(Sunday, January 2nd)
Final Score: Baltimore 30, Miami 23
Baltimore, MD (Wager On Football - NFL
Wagering) - Jamal Lewis ran for 167 yards
and a touchdown, as the Baltimore Ravens kept their
playoff hopes alive for a few hours with a 30-23
victory over the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank
Stadium.
The Ravens (9-7) needed a victory and a loss by
Buffalo in the early afternoon games to stay alive.
The Bills obliged with a 29-24 loss to Pittsburgh,
but Baltimore still needed losses by Denver and
Jacksonville in late Sunday action to reach the
post-season as a wild card. The Broncos, though,
claimed a 33-14 win over an Indianapolis squad that
sat Peyton Manning and most of its starters for
the majority of the contest and captured the final
AFC playoff spot.
"If there is anybody to blame for the situation,
it's definitely us," said Ravens Pro Bowl linebacker
Terrell Suggs.
The Dolphins (4-12) concluded their worst season
in franchise history, as the 12 losses eclipsed
the old record of 11 set during the club's expansion
season of 1966.
Miami had won its previous two games and finished
3-4 under interim coach Jim Bates, who took over
in November after Dave Wannstedt's resignation.
Nick Saban, who led LSU to a national championship
last January, will be the new Dolphins coach, having
agreed to a reported five-year deal last week.
"When I took over eight weeks ago we were
1-8 and it was a tough situation," said Bates.
"For the last seven football games, we've been
in every one. Today we were down 27-7 -- 20 points
-- and there's no quit in the football team."
Sage Rosenfels started at quarterback for Miami
in place of the injured A.J. Feeley and threw for
264 yards on 16-of-38 passing with a touchdown and
three interceptions. Sammy Morris also ran for 89
yards and a score in defeat.
Kyle Boller completed 14-of-27 passes for 142 yards
with a touchdown for the Ravens. Lewis' big day
gave him 1,006 yards for the season.
The Baltimore defense, playing without star middle
linebacker Ray Lewis, had two interceptions that
led directly to Raven scores and one that prevented
a Miami touchdown. Lewis suffered a broken wrist
two weeks ago and played last Sunday against Pittsburgh,
but aggravated the injury further and did not practice
this week.
Rosenfels was picked off on Miami's first possession
of the second half, and Ed Reed's 41-yard return
was followed immediately by a two-yard touchdown
run from Jamal Lewis to make it a 27-7 game.
Wes Welker then returned the ensuing kickoff 95
yards for a Miami touchdown. He took it straight
up the middle, broke one tackle and eluded the kicker
before outracing the rest of the Ravens to the end
zone.
The Miami defense then forced a punt and the offense
kicked into gear with its first real sustained drive
of the game. Rosenfels engineered a 90-yard march
that Morris capped with a 35-yard run for a touchdown
to pull the Dolphins within 27-21.
The Ravens followed with 50-yard drive for a 33-yard
field goal by Matt Stover to increase the lead to
nine points, but the Miami offense marched right
back down the field.
A 37-yard pass from Rosenfels to Bryan Gilmore
set up a 1st-and-goal at the one, but the Ravens
stuffed two Miami runs, although one appeared to
cross the plane of the goal line, and Anthony Weaver
came up with an interception to halt the threat.
Baltimore took over at its own three, but Jamal
Lewis had the ball stripped and Boller was able
to fall on the fumble in the end zone to give Miami
a safety rather than a touchdown to make it a seven-point
contest with 10:13 to play.
The Dolphins had a couple of drives into Baltimore
territory, but could not come up with the tying
touchdown.
The first series ended in a punt at the Ravens
45 and the next Miami drive got to the 28 before
Rosenfels was sacked by Suggs for a 14-yard loss.
"I made some key mistakes that I've got to
learn from," said Rosenfels in his first NFL
start.
The Ravens then kept possession until the final
minute and time ran out on the Dolphin offense near
midfield.
Rosenfels made his first pass as an NFL starter
a memorable one, hitting Chris Chambers in stride
down the left sideline for a 76-yard touchdown and
a 7-0 lead on the first play from scrimmage. It
was all Baltimore in the first half from there.
The Ravens followed with a seven-play, 64-yard
march for the tying score. A pass interference penalty
in the end zone gave Baltimore a first down and
Boller hit Terry Jones with a shovel pass on the
next play for the touchdown.
The Dolphins tried to go deep again on their next
play from scrimmage, but Gary Baxter, who was beaten
on the touchdown, got a hand on Rosenfels' pass
and Miami was eventually forced to punt.
