Last Place Update

December 27, 2011 – Welcome to this week’s Last Place Update.  The 2-13 Indianapolis Colts’ two game lead is gone.  They went off on a two game winning streak and are now tied with the St. Louis Rams.  And for the first time this season, the Colts are no longer Kings of the Cellar.  That honor now goes to the Rams for getting shut out by the Pittsburgh Steelers (minus Ben Roethlisberger…Charlie Batch was the Steeler QB) 17-0.  The last time Pittsburgh shut out the Rams was in 1981, 24-0.

The Colts beat the Houston Texans 18-16 and will not have a honorable mention this week.  Congrats on two straight wins.  And congrats to the Minnesota Vikings for pulling off the upset special over the Washington Redskins.  You too, will not have an honorable mention.

This week’s first honorable mention goes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  True, there are teams with fewer wins, but nobody has a longer losing streak, which is now at nine straight.  It’s one thing to lose close games to good teams, but the Bucs got spanked by a losing team, the 4-11 Jacksonville Jaguars.  The Bucs even got swept and dominated by the 6-9 Carolina Panthers.

This week’s second honorable mention barely goes to the Cleveland Browns, who just edged the Chicago Bears for the honor.  Cleveland lost five straight and ten out of their last twelve, but the Browns have not been blown out during this stretch.  However, their wins were against opponents with losing records.  Even Tampa Bay beat two playoff teams.

Before we go to the next loss, I want to make a couple of comments.

First, congrats to Drew Brees for breaking Dan Marino’s single season passing yards record while leading the New Orleans Saints to a dominating win over the Atlanta Falcons.  He did it in fifteen games versus Marino’s sixteen games.  The only downside is if they have to play again in the playoffs.  Not only is it hard to beat the same team three times in a season, but some of the Atlanta players didn’t like the drive for the record and are itching for a rematch.  Here's the link to WWL Radio’s Jim Henderson’s call on the record-breaking play.

Jim Henderson's Call When Brees Passed Marino

Second, congrats to the Detroit Lions for making the playoffs for the first time since 1999, when Barry Sanders ran the ball all over the place.  And who was one of their quarterbacks?  Current Steelers backup quarterback Charlie Batch.  He and kicker Jason Hanson are the only two players from the 1999 team who are still playing in the NFL and Hanson is still with the Lions.

Next Loss

St. Louis hosts their divisional rival of over 60 years, the San Francisco 49ers.  Upset Special?  Only if the Rams play the Niners like they played the Saints.  Although San Francisco struggles to score touchdowns in the red zone, St. Louis doesn’t have the offensive firepower without Sam Bradford.  Now if Bradford is healthy enough to play, then this will be an upset special.  If he isn’t, then this will be an easy Niners win, who will clinch the #2 spot in the playoffs

Indy goes to Jacksonville to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Upset special?  Why not?  If the Colts play like they did the last two weeks, they should win their first road game.  Indy will finish the season on a positive note with another upset win.

Minnesota takes on their divisional rival for over 50 years, the Chicago Bears, at home.  Could this be a third upset special?  Not this time, even at home.  The Vikings will put up a good fight, but Chicago should end the season with a win.

Here are some historical scores on this day for teams facing each other this week: December 27,

1987 – San Francisco 48 – Los Angeles Rams 0

1992 – Kansas City 42 – Denver 20

1992 – Pittsburgh 23 – Cleveland 13

1998 – San Francisco 38 – St. Louis 19

1999 – New York Jets 38 – Miami 31

2003 – Philadelphia 31 – Dallas 7

2003 – New England 31 – Buffalo 0

Today in 1975 - Kansas City Chief vs Oakland Raiders

Today in 1975, the Oakland Raiders hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in a divisional contest and the last game of the regular season.

The Raiders got on the board first on a 5 yard touchdown run by Pete Banaszak.  The Chiefs answered with a Jan Stenerud 35 yard field goal.

Stenerud closed the gap with a 29 yard field goal in the second quarter.  Kansas City took the lead on a 5 yard touchdown pass from Tony Adams to Barry Pearson.  Oakland took the lead again on a Banaszak 3 yard touchdown run and increased the lead when Ken Stabler threw a 16 yard touchdown pass to Morris Bradshaw.  The Raiders led at halftime 21-13.

After a scoreless third quarter, Kansas City closed the gap to one on a 1 yard touchdown run by Jeff Kinney.  But Oakland put the game out of reach when Banaszak scored yet another touchdown on a 1 yard run.  The Oakland Raiders beat the Kansas City Chiefs 28-20.

For the Chiefs, Tony Adams passed 18-31 for 245 yards, with a touchdown and 2 interceptions.  He also had 3 rushing attempts for 26 yards.  Barry Pearson had 6 receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown.  Willie Lanier had an interception.

