NFL Game of the Week

Newly-appointed coach Steve Mariucci wanted to bring a new mindset to the Detroit Lions. It began on September 7 against the Cardinals, one of the NFL's worst teams. Detroit handled well, with an impressive 42-24 win.

The Rams and Seahawks were in their second season in the NFC West together. It was becoming a tough rivalry going into September 21. St. Louis, resurgent under new starting QB Marc Bulger, had the momentum for much of the game. But Seattle stood up to the challenge. Two touchdowns in the last five minutes produced Seattle's 24-23 comeback to improve their record to 3-0.

They called him ""The Human Joystick."" On this afternoon of October 2, in just the fifth week of the season, Daunte Hall had notched his fourth (and last) kick return TD of the season. That knocked Denver off the unbeaten summit, 24-23.

Mindful of their heretofore unbeaten record, the Chiefs put everything on the line in their battle with Green Bay. K.C. worked overtime to notch the game-winning touchdown.

The 4-2 Patriots had been hurting, with several players out with injuries. Now they faced the 4-1 Dolphins, eager to get revenge for the last-play loss in Foxboro that kept Miami out of the 2002 playoffs. What they could not foresee October 19, 2003 was that the outcome of this game was decided by the World Series between the Yankees and Marlins.

It was the Steelers' 1000th game. Marc Bulger, a Pittsburgh native, made the game sweet indeed for St. Louis. He completed 22 of 37 passes, but reserve running back Arlen Harris proved more effective. Harris, in his first NFL start, scored three TDs as the Rams finally won on the road, 33-21.

There are no moral victories, so they say. As the Giants and Jets sputtered through losing records in 2003, they faced each other at the New Jersey Meadowlands on November 2. Chad Pennington got his first start of the season, and his presence inspired the Jets. Big Blue watched in horror as Gang Green tied the game in the last seconds of regulation. But in the last seconds of OT, the Giants got the field goal to win, 31-28.

The only thing worse than a Washington spiral in 2003 was Seattle's failure to win east of Arizona. This game showed all the bad bounces hit Seattle in the face. The Redskins, winning 27-20, gave Steve Spurrier what proved to be his last home victory as an NFL coach.

Chad Johnson of the Bengals had guaranteed as far back as November 9 that Cincinnati would be the first team to beat the Chiefs in 2003. Now, in Paul Brown Stadium on November 16, the Chiefs felt that guarantee firsthand. Though K.C. kept it close, the Bengals, resplendent under new coach Marvin Lewis, kept Chad's word.

The 2003 Seahawks were cursed not to win a game East of the Rockies all season long. This loss on November 23 was typical of how bad bounces hurt Seattle's chances. The officials were to blame for sending the game to overtime, and then giving it to Baltimore.

One of the greatest strengths in the 2003 Patriots was their defense. This was never more evident than in the final seconds of this contest at the RCA Dome. It will go down as the greatest goal-line stand in New England history.

The AFC South lead was at stake when Indy went to The Coliseum in Nashville. RB Edgerrin James played tough, as did WR Marvin Harrison. But special teams secured the Colts' 29-27 win.

Cleveland had a habit of losing to Denver late. Now, on December 14, 2003, things weren't about to change. New Broncos QB Jake Plummer pulled off his first comeback in Denver, which forced an overtime that the Broncos eventually won.

After spectacular starts, the Chiefs and Vikings spent the months of November and December on slumps. When they met on December 20, it was K.C.'s return specialist Daunte Hall against Minnesota's QB Daunte Culpepper. On this Saturday, the Vikings' offense pulled out all the stops in a 45-20 pummeling.

This was the ultimate ""Road Test"" for the 2003 Seattle Seahawks, a team that almost never won on the road. Now they had to beat the 49ers at Candlestick if Seattle would see the playoffs.

The Art Modell era of pro football came to an end Saturday, January 3, 2004. His name was emblazoned on the wall at M&T Bank Stadium as the Ravens, first-time winners of the AFC North, faced former rival Tennessee. But the heroes all wore the white shirts and white helmets. League Co-MVP Steve McNair and battle-scarred Eddie George would not let the Titans lose to Baltimore for the sixth straight time. Nor would Gary Anderson. The final game-winning kick of Anderson's career silenced the Baltimore crowd.

Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren returned to Green Bay hoping his 2003 Seattle team would finally win a game in the Central Time Zone. What happened on the overtime coin flip that afternoon of January 4, 2004, will go down in infamy.

