| Nfl Playoffs, 1996-97 |
Article Index for Nfl Playoffs |
Website Links For Nfl |
Information AboutNfl Playoffs, 1996-97 |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT NFL PLAYOFFS, 1996-97 | |
| national football league playoffs | |
| nfl playoffs 1996-97 | |
| 1996 national football league season | |
| playoffs | |
WILD CARD PLAYOFFS December 28, 1996 AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars 30, Buffalo Bills 27
''at Rich Stadium , Orchard Park, New York ''
The second year Jaguars won their first playoff game in team history as kicker Mike Hollis scored the winning 45-yard field goal with 3:07 left to play. The Bills scored first with quarterback each scored 2 field goals, Thomas ran for a 2-yard touchdown, Jaguars running back Natrone Means ran for a 30-yard score, Buffalo cornerback Jeff Burris scored on a 38-yard interception return, and Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell threw a 2-yard touchdown to Jimmy Smith .
NFC: Dallas Cowboys 40, Minnesota Vikings 15
''at Texas Stadium , Irving, Texas ''
The Cowboys scored 23 points off of 5 Vikings turnovers. Perhaps the turning point of the game occured in the first quarter after Dallas took the early 7-0 lead with quarterback Troy Aikman 's 2-yard touchdown run. Minnesota running back Amp Lee caught a short pass from quarterback Brad Johnson and appeared to be on his way for a 43-yard touchdown. But Cowboys safety George Teague caught up with Lee at the 1-yard line and poked the ball out of his hands, and it ball bounced in and out of the end zone for a touchback. Teague later scored on a 27-yard interception return, running back Emmitt Smith ran for two touchdowns from 37 and 1 yard out, and kicker Chris Boniol made 4 field goals. Johnson threw a 30-yard touchdown to wide receiver Cris Carter and ran for another, but it was not enough.
December 29, 1996 AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 42, Indianapolis Colts 14
''at Three Rivers Stadium , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ''
The Steelers blew a 13-point lead in the first half but scored 29 unanswered points in the second half. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh defense held the Colts to 146 total yards of offense. Two field goals by Norm Johnson and a 1-yard touchdown run by Kordell Stewart gave the Steelers the 13-point advantage by the second quarter. However, Indianapolis cornerback Eugene Daniel intercepted Mike Tomczak 's pass and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown. Another interception led to a 9-yard touchdown from Colts quarterback Jim Harbaugh to wide receiver Aaron Bailey. But the Steelers controlled the rest of the game. Running back Jerome Bettis scored two 1-yard touchdowns, running back Jon Witman recorded a 31-yard touchdown, and Stewart added a 3-yard touchdown.
NFC: San Francisco 49ers 14, Philadelphia Eagles 0
''at 3Com Park , San Francisco
Although they gained more yards than the 49ers, the Eagles were shut out in a rainy game with 51 miles per hour winds. Kicker Gary Anderson missed a 40-yard field goal attempt on Philadelphia's first possession. In the second quarter, San Francisco quarterback Steve Young ran for a 9-yard touchdown that capped off a 75-yard drive. The Eagles then reached the San Francisco 8-yard line, but quarterback Ty Detmer threw an interception to defensive back Marquez Pope. The 49ers were forced to punt on their next drive, and Philadelphia advanced to the San Francisco 5-yard line. However, 49ers defensive end Roy Barker intercepted Detmer, and the Eagles would never seriously threaten again. Young would later throw a 3-yard touchdown to wide receiver Jerry Rice .
Byes
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS January 4, 1997 NFC: Green Bay Packers 35, San Francisco 49ers 14
''at Lambeau Field , Green Bay, Wisconsin ''
Desmond Howard 's key punt returns enabled the Packers to jump to a 14-0 lead after only 3 offensive plays. On his first punt return, Howard ran 71 yards for a touchdown. He then returned a punt 46 yards to set up quarterback Brett Favre 's 4-yard touchdown to wide receiver Andre Rison . Running back Edgar Bennett would run for two touchdowns from 2 and 11 yards out, as Green Bay forced 5 turnovers from the 49ers. San Francisco backup quarterback Elvis Grbac , who replaced starter Steve Young due to bruised ribs, threw a touchdown and ran for another. However, the Packers marched 72 yards for another touchdown, in which a fumble by Bennett was recovered in the end zone by wide receiver Antonio Freeman .
AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars 30, Denver Broncos 27
''at Mile High Stadium , Denver, Colorado ''
The Jaguars overcame a 12-point lead and scored on six consecutive possessions to upset the Broncos, the AFC #1 seed. Denver scored two touchdown in the fourth quarter, a 1-yarder from running back Vaughn Hebron and quarterback John Elway 's 18-yard pass to tight end Shannon Sharpe , but they could not score the extra points. Jacksonville then came back to take the lead at the half, 13-12, with two field goals by kicker Mike Hollis and an 8-yard touchdown by running back Natrone Means. In the third quarter, Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell connected on a 31-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver with 1:50 left, but they could not recover the onside kick.
January 5, 1997 AFC: New England Patriots 28, Pittsburgh Steelers 3
''at Foxboro Stadium , Foxborough, Massachusetts
The Patriot blew out the Steelers, 28-3, with 346 yards of total offense. Running back Curtis Martin gained 166 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns. Martin scored from 2, 78, and 23 yards out, while quarterback Drew Bledsoe threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to running back Keith Byars . The Steelers' lone score was Norm Johnson's 29-yard field goal in the third quarter.
NFC: Carolina Panthers 26, Dallas Cowboys 17
''at Ericsson Stadium , Charlotte, North Carolina ''
The second-year Panthers held Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman to 165 passing yards and forced three interceptions en route to their first playoff win in team history. Dallas scored first on kicker Chris Boniol's 22-yard field goal, but wide receiver Michael Irvin was knocked out of the game with a separated shoulder. Carolina quarterback Kerry Collins then threw two touchdown passes, a 1-yarder to tight end Wesley Walls and a 10-yarder to wide receiver Willie Green. The Cowboys countered with a 73-yard drive to score on Aikman's 2-yard touchdown pass to running back Daryl Johnston , but they failed on the extra point attempt and the Panthers lead was only cut to 14-9. A bad snap on a Carolina punt attempt went out of the end zone to give the Cowboys a safety. But Panthers safety Chad Cota intercepted a pass and returned it 49 yards to set up kicker John Kasay 's 24-yard field goal with three seconds in the half, giving Carolina a 17-11 halftime lead. The second half was a battle of field goals with Kasey kicking 3 over Boniol's 2.
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS January 12, 1997 NFC: Green Bay Packers 30, Carolina Panthers 13
''at Lambeau Field , Green Bay, Wisconsin ''
The Packers recorded 201 rushing yards and 476 total yards of offense. Green Bay running back Dorsey Levens recorded 117 yards receiving and 88 yards rushing, including a 29-yard touchdown catch. In addition to his touchdown pass to Levens and a 6-yard score to wide receiver Antonio Freeman , quarterback Brett Favre completed 19 out of 29 passes for 292 yards. Packers running back Edgar Bennett scored a touchdown from 4 yards out, and kicker Chris Jacke add 3 field goals. The Panthers' lone touchdown was quarterback Kerry Collins' 3-yard pass to running back Howard Griffith. Carolina kicker John Kasey scored 2 field goal, making the first one after Favre lost a fumble.
AFC: New England Patriots 20, Jacksonville Jaguars 6
''at Foxboro Stadium , Foxborough, Massachusetts ''
Patriots cornerback Otis Smith picked up Jaguars running back 's 29-yard field goal. Vinatieri then added a 20-yard field goal to give New England a 13-3 lead before halftime. Hollis later kicked a 28-yard field goal in the third quarter to cut the lead, 13-6. With under 4 minutes left in the game, the Jaguars reached the New England 5-yard line and attempted to score the game-tying touchdown, but Patriots defensive back Willie Clay intercepted a pass in the end zone.
SUPER BOWL Green Bay Packers (NFC) 35, New England Patriots (AFC) 21, at Louisiana Superdome , New Orleans, Louisiana BRACKET
REFERENCES
|
|
|