker on a crossing route for 17.  Two plays later they  were in Steeler territory when Reggie Kelley to a flare pass and ran 15 yards to PIT’s 49.  Unfortunately for Kelley, he came up lame on the play and was gone for the game with an ankle injury.  Palmer continued to slice and dice the normally reliable, if not outstanding, Steeler defense.  It all came down to a 4th and goal from the Steeler 7 and rather than elect to hit the chip shot FG Cincy went for it.  Carson Palmer dropped back and saw nobody open and was immediately flushed from the pocket and tacked for no gain as PIT took over on downs.  PIT ran out the clock and took a 3 point lead into the locker room at the half.

3rd Qtr:  The Steelers came out of the locker room with a game plan predicated on milking the clock and shortening the game, so that Cincy’s lighting strike offense didn’t get that many chances.  PIT seemed to abandon that plan for the get-go when Ben hit Santonio Holmes for 38 yards on a play action bomb that trapped the Bengals in a all out run D.  That put the ball on Cincy’s 22 and 4 plays later “Fast” Willie Parker knifed in from the 1 for a TD.  The score was now 24-14 Steelers.  In a complete reversal of strategies the Bengals took a page out of the Steeler handbook and went on a 12 play drive that culminated in a 6 yard TD toss from Palmer to Ocho-Cinco.  That drive consumed almost 7 minutes off the clock and took 12 plays.  PIT’s lead was now cut to 3 (24-21).

4th Qtr:  At the start of the final quarter the Steelers were already on the Bengals 29.  Ben hit Heath Miller for 13 yards to get down to Cincy’s 14.  On the following play he went for it all and caught Nate Washington beating the cover 2 for a 14 yard strike.  PIT was now up 31-21 with 12:26 left to play.  Both teams exchanged 3 and outs and with 6:09 left Cincy made it a 1 score game with a Shayne Graham 45 yard FG.  With 6 minutes left to go the Steelers needed a long drive that would eat clock.  Cincy knew this as well and loaded up for the run.  Ben figured this might happen and hit Ward with a 22 yard play action pass that would move the chains to mid-field.  At that point the Steelers went super conservative and were forced to punt.  Mitch Berger hit a mediocre 36 yarder that Keiwan Ratliff caught on his own 23.  Ratliff shook off one defender and turned upfield.  When he  struggled for extra yards the ball popped out, and Ike Taylor recovered it for the Steelers on the Bengal 33.  Coach McConkey of Cincinnati was livid that his return man would make such a stupid play with just under three and a half minutes left to go.  Knowing how potent the Bengal offense is, Coach Weiss of the Steelers decided against laying conservative.  Cincy was burning  time outs as Ben was completing passes left and right.  With 1:39 left to go Ben hit Carey Davis in the flat and Davis weaved in and out of traffic for a 7 yard score that made it 38-24 to seal the deal…or so everyone thought until Tab Perry returned Jeff Reed’s kick off 69 yards to the Steeler 2.  Rudi Johnson punched it in from 2 yards out as he talent overtook a Steeler short yardage defense that was waiting for him.  Graham’s onside kick was recovered by Pittsburgh and the game was over after Ben took 2 knees.

Stats:  Roethlisberger was 23-29-285-4TD-Int.  He spread the ball around to 9 different receivers.  Rudi Johnson had a field day on the ground vs a Steeler run D that had not allowed a runner to break the century mark.  Johnson was 25-128-2TD for a whopping 5.1 ypc.  OchoCinco was 8-113-2TD.  Neither QB was sacked.

Colts 41, Saints 30

On a day when the outside temperature nearly matched that inside the dome, te Indianapolis Colts were seeking to avenge their loss in the most recent Super Bowl to the New Orleans Saints. The game didnt start out well for the Colts as the Saints took the opening kick ad went 80 yards in 11 plays to end with a Drew Brees to Marques Colston (7-105, 1 td) 6 yard touchdown pass. Peyton Manning had difficulty finding his receivers and the Colts punted the ball. Reggie Bush fumbled the return but Will "Fresh Prince" Smith recovered for the Saints. Brees then threw an interception which was nullified by a pass interference call. On the sideline Manning could be seen throwing his helmet to the ground and the camera definitely picked up his words, "Damn dice rolls." Brees recovered from his mistake and led the Saints down the field again, ending with a Pierre Thomas 6 yard run for a touchdown. After the kick, Manning began connecting with his receivers and marched down the field 75 yards in 7 plays with Joseph Addai (18-88, 1 td) carrying the pigskin in from 5 yards out to cut the lead to 14-7.