Until January 4, 2003, Peyton Manning had never won a playoff game. Now the league's co-MVP would carve ""Peyton's Place"" in the RCA Dome, guiding the Colts flawlessly through a 41-10 whitewashing of the Denver Broncos.

After winning the boring Wild Card game against Dallas, the Carolina Panthers still had something to prove. They entered the Edward Jones Dome on January 10, 2004 and proved a lot against The Greatest Show on Turf. Still, it took five full quarters and one play in the sixth before all the tensions equaled the Panthers' surprising 29-23 win over the Rams.

""The Big Chill"" settled over Gillette Stadium on January 10, 2004. In the coldest game for both the Patriots and Titans, guts stood out above all else. New England and Tennessee matched guts for the majority of the game. Late in the fourth quarter, Adam Vinateri came through with another clutch field goal in the Pats' 17-14 win.

Peyton Manning's hot playoff hand continued in Arrowhead Stadium January 12, 2004. Even more incredibly, neither team punted, a first for an NFL playoff game. K.C. expected high drama, and they got that. What they didn't expect was to fall to Indianapolis.

Brett Favre had played inspirational football for the past three weeks. But on January 11, 2004, it was the Eagles' Donovan McNabb who produced the greatest inspiration of all. His fourth-and-26 completion set the stage for an overtime which Philadelphia eventually won.

The Patriots had the answer to halt the vaunted Colts offense. For New England, which had never lost an AFC Championship Game, this was the proving ground for their dynasty. Winning 24-14 gave New England that certain edge.

For the Panthers, January 18, 2004 was ""A Night to Remember."" For the Eagles, it was a night to forget. Both had come off overtime thrillers to reach this NFC Championship Game. But the visiting Panthers had Philly's number. They shut down Donovan McNabb. With a 14-3 win, Carolina and coach John Fox culminated a two-year turnaround: from the NFL's worst team to a Super Bowl berth.

Two years before, the Patriots had pulled off the great Super Bowl upset. Now they were set up for a repeat performance, but possibly on the wrong side. Carolina seemed ready for their own Cinderella finish to a two-year turnaround. The Patriots and Panthers played surprisingly evenly, but in the end, old heroes Tom Brady and Adam Vinateri came through again, winning Super Bowl XXXVIII 32-29.

The modern Game of the Week turns on the Way-Back Machine for the first of several games dating back more than a few days. In this installment, Miami's new QB Jay Fiedler and a running back of some note, have something to prove against Peyton Manning and the Colts.

One of the two unforgettable games from Meltdown Sunday, January 5, 2003. The Giants, victims on the opening game of the 2002 season against these same 49ers, thought they had their revenge. But that 38-24 lead was more than vulnerable. San Francisco pulled off the second-greatest comeback in playoff history, then had to hold on for dear life to preserve that 39-38 win. When Trey Junkin muffed the long snap on New York's last-play field goal attempt, the NFL got as close to war as it could possibly get.

Finally, a dome team would make it to the Super Bowl. Everyone assumed it would be the Vikings, who went 15-1 with the most explosive offense ever. Despite the spirit of the Atlanta Falcons' rise to their best record ever, few gave Atlanta a chance. It would all come down to the two kickers. One's miss and one's make would tell all that would be remembered in the Falcons' 30-27 upset.

There aren't that many guarantees in the NFL. One guarantee through the 2001 season was that Green Bay never lost a home playoff game. This showdown with the 49ers was the last link in that Packer chain of victories. Brett Favre, an institution at quarterback, set a Packers playoff record, completing 75.9% of his passes to disarm San Francisco.

The Saints had never won a playoff game, and had just been crowned the NFC West Champions for only the second (and last) time. Now they faced the ultimate challenge in the defending Super Bowl Champions. With the steady guidance of Coach of the Year Jim Haslett, the Saints put up a big lead but nearly gave it away in the fourth quarter. What followed with just over two minutes remaining, could only be called divine intervention. A Saints punt was fumbled away, New Orleans recovered, and saved a 31-28 redemption.

Some thought the Pittsburgh Steelers were the strongest team in the AFC during 2001. They had new Heinz Field on their side, producing the AFC's best record. But they did not count on the resolve of the New England Patriots. What they could not foresee January 27, 2002 was that the Steelers' loss would signal the sharp downturn in Pittsburgh QB Kordell Stewart's career.