The teams traded punts into the second quarter
before Miami's Olindo Mare missed a 53-yard field
goal attempt. The Ravens then drove from their own
43 to the Miami two-yard line and, after an incomplete
pass in the end zone was upheld by replay, Stover
kicked a 25-yard field goal to give Baltimore a
10-7 edge midway through the period.
The Baltimore defense then scored three plays after
the kickoff when Jarrett Johnson tipped a Rosenfels
pass at the line of scrimmage, caught the ball and
lumbered six yards into the end zone for a 17-7
lead.
It was the eighth time this season an interception
was returned for a touchdown against the Dolphins.
The Ravens got the ball back at the Miami 49 after
a punt and tacked on a 19- yard field goal by Stover
in the closing seconds of the half to take a 20-7
advantage into the locker room.
After the long touchdown pass on the opening play,
the Dolphins managed just 65 yards offensively the
remainder of the half.
Game Notes
Welker's kickoff return for a touchdown was the
first for the Dolphins since Marc Logan did it against
the Houston Oilers on October 1, 1989...The Ravens
beat the Dolphins for the first time in five all-time
regular season meetings, although Baltimore posted
a 20-3 victory at Miami in a first-round playoff
game after the 2001 season.
NFL Game Summary - Cleveland
at Houston
(Sunday, January 2nd)
Final Score: Cleveland 22, Houston 14
Houston, TX(Wager On Football - NFL Wagering)
- Kelly Holcomb passed for 228 yards and a touchdown,
Phil Dawson was 5-for-5 on field goal attempts,
and the Cleveland Browns snapped their nine-game
losing streak with a season-ending 22-14 victory
over Houston at Reliant Stadium.
Holcomb was 20-of-29 passing and was intercepted
twice in his second start of the season for the
Browns (4-12), who won for the first time in five
games under interim head coach Terry Robiskie. They
had scored just 29 points in four games since Butch
Davis resigned following Week 12.
"It's been a hard, hard year," Robiskie
said. "Today we finally got a chance to dance
a little bit."
Lee Suggs added 131 yards on 26 carries in the
win, becoming the first Browns running back with
three consecutive 100-yard rushing games since Greg
Pruitt in 1978.
"We needed this," Suggs said. "It
had been a long time since we won a game."
The Texans (7-9) had a two-game winning streak
snapped and missed an opportunity to finish .500
for the first time in the franchise's three-year
history. They ended 4-12 two years ago and were
5-11 last season.
"Regardless, we're going to come in next year
thinking about playoffs," linebacker Kailee
Wong said. "We feel we're close...we just have
to learn how to do the little things in the situations
to really finish games."
Houston quarterback David Carr was 14-of-24 for
111 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Domanick
Davis rushed for 103 yards and a TD on 17 carries
and added five catches for 42 yards, both team highs.
Dawson's first field goal of the game, a 45-yarder,
gave the Browns a 3-0 lead on their initial possession.
Houston responded with a 73-yard scoring drive
and pulled ahead 7-3 on Jonathan Wells' six-yard
touchdown catch with 4:48 remaining in the first
quarter.
Cleveland pulled within 7-6 on Dawson's 22-yard
field goal at 11:28 of the second quarter and then
took a 9-7 lead on his 29-yarder at the two-minute
warning.
The Browns extended their lead with an impressive
11-play, 80-yard drive in the third quarter, pulling
ahead 16-7 on Steve Heiden's nine-yard touchdown
catch at 5:24.
A 45-yard Dawson field goal in the first minute
of the fourth quarter made it 19-7.
Dawson added a 22-yarder with 4:01 remaining before
Houston responded with a 64-yard scoring drive.
The Texans pulled within 22-14 on Davis' one-yard
TD run with 1:23 remaining.
An onside kick attempt by the Texans failed.
"It was a game that we expected to win. I
think the fans expected us to win it. It's a disappointing
day," Houston tight end Billy Miller said.
"We had a little bit of success this season
so now we have to go through the off-season with
the memory of losing to Cleveland."
Game Notes
Cleveland was 5-11 last season...The Browns won
their only other meeting with the Texans all-time,
34-17 at home during the 2002 season. They last
visited Houston in 1995 under head coach Bill Belichick
and defeated the Oilers, 14-7.
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NFL Game Summary
- Detroit at Tennessee
(Sunday, January 2nd)
Final Score: Tennessee 24, Detroit 19
Tennessee, Nashville(Wager On Football
- NFL Wagering) - Antowain Smith rushed
for 89 yards on 21 carries and scored the game-clinching
touchdown, as the Tennessee Titans held off the
Detroit Lions, 24-19.