For the Raiders, Ken Stabler passed 11-12 for 134 yards and a touchdown.  The elder statesman of the NFL, George Blanda, passed 1-3 for 11 yards and an interception.  Pete Banaszak had 17 rushes for 72 yards and 3 touchdowns.  He also had 2 receptions for 22 yards.  Jess Phillips ran 7 times for 84 yards.  Charlie Phillips, Jack Tatum, and Skip Thomas each had an interception.

The Chiefs finished the season at 5-9, third in the AFC West.  The Raiders finished at 11-3 and were AFC West Champions.  Oakland lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers 16-10 in the AFC Championship game.

Trivia

• There were 13 Hall of Famers present: Len Dawson, Buck Buchanan, Willie Lanier, Jan Stenerud, and Emmitt Thomas for the Chiefs, and Fred Biletnikoff, George Blanda, Willie Brown, Dave Casper, Ted Hendricks, Art Shell, Gene Upshaw, and head coach John Madden for the Raiders.
• The Raiders rushed for 246 yards in the game, 199 of them by Banaszak (72), Jess Phillips (84), and Mark Van Eeghen (43).
• This was Paul Wiggin’s first season as head coach of the Chiefs.  He coached the team from 1975-77.
• This was John Madden’s seventh season as head coach of the Raiders.  He coached the team from 1969-78.
• Wiggin played defensive end for the Cleveland Browns from 1957-67.
• Oakland offensive guard Art Shell was the head coach of the Raiders from 1989-94 and 2006.
• This was kicker George Blanda's last appearance ever as quarterback and his last season as a player.  He played from 1949-75 for the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Colts, Houston Oilers, and Oakland Raiders.
• Emmitt Thomas was the interim head coach for the Atlanta Falcons in 2007.

Here are some historical scores on this day for teams facing each other this week, on December 21,

1980 – Dallas 35 – Philadelphia 27

1997 – Seattle 38 – San Francisco 9

2003 – Baltimore 35 – Cleveland 0

2003 – Philadelphia 27 – Dallas 3

2008 – Buffalo 30 – Denver 23

Game stats can be found on Pro-Football-Reference.com at Kansas City Chiefs vs Oakland Raiders - December 21, 1975.

Last Place Update

December 20, 2011 – Welcome to this week’s Last Place Update.  There are no longer any winless or undefeated teams.  As you already know, the Green Bay Packers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs and the 1-13 Indianapolis Colts got their first win against the Tennessee Titans.  Hats off to the Colts for getting into the win column, but they are still Kings of the Cellar.  Indy leads the 2-12 St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings by a game.

This week’s honorable mention goes to the Vikings.  They got spanked by the New Orleans Saints 42-20.  That was the most the Saints ever scored on them and New Orleans kept “Flap Jacket” Jared Allen off Drew Brees.  However, E.J. Henderson put in a respectable eleven tackles, nine of them solo tackles.

The second honorable mention goes to 4-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost to the Dallas Cowboys 31-15 on Thursday.  The Bucs didn’t turn the ball over like they did last week.  They were simply dominated by the Cowboys in the loss.  Their losing streak is now a league leading eight games.  The second longest active losing streak belongs to the Buffalo Bills at seven games.  Buffalo is on the Update’s radar.

Next Loss

Indy hosts the Houston Texans on Thursday.  Can this be two upsets in a row?  Maybe, depending on how the Colts play.  But Houston is coming off a loss to the Carolina Panthers and will probably take that loss out on the Colts.  Sorry, no upset special here.  The Texans will enjoy their first ever season sweep of the Colts.

The Rams invade Heinz Field to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, fresh off their Monday night loss to the San Francisco 49ers.  Could this be an upset special with a gimpy Ben Roethlisberger?  Nah, the Steelers have too much depth and Kellen Clemens isn’t Sam Bradford.  Pittsburgh swept the season series with the same Cincinnati Bengals, who beat the Rams last week in St. Louis.  Steven Jackson and Chris Long could make the game interesting, but they’re not enough to overcome a superior Steelers team.

Minnesota goes to Fed Ex Field play the Washington Redskins.  This is my Upset Special.  Yes, the Vikings need Adrian Peterson’s ankle to hold up, but Allen, Henderson, and the rest of the defensive front seven should make the Redskins try to win on Rex Grossman’s arm and although he’s not bad, he is no Drew Brees.  Unless the Vikings collapse, the game should be close, with Minnesota pulling off the upset. 

Here are some historical scores on this day for teams facing each other this week: December 20,

1975 – Los Angeles Rams 10 – Pittsburgh 3

1998 – Dallas 13 – Philadelphia 9

2004 – Miami 29 – New England 28

2007 – Pittsburgh 41 – St. Louis 24

Today in 1995 - Miami Dolphins vs Buffalo Bills

Today in 1995, the Miami Dolphins went to the frigid cold of Rich Stadium to take on the Buffalo Bills in a Week 16 contest.