One week after pulling off the Music City Miracle, the Tennessee Titans continued their surprising march to Super Bowl XXXIV. This time, their victims were the Indianapolis Colts, a future divisional rival. Tennessee RB Eddie George excelled as the Titans triumphed 19-16.

The Patriots had won Super Bowl XXXVI by not giving up. Now, on December 29, 2002, the defending champions could still make the playoffs by returning to that form. Though Miami seemed to have the upper hand for much of the game, Adam Vinateri came through once again. His clutch field goal tied the game with seconds left in regulation, and another FG won the game for New England, 27-24.

The 49ers received a break on November 3, facing a Raider team on the skids. Terrell Owens racked up 191 yards on 12 passes, but San Francisco had to go to OT for the 23-20 victory.

It was the final year for the old Soldier Field. Now, as if it were their duty, the Chicago Bears marched on to victory in unexpected ways. This sudden turn of events at the hands of San Francisco was typical of the Bears' drive to their final NFC Central Division Championship.

For the third straight year, the Rams' offense had racked up over 500 points. Their opponents, the Philadelphia Eagles, were a worthy candidate for the NFC title. Both teams battled to the wire for the right to play New England in Super Bowl XXXVI, but St. Louis held on by five points.

No one who saw the AFC Wild Card game, the first playoff held in Nashville, will ever forget it. The Bills had seemed out of it in the fourth quarter, but Steve Christie kicked a field goal with less than 20 seconds remaining. Then came ""The Music City Miracle,"" when on the ensuing kickoff, Lorenzo Neal lateraled to Kevin Dyson, who surprised everyone on the Bills' coverage team. That was the play that shaped the character of the 1999 AFC playoffs, and launched the Titans where their predecessors, the late Houston Oilers, never witnessed: the Super Bowl.

The last game ever played at the Seattle Kingdome was one to remember. ""Holmgren's Heroes,"" as the Seahawks were called that year, had won their second and last AGC West title just the week before. They faced the Dolphins, who had backed into the playoffs themselves (thanks in part to a Seattle loss the week before). At times, the Seahawks thought they had the game in command, but Miami legend Dan Marino engineered a late-fourth-quarter comeback and a 20-17 win. It was the final victory in his, and Jimmy Johnson's, NFL career.

On January 23, 2000, the Tampa Bay Bucs brought their highly-touted defense to St. Louis to face the NFL's hottest offense. Tampa Bay had virtually no offense, suffering a safety early. Still, they had a 6-5 lead midway through the fourth quarter until Kurt Warner found Ricky Proehl with the home-run ball. What happened on Tampa Bay's final drive would force a change in the NFL rule book. It also would preserve the Rams' 11-6 win for the right to play Tennessee in Super Bowl XXXIV.

The Raiders had already won the AFC West for 2001, but regressed at season's end. This late loss January 6, 2002 was more than monumental. It was the first time the Jets won in Oakland since Opening Day 1962, and it put New York in the playoffs.

It was a game that symbolized a career. Tommy Maddox had been out of football, but returned to the NFL, helping the Pittsburgh Steelers overcome a tough start to the 2002 season. His first victory for Pittsburgh came in September, in a game the Browns thought they had controlled. Now, on Meltdown Sunday, January 5, 2003, it was indeed déjà vu all over again. The Browns would never recover from Maddox and the Steelers' second-half heroics. It would go down as the sixth-greatest comeback in NFL history, but only the second-greatest comeback of the day.

Bill Cowher of Pittsburgh and Jeff Fisher of Tennessee had the longest tenures of any NFL head coach going into the 2002 playoffs. As former divisional rivals, the two teams knew each other all too well. The Titans, who had started the 2002 season 1-4 only to win the AFC South, were the hotter team. But after getting pushed around for the first quarter, the Steelers pounded back. A physical game wound down in overtime and a bunch of kicks. The last one counted, giving Tennessee the 34-31 win.

January 19, 2002 will go down as a turning point in NFL history. That final game in Foxboro Stadium would produce the one moment everyone would remember for years to come. The Patriots drove through a snowstorm to overcome a 17-7 hole. With the help of what the NFL calls ""The Tuck Rule,"" they tied Oakland on a last-second field goal. From then on, New England wore destiny's colors, booting another field goal to win 20-17.

For one half, the Vikings played evenly with the resurgent Rams, but NFL MVP Kurt Warner broke loose in the second half. His total of 391 passing yards and 5 touchdowns only added to the glory of St. Louis's 49-37 victory.