NFL 100: A Spotlight:
Controversy and the National Football League go hand in hand. Whether it be discipline for a player that did something naughty, or the NFL doing something that it probably shouldn't like the concussion scandal, or controversial plays that the victimized team call "foul". Certainly the third option is in play most of the time. One such play is considered to be one of the most controversial in NFL history, The Immaculate Reception.
From the Pittsburgh Steelers formation in 1933 to 1971, the franchise would post eight winning records and one playoff appearance. Their lone playoff appearance would come in 1947 when the Steelers were tied with the Philadelphia Eagles at the end of the season, the league decided that a playoff would be held between the two teams. The Eagles would ultimately win the game 21-0 and would go on to lose to the eventual NFL champion Chicago Cardinals (now the Arizona Cardinals). At that point the Steelers had no playoff wins. In 1972, all that changed.
In 1972, the Pittsburgh Steelers posted an 11-3 record, their first winning season under head coach Chuck Noll. The Steelers would host the Oakland Raiders in the first playoff game at Three Rivers Stadium. The game itself was a defensive contest for three quarters. The Steelers kicker Roy Gerela would put the Steelers on the board first with a 18-yard field goal in the 3rd quarter, with the score of 3-0. Roy Gerela would be called again to hit a 29-yard field goal making the score 6-0 in the 4th quarter. The Raiders would finally get on the board with a Kenny Stabler 30-yard rushing touchdown with 1:17 left in the game.
On 4th and 10 on their own 40-yard line, Chuck Noll called 66 Circle Option, a play that was intended for Barry Pearson, who was playing in his first NFL game. With the ball snapped, Terry Bradshaw faced early pressure and had enough time to chuck the ball down the field towards running back John Fuqua. With great defensive coverage, Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum hit Fuqua, causing the ball to become live until it hit the ground. When it seemed that the Raiders had won the game, Steelers fullback Franco Harris caught the ball before it hit the ground and would shock the world. Harris would run the ball into the endzone for a touchdown, giving the Steelers their first playoff victory in franchise history. I'll let Curt Gowdy and Al DeRogatis of NBC call it like it was then:
So you're probably asking, "Why was this play controversial?" First, there was no replay review back then so officials could not review the play. Second, the officials wouldn't probably escape Three Rivers Stadium alive if they overturned it. Lastly, there was a rule that if the ball hit off a player, no player on the same team could catch it, thus the reception would be illegal. If the ball hit John Fuqua, then Franco Harris' ultimate reception would be illegal and thus the Raiders would win the game. If the ball hit Jack Tatum then the ball was live and as you can see from the video (and Curt Gowdy's call) the ball did hit Tatum thus the ball was live.
For the Raiders would exact some revenge on the Steelers by beating them in the 1973 playoffs. Ultimately the Raiders would lose to the Steelers in the 1974 and 1975 AFC Championship games, where the Steelers would win the Super Bowl. They would overcome the Steelers in the 1976 AFC Championship game and win their first Super Bowl.
For the Steelers, the franchise would never be the same. For the first 40 years of their existence, they were a joke and a laughingstock. In the near 50 years since the play happened, they have been a force to be reckoned with, winning division titles and Super Bowls.
Week 2 Picks!
Week 2 of the NFL regular season starts in Raleigh, North Carolina and ends in East Rutherford, New Jersey. There will be a Thursday night game, 10 early games, three late games, a Sunday night game, and a Monday night game. No teams are on a bye week. CBS will carry the single game, and FOX will have the double-header.
Note: TW is me, CV is Cardinal Viking, my roommate
Tampa Bay (0-1) @ Carolina (0-1) (NFL Network): TW: Panthers; CV: Panthers
Both teams took losses last week as the Buccaneers lost to the 49ers and the Panthers lost to the Rams. The poor performance of Jameis Winston last week is keeping me away from the Buccaneers this week. I'm giving the Panthers a benefit of the doubt due to their talent on offense as well as defense. Hopefully Cam Newton will give us a better show.
LA Chargers (1-0) @ Detroit (0-0-1) (CBS): TW: Chargers; CV: Chargers
The Chargers got a win against the Colts and the Lions took a tie with the Cardinals last week. Detroit on offense was efficient but they are coming up against a talented team in the Chargers who look to continue on a winning trend. I feel good about the Chargers with their high powered offense in this matchup. Detroit could make some noise but I can't trust the Lions to not do "Lions" things.
Jacksonville (0-1) @ Houston (0-1) (CBS): TW: Texans; CV: Texans
Both teams took losses last week as the Jaguars lost to the Chiefs and the Texans lost to the Saints. The Jaguars are a bold pick after Gardner Minshew abrupt start to his season, relieving Nick Foles who came off with an injury last week. I like the Texans defense get Minshew's game off a step. If they can cause turnovers they should have a good chance to win the game with points off turnovers and DeSean Watson's arm and running ability.
Minnesota (1-0) @ Green Bay (1-0) (FOX): TW: Packers; CV: Vikings
Both teams got wins last week as the Vikings beat the Falcons and the Packers beat the Bears. The game will depend a lot on how well the Packers offense does against the Vikings defense. Their defense is no slouch and is better than the Bears defense. If the Packers can keep Aaron Rodgers upright and keep their defense on the field for a majority of the game while the Packers defense causes mayhem against Kirk Cousins, I like their chances to win the game.
Seattle (1-0) @ Pittsburgh (0-1) (FOX): TW: Steelers; CV: Seahawks
The Seahawks got a win against the Bengals and the Steelers lost to the Patriots last week. Pittsburgh ran into a buzzsaw in the Patriots last week and I feel they should rebound at home against a decent Seattle team. I like the Steelers defense giving the Seahawks some chaos and mayhem. I do like the Ben Roethlisberger vs the Seahawks secondary matchup a lot as well. Don't let me down Steelers!