Buffalo provided the only scoring in the first quarter on a Steve Christie 24 field goal.  He kicked a 20 yard field goal in the second quarter to increase Buffalo’s lead to 6-0.  Miami responded with a 50 yard field goal by Pete Stoyanovich.  Thurman Thomas ran 2 yards for a touchdown to give Buffalo the halftime lead 13-3.

Miami scored first in the third quarter with a 30 yard Stoyanovich field goal.  The Dolphins tied the game on a 25 yard pass from Dan Marino to Eric Green.  The Bills took the lead again on an 11 yard pass from Jim Kelly to Thurman Thomas.

In the fourth quarter, the Dolphins tied the game 20-20 on a 5 yard run by Bernie Parmalee.  But Buffalo would not be denied.  The Bills took the lead for good on a Christie 25 yard field goal.  The Buffalo Bills beat the Miami Dolphins 23-20.

For the Dolphins, Dan Marino passed 17-27 for 244 yards with a touchdown and an interception.  O.J. McDuffie had 4 receptions for 79 yards.  Eric Green had 4 receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown.  Jeff Cross had a sack and Calvin Jackson had an interception.

For the Bills, Jim Kelly passed 16-28 for 139 yards with a touchdown and an interception.  Thurman Thomas rushed 35 times for 148 yards and a touchdown.  He also had a reception for 11 yards and a touchdown.  Phil Hansen and Bryce Paup each recorded 1.5 sacks and David White had an interception.

Miami fell to 8-7 with the loss.  They finished the season at 9-7, second in the AFC East.  They lost their rematch in Buffalo in the Wildcard Round of the playoffs 37-22. 

Buffalo went to 10-5 with the win.  They finished the season at 10-6 and were AFC East Champions.  The Bills lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 40-21 in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

Trivia

• There were 6 Hall of Famers present: Dan Marino and head coach Don Shula for the Dolphins, and Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith, and head coach Marv Levy for the Bills.
  
• This was Don Shula’s last season as head coach of the Miami Dolphins.  He coached the team from 1970-95 and led the Dolphins to five Super Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl championships.
  
• This was Marv Levy’s 10^th season as head coach of the Bills.  He coached the team from 1986-97 and led the team to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances.  He was also the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs from 1978-82.
  
• Shula was also the head coach of the Baltimore Colts from 1963-69.  He led the team to the fated Super Bowl III, losing to the New York Jets.
  
• Shula played defensive back for the Cleveland Browns (1951-52), Baltimore Colts (1953-56), and Washington Redskins (1957).  He wore the number 25 with the Colts.  Defensive back Jerraud Powers wears that number for the Colts today.
  
• Miami’s Terrell Buckley played one season in the Atlanta Braves farm system.
  
• Buffalo’s defensive coordinator was Wade Phillips.  His career has been featured in other entries.
  
• Miami backup quarterback Dan McGwire is the brother of St. Louis Cardinal slugger Mark McGwire.
  
• Buffalo backup quarterback Alex Van Pelt was the team’s offensive coordinator in 2009.

Here are some historical scores on this day for teams facing each other this week, on December 17, 2011

1966 – Cleveland 38 – St. Louis Cardinals 10

1972 – Denver 45 – New England 21

1977 – Miami 31 – Buffalo 14

1983 – Washington 31 – New York Giants 22

1988 – Denver 21 – New England 10

2006 – Buffalo 21 – Miami 0

Game stats can be found on Pro-Football-Reference.com at Miami Dolphins vs Buffalo Bills - December 17, 1995.

Last Place Update

December 13, 2011 – Welcome to this week’s Last Place Update.  Once again, the 0-13 Indianapolis Colts maintain their two game lead as Kings of the Cellar.  They were easy pickings for the Baltimore Ravens, losing 24-10.  Their magic number is now two.  Two more losses guarantee the Colts the first pick in the 2012 draft.

This week’s first honorable mention goes to the 2-11 St. Louis Rams.  They went into Seattle and laid an egg, losing 30-13.  This is their fourth straight loss with no relief in sight.  Their last three games are against teams with a winning record.

The second honorable mention goes to the 4-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who can’t seem to win, even when they’re supposed to.  This is a game they should have won, but instead were blown out 41-14.  You can’t have seven turnovers and win.  Just ask the 1977 Denver Broncos.  They had eight turnovers while losing to the Dallas Cowboys 27-10 in Super Bowl XII.

Next Loss

Indy hosts the Tennessee Titans, fresh off their loss to the New Orleans Saints.  The Colts lost at Tennessee 27-10, but the Titans have not beaten a team with a winning record since Week 2, when they beat the Baltimore Ravens 26-13.  This could be an upset special, if only Indy could defend the run.  The last time Indy lost a season series against Tennessee was in 2002.  Titans should win an easy one and win the season series.