The Titans (5-11) closed a dismal season by ending
a five-game losing streak, while the Lions (6-10)
dropped eight of their last 10 to finish the year.
"It is an opportunity to push through the
next couple of months," Tennessee head coach
Jeff Fisher stated about winning the last game of
the season. "The players wanted it badly and
they earned it."
Tennessee's Billy Volek went 16-of-28 for 175 yards
and a touchdown before leaving the game at 13:56
of the fourth quarter with a sprained right shoulder.
The Lions' Joey Harrington completed 33-of-49 passes
for 346 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Already leading 14-13, Tennessee added to its lead
on a two-yard plunge by Smith to make the score
21-13 just before the end of the third quarter.
Smith finished the six-play, 80-yard drive with
47 yards on three carries, highlighted by a 44-yard
run to the Lions' 12-yard line.
Gary Anderson tacked on three more points with
a 40-yard field goal to give Tennessee a 10-point
cushion with 10:25 to go in the final quarter.
With 4:06 to play, Harrington connected with Roy
Williams on a 17-yard touchdown strike to make it
24-19. The two-point attempt to bring the Lions
within a field goal failed.
Detroit got the ball back with 2:52 remaining and
drove to the Tennessee 16 before turning the ball
over on downs.
"We've seen this before. We are close but
we can't finish at the end," Lions head coach
Steve Mariucci stated. "We are not playing
to our potential at times and being so close is
frustrating."
Keith Bulluck got the Titans on the board five
minutes into the game when he stripped Harrington
of the ball and rumbled 39 yards for a touchdown
and a 7-0 lead.
It was Bulluck's career-high fifth sack of the
season.
Detroit answered with a 26-yard field goal by Jason
Hanson, capping a 13-play, 72-yard drive to make
the score 7-3. Hanson had missed a 37-yard attempt
three plays earlier, but a penalty on the Titans
resulted in a Lions first down.
Harrington put the Detroit ahead 10-7 in the second
quarter, finding Cory Schlesinger out of the backfield
for a 21-yard touchdown reception to end a 10-play
drive that spanned 4:49. Harrington completed 5-of-7
for 64 yards on the march, including a 14-yard pass
to Reggie Swinton on 4th-and-3.
Swinton ended with three receptions for 25 yards,
while Ben Troupe had his best day as a Titan with
four receptions and 75 yards.
The Titans surged back in front, 14-10, just before
the half when Volek found Drew Bennett for a score
from 32 yards out. It was Bennett's ninth touchdown
grab in his last five games and 11th on the season.
Bennett finished the year with 80 receptions for
1,247 yards.
Hanson cut the Titans lead to one, 14-13, at the
3:25 mark of the third quarter with a 26-yard field
goal, his second of the game. Harrington started
the drive with a 27-yard screen pass to Kevin Jones
to get into Titans territory. After hitting Williams
for a 29-yard pass to get down to the 13- yard line,
the drive stalled at the eight.
Jones, who last week joined Billy Sims and Barry
Sanders as rookie 1,000-yard rushers for the Lions,
finished with 72 yards on 19 carries.
Game Notes
Troupe finished the season with a catch in 11 straight
games and his 33 receptions were the most ever by
a Titan rookie tight end...Tennessee missed the
playoffs for only the second time in six seasons...Williams
set a Lions rookie record with 54 receptions for
the season...Anderson's 2,352 points is the NFL
record...The Titans won for just the second time
at home this season...Tennessee players missed a
combined 162 games this season because of injuries.
NFL Game Summary - Green
Bay at Chicago
(Sunday, January 2nd)
Final Score: Green Bay 31, Chicago 14
Chicago, IL(Wager On Football - NFL Wagering)
- Brett Favre passed for 196 yards and two scores
in limited action as playoff-bound Green Bay defeated
Chicago, 31-14, in the regular season finale for
both teams at Soldier Field.
Favre ended 9-of-13 and was pulled after his second
touchdown pass gave Green Bay (10-6) a 14-7 lead
in the second quarter. Craig Nall replaced Favre
and completed 7-of-13 passes for 131 yards with
a touchdown pass to Javon Walker.
Favre was lifted because Green Bay entered the
game having already clinched the three seed as NFC
North champions. The Packers will host Minnesota
next Sunday in the opening round of the playoffs.
The Vikings backed in to the playoffs on Sunday
despite a loss to Washington.
"I was a little concerned only because they
pressured Brett a bit," said Green Bay head
coach Mike Sherman. " If we didn't solidify
protection, I was going to yank him (Favre) earlier."
