St. Louis continued its impressive run through the 1999 season with an easy 31-10 win over the New York Giants at the TWA Dome on Sunday. The victory sewed up home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs for the Rams, and with how easily they have beaten their opponents at home this season, that is no small feat. St. Louis is 7-0 at home this season, winning by an average margin of 24.7 points per game.
The Colts clinched their first AFC East title since 1987 with a 24-21 win over the Redskins at home, clinching at least one week off in January before hosting a second-round playoff home game.
Oakland took apart Tampa Bay in a bad way in the Bay Area late Sunday afternoon, derailing the Bucs' six-game winning streak and sending them back to the "other" Bay Area needing a win over Green Bay next week at home to boost their hopes for the NFC Central crown.
| Week 15 NFL Recap |
| |
| Chiefs 35 (9-5), Steelers 19 (5-9) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
218: Yards rushing by the Chiefs, who had been sixth in the league averaging 123.7 yards per game. |
| Player of the Game |
|
Tony Gonzalez, TE, Kansas City: Grabbed six passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns, boosting his season total to 61 catches for 707 yards and 10 touchdowns.
|
| Breakdown |
|
The Chiefs moved into first place in the AFC West with their fourth straight win. Pittsburgh lost its sixth straight game despite gaining 363 yards of total offense. The Steelers committed four turnovers, with all of them coming on Mike Tomczak interceptions. Kansas City's game next Sunday at Seattle will be key for both teams as they battle it out for the division crown.
|
| |
| Panthers 41 (7-7),
49ers 24 (4-10)
|
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
19: Years since the 49ers last lost 10 games in a season, when they finished 6-10 in 1980.
|
| Player of the Game |
|
Muhsin Muhammad, WR, Carolina: Caught a career-high and franchise-record 11 passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns. |
| Breakdown |
|
The Panthers reached the .500 mark for the first time this season with the big win over the 49ers. Carolina rolled up 452 yards of total offense against a San Francisco defense that had been allowing 337.0 yards per game. Steve Beuerlein completed 27-of-38 passes for 368 yards and four touchdowns, extending his career-high single-season totals to 3,851 yards and 29 touchdowns.
|
| |
| Titans 30 (11-3),
Falcons 17 (3-11)
|
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
6: Turnovers by the Falcons, with three interceptions and three lost fumbles contributing to their offensive woes.
|
| Player of the Game |
|
Frank Wycheck, TE, Tennessee: Caught only two passes for 29 yards, but threw his first career pass, a 61-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Byrd in the first quarter. |
| Breakdown |
|
Tennessee won yet another lackluster game, but its fans won't argue with an 11-3 record. The Titans finished with 131 yards rushing, but that total is deceiving because Steve McNair accounted for 76 of those yards on nine scrambles. Jeff Fisher's team needs to get its running game going consistently heading into the playoffs. The highlight of the defensive effort for the Titans was Jevon Kearse's two sacks, giving him 13 1/2 on the year, and breaking the rookie record of 12 1/2 that had been held by Simeon Rice (1996) and Leslie O'Neal (1986). |
| |
| Rams 31 (12-2), Giants 10 (7-7) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
3,877: Season yardage total for Rams quarterback Kurt Warner, who threw for 319 more yards against the Giants on Sunday to take the league passing lead back from Steve Beuerlein. |
| Player of the Game |
|
Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis: Gained 165 total yards to move past the 2,000-yard mark for the season in total yards.
|
| Breakdown |
|
The Rams clinched home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with their sixth straight win. Kurt Warner threw two more touchdown passes on Sunday to up his season total to 36, tying him for fifth on the all-time single-season list. New York got an impressive receiving performance out of Amani Toomer, as he torched St. Louis' secondary for nine catches for 162 yards. Toomer became the first wide receiver for the Giants to break the 1,000-yard mark since Lionel Manuel in 1988.
|
| |
| Bears 28 (6-8), Lions 10 (8-6) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
4: Touchdown passes thrown by Cade McNown on Sunday, matching his season total prior to Sunday's game. |
| Player of the Game |
|
Marcus Robinson, WR, Chicago: Caught a career-high 11 passes for 170 yards and three touchdowns, pushing his season totals to 71 catches for 1,223 yards and nine touchdowns.
