Jax outlasts Pats 23-20

Jags 23 Patriots 20 This was a see-saw battle with both teams exchanging big punches. The Jags built a 10 point lead but the Patriots would rally behind Curtis Martin 15 carries for 93 yds 1 TD. Brunell had 2 INT's but also made some big plays for Jax. going 14 of 25 for 274 yds and a TD. Most of the yards were to Jimmie Smith 6 cat-151 yds. Kyle Brady also was big with 2 rec for 50 yds and a TD.Lest we forget the defense Tony Brackens 2 FF 4 tackles and a sack. Ty Law 1 tackle, 1 deflection and 1 INT saving 6 pts in the end zone. Fred Taylor After the Patriots tied it at 20-20 in the 4th and regained momentum Fred Taylor broke a 58 yard run to set up the game winning FG. --contributed by Mike Kenney--

Vinny, by a nose !!!

Seattle dominated this one until the 4th quarter when they ran out of gas and answer. Testaverde, which means interception in Italian, engineered the comeback that culminated with an 11 yard TD pass to Leon Johnson on the final play of the game. Coach Andy Weinrib coached a brilliantly conservative game for the win. Seattle was able to move the ball at will for virtually 3 quarters, but their inability to score TD's and their ability to accept FG's were their undoing. Ricky Watters had a huge day (21-103) for the 'Hawks, but in the end he had nothing left in the tank and Seattle could not run the clock out. Vinny Testaverde was able to lead the Jets on a fantastic 13 play drive that started on the Jet 7. In 4:07 seconds he was able to drive the team 95 yards and overcome a 6 point deficit for this fantastic road win.

Chiefs edge Broncos in OT thriller

Lin Elliot OT hero Mile High Stadium - This classic Monday Night Football matchup between AFC West rivals did not disappoint. The first quarter, like the opening round in a heavyweight title fight, was a feeling out process. With the 1st 7 possessions ending in punts even the casual viewer had a suspicion that this was not going to be a day for offensive fireworks. By the middle of the 2nd quarter Elway had had enough of KC's stifling defense. He was able to orchestrate a huge 10 play 90 yard drive that culminated in a 14 yard toss to Rod Smith to break the ice. KC's Steve "don't call me Sonny" Bono answered back immediately with a 8 play 77 yard scoring drive. Thinking pass the Broncos were trapped in nickle D as Kimbal Anders rambled in from the six to deadlock the game at 7. Before the half ended Elway engineered one of his great 2 minute drills. KC made a terrible mistake going conservative and giving the blonde bomber enough time to weave his magic. 5 plays later Elway threaded the needle and the double covered Rod Smith for a quick 6 point. KC took a few knees and the halftime score was DEN, 14, KC 7. Elway opened up the 2nd half like he finished the first, on fire. He engineered a 9 minute drive that finally stalled on KC's 3. Jason Elam came in to nail a 20 yard chip shot, but in this game of football nothing is a given. Pellom McDaniels got his hand on the low kick and blocked the ball. With the chance to go up by 10 the Broncos lost a golden opportunity. The begging of the 4th saw Tamarick Vanover return a Tom Rouen punt 30 yards to the Bronco 47. Bono went almost exclusively to the run as Greg Hill and Marcus Allen were able to cut through Denver's pass defense. Once inside the red zone the Broncos decided to key the run and Bono tossed a beautiful play action pass to Allen who scored from the 8 to tie the game at 14. The next 2 possessions saw both offenses shoot themselves in their collective feet. First the normally sure handed Terrell Davis fumbled on KC's 40 after an 8 yard run, then Bono threw an untimely pick to John Mobley on Denvers's 29. Both defenses were committed to not allowing another point to be scored and the game was forced into OT. Denver won the toss and was forced to start from their 20 after Kin Elliott booted the kickoff out of the endzone. Elway was able to move his squad to his own 42 before the drive stalled and Rouen came in to punt. Starting on their own 27 the Chiefs began to drive. Bono mixed his offense up beautifully keeping the Broncos off guard. There were no big plays on this drive, just a lot of 5-8 yard gains. Denver began resorting to the blitz and Bono began tossing screens, with the final one netting 9 yards by Webster Slaughter. On 3rd and 1 from Denver's 10, Lin Elliott came in and booted a 27 yard game winner in this opening day classic.

Dirty Birds conquer greatest show on turf.

Falcons use a strong game from Jamal Anderson and a couple of ram turnovers to pull off the road win. Curiously the Rams didn't throw long in this game. Rumor has it that St. Louis owner Georgia Frontiere had a long discussion with coach Anthony "Mop" Barra regarding all the weapons at his disposal. Kurt Warner was heard after the game thanking the good lord for allowing him to suffer through the adversity of mop's grind it out offense. He feels they will be stronger as the season goes on and that his wife (Brenda) might abandon that butch "do" that she's been sporting. Gossip columnist around the NFL speculate that the couple is looking to get an endorsement contract from "Soul Glo" hair products.