Brees started the second quarter by throwing another interception, but this time there was no flag. Gary Brackett returned the ball to the New Orleans 40. But Manning gave the ball right back as "The Fresh Prince" picked an errant pass to set Brees up once again. The Saints got a field goal from John Carney to open a 17-7 lead. Manning brought the Colts back, moving 80 yards in 9 plays and finding Pierre "The Waiter" Garcon (5-72, 1 td) for a 7 yard touchdown pass. The two teams traded punts and Brees went to work again. He hit Devery Henderson for 14 yards, but Henderson was injured on the play and would not return until the fourth quarter. His absence would be felt. Brees completed four more passes on the drive then found Robert Meachem (5-85, 1 td) streaking down the sideline, hit him stride and was rewarded with a 31 yard touchdown pass and a 24-14 lead. Chad Simpson returned the kickoff to the 40 and Manning, with 1:38 remaining in the half went to work. In an extreme hurry up, Manning managed to run 11 plays in the time remaining and then, on 4th and 1, found Joseph Addai (4-36, 1 td) on a short curl route for a 4 yard touchdown pass with 16 ticks remaining in the half.

The Colts got the second half kick and Manning continued to move the Colts. Mixing a few runs with the ever present passing game, Manning moved the ball 80 yards and finished with a 7 yard td pass to Reggie Wayne. The Colts had their first lead of the game, 28-24. Brees went three and out. Manning controlled the ball for more than five minutes but ended with a 36 yard Matt Stover field goal to take a 7 point lead 31-24.

The fourth quarter opened with the Colts again driving. Manning (35-56, 434 yards, 4 tds, 1 int) completed the drive with a 1 yard pass to Wayne (8-127, 2 tds) and a 14 point lead. On their next possession, Stover added another field goal. Brees (30-48, 341 yards, 3 tds, 1 int, 1 sack) found Henderson (5-65, 1 td) late in the game for a 4 yard score that was too little too late. Colts 41 Saints 30

--submitted by Tom "Crash" Davis--

Panthers 26, Seahawks 20

Tied at 20 midway through the 3rd the Panthers relied on two John Kasay FG's to win the day.  A big Jake Delhomme pick on the the Seahawk 10 prevented the game from being a two score affair.  With 94 ticks of the clock remaining the 'hawks took control on their own 6.  Matt Hasselbeck hit Joe Jurevicius for 15 yards on a quick out then Shaun Alexander for 6 more to put the ball on their own 27.  Two more incomplete passes made it 4th and 4 with a minute left to play.  Seattle went for it and Hasselbeck hit Peter Warrick in stride for a quick 36 yard hit to bring the ball Carolina's 37 with 49 seconds left.  Now it was worry time on the visitor's bench. Two incomplete passes and a Hasselbeck INT ended Seattle's hopes.

Saints 14, Giants 6

In professional football they say you have to be able to run effectively and stop the run in order to win.  The G-men did just that, yet wound up losing.  In fact they never scored a TD.  The 3 headed monster of Jacobs (13-79), Ward (12-64) and Bradshaw (2-8) combined for 27 carries and 141 yards with a 5.2 ypc.  Eli Manning even threw for over 200 yards and did not have a pick, yet the Saints found their mojo in the form of one Drew Brews and that spelt doom for New York.  Brees was near perfect (20-26-320-2TD-2INT).  He had 2 WR's over 100 yards.  Marques Colston (7-123-td) and Robert Meachem (5-137-td) were almost unstoppable.

