Thursday, December 5, 2013

Some NFL Series Trivia - Week 14

A few days after I posted my last entry, I realized that it was Week 13, not Week 14. I regret the error, which has now been corrected. Now let's get to the Week 14 series trivia.

Houston vs Jacksonville - In a battle for Kings of the Cellar, Houston leads the series 13-10 and is 5-1 against the Jaguars since 2011. Jacksonville leads the series at home 6-5 and is 4-2 since 2007. They first met and became divisional opponents in Houston's inaugural season in 2002. The Texans won that game 21-19. They never met in the postseason, but they have gone to overtime twice. The overtime series is tied 1-1. They last went to overtime in 2012, with Houston winning 43-37. The last time Houston shut out Jacksonville was 21-0 in 2004. The last time Jacksonville shut out Houston was 27-0 in 2003.

Oakland vs New York Jets - The Raiders lead the series 23-17-2, but the Jets are 4-2 against Oakland since 2003. New York leads the series at home 10-8-1, winning the last three home meetings. They first met in the AFL in 1960, when the Raiders beat the New York Titans 28-27. They met in the postseason four times, with the series tied 2-2. Their first postseason meeting was the 1968 AFL Championship, when the Jets won 27-23 and went on to win Super Bowl III. They played for the AFC Championship in 2002, when Oakland won 30-10 and went on to lose Super Bowl XXXVII to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They went to overtime twice and the series is tied 1-1. They last went to overtime in 2008. The Raiders won 16-13. The last time the Jets shut out the Raiders was 38-0 in 2009. The last time the Raiders shut out the Jets was in 1985, when the Los Angeles Raiders won 31-0. Their last tie was 28-28 in 1966.

Indianapolis vs Cincinnati - The Colts lead the series 17-9 and are 7-1 against the Bengals since 1998. Cincinnati trails the series at home 3-8, but is 2-1 against Indianapolis since 1996. They first met in 1970 in their only postseason meeting. The Baltimore Colts won that game 17-0 on their way to winning Super Bowl V. This was also the only shutout in the series. They went to overtime once, with the Bengals winning that game 24-21.

Detroit vs Philadelphia - The Eagles lead the series 15-13-2 and is 6-1 against Detroit since 1995. Philadelphia trails the series at home 8-9, but is 4-1 at home since 1995. They first met in 1933, when the Portsmouth Spartans won 25-0. They met in the postseason once, in 1995. Philadelphia won that game 58-37. They went to overtime twice, with the Lions leading 1-0-1. The last time they went to overtime was in 2012, when Detroit won 26-23. The last time Philadelphia shut out Detroit was 12-0 in 1968. The last time Detroit shut out Philadelphia was 21-0 in 1940. Their last tie was 23-23 in 1984.

Kansas City vs Washington - The Chiefs lead the series 7-1, winning the last five meetings. Washington trails the series at home 1-3. Their only win came in 1983, when the Skins won 27-12. They first met in 1971, when Kansas City won 27-20. They never met in the postseason. They never went to overtime, nor are there any shutouts in the series.

Minnesota vs Baltimore - The series is tied 2-2, with Minnesota winning the last meeting in 2009. Baltimore leads the series at home 2-1, winning their last two. They first met in 1998, when the Vikings won 38-28. They never met in the postseason nor did they ever go to overtime. There are no shutouts in the series.

Miami vs Pittsburgh - The Steelers lead the series 13-11, winning the last five meetings. Pittsburgh also leads the series at home, 7-3, winning their last three games against the Dolphins. They first met in 1971, when Miami won 24-21. They met in the postseason three times, with Miami leading 2-1. That includes two AFC Championship games, which is tied 1-1. The winner of every postseason meeting went on to the Super Bowl. Miami won in 1972 and 1984, moving on to winning Super Bowl VII and losing Super Bowl XVIX. The 1972 meeting was a divisional playoff game. Pittsburgh won in 1979 and went on to win Super Bowl XIV. They went to overtime once, in 1994, when the Steelers won 16-13. The last time Pittsburgh shut out Miami was 3-0 in 2007. The last time Miami shut out Pittsburgh was 21-0 in 1998.

