NFL 2013 Week 17 Recap
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons—Matt Ryan threw a 5 yard touchdown pass to Jason Snelling for a 7-0 Falcons lead. Matt Bryant added a 42 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Falcons in the second quarter. Matty Ice then went ice cold as an 8 yard interception return by Melvin White had the Panthers within 10-7. Cam Newton threw a 4 yard touchdown to Tedd Ginn Jr. with 19 seconds left in the half as the Panthers led 14-10.
In the third quarter Ryan went deep to Roddy White for a 39 yard touchdown as the Falcons retook the lead 17-14. Cam Newton came back with a 7 yard touchdown to Greg Olsen to put the Panthers back up 21-17 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. Midway through the fourth quarter Bryant hit from 37 to get the Falcons within 21-20.
Atlanta got it back but the Carolina defense sacked Ryan on consecutive plays. Carolina had nine sacks on the day. Atlanta got one more chance and with 30 seconds left faced 1st and 10 from their own 43 needing only a field goal to win it. A bad snap out of the shotgun meant a 16 yard loss as the clock ran out in first ballot Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez’s final game. Ron Rivera saw Carolina lock up the NFC South and the first round bye. 21-20 Panthers
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals—A pair of early interceptions of Red Rifle Andy Dalton set up a pair of field goals by Justin Tucker for a 6-0 Ravens lead. Dalton quickly redeemed himself and went bombs away to AJ Green for a 53 yard touchdown and a 7-6 Bengals lead. In the second quarter Mike Nugent hit a 39 yard field goal to put the Bengals up 10-6. Dalton then went to Marvin Jones, who made a leaping, juggling catch for a 16 yard touchdown and a 17-6 Bengals lead.
In the third quarter Dalton’s third interception led to Tucker’s third field goal as the Ravens trailed 17-9. Joe Flacco finally got the Ravens in the end zone with an 8 yard touchdown pass to Marlon Brown. A defensive penalty on the 2 point conversion try gave the Ravens a second chance, and Ray Rice bounced to the outside and just made the pylon to tie the game 17-17 with 5 minutes left in the third quarter.
Defensive pass interference in the end zone early in the fourth quarter led to Dalton running it in from one yard out as the Bengals retook the lead 24-17. Flacco was then intercepted, setting up Nugent for a short field goal to put the Bengals up 27-17 with 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Cincinnati had 1st and goal at the one and a chance to wrap up the game when Dalton threw his fourth interception. Flacco went bombs away and gave the interception right back midway through the fourth quarter.
With four minutes left Flacco was intercepted for the third time and Kirkpatrick returned it 21 yards for the clinching touchdown. The loss dropped the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens to 8-8 and out of the playoffs for the first time in six years under Flacco and John Harbaugh. The Bengals at 11-5 will be home for their first playoff game for Marvin Lewis. 34-17 Bengals
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts—Donald Brown took the ball at the one and left over the top after a fumble by Maurice Jones-Drew as the Colts took the 7-0 lead. Trent Richardson added a 2 yard touchdown run and a 14-0 Colts lead. Adam Vinatieri hit a 23 yard field goal to make it 17-0 Dolphins. Josh Scobee hit a 37 yard field goal in the second quarter for the Jaguars. Vinatieri hit again from 26 as the Colts led 20-3 at halftime.
In the third quarter Andrew Luck threw a 7 yard touchdown pass to Whalen for a 27-3 Colts lead. Vinatieri added another field goal in the fourth quarter to make it 30-3 Colts. Jacksonville added a garbage touchdown. The 11-5 Colts under Chuck Pagano will be playing their opening playoff game at home. 30-10 Colts
New York Jets at Miami Dolphins—After a scoreless first quarter, Ryan Tannehill led a 14 play, 89 yard, 7 minute drive and hit Mike Wallace for a 5 yard touchdown and a 7-0 Dolphins lead. Richardson then got in from the one to tie the game 7-7. With 3 seconds left in the half, Geno Smith took a draw play from the 5 yard line and banged his way in to put the Jets up 14-7.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Jets had a chance to do major damage but Nick Folk missed a 37 yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. Yet with 4 1/2 minutes left in regulation Folk hit from 35 to make it 17-7 Jets. Tannehill was quickly intercepted to set up another Jets field goal. The Jets got the stunning road win after being humiliated by Miami at home. Both teams finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs. After the game Jets owner Woody Johnson announced that Rex Ryan would be back in 2014. Joe Philbin could still be an unlikely Black Monday casualty. 20-7 Jets
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings—Cordarelle Patterson broke off a 50 yard touchdown run for Minnesota. The Vikings missed a chance to extend the 7-0 lead when Matt Cassel was intercepted in the end zone. In the third quarter Reggie Bush, despite having dated a Kardashian, caught a 20 yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford for a 7-7 game. Stafford then led a 13 play, 76 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive.