Steelers Come Back to Beat Patriots

New England jumped to an early 10-0 lead, but the Steelers used several Patriot mistakes to come back to defeat the Patriots 28-25 in a tight fought game.
After the Steelers went 3 and out on their first possession, Dave Meggett returned the punt to the Steelers 26 yard line. 2 plays later, Drew Bledsoe found Ben Coates open over the middle and he rumbled in from 19 yards out to give the Patriots a 7-0 lead less than 2 minutes into the game.
After another 3 and out, the Patriots started at their own 17, but drove 50 yards before settling for a 50 yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri and a 10-0 lead with 5:54 left in the first quarter.
Following a Will Blackwell kickoff return out to the 49, Kordell Stewart threw a play action bomb to Yancey Thigpen for 51 yards on first down to cut the New England lead to 10-7. New England then drove 53 yards before settling for another Vinatieri field goal and the Patriots lead 13-7 at the end of the first quarter.
After another 3 and out by the Steelers, the Patriots took over at their own 29 to start the second quarter. After 8 yards and facing 4th and 2, they decided to go for it from their own 37. Drew Bledsoe's 4th down pass for David Meggett was incomplete and the Steelers took over in great field position.
The Steelers drove down to the Patriots 7, but couldn't get any closer and Norm Johnson's short field goal cut the New England lead to 13-10. After another long kick return from Troy Brown, the Patriots started out at midfield. Three plays later, Bledsoe hit a long strike to Shawn Jefferson to expand the Patriots lead to 19-10. New England decided to go for 2 points, and Bledsoe's pass to Coates was complete for the conversion. However, the Pats were called for holding and backed up to the 12 yard line. Vinatieri hit the extra point, but the Patriots were flagged for holding again, and his 39 yard extra point went wide and New England's lead was still 19-10.
Donnell Woolford intercepted a Drew Bledsoe pass at the Pittsburgh 40 and returned it to the New England 41 with just over 3 minutes left in the first half. The Steelers drove down to the New England 10 before having to settle for another Johnson field goal and the Patriots lead 19-13 at half time.
Vinatieri's third field goal, this time from 46, gave the Patriots a 22-13 lead with 9:21 left in the third quarter. The Steelers then drove to the Patriots 46 before having the drive stall. David Meggett fumbled the punt threw his hands while trying to fair catch and Darren Perry scooped the ball up and raced 8 yards into the end zone to cut the Patriots lead to 22-20.
Meggett returned the ensuing kickoff back into Steeler territory and the Patriots reached the Steelers 2 before penalties back them up. Vinatieri's fourth field goal gave the Pats a 25-20 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The Steelers then marched 75 yards to grab their first lead on Stewart's second touchdown pass to Yancey Thigpen, this time from 11 yards out. The Steelers after taking a 26-25 lead decided to try for two. Following a false start penalty, Kordell Stewart scrambled around and found the goal line from the 7 to give Pittsburgh a 28-25 lead which proved to be the final margin with 7:25 left in the game.
Following a Steeler punt which pinned them back at their own 11, the Patriots had one final chance in the final 2 minutes. But, Levon Kirkland stripped Bledsoe on a sack and Jason Gildon fell on the ball at the New England 19 yard line. Kordell Stewart took a couple of knees and the Steelers ran out the clock.
Jerome Bettis rushed for 110 yards and Yancey Thigpen caught 7 balls for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns. --submitted by John Lowe--

Lions beat boys...Novacek mysteriously abducted

Dallas came into Detroit, or rather Pontiac to play the Lions in the SilverDome. However Dallas would be without the services of premier tight end Jay Novacek (pictured playing golf w/his dog) as he had eaten out at a Mexican restaurant the evening before the game and was suffering from a severe case of food poisoning. Dallas coach Greg Marcucci suspected foul play but was unable to substantiate any charges.
After Dallas was forced to punt in their opening drive, Scott Mitchell (19-29, 259 yds, 1 td, 1 int) maneuvered the Lions down the filed on a 6 play 78 yard drive ending wth a touchdown pass to Herman Moore (7-84, 1 td). Dallas responded with their longest drive in terms of plays but was forced to accept a field goal and the score at the end of the first quarter was 7-3. The next two Lion drives totalled nearly 11 minutes but both ended in Jason Hanson field goals. The first half ended 13-7
The Lions took the second half kickoff and again moved into Dallas territory and again was forced to accept a field goal. Dallas came back and with Troy Aikman (23-37, 207 yds, 1 int) guiding them down the field, went 68 yards for with Emmitt Smith (15-56, 11 td) running in from one yar out to close the gap to 16-10. After the two teams exchanged the ball several times, the Lions put together another drive culminating in a Barry Sanders (24-109, 1 td rushing 4-57 receiving and mvp honors) 6 yard td run. The Cowboys would turn the ball over twice in the fourth quarter, on a Michael Irvin (9-85) fumble on his own 13 and an Aikman interception. On both occasions, Hanson would add three more points to the Lions score. The final score was 29-10. Johnnie Morton caught 6 passes for 114 yards. --submitted by Tom Davis--