Cleveland vs New England - The Browns lead the series 13-9, but New England is 6-2 since 1995. The series is tied in New England at 5-5, with the Patriots winning the last four. They first met in 1971 when the Browns won 27-7. They met in the postseason once, in the 1994 season, when Cleveland won 20-13. They went to overtime once in 1977. The Patriots won that game 30-27. The last time Cleveland shut out New England was 20-0 in 1991. New England has never shut out Cleveland.

Buffalo vs Tampa Bay - The Buccaneers lead the series 6-3, but the series is tied 2-2 since 1991. Tampa Bay leads the series at home 6-2, winning their last two meetings. They first met in Tampa Bay's inaugural season in 1976, when Buffalo won 14-9. They never met in the postseason. They never went to overtime nor has either team shut out the other.

Atlanta vs Green Bay - The Packers lead the series 15-13, with the series tied 2-2 since 2005. Green Bay also leads the series at home 9-5, losing two of their last three meetings at Lambeau Field. They first met in 1966, when Green Bay spanked the Falcons 56-3. They met in the postseason three times and the Packers lead that series 2-1. They last met in the postseason in 2010, when Green Bay won 48-21 on their way to a Super Bowl XLV victory. They went to overtime twice, with the series tied at 1-1. The last time they went to overtime was in 2002, when the Packers won 37-34. The last time Atlanta shut out Green Bay was 20-0 in 1988. The last time Green Bay shut out Atlanta was 23-0 in 1967.

Tennessee vs Denver - The Titans lead the series 22-16-1, but Denver is 3-1 against Tennessee since 2004. However, Denver leads the series at home 10-7-1, with Denver winning their last four meetings. They first met in 1960, when the Houston Oilers won 45-25. They met in the postseason three times, with the Broncos leading the series 2-1. They last met in the postseason in 1992, when the Broncos beat the Houston Oilers 26-24. They never met in overtime nor has either team ever shut out the other.

New York Giants vs San Diego - The series is tied 5-5, but the Chargers won the last two meetings. The series is also tied 2-2 in San Diego, going 1-1 in their last two meetings there. They first met in 1971 when the Giants won 35-17. They never met in the postseason nor have they ever gone to overtime. Neither team has ever shut out the other.

St. Louis vs Arizona - The Rams lead the series 35-33-2, winners of their last three meetings. Arizona trails the series at home 15-16-2, but is 4-2 against the Rams at home since 2007. They first met in 1937, when the Chicago Cardinals beat the Cleveland Rams 6-0. Their only postseason meeting was in 1975, when the Los Angeles Rams beat the St. Louis Cardinals 35-23. They went to overtime three times, with Arizona leading 2-1. They last went to overtime in 2011, when Arizona won 19-13. The last time the Rams shut out the Cardinals was 21-0 in 1979. The last time the Cardinals shut out the Rams was 7-0 in 1942. Their last tie was 24-24 in 1953.

Seattle vs San Francisco - The Seahawks lead the series 15-14, winning the last two meetings. San Francisco leads the series at home 7-3, winning the last four meetings at Candlestick Park. They first met in Seattle's inaugural season in 1976, when the 49ers won 37-21. They never met in the postseason, but they did go to overtime once. San Francisco won that game in 2008, 33-30. The last time Seattle shut out San Francisco was 24-0 in 2007. San Francisco has never shut out Seattle.

Carolina vs New Orleans - The Panthers lead the series 19-17 and swept the series last year. Carolina also leads the series in New Orleans 10-8. but the Saints are 3-1 in the Superdome since 2009. They first met in Carolina's inaugural season of 1995, when the Panthers won 20-3. They never met in the postseason, but they went to overtime once. Carolina won that game in 2003, 23-20. The only shutout in the series was a 13-0 Panther victory in 1997.

Dallas vs Chicago - The Cowboys lead the series 13-10, but the Bears won the last two meetings. Chicago trails the series at home 5-6, but they are 2-1 at Soldier Field since 1996. They first met in Dallas' inaugural season in 1960, when Chicago won 17-7. They met in the postseason twice, with the Cowboys winning both games. The last time they met in the postseason was a Dallas win in 1991, 17-13. They never went to overtime. The only shutout in the series was a 44-0 blowout by the Bears over Dallas in 1985.

The 2-10 Houston Texans are this week's Kings of the Cellar. Honorable mention goes to the 3-9 Washington Redskins, losers of four straight.