The fourth quarter began with the Lions facing 3rd and goal at the 3. Stafford was sacked and the Lions settled for a 25 yard David Akers field goal to lead 10-7. The battle of who wanted it least saw the Vikings fumble in their own territory and the Lions lose six yards and kick another field goal to lead 13-7 with 13 minutes left in regulation. Sherels then returned a punt 50 yards to the Detroit 8, setting up Cassel to Patterson for the score as the Vikings led 14-13 with 9 1/2 minutes to play.
On 4th and 12 from the Minnesota 41 with 5 minutes left, Jim Schwartz decided to punt and trust his defense. The right call still backfired as Minnesota ran out the clock. Both Leslie Frazier and Jim Schwartz could be Black Monday casualties as the Vikings got a win in the final game ever at the Metrodome. 14-13 Vikings
Washington Redskins at New York Giants—After a scoreless first quarter, an interception of Eli Manning set up a 31 yard Kai Forbath field goal for the Redskins. Manning came back and hit Jorelle Jernigan for a 24 yard touchdown and a 7-3 Giants lead. Josh Brown hit a 34 yarded as the Giants led 10-3 at halftime. Another interception of Manning led to another field goal as the Redskins trailed 10-6 at the break. Manning was injured on the throw as Curtis Painter started the second half.
A perfectly thrown pass to the end zone should have been a Giants touchdown. Yet in a season of bad games for these bad teams, the ball bounced straight out of the receiver’s bread basket for an interception. On the last play of the third quarter Jernigan raced for a 50 yard touchdown to make it 17-6 Giants.
One more field goal completed the scoring as Mike Shanahan and Tom Coughlin both had a chance of being Black Monday casualties. The Giants started 0-6 but finished 6-10 while the 3-13 Redskins have the second pick in the draft but have to send it to St. Louis as part of the RGIII trade. 20-6 Giants
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers—Ben Roethlisberger threw a 9 yard touchdown pass to Jerricho Cotchery to make it 7-0 Steelers. In the second quarter LeVeon Bell ran it in from 5 yards out to make it 14-0 Steelers. In the third quarter Shawn Suisham hit a 30 yard field goal to make it 17-0 Steelers. Suisham kicked a 32 yarded in the fourth quarter to make it 20-0. A garbage touchdown ended the scoring. Mike Tomlin held the Steelers together after an 0-4 start but an 8-8 finish left Pittsburgh just short of playoff contention. 20-7 Steelers
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans—Jonathan Grimes took it in from 3 yards out to make it 7-0 Texans. In the second quarter Rob Bironas hit field goals of 32 and 55 to get the Titans within 7-6 at halftime. In the third quarter after a Matt Schaub pass ricocheted and was intercepted, Chris Johnson ran for an 11 yard touchdown to put the Titans up 13-7. After a Houston fumbled snap in the fourth quarter, Bironas hit a 37 yarded to put the Titans up 16-7. With 3 minutes left in regulation the Texans faced 4th and goal at the 2. Needing 2 scores, Michelin Man Wade Phillips opted for the field goal as the Texan got within 16-10. Houston got it back at their own 9 with one minute left and Schaub was quickly intercepted. The Texans clinched their 14th straight loss as Wade Phillips and Mike Munchak could both be Black Monday casualties. The Texans have the first pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. 16-10 Titans
San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals—The 49ers came in with a wildcard clinched but an outside shot at winning the NFC West and a first round bye. Earlier in the day the top seed and home field throughout slipped out of reach. Arizona needed a win and help to make the playoffs at all. Phil Dawson hit a 27 yard field goal and Colin Kaepernick threw a 4 yard touchdown to Anquon Boldin after a Carson Palmer interception as the 49ers jumped to the 10-0 lead. After a missed Arizona field goal, Boldin took a screen pass 63 yards to set up a 3 yard touchdown pass from Kaepernick to Vernon Davis to make it 17-0 49ers.
