BAD BEATS / LUCKY WINS
(NFL)
Week 1 of the 2004 NFL season saw four of its 16 games decided by three points or less and nine of its games decided by a TD or less. The average margin of victory was 8.4 PPG, a little over five points per game LESS than it was in Week 1 of 2003! As always many NFL games were decided by a key play or two, meaning there were more than a few NFL games this past weekend in which the pointspread was in doubt for much of the game. Here's a look at a few....
The Bills were three-point favorites at home in Week 1 vs. the Jaguars. Buffalo's defense shut down the Jags' offense for the first 58 minutes of the game but because of many missed opportunities in the red zone by Buffalo's offense, the Bills led just 10-6. As Jacksonville took the field for what we be its final drive, QB Byron Leftwich was just 11-of-23 for 75 yards and the Jags had converted just TWO of 10 third-down attempts. During that final 80-yard drive, Leftwich passed for 72 yards and converted on three fourth-down plays. One was on a fourth-and 14 from his own 33 and the last was on the game's final play, a fourth-and-seven play that ended in a seven-yard TD pass to rookie Ernest Wilford. Wilford caught the 'jump-ball' (his FIRST-EVER career catch!) surrounded by Buffalo defenders and the two teams waited for the instant-replay to determine the game's outcome. The TD stood and Buffalo bettors were left with one heckuva BAD BEAT!...
One of Week One's best stories was the Lions ending their NFL record 24-game road losing streak at Chicago. The Lions didn't exactly dominate though. Early in the third quarter the Bears led 7-3 and lined up for a 27-yard field goal attempt. The kick was blocked and Detroit's Bracey Walker weaved his way through a mass of confusion for a 92-yard TD. Nothing comes easy for these Lions however! They had just 11 FDs in the game (Chicago had 19) and were outgained by the Bears 396-to-263. Leading 20-14 late in the game and facing a fourth-down in his own territory, Mariucci decided to take an intentional safety....
Now up just 20-16, the Lions' free kick was returned 37 yards by the Bears to the Detroit 47. Detroit bettors were lucky to be getting a field goal (the game closed at Chicago minus- 1 1/2!), so a Chicago TD would give them at best, a push. Sure enough, Chicago made it all the way to the Detroit nine-yard line with a first-and-goal. A sack, a spike and an end zone interception later (by Bracey Walker, no less!) and Detroit had its long-awaited road win and Detroit bettors gave a huge sigh of relief!...
Jim Mora, Jr left the SF 49ers (he was their defensive coordinator) to take the head coaching job at Atlanta. In the season's first week, he returned to the Bay area to meet his ex-team. Atlanta didn't do much offensively getting just 13 FDs and 226 yards but after an interception of a Tim Rattay pass near the goal line was returned 85 yards by Aaron Beasley (setting up a nine-yard TD run by Atlanta's Warrick Dunn) gave the Falcons a 21-6 lead with just under nine minutes to go, it looked as if the 3 1/2-point favored Falcons would 'steal' the pointspread cover!...
The 49ers had already blown numerous opportunities as Kevan Barlow had fumbled right after they had blocked an Atlanta punt at the Falcons' 20-yard line and both of San Francisco's field goals had come after drives had stalled in the red zone! QB Tim Rattay then directed consecutive scoring drives for the 49ers, sandwiched around a three-and-out by the Falcons' offense. During the second drive, Rattay converted on two third-down plays and a fourth-down play. His 16-yard TD pass came with just 40 seconds remaining and then luckily for SF bettors (not so lucky for the 49ers!), Atlanta batted away the two-point conversion try. Final score: Atlanta 21-19. Pretty good result if you had 3 1/2 points with Niners!...
The Eagles beat the Giants 31-17 as McNabb threw for four TD passes (three to Terrell Owens in his Philly-debut!) for just the second time in his career. Also in Week 1, the Vikings beat the Cowboys 35-17, as Daunte Culpepper tied an NFL opening-day record with five TD passes! Easy pointspread wins for both? Not really!...
While the Giants were never really in the game, they did finish with 413 yards of offense and had their chances for a 'backdoor cover'. Trailing 31-10 late in the third quarter, Kurt Warner drove the Giants 79 yards but on a fourth-and goal play from the one-yard line, Warner fumbled! Again in the fourth quarter, Warner drove the Giants deep into Philly territory only to have them turn the ball over on downs at the Eagles' five-yard line....
The Giants got the ball back with just over 2 1/2 minutes left and with Warner on the bench (two fumbles / four sacks), Eli Manning handed off to Tiki Barber who ran 72 yards for a TD. The Giants then held the Eagles and New York had the ball with 1:47 left and down 31-17, were just a concession TD away from a 'cover" (at + 9). New York did reach the Philadelphia 14-yard line but couldn't pull off the comeback....
The Vikings beat the Cowboys by 18 points as six-point favorites but it was not as easy as the final score looks. Early in the game the Cowboys failed to get into the end zone after reaching the Minnesota eight-yard line and settled for a field goal. Up 3-0, the Cowboys went on a 19-play 76-yard drive that ended on a fumble inside the Minnesota 10-yard line. For most of the remainder of the game it was all Culpepper and Minnesota but with Minnesota up 28-17, the Cowboys once again threatened to make it a contest with just under 10 minutes to go, by driving inside the Minnesota 20-yard line. The Cowboys coughed it up again however and four plays later, Culpepper had his record-tying fifth TD pass and the Viking bettors had their 'cover'....
Another typical NFL weekend in the life of us sports bettors!