BAL 17, MIA 10

Not much going on here in the way of offense.  Steve McNair did his best to be a caretaker and let the great Raven defense strangle the Fish.  Chad Pennington (23-40-243-td-int) was tasked with bringing back the Fish from a 14 point deficit.  He was able to hit Ted Ginn Jr. for a TD in the 4th, but could not get the tying score thanks to the stellar D put forth by Baltimore.  Ginn was the offensive star in this defensive battle with 6 catches for 124 yards, 1 TD and a whopping 20.7 ypc average.  Jamal Lewis was steady as a rock running the ball for the Ravens (21-87-td).

DEN 48, CIN 42

Classic Wild West shootout @ Mile High.  Jake Plummer (23-33-340-3TD) and Carson Palmer (19-30-358-5TD-2INT) were almost unstoppable.  Chad Ochocinco had 9 grabs for 167 yards and 2 TD's.  Chris Henry had 5 for 95 with 2 TD's.  Rod Smith was 6-105-2TD for Denver.  Runningbacks Rudi Johnson (21-94-TD) and Mike Anderson (17-97-TD) had almost identical days.  It came down to Cincy not being able to protect a 4th quarter and Denver capitalizing.  It almost didn't happen when mike Anderson fumbled the ball after going 26 yards on a short pass from Plumber.  Lucky for Denver Rod Smith was alert enough to fall on it.  He would be rewarded handsomely with a 13 yard TD grab on the next play.  Cincy was driving until Palmer was picked off by Nick Ferguson.  Denver milked the clock and settled for a FG to put it away.

Cowboys 36, Colts 10

Big D’s D forced Peyton into thinking it was the post season.  Peyton, who eats up regular season competition looked more like his brother during his rookie campaign than himself in this one.  In one of his poorest showings ever Manning was sacked 4 times and under constant duress all day long.  This lead to overthrown balls and a record 5 pics by the Cowboy secondary.  2 of those picks wound up in the outstretched arms of Anthony Henry.  Greg Ellis recorded 2 of Dallas’ 4 sacks.

Things only got worse for the Colts on the defensive side of the ball, which was not helped one bit by the absence of all-world DE Dwight Freeney.  Mr. October, Tony Romo, had another one of his classic early season games by going:  25-44-351-3TD.  Jason Whitten was key around the goal line snatching 2 TD passes and T.O. was off the charts between the 20’s (7-134).   Marion Barber had 99 yards rushing on 12 carries with most of his yards coming on a huge 68 yard run on the second play of the game from scrimmage.

Vikes 20, Steelers 17

Great see-saw battle between CFL charter members Stu Geller and Marc Weiss.  10-10 at the half 17-17 after 3.  Geller and Favre take the Vikes on a 12 play 69 yard drive that culminated in a Ryan Longwell 25 yarder to go up by 3 with 1:48 left to go.  Geller then rallied the troops and forced Roethlisberger into and anticlimactic 3 and out to end the game.  Santonio Holmes was 3-94 for a whopping 31.3 YPC average.  Big Ben threw 3 huge picks in the Red Zone, while Favre was perfect going 23-34-234-TD and No INT's.  The Steeler D held Adrian Peterson under 75 yards and under 4 yards per carry.  Rumor out of the Steel-town is that there is a huge rift between the defense and the inept offense.

Patriots 34, Ravens 13

The 2007 New England Patriots defeat the 2006 Baltimore Ravens 34-13, as Tom Brady shreds the Baltimore D for 389 yards and 3 TD’s. One word can describe this 2006 Baltimore Defense: aggressive. However, is possible that the Baltimore Defense was too aggressive for their own good on this day, as no one could have predicted the outcome of this game.

