| National
Football League Game Capsules (Sunday, January
1st)
Final Score: Indianapolis 17, Arizona 13
Indianapolis, IN
(MySportsbook)
- Jim Sorgi threw a pair of touchdown passes
and the Indianapolis Colts made a goal line
stand in the closing seconds to give head coach
Tony Dungy a victory in his return to the sideline
with a 17-13 triumph over Arizona at the RCA
Dome. Dungy missed last week's game against
Seattle following the death of his son, but
returned to the team this week after Tuesday's
funeral. The Colts (14-2) bounced back from
a pair of losses after starting the season with
13 straight wins and will have next week off
before hosting a divisional round playoff game
on January 14 or 15. The team set a franchise
record for victories in a season, topping the
old mark of 13 set in 1968 and matched in 1999.
The Cardinals (5-11) couldn't take advantage
of Indy's second-stringers and wrapped up another
dismal season. Arizona, coming off a victory
last week against Philadelphia, failed to win
consecutive games during the season and finished
one game worse than last year's 6-10 mark in
Dennis Green's first year.
Final Score: NY Jets
30, Buffalo 26
East Rutherford, NJ
(MySportsbook)
- Justin Miller's 95-yard kickoff return for
a touchdown late in the fourth quarter lifted
the New York Jets to 30-26 victory over the
Buffalo Bills in the season-finale for both
teams at the Meadowlands. Ty Law intercepted
three passes and Mark Brown returned another
pick for a touchdown, as the Jets (4-12) ended
a dismal season by snapping a two-game losing
streak. Brooks Bollinger completed 11-of-20
passes for 153 yards and Laveranues Coles caught
four passes for 79 yards for the Jets, while
Cedric Houston ran for a score in the victory
Buffalo quarterback Kelly Holcomb threw a pair
of touchdown passes, but was also intercepted
four times. He connected on 23-of-37 passes
for 184 yards and Willis McGahee rushed for
113 yards on 22 carries for the Bills (5-11),
who lost six of their last seven games. Eric
Moulds finished with eight catches for 96 yards
and a touchdown.
Final Score: Pittsburgh
35, Detroit 21
Pittsburgh, PA
(MySportsbook)
- Willie Parker sprinted for 135 yards and Jerome
Bettis ran for three touchdowns, as the Pittsburgh
Steelers clinched a playoff spot with a 35-21
victory over the Detroit Lions at Heinz Field.
In what could have been the final home stop
on the Bus' career tour, the bruising back picked
up 41 yards on 10 carries and supported a Steelers'
ground game that racked up 199 yards. Pittsburgh
(11-5) won its final four games of the regular
season to lock up the sixth seed in the AFC
playoffs. It will make the short trip to AFC
North rival Cincinnati next Sunday. Joey Harrington
completed 17-of-33 passes for 212 yards with
three touchdowns and Kevin Jones ran for 78
yards in the loss. Marcus Pollard caught four
passes for 50 yards and a touchdown for Detroit
(5-11), which lost six of its last seven games.
Final Score: Tampa Bay
27, New Orleans 13
Tampa, FL (MySportsbook)
- Dewayne White stripped Saints quarterback
Todd Bouman late in the game and rumbled 34
yards for the touchdown, leading the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers to the NFC South title with a 27-13
win over New Orleans. The Bucs (11-5), who ended
the regular season with wins in four of their
last five games, will host Washington next weekend
at Raymond James Stadium in the Wild Card round
of the playoffs. Chris Simms threw for 143 yards
and two touchdowns, while Joey Galloway was
on the receiving end of both scores in the win.
Rookie Cadillac Williams ran for 81 yards on
22 carries for third- seeded Tampa Bay. Bouman
was 25-of-37 passing for 265 yards and a score
with a pair of interceptions, as the Saints
(3-13) lost their last five games of the season.