Walker caught three passes for 82 yards, while
Bubba Franks and William Henderson each hauled in
touchdown receptions, while Kabeer Gbaja- Biamila
recorded three of Green Bay's nine sacks on the
day.
Thomas Jones rushed 26 times for 108 yards and
two scores for the Bears (5-11), who dropped four
straight and six of seven to end the season. Chad
Hutchinson completed 20-of-29 passes for 196 yards
with an interception and David Terrell caught four
passes for 99 yards in the setback.
"Where do we start?," said Chicago head
coach Lovie Smith "It was a disappointing ending
to the season. If we had pulled out this win, somehow
we could have felt a lot better about where we are
with the season."
Chicago wasted little time getting on the scoreboard.
On the Bears first series of the day, Hutchinson
hooked up with Terrell for a 63-yard pass play that
took the ball all the way down to the Green Bay
two-yard line. From there, Jones' two-yard TD run,
capped a four-play, 76-yard drive that gave the
Bears a 7-0 lead 2:06 into the game.
The Packers responded by scoring 28 unanswered
points to take control of the contest. Favre got
things started by directing a 10-play, 86-yard drive,
that culminated in a 17-yard scoring strike to Franks,
making it 7-7 with 3:22 left in the stanza.
"I think it was important to get the win today,"
said Favre. "It gives us better morale heading
into the playoffs."
It then took Green Bay just two plays to take the
lead for good in the opening stages of the second.
On 1st down from their own 14, Favre connected with
Donald Driver for a 48-yard gain to the Chicago
38. On the very next play, Favre lofted a 38-yard
touchdown pass to Henderson, who slipped past the
Bears secondary for a 14-7 lead.
That touchdown pass by Favre gave him 30 for the
season, the eighth time in his career he has accomplished
that feat.
Green Bay's defense then got into the action. On
the Bears ensuing possession, Hutchinson's pass
intended for Bobby Wade was picked off by Darren
Sharper, who returned it 43 yards for a score and
a 21-7 advantage with 11:52 left in the second.
"I thought I had (Bobby) Wade open,"
said Hutchinson. " He (Sharper) jumped inside
and picked it off."
The rout continued on Green Bay's following possession.
A five-play, 71-yard drive was capped with Nall's
25-yard touchdown pass to Walker, making it 28-7
with 6:14 left in the first half.
Chicago, though, showed signs of life midway through
the third quarter. On the Bears first drive of the
stanza, Hutchinson marched the Bears down to the
Green Bay one. From there, Jones ended the 11-play,
78-yard drive with a one- yard TD plunge, trimming
the deficit to 28-14 with 5:48 left in the third.
The Packers stretched the lead on their next possession.
Longwell's 20-yard field goal with 5:07 left in
the third accounted for the final margin.
"In time we will be a good football team,"
added Smith.
Game
Notes
Favre has 26 straight games with a touchdown
pass against Chicago, the longest such streak
against one opponent in NFL history...Favre
made his NFL record 205th straight start...Green
Bay is 11-0 on the road against the Bears
since 1994. Chicago's last home win over Green
Bay was a 30-17 victory on Dec. 5, 1993...Green
Bay players wore the No. 92 on the back of
their helmets in honor of NFL great Reggie
White, who died suddenly at the age of 43
last Sunday. White starred at defensive tackle
for the Packers from 1993-98.
NFL Game Summary
- NY Jets at St. Louis Rams
(Sunday, January 2nd)
Final Score: St. Louis 32, NY Jets 29 (OT)
St.Louis, MO (Wager On Football - NFL Wagering)
- Jeff Wilkins kicked the Rams into the postseason
with a 31-yard field goal 11:58 into overtime, handing
St. Louis a 32-29 victory over the playoff-bound
New York Jets at the Edward Jones Dome.
The Rams (8-8) needed a win and help to get into
the playoffs, and help is exactly what they received
when the Minnesota Vikings (8-8) dropped a 21-18
decision to the Washington Redskins.
The Jets (10-6) were able to back into the playoffs
when the Buffalo Bills lost to Pittsburgh, 29-24.
That game ended before New York tied this one on
Doug Brien's 27-yard field goal with three seconds
left in regulation.
"I hate to lose getting in," said Jets
coach Herman Edwards. "But we'll take it. Now
all we have to do is get in the playoffs and win."
Marc Bulger threw for 450 yards and three touchdowns
on 29-of-39 passing for St. Louis, which will head
to Seattle to face the NFC West champion Seahawks
next Saturday. Seattle clinched the division with
a 28-26 victory over the NFC South champion Atlanta
Falcons.