It was a relatively calm, sunny day at Gillette Stadium. Baltimore won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball. Even though Baltimore went 3-and-out to start the game, they pinned New England down to their own 4-yard-line with an excellent punt from Sam Koch. On the very first play, the Baltimore D was called for Holding, which gave NE some breathing room with an automatic First Down at the 12-yard-line. Not too thrilled with the call, the Baltimore D decided to turn up the heat on the next play and sacked Brady at the 1 for an 11-yard loss. Facing 2nd and 21, NE called for a Draw to Laurence Maroney, who gained 15 yards while running past the Blitzing D. As the Baltimore D decided to Blitz once more with NE facing 3rd and 6 on their own 16, Brady dumped a short pass to Donte Stallworth for 8 yards and a First Down. Even though Brady would be sacked again on the very next play, this series would go on to epitomize the entire game, as Brady dumped another short pass beyond a Blitzing D to Wes Walker for 12 yards. During this first series for NE, Brady would go on to be sacked for a third time, only to pick himself up and make adjustments. In fact, Brady would only be sacked just once more in the game, as the entire Offensive Line made adjustments to handle the Blitz and protect their quarterback. To finish this first series, Brady went on to dump a pass to Maroney for 29 yards and another pass to Walker for 14 yards. It was not long before NE had 1st and Goal at the Baltimore 8, which set up a nice 5-yard TD pass to Randy Moss with 3:24 left in the First Quarter. The powerful NE Offense went 96 yards and chewed up 8:13 on their first drive to open the game. Baltimore received the Kickoff and ended the First Quarter at the NE 20 on a couple of Jamal Lewis Draws and a long 35-yard pass from Steve McNair to Demetrius Williams.

Baltimore began the Second Quarter on the NE 20. Facing 3rd and a long 5, McNair hit Todd Heap for 10 yards. Baltimore now had 1st and Goal at the 10, but the NE Defense tightened up and held Baltimore to a Sam Koch FG and making the score 7-3. NE began the next series at their own 38, but they were facing a slight crosswind, which messed with Brady’s timing a bit. He was still able to dump a few short passes here and there and lead the Offense down to the Baltimore 32, but that is where Brady ran out of gas. This is where the momentum of this game could have shifted toward Baltimore, as Stephen Gostkowski missed the 49-yard FG kicking into that slight crosswind. Unfortunately, Baltimore could not capitalize on it and drove only 6 yards for another 3-and-out. NE began this next series at their own 27-yard-line, with just 5:30 left to play in the Half, and Brady went to work, as he hit Donte Stallworth for 20 yards right out the gate. On the very next play, he hit Wes Walker for 32 yards and was now sitting on the Baltimore 21 – all this while the Baltimore D kept Blitzing. Off another Blitz, Brady hit Kevin Faulk for 13 yards, and NE had a 1st and Goal on the Baltimore 7 with 3:03 left in the Half. The Baltimore D finally sat back a bit, which helped hold NE to a 22-yard FG. With 1:50 left to play in the Half, Baltimore got the back and basically ran the clock down to 0:04, at which time McNair attempted to throw a 58-yard Hail Mary to Demetrius Williams – but it fell short. The score remained 10-3 at the Half.

NE received the kickoff to start the 2nd Half, but it appeared that the Baltimore D did not learn its lesson from the 1st Half and kept Blitzing. So, Tom Brady hit Stallworth for 21 yards here, Moss for 19 yards there – not to mention hitting Walker for 5 yards and Moss again for another 7 yards. Brady kept hitting his receivers as the Defense Blitzed right by those receivers. NE did attempt to run it a couple of times in this series, but only netted 4 yards on 4 carries. That is why when Brady had 3rd and Goal at the Baltimore 3, he chose to throw a flat pass to Faulk for the score – bringing the score to 17-3. Feeling intense pressure to produce, the Baltimore Offense once again went 3-and-out. The Baltimore Defense was getting tired. Knowing this, Brady kept at it, as he hit Moss for 9 yards, Benjamin Watson for 2 yards, Faulk for another 2 yards, Watson again for 10 yards…..and so on. Of course, NE did try to mix it up with a few more running plays, but again with little success. NE had a 2nd and 2 on the Baltimore 45 – but Ray Lewis sacked Brady (for the last time) to end the Third Quarter and leaving the score 17-3.