Palmer led the Cardinals 10 plays and 88 yards in 6 minutes as Arizona faced 4th and goal at the 1. Palmer hit Ballard for the score to get the Cardinals within 17-7. Late in the third quarter Bruce Arians decided to go for it on 4th and 6 from the 49ers 36 rather than try the long field goal. Under heavy pressure Palmer threw incomplete.
The fourth quarter began with Jay Feely hitting a 49 yard field goal to get the Cardinals within 17-10. Midway through the fourth quarter the Cardinals faced 3rd and 1 from the 49ers 24. A running play lost a yard and then Feely missed his second field goal of the day. A 34 yard touchdown pass from Palmer to Andre Roberts tied the game 17-17 with 3 1/2 minutes left, and things were only starting to get crazy.
With 1:50 to play Jim Harbaugh decided to have Dawson try a 56 yard field goal despite his earlier misses from closer. Dawson leveled it and the 49ers led 20-17. Yet the Cardinals came back again and Feely hit from 43 with 30 seconds left to tie the game 20-20. The 49ers took over at their own 36. Kaepernick fired to Boldin for 18 and to Patton for 29. Dawson came in with 2 seconds left for the 40 yarder to win it. Dawson was good and the 11-5 49ers are the five seed wildcard. The Cardinals would have missed the playoffs even if they had won, and their 10-6 finish was something to build on. 23-20 49ers
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears—Aaron Rodgers finally returned from his broken collarbone as snow came down in this do-or-die NFC North showdown. Rodgers drove the Packers down the field but on 3rd and goal was intercepted in the end zone. Jay Cutler had his own 3rd and goal and threw a 4 yard touchdown pass to Matt Forte to make it 7-0 Bears. Again Green Bay reached the red zone where Rodgers had a pass bounced off a receiver’s hands for another interception. Mason Crosby would hit a 33 yard field goal in the second quarter as the Packers trailed 7-3.
Confusion reigned in the second quarter. Rodgers got hit by Julius Peppers and fumbled. Although Rodgers’s arm did go forward, the ball came loose before it did. Players on both teams stood around despite no whistle being blown. Eventually Jarred Boykin picked it up and ran 12 yards for a Packers touchdown and a 10-7 Green Bay lead that stood after review. Chicago fumbled late in the half to set up another Crosby field goal and a 13-7 Packers lead at intermission.
A 50 yard punt return by Devon Hester led to a 5 yard Matt Forte touchdown run and a 14-13 Bears lead. The Packers came right back and Rodgers hit Randall Cobb from 7 yards out to make it 20-14 Packers. Cutler went bombs away to Alshon Jeffrey for a 67 yard gain to the one, and Matt Forte crashed in to make it 21-20 Bears with 5 minutes left in the third quarter.
Forte took a screen pass deep into Green Bay territory and on the first play of the fourth quarter Cutler threw a 10 yard touchdown to Brandon Marshall to make it 28-20 Bears. With 12 minutes left in regulation Eddie Lacy ran it in from 6 yards out. Mike McCarthy decided against the 2 point conversion as the Packers trailed 28-27.
At the 2 minute warning the Packers faced 4th and 1 at their own 44. Rodgers hit Jordy Nelson for 5 yards. With 46 seconds to play the Packers faced 4th and 8 from the Chicago 48. Rodgers avoided a sack, scrambled, and fired a bomb to Cobb for the touchdown in front of a shellshocked home crowd. The 2 point conversion failed but the Packers had the 5 point lead.
A desperate attempt to avoid kicking to Devon Hester backfired when a short kick was pitched back to Hester, who returned it to the Chicago 40 with 31 seconds left and 2 timeouts. From the Green Bay 45, one Hail Mary was incomplete and Cutler’s final Hail Mary was intercepted in the end zone by Will Shields. The Bears at 8-8 are out and the Packers at 8-7-1 are NFC North Champions and in. This instant classic will be relived by both teams forever. 33-28 Packers
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots—With hard rain coming down, field goals came early as Stephen Gostkowki hit from 43, Dan Carpenter answered from 51, and Gostkowski connected again from 35 for a 6-3 Patriots lead. In the second quarter New England moved 94 yards as a 36 yard touchdown run by Blount made it 13-3 Patriots. Gostkowski hit again from 29 to make it 16-3 Patriots at the half.
