It's week three, and we're here to document all of our favorite teams as they begin their quest to separate themselves from the pack. The stove has been turned down to simmer as we let the exciting boil of early September turn over to occasional stirring. We didn't 'Look Ahead' last week to these match-ups, and though that would usually be attributed to our laziness, this time around we did it out of respect to our mentor and hero, Steve Sabol of NFL Films. It's a little known fact that the writers here at the Tecmo Bowl usually recite each entry in their best Sabol voice before posting, and so it's only fitting that we ask you do the same
this week.
1:00 Games
New Orleans (2-0) * Atlanta (2-0)
Bobby Hebert. Chris Miller. It was the marquee match-up of the NFC West this week, and it didn't disappoint. Though Bobby Hebert slipped a bit from his previous two dominating performances, he was still calm and collected in the face of calamity. Chris Miller was effective on the Atlanta side of the ball, though it may have been his one interception to Hebert's none that was the factor in this close ball game. The Saints improve their mark to 3-0, while Atlanta continues to remain a threat even in defeat.
Final Score: Saints 24, Falcons 20
Seattle (0-2) * New England (0-1)
Seattle. New England. Two teams on the hunt for their first win of the season. Seattle put up a tough fight last week against Kansas City, yet lost in the heartbreaking final moments of the game. They wouldn't have much time to mend, as the Patriots stole the victory away from the Seahawks in the final quarter again. Stan Gelbaugh's confidence remained shaken, throwing for just 46 yards with an interception. The Seahawks remain winless despite two close losses, and one could wonder if next week the Seattle quarterback carousel will shift.
Final Score: Patriots 21, Seahawks 17
N.Y. Giants (0-2) * Chicago (1-1)
Matt Bahr. Kevin Butler. How often are professional football contests decided on the ability of each team's kicker to put one through the uprights with the game on the line? While we can often recall many exciting and captivating moments with the kicker on the field, there are very few times when those moments involve the routine point after touchdown. Bahr missed one here, and it was the difference in a close game where neither quarterback exceeded 100 yards passing. The Giants continue to struggle, with not even a kicker to quell their descent.
Final Score: Bears 13, Giants 12
San Francisco (2-0) * N.Y. Jets (1-1)
Offense. Defense. Without one, the other could not exist. The 49ers put their perfect record on the line against a Jets team that had been punchless on defense up to this point. Today, New York put on a defensive front that was nearly enough to stop the mighty 49ers, holding them to just 68 yards rushing. However, Steve Young continued to remain just outside the shadow of Joe Montana with another impressive campaign, throwing over 200 yards with no mistakes and scoring a touchdown late to win. The NFC West remains as wild as ever.
Final Score: 49ers 21, Jets 17
Pittsburgh (1-1) * San Diego (2-0)
Merrill Hoge. Injuries. The two have become synonymous the past few years, and his early exit wrote a recipe for defeat for the second straight week in Pittsburgh. After an exciting opening week win over the Oilers, the Steelers have suffered a tough schedule, this week drawing the West division's powerhouse in the Chargers. Though Neil O'Donnell out-threw San Diego's savior, Stan Humphries, their continued inability to punch it in the end zone will inevitably lead to their sudden and disappointing playoff race departure.
Final Score: Chargers 17, Steelers 13
Minnesota (2-0) * Tampa Bay (1-1)
Fuad. Reveiz. Parts of a name that no two people have ever pronounced the same come together to form the man that won the third game in a row for Minnesota. Reggie Cobb was the first player to return from injury this season, but was held by a stout Vikings' defense for just 44 yards. Rich Gannon's lackluster 189 yards and 2 interceptions kept the Buccaneers in the game, though unfortunately they'd suffer the tough loss with the late Reveiz field goal. It's hard to fault them, however, when Reveiz's range includes all of Hennepin and parts of Ramsey and Dakota counties.
Final Score: Vikings 23, Buccaneers 21
Dallas (1-1) * Phoenix (0-2)
Troy Aikman. Chris Chandler. The main difference between these men, besides one being Charlie Brown's doppelganger, is that while they can both throw 80% Aikman will inevitably throw for at least 100 yards more. The Cowboys nab a winning record for the first time this year while keeping Phoenix in the dust, mainly behind Aikman's efficiency and Emmitt Smith's insatiable hunger for yards, gobbling up 112 of them on 10 attempts. In the end, the main difference between these teams is that one looks unstoppable, and the other lost Ricky Proehl for a few games.
Final Score: Cowboys 23, Cardinals 21
Houston (0-2) * Kansas City (1-1)
Moon. Krieg. That's exactly what the Chiefs fans did to show their distaste for their quarterback's performance as the Oilers ran roughshod for their first elusive win. Warren Moon was 90% effective, throwing for 337 yards and no interceptions, while Dave Krieg was arguably playing blindfolded with 79 yards and 2 picks. Curtis Duncan pulled down 125 of Moon's yards, which is easily more than all Chiefs receivers combined this season, and Houston appears ready for another death march through the AFC Central even with a two-game handicap.