"We've overcome a great deal of adversity,"
said Rams head coach Mike Martz. "Who knows
where we're going, but it's good to be in it still."
Torry Holt had seven catches for 116 yards and
a pair of scores, and in the process became the
first player in NFL history to have at least 1,300
receiving yards in five straight seasons.
Curtis Martin ran for 153 yards on 28 carries for
the Jets, who closed the season with back-to-back
losses and now have a date next Saturday night with
the AFC West champion San Diego Chargers. Martin,
who began the season in 11th place on the NFL's
all-time rushing list, now has 13,366 yards for
his career and passed Eric Dickerson and Jerome
Bettis to move into fourth place.
Martin, who finished the season with 1,697 yards,
also captured the league rushing title by one yard
over Seattle's Shaun Alexander. Martin is the oldest
player to accomplish the feat and the first to do
so over the age of 30.
Two members of New York's 2004 draft class also
paid dividends. Fourth-round receiver Jerricho Cotchery
returned a kickoff 94 yards for his first career
touchdown and 12th overall pick Jonathan Vilma brought
back an interception 38 yards to give the Jets a
26-21 lead.
Those two scores came on the heels of a 20-yard
touchdown run by Steven Jackson, the Rams' first-round
selection. Jackson rumbled across the goal line
to cap a four-play, 69-yard drive and hand his team
a 21-10 cushion.
But it quickly turned downhill for St. Louis from
there. Cotchery had plenty of daylight on the ensuing
kickoff and took it the distance, trimming the margin
to four.
Isaac Bruce was then stripped two plays later by
Jason Ferguson after catching a quick screen in
the flat and New York recovered 34 yards away from
a go- ahead score.
All the Jets could muster was a 33-yard field goal
by Brien to close within 21-20 five minutes into
the third.
Bulger then had his pass intended for Bruce deflected
at the line of scrimmage by Shaun Ellis and into
the hands of Vilma, who sprinted 38 yards the other
way to give his team a 26-21 lead. New York sought
to make it a seven-point game with a two-point conversion,
but Pennington's pass to Anthony Becht was off target.
The Jet defense shut down Bulger and the Rams until
they embarked on a scoring drive five minutes into
the final quarter. Bulger spotted Holt wide open
in the corner of the end zone from 19 yards away
as a result of a collision between two New York
defenders. Jackson then muscled his way in for the
two- point try that made it 29-26 in favor of the
Rams with 5:06 to play.
Another strong return by Cotchery, this one 35
yards, put the Jets in good field position in search
of at least a tie. The Bills' game went final while
New York had the ball, but Edwards still wanted
a win via a go-ahead touchdown.
The Jets were unsuccessful on three tries from
the nine and had to settle for a short field goal
to tie it with only three ticks left. Adam Archuleta
could have ended the game on his own when Pennington's
second down pass was right in his grasp, but the
Rams safety couldn't hold on, giving New York new
life.
"It was perfect until the end," Archuleta
said. "I knew I had a chance to come through
and help this team win. That's why you play the
game for those type of opportunities. I thank my
teammates for coming through and winning this game."
St. Louis won the toss in overtime and was aggressive
from the start. Bulger connected with Brandon Manumaleuna
for 26 yards, but the drive stalled, and the Rams
punted the ball away.
New York moved into Rams territory midway through
the extra session, but couldn't get past the 35-yard
line. Brien pushed a 53-yard attempt wide, leaving
St. Louis in good shape at its own 43.
Jackson's 22-yard catch and run brought the ball
down the to Jets 13, and Martz quickly sent the
field goal unit on for the decisive kick.
"It was a hot read," Jackson said of
his big play. "I saw the flat was open pretty
early and we were just trying to get the ball down
field to get into field goal position. (Bulger)
did a great job of drawing the pursuit in and dumping
it off to me."
The Jets opened the scoring with a field goal late
in the first quarter on Brien's 47-yard boot.
St. Louis answered with a quick scoring drive early
in the second period, marching 80 yards in just
three plays to take a 7-3 edge. Bulger hooked up
with Bruce for a 27-yard touchdown after Kevin Curtis'
34-yard reception out to midfield.
The lead did not last long as New York countered
with a touchdown. Pennington rolled out on play
action for an eight-yard TD pass to Chris Baker.
The Rams squandered a chance to go back ahead on
their next series when Bulger's pass intended for
Shaun McDonald in the end zone was picked off by
Erik Coleman just inside of the two-minute warning.