Late in the third quarter Thaddeus Lewis hit TJ Graham from 10 yards out as the Bills only trailed 16-10. The fourth quarter began with the Patriots facing 4th and 1 from the Buffalo 11. Bellichick opted for the field goal but the Bills jumped offsides. On the next play Brady hit Shane Vereen for the touchdown. The 2 point conversion from Brady to Julian Edelman made it 24-10 Patriots.
Buffalo came back and Fred Jackson ran it in from 5 yards out with 10 1/2 minutes to play to get the Bills within 24-17. A 62 yard kickoff return led to a 35 yard Gostkowski kick and some breathing room up 27-17 midway through the fourth quarter. Carpenter hit his second field goal to get the Bills back within 7 with 3 minutes left. The onside kick failed and the Bills were out of timeouts. Blount broke free for a 35 yard touchdown run to lock up the win as the Patriots clinched the first round bye and the two seed but not home field throughout. 34-20 Patriots
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints—New Orleans began the game knowing the division was out of their grasp and that a loss could knock them out of the playoffs entirely. Drew Brees went to Lance Moore for a 44 yard touchdown. Mike Glennon then went to Tyquon Underwood for a 48 yard score to tie the game 7-7. Brees went to Jimmy Graham for a 10 yard touchdown and a 14-7 Saints lead.
In the second quarter Brees went deep to Robert Meachem for a 41 yard touchdown to make it 21-7 Saints. Glennon threw a one yard touchdown to Wright to get the Bus within 21-14, but Brees went deep again to Kenny Stills for a 76 yard strike to make it 28-14 Saints.
In the third quarter Ryan Lindell hit a 54 yard field goal to get the Bucs within 28-17. Brees brought the Saints to a 3rd and 7 from the 8 and with the Bucs defense expecting a pass, Sean Payton called a run. Pierre Thomas took it in to make it 35-17 Saints. After a turnover Brees scrambled for a touchdown himself as the Saints clinched a wildcard and Greg Schiano awaited Black Monday. 42-17 Saints
Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders—Denver had already clinched the first round bye and a win would lock up home field throughout. Peyton Manning entered the game with 51 touchdown passes and had a shot at reaching 60 against the hapless Raiders. He completed 25 of 28 passes. In the first quarter Manning hit Eric Decker for a 3 yard touchdown and Knowshon Moreno for a 7 yard touchdown. For some reason the final three quarters were played.
Matt Prater hit a 34 yard field goal in the second quarter to make it 17-0 Broncos. Manning threw a 63 yard bomb to Denarius Thomas to make it 24-0 Broncos. Denver would not be blowing this lead. Manning’s fourth touchdown pass was a 5 yard toss to Thomas with 13 seconds left in the half to make it 31-0 Broncos. His 55th touchdown pass on the season also meant 5,477 yards passing, a new NFL single season record. The 2013 Broncos also set the NFL record with 600 points scored.
For some reason the second half was played as Denver cruised to the top seed. John Fox had Manning take the second half off.The Raiders second consecutive 4-12 season was compounded by indications that Black Monday would not involve the Silver and Black firing Dennis Allen. 34-14 Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers—Key events took place before this game even kicked off. With the Chiefs locked into the wildcard, Walrus Lite Andy Reid benched everybody and played backups. The Chargers got their required miracles when losses by other teams allowed the Chargers to clinch a playoff spot with a win.
Davis got the scoring started with a 17 yard touchdown run for the Chiefs. Philip Rivers threw a 22 yard touchdown pass to Green to tie the game 7-7. Backup Chiefs quarterback Chase Daniel can dink and dunk as well as any West Coast Offense quarterback, and a 2 yard touchdown to Dexter McCluster put the Chiefs up 14-7. In the second quarter Rivers threw a 4 yard touchdown to Antonio Gates to make it 14-14. Davis ran it in from 2 yards out as the Chiefs backups led the Chargers starters 21-14 at halftime.