That sack by Ray Lewis helped stop the momentum, as NE was forced to punt. Down 17-3 on their own 38, the Baltimore Offense finally went to work. Jamal Lewis got the call on a couple of running plays, but it was the 21-yard pass to Heap that shook up the NE Defense. On the very next play, McNair connected with Demetrius Williams for 36 yards and the score – closing the gap to 17-10 with 12:12 left to play in the game. With blood in the water, the Baltimore D acted like hungry sharks, looking for that one break needed to take over this game. It was here that NE changed the game plan and went to work on the ground. Maroney chewed up yards and clock, as he went for 9 yards, then 1 yard, then 5 yards….and another 5 yards. To keep the Defense honest, Brady also hit Welker for 29 yards and Jabar Gaffney for 26 yards. All this led to a NE 1st and Goal at the Baltimore 4 with 6:55 to play. Baltimore could not afford to give up a TD, so they backed off again to hold NE to a 25-yard FG – making the score 20-10 with 4:36 left to play. The Baltimore D appeared to play better against this powerful Offense when they sat back. However, Baltimore could not capitalize at all and went 3-and-out once again. Instead of risking a costly 4th down conversion, Baltimore elected to punt the ball down to the NE 30 with 3:17 left. Brady dumped a 9-yard pass to Moss and Maroney ran to pick up the First Down, causing Baltimore to use its Timeouts. Brady then hit Heath Evans for 20 yards on a Screen Pass, and Baltimore called its last time out with 2:44 left to play. Content with the potential victory in hand, NE called a Draw play for Maroney that resulted in a surprise 40-yard TD scamper, as Baltimore once again Blitzed aggressively. Despite only 2:27 left to play, the teams then traded Interceptions. First, McNair was Intercepted by Asante Samuel, and then Brady was Intercepted by Chris McAlister on back-to-back plays, still leaving 2:10 left on the clock. McNair had the ball on his own 41 and quickly drove down to the NE 16, with help from a 19-yard strike to Heap and another 8-yard dart to Derrick Mason. With little time left, Baltimore settled for a 33-yard FG and an unsuccessful Onside Kick attempt. NE now had the ball on the Baltimore 37 with 1:25 left to play. Maroney ran for 3 yards, which ran the clock down to 0:40. Seeing a breakdown in a tired Baltimore Defense at the end of a long game, Brady saw an opportunity and hit Randy Moss in stride for 34 yards and the TD – leaving 32 seconds on the clock. McNair decided to run out the clock with 2 quick passes: one to Mason for 14 yards and one to Mark Clayton for 15 yards.

Final Score: NE over Baltimore 34-13.

Tom Brady took Game MVP honors by going 30-for-38 and having 389 yards, 3 TD’s, and a 125 passer rating.

Other key stats include:

1. NE had a T.O.P. of almost 40 minutes to Baltimore’s 20
2. NE had 498 yards of Offense to Baltimore’s 234
3. NE had 109 rushing yards to Baltimore’s 40
4. NE had 71 Offensive plays to Baltimore’s 40
5. NE had 27 First Downs to Baltimore’s 12
6. NE was 12-for-16 on 3rd Downs and Baltimore was 3-for-9
7. Baltimore had 4 sacks to NE’s 1
8. Both teams had 1 Turnover (each had an Int)

--submitted by Georges Bseraini--

Giants 20 Dolphins 17 -- Final in OT

I will admit that I deserved to lose this game and should have on the last drive of the game. My bone headed decision to try a deep pass with .16 seconds left from inside my 20 turned out to be my wake up call for what could have been a waste of my best tactical showdown versus legendary Canarsie League coach Bill "not Parcels, just a good fella" Keller. For some stupid reason I actually thought I could get downfield and get into field goal range, my QB is Eli not Payton. I can't say I blew a 14 point lead because that would be saying that Coach Keller wasn't the legend he is, I just now realize from this game that maybe I have proven I have learned some things about making better play calls. The dice rolled and said that my pass was intercepted and brought back to the 16, but then a late flag was thrown and defensive pass interference was called, WHEWWWWW. I swear I didn't pay off the ref. LOL ??? Not quite. This game was a chess match throughout and I hope to have turned a corner, and hopefully some respect amongst my fellow coaches. Now that I have shown my serious side I will now end with a buzzscription analogy. "The Dolphins came to swim in the swamp and drowned to the Gmen from the toxicity" Home Field advantage ?
--submitted by Jay "Buzz-scriptions" Schneider--