From his own one, LaMont Jordan had his number
called three straight times, but was unable to pick
up a first down, leaving St. Louis with over a minute
on the clock to cover 44 yards to the end zone.
As it turned out, Bulger needed only seven seconds,
firing a deep ball into the arms of a double-covered
Holt for a 14-10 advantage heading into halftime.
Game Notes
The Jets defeated the Chargers in San Diego, 34-28,
in Week 2...New York receiver Wayne Chrebet left
the game in the first half with a mild concussion
and did not return...Rams offensive lineman exited
with a knee injury in the second half...The Jets
are 0-for-4 this season on two-point conversions...Holt
also passed Eric Dickerson for fifth on the club's
total yardage list...The Rams increased their win
streak over New York to seven games...Ellis recorded
three sacks to finish the year with 11.
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NFL Game
Summary - Tampa Bay at Arizona
(Sunday, January 2nd)
Final Score: Arizona 12, Tampa Bay 7
Tempe, Az(Wager On Football - NFL Wagering)
- Neil Rackers drilled four field goals as Arizona
defeated Tampa Bay, 12-7, in the season finale for
both teams at Sun Devil Stadium.
Rackers booted field goals of 40, 45, 39 and 31
yards for Arizona (6-10), which won two of three
to close out the season.
"I don't think anybody in the world is more
disappointed than me that we're 6-10, but today
I'm not disappointed. I feel like our guys played
hard and earned the victory," Green said.
Emmitt Smith, who might have played the last game
of his illustrious career, ended with 69 yards on
23 carries. His contract expired at the end of the
season.
"If this is my last year here, it's been a
heck of a ride," Smith said. "If it's
been my last year of playing football period, it's
been a heck of a ride."
Josh McCown ended 16-of-35 passing for 115 yards,
while Larry Fitzgerald hauled in three passes for
36 yards in the win.
Chris Simms, who started his second career game,
ended 16-of-32 for 229 yards and a touchdown with
two interceptions for Tampa Bay, which dropped four
straight and six of eight to close the season.
Michael Clayton had a 75-yard touchdown reception
in the loss.
"It's been a tough season really for the whole
team," said Michael Pittman. "But the
effort was always there. It's just us finishing
the games, and eliminating turnovers. It's been
the same story almost every time we lose the ballgame."
Arizona wasted little time getting on the scoreboard.
On the Cardinals' first possession of the day, McCown
marched Arizona down to the Tampa 23, but the drive
stalled from there. Tampa had to settle for a Rackers'
40-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead with 9:06 remaining
in the first quarter.
The Cardinals defense then helped set up their
next points of the contest. Darnell Dockett's interception
led to Rackers' 45-yard field goal, making it 6-0
as both teams headed into the locker room.
Arizona squandered a scoring chance late in the
third when Rackers 35-yard field goal sailed wide
left. The Buccaneers took immediate advantage of
Rackers' miss on the very next play.
Simms fired a quick pass to Clayton, who cut across
the middle of the field and sprinted down the right
sideline, barely keeping his right foot in bounds
before crossing the plane for a 75-yard TD. The
scoring play was the longest of Simms' career and
it staked the Bucs to a 7-6 lead with 1:24 left
in the third quarter.
However, the lead wouldn't last long. The Cardinals
used a drive that bridged the third and early parts
of the fourth quarter. A 10-play, 56-yard drive,
culminated in Rackers' 39-yard field goal as Arizona
regained the lead, 9-6, with 11:07 left in the contest.
The Cardinals widened the gap midway through the
third on Rackers' 31-yard field goal, making it
12-7 with 6:12 to go. The points were set up Michael
Pittman's fumble deep inside Tampa territory. Four
plays later, Rackers' kick was true.
Rackers had a chance for a fifth goal field goal
to extend the lead, but came up short on a 47-yard
attempt with under two minutes remaining, giving
life to Tampa. But Simms pass on Tampa's ensuing
possession was picked off by Adrian Wilson to seal
the win.
"Arizona was coming from everywhere,"
Buccanneers coach Jon Gruden said. "That's
a credit to them. (The last week) and they're going
to blitz you every play from different alignments."
Game Notes
Smith, who entered the game with 868 yards, fell
63 yards short in his bid for an NFL-record 12th
1,000-yard season. The game marked his 226th NFL
contest...Arizona's Bertrand Berry recorded two
sacks and finished the season with a career best
14.5 sacks...Pittman ended with 50 yards on 16 carries
for the Bucs...Smith's 937 rushing yards in 2004
raises his NFL record to 18,358.