Final Score: Green Bay
23, Seattle 17
Green Bay, WI
(MySportsbook)
- In possibly his last game with Green Bay,
an energized Brett Favre threw for 259 yards
and a touchdown as the Packers ended their season
with a 23-17 victory over the playoff-bound
Seattle Seahawks at Lambeau Field. Seattle running
back Shaun Alexander was able to set the NFL
record for most touchdowns in a single season
and also became the league's leading rusher
this season, but his club was more content on
avoiding injuries in a meaningless tilt before
the playoffs. Several key Seahawks starters
did not see the field in the second half. Donald
Driver had six catches for 118 yards for the
Packers (4-12), who ended a disappointing season
with a victory, however, this was the team's
worst regular-season finish since the 1991 Packers
also finished 4-12. Alexander had 73 rushing
yards on 20 attempts, including a one-yard run
for his 28th TD of the year, for the Seahawks
(13-3), who saw their 12-game win streak come
to an end.
Final Score: Cleveland
20, Baltimore 16
Cleveland, OH
(MySportsbook)
- Dennis Northcutt had a 62-yard punt return
touchdown in the third quarter for the go-ahead
points, and Charlie Frye threw for 199 yards
and a score as the Cleveland Browns defeated
the Baltimore Ravens, 20-16, in the regular-season
finale for both teams at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Frye went 22-of-38 and also had two interceptions
for the Browns (6-10), who won two of their
last three games to tie the Ravens at the bottom
of the AFC North. Kyle Boller finished the game
15- of-36 for 151 yards with two picks for the
Ravens (6-10), who saw their attempt to finish
out the season with three consecutive victories
fall short.
Final Score: Carolina
44, Atlanta 11
Atlanta, GA
(MySportsbook)
- Jake Delhomme threw two touchdown passes and
the Carolina Panthers clinched a playoff berth
with a 44-11 drubbing of the Atlanta Falcons
at the Georgia Dome. Delhomme completed 14-of-20
passes for 163 yards and DeShaun Foster ran
for 165 yards and a score on 18 carries, leading
Carolina (11-5) to back-to-back winning seasons
for the first time in franchise history. Steve
Smith ended his spectacular 2005 regular season
with 131 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions
for the Panthers. Smith, who established a team
record for receptions in a season with 103,
had 12 TD catches in the regular season for
Carolina, which will be the fifth seed in the
NFC playoffs and will travel to Giants Stadium
next Sunday in the opening round. Michael Vick
threw for 115 yards with an interception, as
the Falcons (8-8) lost their last three games
of the season. Backup quarterback Matt Schaub
tossed a TD pass to Roddy White late in the
game for the final points.
Final Score: Kansas City
37, Cincinnati 3
Kansas City, MO
(MySportsbook)
- Larry Johnson ran for 201 yards and three
touchdowns, as the Kansas City Chiefs routed
the Cincinnati Bengals, 37-3, at Arrowhead Stadium.
Johnson's big day capped a season in which he
rushed for a club-record 1,750 yards, a remarkable
feat for a back that started just nine games
this season. Trent Green completed 23-of-29
passes for 344 yards and a score, while Eddie
Kennison hauled in seven passes for 151 yards
in the victory. Kansas City (10-6) ended the
season with two straight wins, but was denied
a spot in the AFC playoffs with Pittsburgh's
35-21 victory over Detroit. The Bengals (11-5)
have lost two straight since clinching the AFC
North title, but still earned the third seed
in the conference playoffs when New England
also lost on Sunday.
Final Score: Miami 28,
New England 26
Foxboro, MA
(MySportsbook)
- Ricky Williams ran for 108 yards with a touchdown
and Miami withstood a two-point conversion attempt
on the final play of the game to hold on for
a 28-26 victory over the New England Patriots
at Gillette Stadium. Gus Frerotte also threw
a touchdown pass for the Dolphins (9-7), who
closed the season with a six-game winning streak
-- the longest for the club since it opened
the 1992 campaign with six wins. It also completed
a remarkable turnaround in Nick Saban's first
season, as Miami was just 4-12 last year and
began the 2005 campaign with 3-7 mark. The Patriots
(10-6), meanwhile, had a four-game winning streak
stopped and will be the fourth seed in the AFC
playoffs. New England could have been the third
seed with a victory, as Cincinnati dropped a
37-3 decision at Kansas City on Sunday.