San Francisco (1-0) @ Cincinnati (0-1) (FOX): TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
The 49ers got a win against the Buccaneers and the Bengals lost to the Seahawks last week. The 49ers proved a lot of doubters wrong. Their offense wasn't spectacular but the 49ers defense showed quite a bit of flash getting two pick-six's last week. The Bengals shouldn't win the game based off of their talent overall and AJ Green still isn't available.
Indianapolis (0-1) @ Tennessee (1-0) (CBS): TW: Colts; CV: Titans
The Colts lost to the Chargers and the Titans beat the Browns last week. Tennessee is somewhat of a sexy pick due to their shocking win against the Browns. Can they repeat that performance against a team that had beaten them in the last game of the regular season (granted that was with Andrew Luck at quarterback). I hope for the best for the Titans but I'll take the Colts bringing the Titans back down to Earth.
New England (1-0) @ Miami (0-1) (CBS): TW: Patriots; CV: Patriots
The Patriots got a win against the Steelers while the Dolphins lost to the Ravens. There's no way I would take the Dolphins in this game and the Patriots are currently road favorites in this game. I feel the Patriots are looking to get some revenge over last year's "Miracle At Miami" loss. I don't think the Patriots will put up 50 on them but the score will not be in the Dolphins favor by any margin.
Dallas (1-0) @ Washington (0-1) (FOX): TW: Cowboys; CV: Cowboys
The Cowboys got a win against the Giants and the Redskins lost to the Eagles last week. When it comes to talent, the Cowboys got a lot of it on both sides of the ball. The Redskins are a decent club and showed some offensive power against Philadelphia last week, much to many people's surprise. I would take the Cowboys in the game but the Redskins could make it an interesting game for some part of the game.
Buffalo (1-0) @ NY Giants (0-1) (CBS): TW: Giants; CV: Giants
The Bills got a win against the Jets and the Giants lost to the Cowboys. Buffalo has a solid team, they haven't been real good but they do have a okay quarterback in Josh Allen and a defense that can stop the run. Buffalo is favored to win by 1.5 which isn't much. I'm taking the Giants based off of that the Bills aren't the Cowboys and they have a decent shot to win this game. It's also their home opener, give your fans something to be happy about.
Arizona (0-0-1) @ Baltimore (1-0) (FOX): TW: Ravens; CV: Ravens
The Cardinals took a tie against the Lions and the Ravens won against the Dolphins last week. Baltimore overwhelmed their competition last week with a great air attack and while the Cardinals defense has some decent pieces on that end of the field. I just feel that this spells bad game for Kyler Murray as the Ravens defense is no slouch and look to cause some mayhem. Could be a 10-point plus margin of victory for Baltimore.
Kansas City (1-0) @ Oakland (1-0) (CBS): TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
Both teams got victories last week as the Chiefs beat the Jaguars and the Raiders beat the Broncos. An old rivalry reignites as the Kansas City Chiefs play at Oakland for the last time as the Raiders are moving to Las Vegas next season. The Chiefs on offense look like the better one in a matchup against the Raiders defense. The Raiders offense could do some damage on the Chiefs defense but in the end if they can't stop Patrick Mahomes, they have little chance to win the game. I'll take the Chiefs.
Chicago (0-1) @ Denver (0-1) (FOX): TW: Broncos; CV: Bears
Both teams took losses last week as the Bears lost to the Packers and the Broncos lost to the Raiders. Heavy defensive matchup as both teams aren't particularly great on offense. I feel the Joe Flacco vs Mitch Trubisky matchup will end up in Flacco's favor based on his performance last week compared to Trubisky's performance.
New Orleans (1-0) @ LA Rams (1-0) (FOX): TW: Rams; CV: Rams
Both teams got wins last week as the Saints beat the Texans and the Rams beat the Panthers. The rematch of the NFC championship game. These two are titans in the conference and this game should be one of the best in the week, at least as long as it has the same hype as last year's game. I prefer the Rams defense over the Saints defense in the game and I feel the Saints have lost a step in offense with Mark Ingram going to Baltimore. Could be a shootout.
Philadelphia (1-0) @ Atlanta (0-1) (NBC): TW: Eagles; CV: Eagles
The Eagles got a win against the Redskins and the Falcons lost to the Falcons. These two teams know each other well. They've met in the last two seasons, one matchup was in the playoffs. Carson Wentz wasn't a part of those games. In terms of offense, both teams have have good offenses, so I feel the matchup will depend on what defense steps up. I'll go on a whim and take the Eagles.
Cleveland (0-1) @ NY Jets (0-1) (ESPN): TW: Browns; CV: Browns
Both teams took losses last week as the Browns lost to the Titans and the Jets lost to the Bills. The matchup is where both teams look to redeem themselves after a shocking loss the previous week. Last week was a wake up call for the Browns and I feel they'll rebound. I mean is it a disappointment if the Browns go 0-2, certainly. Go Browns!
Local TV Schedule (courtesy of 506sports.com, subject to change):
CBS Single:
Kansas City @ Oakland
Jim Nantz, Tony Romo
FOX Early:
Minnesota @ Green Bay
Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston
FOX Late:
Chicago @ Denver
Dick Stockton, Mark Schlereth
For more information on which game is being played in your area, check out: NFL 2019: Week 2 Maps
Cardinal Viking:
2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019:
Week 1: 11-4-1
My record:
2012: 164-90-2
2013: 162-92-1
2014: 172-83-1
2017: 164-92
2018: 156-98-2
2019:
Week 1: 12-3-1
See you guys late Monday night for the Week 2 Recap.
-Tom
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