NFL
Game Summary - Indianapolis at Denver
(Sunday, January 2nd)
Final Score: Denver 33, Indianapolis 14
Denver, Co(Wager On Football - NFL Wagering)
- Jake Plummer threw for two touchdowns and ran
for another, as the Denver Broncos earned a postseason
berth with a 33-14 victory over the Indianapolis
Colts.
The Broncos (10-6) secured the sixth seed in the
AFC with the victory, and earned a trip to Indianapolis
to face the Colts in a rematch next Sunday at 1
p.m. (et). Last year, Indianapolis slammed Denver
41-10 in the first round of the playoffs, just two
weeks after the teams played in Week 16 of the regular
season.
"I don't know about the rest of the guys,
but I still think we sent a message today,"
said Broncos safety John Lynch. "We got some
stuff done."
The Colts (12-4) failed in a bid to tie a franchise
record for most victories in a season, but the game
didn't mean anything to the them, as their playoff
spot was already determined. The Colts locked up
the No. 3 seed in the conference last week with
a 34-31 overtime win over San Diego.
Colts record-setting quarterback Peyton Manning
played the first series of the game, going 1-for-2
for six yards before Indianapolis was forced to
punt. With the Colts' postseason spot already secured,
Manning was done for the day.
He gave way to rookie Jim Sorgi, who did his Manning
impression on the Colts' second drive. Sorgi threw
for 49 yards on the series and connected on all
seven of his pass attempts, the last being a seven-yard
scoring toss to Marvin Harrison. Entering the game,
the rookie out of Wisconsin had completed just one
NFL pass in four attempts.
Sorgi ended his day 16-for-25 passing for 168 yards
and two touchdowns.
"If we were going to have Peyton and our whole
group out there, then we wanted to use everything
we had," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "We
weren't going to do that if we were going to have
to play these guys again."
Harrison, meanwhile, hauled in his 15th touchdown
reception of the season, which tied his career high
set in 2001. Harrison finished the game with five
catches for 33 yards, giving him 86 receptions on
the year for 1,113 yards.
Plummer had 246 yards passing, completing 17 of
30 attempts.
Trailing 7-0, Denver took over on the ensuing drive
at its own 25 yard line. Plummer fumbled on the
second play of the drive, but recovered and managed
to throw a completion for a first down on the same
play. Later in the drive, on a 3rd- and-1, Plummer
faked a handoff and hit Ashley Lelie for a 38-yard
scoring toss to knot the game at 7-7 at 4:14 of
the first quarter.
On Indianapolis' next possession, the Broncos had
a fumble recovery and a touchdown called back. Dallas
Clark made an apparent catch before being drilled
by Lynch. Clark fumbled the ball, and Kelly Herndon
returned it 59 yards for an apparent touchdown.
However, Indianapolis reviewed the play and it
was ruled that Clark never had possession of the
ball, which resulted in an incomplete pass for the
Colts. The drive eventually ended in a punt and
the game was still tied at 7-7.
After the punt, Denver had a 10-play, 57-yard drive,
punctuated by a Jason Elam 45-yard field goal that
put Denver up 10-7 with 12:12 left in the first
half.
Indianapolis went three-and-out on its next possession,
and the Broncos got the ball back and ripped off
a 10-play, 77-yard drive, capped by a Plummer-to-
Patrick Hape two-yard scoring toss. The extra point
gave the Broncos a 10- point lead with 5:49 left
in the second quarter. Plummer's second scoring
toss of the game was his 27th of the season, tying
John Elway's franchise record.
The double-digit lead was short-lived. Indianapolis
began its ensuing drive at its own 22-yard line.
On a 3rd-and-3, Sorgi hit Reggie Wayne on a long
pass, and he eluded a defender and took it into
the end zone for a 71-yard scoring play. It was
the longest of Wayne's career and pulled the Colts
within 17-14 with 4:47 left in the period.
A Colts' miscue deep in their own territory in
the late going of the first half gave the Broncos
a golden opportunity. A Dominic Rhodes' fumble gave
Denver the ball at the Indianapolis three-yard line.
But Reuben Droughns was thrown for a two-yard loss,
and two Plummer incompletions meant the Broncos
had to settle for an Elam 23-yard field goal. That
upped Denver's lead to 20-14 with 49 seconds left,
and it was the score as the teams headed into the
intermission.
Plummer scored on a five-yard run midway through
the third quarter to put the Broncos up 27-14. Elam
added a pair of 40 yard field goals as the Broncos
outscored the Colts in the second half, 13-0.