Final Score: San Francisco
20, Houston 17 (OT)
San Francisco, CA
(MySportsbook)
- Joe Nedney's 33-yard field goal with 5:13
left in the overtime period staked San Francisco
to a 20-17 victory over Houston in the regular-season
finale for both teams at Monster Park. Nedney's
game-winning kick, which was set up by Mike
Adams' second interception of the game, assured
the Texans (2-14) the No. 1 overall pick of
April's college draft. The 2005 No. 1 selection,
Alex Smith, completed 16- of-29 attempts for
159 yards and threw his first career NFL touchdown
pass for the 49ers (4-12), who ended their season
on a high note with two consecutive triumphs.
Final Score: Jacksonville
40, Tennessee 13
Jacksonville, FL
(MySportsbook)
- LaBrandon Toefield ran for a career-high 102
yards with a touchdown and Quinn Gray threw
two touchdown passes in his first NFL appearance,
as the Jacksonville Jaguars routed the Tennessee
Titans, 40-13, at Alltel Stadium. Jacksonville
(12-4) ended the 2005 season with three consecutive
victories and has the unenviable task of attempting
to knock out the defending Super Bowl champions
when it visits New England next Saturday night
in a first-round playoff game. Travis Henry
ran for 48 yards and Ben Troupe hauled in nine
passes for 89 yards and a touchdown for Tennessee
(4-12), which ended the season with three straight
losses.
Final Score: Minnesota
34, Chicago 10
Minneapolis, MN
(MySportsbook)
- Brad Johnson completed 27-of-40 passes for
247 yards with two touchdowns as the Minnesota
Vikings cruised past the playoff-bound Chicago
Bears, 34-10, at the Metrodome. Shortly after
the contest, Vikings' owner Zygi Wilf announced
he will not renew head coach Mike Tice's contract
for next season. Mewelde Moore rushed for 57
yards and hauled in six passes for 44 yards
and a touchdown as the Vikings (9-7) ended a
drama-filled season with a victory. Michael
Bennett added 82 yards on the ground with a
score. Kyle Orton got the start for Chicago
(11-5) and was 6-of-14 for 59 yards before being
replaced in the fourth quarter by Jeff Blake,
who went 7-of-8 for 44 yards and a touchdown.
Final Score: Washington
31, Philadelphia 20
Philadelphia, PA
(MySportsbook)
- Sean Taylor scooped up a fumble and raced
39 yards for a touchdown to put the Washington
Redskins in the playoffs with a 31-20 win over
the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial
Field. Clinton Portis ran for 112 yards and
two touchdowns on 27 carries for the sixth-
seeded Redskins (10-6), who ended the regular
season with five straight wins and will travel
to Tampa Bay next Saturday in a first-round
playoff game. Washington is in the postseason
for just the second time since head coach Joe
Gibbs left the franchise following the 1992
season. Mike McMahon threw for 234 yards with
two TD passes and one interception for the Eagles
(6-10), who ended a roller-coaster season with
two straight losses and a last-place tag in
the NFC East.
Final Score: St. Louis
20, Dallas 10
Irving, TX
(MySportsbook)
- Arlen Harris' fourth-quarter touchdown helped
the St. Louis Rams overcome the Dallas Cowboys,
20-10, in the season finale for both clubs at
Texas Stadium. Aveion Cason added a touchdown
and 65 yards rushing for the Rams (6-10), who
ended a four-game slide. Jamie Martin threw
for 158 yards on 19-of-32 passing for St. Louis,
which won just two of its final eight games.
Bledsoe finished 18-of-39 for 242 yards with
a TD for Dallas (9-7), which ended the season
losing four of six to narrowly miss out on the
postseason. Keyshawn Johnson, who also lost
a fumble, had five catches for 97 yards for
the Cowboys, who were eliminated from playoff
contention when Washington and Carolina collected
victories earlier on Sunday.
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