Here are some historical scores for this week's matchups on December 5,

1954  Philadelphia 13 - Detroit 13
1965  Los Angeles Rams 27 - St. Louis Cardinals 3
1971  Philadelphia 23 - Detroit 20
1982  Cincinnati 20 - Baltimore Colts 17
1993  Arizona 38 - Los Angeles Rams 10
2004  New England 42 - Cleveland 15
2004  Carolina 32 - New Orleans 21
2010  St. Louis 19 - Arizona 6

Have a great day!!

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Some NFL Series Trivia - Week 13

Although it's Week 13, this is the first series trivia entry of the 2013 season. Let's get started.

Jacksonville vs Cleveland - The Jaguars lead the series 9-5, but Cleveland is 5-3 against Jacksonville since 2001. However, the Jags lead the series in the Dawg Pound 5-2. Jacksonville dominated the beginning of this series, going 6-0 the first three seasons they played each other. They first met in 1995. Jacksonville won 23-15. They last met in 2011, with Cleveland winning 14-10. They never met in the postseason nor have they gone to overtime. The only shutout in the series was a 48-0 pasting by the Jaguars over the Browns in 2000.

Chicago vs Minnesota - The Vikings lead the series 53-50-2, but the Bears are 7-2 against Minnesota since 2009. The Vikings also lead the series at home, 32-21 and are 8-3 at home against the Bears since 2002. They first met in 1961, when Chicago won 37-13. They went to overtime four times. THe Bears trail the series 1-3, but won the last overtime game in 2009, 36-30. They met once in the postseason. The Bears won that game, 35-18. The last time Chicago shut out Minnesota was 23-0 in 1986. The last time Minnesota shut out Chicago was 17-0 in 1974. Their last tie was 10-10 in 1967.

Arizona vs Philadelphia -  In a battle of former NFC East opponents, the Cardinals lead the series 57-54-5 and are 4-1 against the Eagles, winning three straight since 2009. However, Philadelphia leads the series at home 28-27-3, going 3-2 against Arizona since 2000. They first met in 1935, when the Chicago Cardinals beat the Eagles 12-3. They first played in Philadelphia in 1937, which ended in a 6-6 tie. They went to overtime three times and have a 1-1-1 record. They last met in overtime in 1998, with Arizona winning 20-17. They met in the postseason three times, all of them deciding the NFL or NFC Championship. The Cardinals lead the postseason series 2-1 and were NFL Champions in 1947, defeating the Eagles 28-21. Arizona won the NFC Championship in 2008 and lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII. The last time the Eagles shut out the Cardinals, Philadelphia shut out the St, Louis Cardinals 38-0 in 1981. The only time the Cardinals shut out the Eagles, the Chicago Cardinals shut out Philadelphia 13-0 in 1936. Their last tie was 10-10 in 1986.

New England vs Houston - The Patriots lead the series 4-1, only losing to the Texans in 2010. The series is tied 1-1 in Houston. They first met in 2003, which was their only overtime game. New England won that game 23-20. They met in the postseason once, which was a 41-28 Patriot victory last year. There are no shutouts in the series.

Tennessee vs Indianapolis - The Colts lead the series 24-14 and are 9-2 against the Titans, winning the last four games. Indianapolis also leads the series at home 14-7 and are 9-1 against Tennessee since 2002. They first met in 1970, when the Baltimore Colts defeated the Houston Oilers 24-20.  They went to overtime twice and have a 1-1 record. Indy won the last OT in 2012, 19-13. They met in the postseason once, in the 1999 season when Tennessee defeated Indianapolis 19-16, on their way to becoming Super Bowl XXXIV Champions. The only shutout in the series was a 23-0 Colts victory in 2008.

Tampa Bay vs Carolina - The Panthers lead the series 15-11, but the Bucs are 4-3 against Carolina since 2010. Carolina also leads the series at home, 7-6, but that series is tied 4-4 since 2005. They first met in 1995, when Tampa Bay won 20-13. They never met in the postseason, but they did go to overtime twice and have a 1-1 record. The last time they went to overtime was in 2012, when the Buccaneers won 27-21. The only shutout in the series was a 24-0 win by Tampa Bay in 1996.