Game Notes
Plummer's 246 yards passing gave him 4,089 for
the season, a franchise record...Denver defensive
lineman Trevor Price left the game with a lower
back injury. His status for next week's game is
uncertain...Edgerrin James, who entered the game
with 1,550 rushing yards, 66 behind NFL leader Shaun
Alexander, had just one carry for minus-two yards
to finish the year with 1,548. Jets running back
Curtis Martin eventually won the rushing title as
he ended with 1,697.
NFL Game
Summary - Jacksonville at Oakland
(Sunday, January 2nd)
Final Score: Jacksonville 13, Oakland 6
Oakland, Ca(Wager On Football - NFL Wagering)
- Greg Jones scored the go-ahead touchdown
in the third quarter and the Jacksonville defense
halted Oakland inside the Jaguars' 10-yard line
in the final seconds to come away with a 13-6 win
over the Raiders at a rain-soaked Network Associates
Coliseum.
Despite the win, the Jaguars missed out on the
playoffs as Denver secured the final postseason
berth with a 33-14 win over the Colts to improve
to 10-6 this season. Jacksonville (9-7) would have
made the playoffs for the first time since 1999
had the Broncos lost.
"We are disappointed (to miss the playoffs),"
said Jacksonville head coach Jack Del Rio. "We
did not get the news about Denver until we were
coming up the tunnel after the game. I am very proud
of the effort we just put forth. We came out here
and really focused on playing this game with a lot
of heart."
After Oakland moved the ball down to the Jaguars
three-yard line with 1:24 on the clock, Zack Crockett
was stopped on first down, Kerry Collins threw over
Doug Jolley's head on second down and Crockett was
again stopped to set up fourth down with 12 seconds
left. However, Collins fumbled the fourth-down snap
-- his third fumble of the day -- then fell on the
ball and was touched down by Bobby McCrae with eight
seconds left.
"It's disappointing," said Oakland head
coach Norv Turner, who finished his first season
with the club. "We had so many chances to win
the game and at the end to tie the football game
and put it into overtime, but we just couldn't get
it done."
Collins ended 15-of-39 for 142 yards with three
interceptions and one lost fumble for the Raiders
(5-11), who lost two straight and four of five to
end the year. Crockett recorded his first career
100-yard game, rushing 22 times for 134 yards. He
had 106 yards in the second half.
Byron Leftwich completed 15-of-28 passes for 149
yards with an interception, as the Jaguars recorded
their first winning season since 1999. Leftwich
had a team-high 41 yards rushing and Jones added
30 yards on the ground, as Jacksonville ended the
year winning three of four after dropping three
straight.
"I do believe that as a team we've gotten
better than we were last year and we gave ourselves
an opportunity," said Leftwich. "We went
out and played 60 minutes every game and we just
fell a little short there at the end (of the season)."
The first half saw only nine points hit the board.
Oakland's Sebastian Janikowski started the scoring
with a 35-yard field goal 5:33 into the game.
In the second quarter, Josh Scobee connected on
a 26-yarder to even things up at 3-3 with 8:09 on
the clock, but Janikowski's 27-yarder with two seconds
remaining until the break gave the Raiders a 6-3
edge going into the locker room.
Coming out of the break, Jacksonville tied things
up midway through the stanza when Scobee connected
on a 22-yard field goal. The five-play, 17-yard
drive was set up by a John Henderson sack and recovery
of a Collins fumble at the Oakland 27.
On the Jaguars next possession, Jones ended a six-play,
53-yard drive with a one-yard TD run. The possession
was highlighted by a 3rd-and-9, 46-yard pass from
Leftwich to Ernest Wilford that brought the ball
down to the six yard line.
Oakland had two chances in the fourth quarter to
tie things up, but came up empty each time.
On the first chance, Collins' pass intended for
Jerry Porter in the end zone was intercepted by
Donovin Darius with 4:19 remaining. Crockett carried
the load with 11 carries for 84 yards and one catch
for four yards during the possession. He also had
a one-yard TD run called back because of a tripping
penalty on tight end Roland Williams.
"It was a little tough to throw the ball,
but the bottom line is that I didn't play very well
today," said Collins, who was in his first
season with the Raiders. "It's the last game
and I won't get a chance to do anything about it
and I'm disappointed to end the season like that."
Game Notes
Oakland defensive lineman Warren Sapp did not record
a sack and ended his first season in Oakland with
a career-low 2 1/2 sacks. His previous low was three
set in his rookie season of 1995...Wilford had a
team-high 56 receiving yards for the Jags...Jimmy
Smith had just three catches for 22 yards...Porter
had three catches for 35 yards to lead the Raiders...Darius
ended with two picks.
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