|
| Breakdown |
|
The Bears hurt the Lions' playoff chances with the big win at Solider Field on Sunday. Gus Frerotte was miserable for the Lions, throwing three interceptions and completing only 56.7 percent of his passes before getting benched for Charlie Batch in the fourth quarter. Detroit hosts Denver next Saturday before traveling to Minnesota on the final Sunday of the season for a game that is sure to have huge playoff implications.
|
| |
| Jaguars 24 (13-1), Browns 14 (2-13) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
442: Total yards gained by the Jaguars, surpassing their season average of 343.6 yards per game by almost 100 yards. |
| Player of the Game |
|
Fred Taylor, RB, Jacksonville: Ran for a season-high 136 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries.
|
| Breakdown |
|
Jacksonville moved a step closer to clinching home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs by using its balanced offensive attack to overwhelm the expansion Browns. The Jaguars passes for 261 yards and ran for 181 yards against the league's last-ranked defense. Jimmy Smith caught eight passes for 134 yards, giving him 42 catches for 665 yards and three touchdowns in the Jaguars' last five games. Six different Jacksonville defensive players recorded a sack, and the Jags upped their team-record season sack total to 54 with the six sacks on Sunday.
|
| |
| Eagles 24 (4-11), Patriots 9 (7-7) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
2.3: Yards per carry by the Patriots, who had been seventh worst in the league averaging only 3.4 yards per carry. |
| Player of the Game |
|
Koy Detmer, QB, Philadelphia: Showed off his right arm and his dancing skills by throwing a career-high three touchdown passes, despite completing only 10-of-29 passes.
|
| Breakdown |
|
The Eagles knocked the Patriots out of playoff contention with the surprisingly easy win. Mike Mamula recorded three sacks on Drew Bledsoe and also added six total tackles to the effort. Bledsoe was sacked six times and threw four interceptions, continuing a trend of poor play by him during the Patriots' slide. After throwing only four interceptions in the first eight games of the season, Bledsoe has now thrown 15 picks in the last six games (in which the Patriots are 1-5). New England's second-half fade will certainly have the heat back on head coach Pete Carroll, who may lost his job even if New England is able to salvage a 9-7 record with wins over Buffalo and Baltimore in the final two weeks.
|
| |
| Ravens 31 (7-7), Saints 8 (2-12) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
0.7: Yards per carry by the Saints on Sunday, as they gained only 11 yards on 16 carries. |
| Player of the Game |
|
Qadry Ismail, WR, Baltimore: Passed the 1,000-yard mark for the season with seven catches for 115 yards and a touchdown.
|
| Breakdown |
|
Baltimore kept its slim playoff hopes alive by picking off four passes in the game -- three from Billy Joe Tolliver and one from Danny Wuerffel. Tony Banks threw for 298 yards and three touchdown passes, but he was also picked off three times. The Ravens ran the ball better than the Saints did, but since the Saints had only 11 yards rushing, that's not saying much. Baltimore finished with only 61 yards on 25 carries, but the passing offense and its defense provided the winning margin against the struggling Saints.
|
| |
| Colts 24 (12-2), Redskins 21 (8-6) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
1: Sacks allowed by the Colts, who had the lowest total in the league coming in, with just 13 sacks given up. |
| Player of the Game |
|
Marvin Harrison, WR, Indianapolis: Caught nine passes for 117 yards, extending his franchise-record season totals to 97 catches for 1,474 yards and 12 touchdowns.
|
| Breakdown |
|
Indianapolis won its first division title since 1987 with another tremendous performance from the pass-catch duo of Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison. Manning completed 23-of-37 passes for 298 yards and two touchdowns, upping his season yardage total to 3,696. Edgerrin James was held under 100 yards rushing for only the fifth time in his rookie season, but he caught five passes for 59 yards and one touchdown. The Colts hit the road for games at Cleveland and Buffalo to close out the season, as they attempt battle the Jaguars for home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
|
| |
| Dolphins 12 (9-5), Chargers 9 (6-8) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
37: Field goals this season by Dolphins kicker Olindo Mare, tying the single-season record set by Carolina's John Kasay in 1996. |
| Player of the Game |
|
Daryl Gardener, DE, Miami: Finished with 9 total tackles and two sacks, helping hold the Chargers to only 186 total yards.