In the third quarter a 32 yard punt return by McCluster led to a 46 yard Ryan Succop field goal and a 24-14 Chiefs lead. Philip Rivers threw a 6 yard touchdown pass to Eddie Royal to get the Chargers within 24-21 with 12 minutes left in regulation. The Chargers got it back and moved to the Chiefs 4 yard line before settling for a 22 yard Nick Novak field goal and a 24-24 tie with 3:20 to play. The Chiefs bled the clock as Succop came in with 8 seconds left for a 41 yard field goal try to win it and knock San Diego out of the playoff race. The kick was no good and the Chargers had life as the game went to overtime.
The Chargers got the ball first and quickly had to punt on 4th and 2 from their own 28. In a move that gets coaches fired, Mike McCoy showed cojones of steel. He called a fake punt and total chaos ensued. Eric Weddle took the direct snap and appeared to get just past the marker when the ball was ripped out of his hands and returned for a touchdown. The Chiefs celebrated, thinking they had won. The referees ruled forward progress had been stopped and San Diego retained possession. After a staggering 16 play, 62 yard drive that consumed 9 1/2 minutes of overtime, Novak hit the 36 yard field goal to give the Chargers the lead.
Daniel moved the Chiefs from their 26 to the Chargers 36 and long field goal range. A run lost 5 yards and forced the Chiefs to go for it on 4th and 15 rather than try a 59 yard field goal. Daniel threw incomplete and the 9-7 Chargers were in the playoffs as the six seed. The 11-5 Chiefs have lost five of seven but are still in the postseason. 27-24 Chargers, OT
St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks—The Legion of Boom got things off with a bang as a 37 yard interception return by Smith put Seattle up 7-0. Steve Hauchka added a 28 yard field goal in the second quarter to make it 10-0 Seahawks. After a Seattle touchdown was called back by holding, Hauschka hit another field goal to make it 13-0.
In the third quarter a 32 yard punt return by Pettis put the Rams at the Seattle 31, leading to a 36 yard Greg Zuerlein field goal to get the Rams within 13-3. Tempers flared as Pete Carroll and Jeff Fisher did not exactly rein their players in. The Rams had one defender ejected as three defensive penalties put the ball on the one. Marshawn Lynch banged his way in to complete the 14 play, 80 yard, 8 1/2 minute drive and put Seattle up 20-3. Russell Wilson threw a 47 yard touchdown to Golden Tate for emphasis. The Seahawks clinched the top seed in the NFC and home field throughout the playoffs. 27-9 Seahawks
Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys was the Sunday night game. For the third straight year the Cowboys faced a do-or-die division showdown for the right to win the division and make the playoffs. After two consecutive Week 17 losses, this year the Cowboys had to break their hex without the injured Tony Romo. Dallas started Kyle Orton, a very capable backup.
Alex Henery got the Eagles on the board first with a 47 yard field goal. In the second quarter Nick Foles moved the Eagles 88 yards in 10 plays, with a 3 yard touchdown to LeSean McCoy the capper for a 10-0 Eagles lead. Orton fired a 17 yard touchdown to Escobar to get the Cowboys within 10-7. At the 2 minute warning, Orton was intercepted. Foles went deep to Captain Morgan brent Celek for a 35 yard gain and then again for the 14 yard touchdown as the Eagles led 17-7 with 1:25 left in the half. Orton would lead Dallas to a 44 yard Dan Bailey field goal as the Cowboys only trailed 17-10 at halftime.
In the third quarter Bailey connected again from 43 to get the Cowboys within 17-13. A sack of Foles forced a fumble that led to another Bailey field goal from 36 as the Cowboys trailed 17-16 with 5 minutes left in the third quarter. In the final minute of the third quarter, the Eagles moved to a 4th and goal at the 1. Chip Kelly went for it and Foles took the quarterback sneak and got stuffed. Dallas quickly moved to a 4th and 1 at the Philly 40. Jason Garrett went for it and Orton had his pass batted down.
Brown ran it in from 6 yards out to give the Eagles a 24-16 lead with 6 minutes left. Orton led the Cowboys to a critical 4th and 9 at the Eagles 32 with 4 minutes left. Garrett went for it and Orton found Dez Bryant, who shook a tackle and raced to the end zone. The 2 point conversion failed. Despite only having one timeout, Garrett decided to kick it deep and trust his defense. Dallas held on defense and got it back with 1:49 left and one timeout, needing only a field goal. Orton was intercepted. Three straight playoff eliminations with two different quarterback had Jerry Jones a sad man at Happy Valley. Chip Kelly’s rookie season includes a division championship. 24-22 Eagles
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