Miami vs New York Jets - New York leads the series 49-45-1, but the series is tied 3-3 since 2010. The Jets also lead the series at home 27-20, going 4-1 since 2008. They first met in 1966, when the Jets beat the Dolphins 19-14. They met in the postseason once, in the 1982 AFC Championship game. Miami won 23-0 and went on to lose Super Bowl XVII to the Washington Redskins. This was also the last time Miami shut out the Jets. They went to overtime six times. New York owns the overtime series 5-0-1. They last went to overtime in 2012, when the Jets won 23-20. The last time the Jets shut out the Dolphins, was 24-0 in 2001. Their only tie was 28-28 in 1981.

Atlanta vs Buffalo - The Falcons lead the series 6-4, winning the last three. However, Buffalo leads the series at home 3-2, but they're 1-2 against Atlanta in Rich Stadium since 1992. They first met in 1973, when the Bills won 17-6. They never met in the postseason nor have they gone to overtime. The only shutout in the series was in 1977, when the Bills won 3-0.

St. Louis vs San Francisco - The 49ers lead the series 63-62-3, but trail the Rams 8-2-1 since 2008. The series is tied 32-32-1 in San Francisco, but the 49ers are 8-2-1 at home since 2002. They first met in 1950, when the Los Angeles Rams won 35-14. They met once in the postseason, when the 49ers won 30-3. They went to overtime three times. St. Louis leads that series 2-1. They last went to overtime in 2012, when the Rams won 16-13. The last time the 49ers shut out the Rams was 26-0 in 2011. The Rams have never shut out the 49ers.

Denver vs Kansas City - The Chiefs lead the series 56-51, but the Broncos are 9-4 since 2007, winning the last three. Kansas City also leads the series at home 36-17, but Denver is 4-2 in Arrowhead Stadium since 2007. They first met in 1960, when the Dallas Texans beat the Broncos, 17-14. They met in the postseason once, in 1997, when Denver won 14-10, and went on to win Super Bowl XXXII over the Green Bay Packers. They went to overtime five times, with the Broncos leading the series 4-1. They last went to overtime in 2006. Denver won 9-6. The last time Denver shut out Kansas City was 21-0 in 1984. The last time Kansas City shut out Denver was 16-0 in 1970.

Cincinnati vs San Diego - The Chargers lead the series 19-13, but Cincinnati won the last two meetings. San Diego also leads the series at home 10-6 and are 5-2 against the Bengals there since 1992. They first met in 1968, when the Chargers won 29-13. They met in the postseason once, in the 1981 AFC Championship game. The Bengals won 27-7 and went on to lose to San Francisco in Super Bowl XVI. They never went to overtime. The only shutout in the series was a 31-0 Bengals win in 1971.

New York Giants vs Washington - The Giants lead the series 93-65-4, but Washington is 3-1 in the last four meetings. However, Washington trails the series at home, 37-42-2, but they won the last home meetings. They first met in 1932, when the then Boston Braves beat the Giants 14-6. They met in the postseason twice and have a 1-1 record. Their last posteason game was in 1986, when the Giants won 17-0, on their way to beating the Broncos in Super Bowl XXI. They went to overtime four times, with the Redskins leading the series 2-1-1. They last went to overtime in 2003, when New York won, 24-21. The last time the Giants shut out the Redskins was 36-0 in 2005. The last time the Redskins shut out the Giants 27-0 in 1979. In a trivia twist, their only other postseason meeting, a divisional playoff game in 1943, was also a shutout, this time, with Washington winning 28-0.

New Orleans Saints vs Seattle Seahawks - The series is tied 6-6, but Seattle is 4-2 against the Saints since 2000. The Seahawks lead the series at home 4-3 and are 3-1 since 2000. They first met in 1976, when the Saints won 56-27. They never went to overtime, but they did meet in the postseason once, in 2011, when Seattle ran all over New Orleans and won 41-36. There are no shutouts in the series.

The 2-9 Houston Texans are this week's Kings of the Cellar and the 5-6-1 Green Bay Packers are the Honorable Mention until Aaron Rodgers returns.

On a different subject, I completed my NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge with a day to spare. The first draft of my second novel, Second Chance, is complete. My next goal is to finish the final draft of my novella, Rickshaw, New Mexico, and publish it before Christmas.


Here are some historical scores for this week's games played December 1,

1963   Minnesota 17 - Chicago 17
1963   Los Angeles Rams 21 - San Francisco 17
1968   New York Jets 35 - Miami 17
1994   Minnesota 33 - Chicago 27 OT
1996   Tampa Bay 24 - Carolina 0
1996   Baltimore 31 - Pittsburgh 17