The Rams host the Cincinnati Bengals.  Cincy leads the series 6-5.  The Rams lost their last meeting in 2007, the first time they lost to the Bengals since 1993.  St. Louis has a shot at an upset special, but this could be a toss-up.  The Rams will make a game of it, but the Bengals will hand the Rams their 13^th loss.

The 2-11 Minnesota Vikings take on the New Orleans Saints at home.  Last week, Jared Allen said on a local TV show that the two cities he hated to play in most were Detroit and New Orleans.  He even said New Orleans was like a third world country.  As the saying goes, never give an opposing team an additional incentive to beat you.  The Saints are not the Lions.  Although the Vikings made a game of it, Minnesota still lost to an undisciplined Detroit team.  In addition, this is not the same Vikings team who almost went to the Super Bowl in 2009.  Adrian Peterson is Minnesota’s best chance for a win, but his efforts won’t be enough.  The Vikings won’t avenge their 2009 NFC Championship loss against New Orleans.  Instead, the Saints will easily hand Minnesota its 13^th loss.

Here are a few historical scores on this day for teams facing each other this week: December 13,

1959 – New York Giants 24 – Washington 10

1980 – Washington 16 – New York Giants 13

1997 – New York Giants 30 – Washington 10

Today in 2003 - Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons

Today in 2003, the Carolina Panthers invaded the Georgia Dome to take on the Atlanta Falcons in a Week 14 divisional contest.

After a scoreless first quarter, T.J. Duckett got Atlanta on the board in the second quarter with a 9 yard touchdown run.  Carolina answered with a 16 yard touchdown pass from Jake Delhomme to Jermaine Wiggins.  The score was tied 7-7 at halftime.

Stephen Davis provided the only score in the third quarter with a 1 yard touchdown run.  The Panthers led 14-7.

In the fourth quarter, the Falcons also had the only score on a 1 yard touchdown run by Michael Vick.  The game went to overtime.

In the overtime period, Carolina had possession, but Kevin Mathis intercepted a Delhomme pass and scored the winning touchdown.  The Atlanta Falcons beat the Carolina Panthers 20-14.

For the Panthers, Jake Delhomme passed 12-25 for 153 yards, with a touchdown and 2 interceptions.  Stephen Davis rushed 24 times for 81 yards and a touchdown.  Steve Smith had 7 receptions for 66 yards.  Deon Grant, Julius Peppers, and Dante Wesley each recorded a sack.

For the Falcons, Michael Vick passed 16-33 for 179 yards and an interception.  He ran 14 times for 141 yards and a touchdown.  T.J. Duckett had 17 rushes for 59 yards and a touchdown.  Alge Crumpler had 5 receptions for 57 yards.  Peerless Price had 4 catches, also for 57 yards.  Ellis Johnson had a sack and Kevin Mathis had the winning Pick 6.

Atlanta went to 3-10 with the win.  They finished the season at 5-11, fourth in NFC South.  Carolina fell to 8-5 with the loss.  They finished the season at 11-5, NFC South Champions.  They went on the play in Super Bowl XXXVIII, losing to the New England Patriots on a last minute field goal.

Trivia

• This was Wade Phillips’ first game as interim head coach of the Falcons, because Dan Reeves was fired earlier that week.  Phillips went 3-1 in that stretch.
  
• This was John Fox’s second season coaching the Panthers.  He was head coach from 2002-10 and is now the head coach of the Denver Broncos.
  
• This was Phillips’ second time as an interim coach.  He was first an interim coach with the New Orleans Saints in 1985 after his father, Bum Phillips resigned.  Wade went 1-3 that year. 
  
• As featured in other posts, Phillips was the head coach of the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, and Dallas Cowboys.  Today, he is the defensive coordinator of the Houston Texans.
  
• Panthers offensive coordinator Dan Henning was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 1983-86 and the San Diego Chargers from 1989-91.  He never achieved more than seven wins in any given season.
  
• Henning was a backup quarterback for the San Diego Chargers in 1966.
  
• Carolina defensive back Ricky Manning played in the Minnesota Twins’ farm system from 1999-2002.
  
• The Panthers went to overtime five times that season, including the playoffs.  This was their only overtime loss.
  
• The Falcons went to overtime twice.  They won this game and lost to the New Orleans Saints three weeks earlier.

Here are some historical scores on this day for teams facing each other this week, on December 7,

1975 – Pittsburgh 31 – Cleveland 17

2003 – San Francisco 50 – Arizona 14

2006 – Pittsburgh 27 – Cleveland 7

2008 – Minnesota 20 – Detroit 16

Game stats can be found on Pro-Football-Reference.com at Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons - December 7, 2003.