|
| Breakdown |
|
The Dolphins' win knocked the Chargers out of the playoff race, while keeping their own hopes alive for a wild-card spot behind the division-champion Colts. Dan Marino finished with 241 yards on 22-of-36 yards passing, but for the second time since his return from injury, he failed to lead the Dolphins into the end zone. Miami held San Diego to 26 yards on 21 carries, but the Dolphins managed only 53 yards on 23 carries for themselves. The Dolphins close out their season with the Jets at home next Monday, followed by a trip to Washington.
|
| |
| Raiders 45 (7-7), Buccaneers 0 (9-5) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
263: Advantage by the Raiders in total offense (400-137). |
| Player of the Game |
|
Tyrone Wheatley, RB, Oakland: Celebrated his new 3-year, $10 million contract extension with 19 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
|
| Breakdown |
|
Tampa Bay blew an excellent chance to open up a two-game lead in the NFC Central with only two games to play, as it knew that Detroit had lost to Chicago earlier in the day. Oakland ran for 262 yards against the second-best rushing defense in the league. Tampa Bay had been giving up only 81.6 yards per game on the ground, but Napoleon Kaufman and Tyrone Wheatley each ran for more than that on Sunday. Kaufman finished with 122 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries, while Wheatley ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.
|
| |
| Broncos 36 (5-9), Seahawks 30 (8-6) OT |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
794: Combined yards of total offense by the Seahawks (364) and Broncos (430). |
| Player of the Game |
|
Olandis Gary, RB, Denver: Ran for a career-high 183 yards on 22 carries, bringing his season total to 936 yards.
|
| Breakdown |
|
Mike Holmgren's team continued its late-season swoon, dropping its fourth straight game to fall a game behind the red-hot Chiefs in the AFC West race. Kansas City travels to Seattle next Sunday for a huge divisional matchup that should determine the AFC West title. Ricky Watters had a big game rushing for the Seahawks, finishing with 115 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, but Seattle's defense couldn't stop Olandis Gary on the ground.
|
| |
| Jets 22 (6-8), Cowboys 21 (7-7) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
35.7: Third-down completion percentage (5-of-14) by the Jets, better than the 25 percent success rate (3-of-12) by the Cowboys on third down. |
| Player of the Game |
|
Curtis Martin, RB, New York: Ran for more than 100 yards for the first time since Nov. 15, finishing with 113 yards on 26 carries against the Cowboys.
|
| Breakdown |
|
The Cowboys blew a golden opportunity to gain a game on the Redskins, who had lost earlier in the day. The game was very evenly played, with the Jets holding only an eight-yard edge in total offense (355-347) and with both teams committing two turnovers. Wayne Chrebet had his first 100-yard game of the year, catching eight passes for 108 yards.
|
| |
| Bills 31 (9-5), Cardinals 21 (6-8) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
198: Advantage by the Bills in total offense (376-178). |
| Player of the Game |
|
Jonathan Linton, RB, Buffalo: Rushed for 81 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries, leading the Bills to 159 yards on the ground.
|
| Breakdown |
|
Buffalo kept pace with Miami and Kansas City for the AFC wild-card spots with the win. The Bills beat the Dolphins twice this season, so they will win the first tiebreaker with them should the two teams finish with the same record. The win gave Buffalo its eighth winning season of the decade, during which they made four Super Bowl appearances. The Bills travel to Foxboro next Sunday to take on the fading Patriots, then return home to close out the season against the division champion Colts.
|
| |
| Packers 20 (7-7), Vikings 24 (8-6) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
4.8: Average yards per pass by the Packers, compared to an average of 7.6 yards per pass by the Vikings. |
| Player of the Game |
|
Randy Moss, WR, Minnesota. Continued his domination of the Packers by catching five passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 487 receiving yards and six touchdown catches in four games against Green Bay.
|
| Breakdown |
|
Minnesota never really got its running game going, but with Jeff George and Randy Moss hooking up so effectively the running game wasn't needed on this night. George completed 16-of-29 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 22 touchdowns passes in eight starts. Brett Favre didn't throw a scoring pass but threw two more interceptions, giving him 19 touchdowns and 20 interceptions for the year. Dwayne Rudd led the Vikings with 12 total tackles, one sack for a 13-yard loss, one pass defended and one fumble recovery. The Packers will now need quite a bit of help to make the playoffs for a seventh straight season, since Carolina and Dallas both have the same record as Green Bay but hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Packers,
|