Final Score: Oilers 31, Chiefs 17
Miami (1-0) * L.A. Rams (1-1)
Winning
Streak. Tecmo Bowl Chances. Miami lost both in just their second game, falling by 10 points to the lowly Rams. Dan Marino was exciting as usual
behind 251 yards and a couple touchdowns, but Jim Everett was a house
ablaze with 337 passing yards and no interceptions to Marino's two. And
Flipper Anderson may as well have been invisible on the field, as he
burned the Dolphins on 5 catches for 134 yards. The Rams exhibited
shades of their previous season's selves, down to Jim Everett's death
glare and Cleveland Gary's cautionary smile.
Final Score: Rams 38, Dolphins 28
4:00 Games
Cincinnati (2-0) * Green Bay (1-1)
Boomer. Brett. Both names start with 'B', and both men threw 165 yards. While this is pretty standard for Boomer, it was a bit of a letdown after Brett's enormous performance from last week. Favre continues to show signs of rookie weaknesses, throwing one more pick than the seasoned Esiason, though it may have been the dominant Derrick Fenner that was the difference in this game, as he out-rushed Vince Workman by nearly 100 yards. Cincinnati keeps surprisingly stretching their division lead.
Final Score: Bengals 31, Packers 20
Philadelphia (1-1) * Denver (0-2)
100%. John Elway. Close, but it was Randall Cunningham who pulled out the perfect performance to keep his Eagles tied with the lead in the NFC East. Denver loses their closest game yet behind a John Elway performance that included 275 yards and 0 interceptions. Unfortunately, he is still shades behind Cunningham, as his season-leading 7 interceptions is well behind Randall's 0. The Broncos will have to pack up and try again next week, though nobody should be surprised if they still somehow find a way to lose while on their bye.
Final Score: Eagles 35, Broncos 33
Cleveland (0-2) * L.A. Raiders (1-1)
Mike Tomczak. Jeff Jaeger. One of these men has won more games for his team this season than the other. And if you guessed the man that Maroon 5 wrote about, you'd be blatantly wrong, but closer than guessing Tomczak. Jaeger hit one through the uprights in overtime to keep Cleveland winless, though if anyone had seen it after the suckfest between Tomczak and Jay Schroeder it'd be a minor miracle. And yes, if you're still faithfully reading as Steve Sabol, you just heard him say 'suckfest'.
Final Score: Raiders 20, Browns 17 (OT)
Washington (1-1) * Detroit (0-2)
Barry Sanders. Earnest Byner. One is the franchise player for his team, while the other is only entrusted to carry the ball 3 times in the entire game. Barry Sanders went out with an injury early in the game, but still outran his counterpart on the Washington side. And though he was gone, the Lions would go on to score a spirited 13 unanswered points for the comeback win over last year's NFC Champions. Whether it's a blip on the Redskins' radar or signs of the coming storm, this Byner boat is sinking fast.
Final Score: Lions 23, Redskins 21
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Monday Night Football will shine its spotlight in the east, where the Buffalo Bills are looking up at the Indianapolis Colts in the standings. Though there's always early-season shuffling going on in the NFL, there's never really been more of a chance for the Colts to make a statement than their week three match-up against Buffalo. The Colts are fresh off a stunning upset over Houston behind the league-leading passer through two weeks in Jeff George. Buffalo, meanwhile, is coming off a demoralizing loss to San Francisco, still looking for their offensive rhythm with Jim Kelly returning to take over for the much more efficient and intimidating QB Bills. It's a make-or-break moment for Indy, hoping to keep their momentum and remain undefeated over a struggling yet very angry Bills team. David takes on Goliath in our Monday Night match-up, with George needing his slingshot to be more accurate than ever before.
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| Jeff George: Half Skynyrd, Half Wu-Tang |
In some parts of the country, the marquee match-up may be between Denver and Cleveland. Let's face it, these teams have to win sometime. Of course, most eyes will be fixated on the battle for the NFC West, as the two teams topping our power rankings fight for a fourth win. Bobby Hebert and his Saints have been the best team in the Tecmo Bowl so far, but Steve Young and his 49ers aren't far behind. You can trust there'll be fireworks in the bay when these two USFLers take over.
The late games feature a surging Rams team out to prove us wrong against a Jets team standing tough in spite of their holdout quarterback. The Packers, behind rookie Brett Favre (have we gotten that name in enough times to be considered a professional blog yet?) will try to bounce back against a struggling Pittsburgh team. The Steelers showed promise in Week One, defeating their division's standard-bearer in the Oilers, but since then have tried to make fools out of anyone not named Bubby Brister. Buffalo will roll out the red carpet to greet Hugh Millen to the AFC East, while Kansas City and the Raiders will apparently play a game at some point during the evening.
