The NFL is heading back across the pond.
After playing a highly successful game in London last October, the NFL announced that it would return to the United Kingdom for a regular-season game in 2008 as part of the NFL’s International Series of regular-season games.
“The game in London was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the entire 2007 season,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “The fan interest was tremendous. The passion they demonstrated for our sport that day continued throughout the season, as television viewership in the U.K. has grown by 40 percent since the game. We had an overwhelmingly positive response to the event from all involved – the teams, our sponsors and business partners and of course the fans themselves. We look forward to another spectacular event in 2008.”
Details about the game -– including the venue and competing teams -– are expected to be confirmed during Super Bowl week (Jan. 28-Feb. 3) in Arizona.
In 2006, NFL owners approved a five-year plan to stage a limited number of regular-season games outside the United States. The series kicked off in London on October 28 when the New York Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins, 13-10, before a sellout crowd of 81,176 at Wembley Stadium.
The NFL played its first-ever regular-season game outside the United States on Oct. 2, 2005 at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. A crowd of 103,467 –- the largest for a regular-season game in NFL history –- saw the Arizona Cardinals defeat the San Francisco 49ers, 31-14.
De New York Giants hebben net als de San Diego Chargers vriend en vijand verbaasd door de Conference championship te bereiken. De Dallas Cowboys werden met 17-21 in het Texas Stadium verslagen.
Tot zestien seconden voor tijd mochten de Cowboys nog hopen op een overwinning. Vanaf de 23-yard line van de Giants gooide Dallas' quarterback Tony Romo de bal op fourth down de endzone in. De bal werd echter ondergeschept door cornerback R.W. McQuarters waarmee hij de wedstrijd definitief in het slot gooide en de verrassing compleet was.
New York deed de gehele wedstrijd niet onder van het sterk geachte Dallas. Eli Manning, quarterback van de Giants, leidde zijn manschappen al meteen de eerste drive de endzone in met een 52-yard touchdown pass naar Amani Toomer.
De Cowboys herstelden zich in het tweede kwart. De eerste play van dat kwart was dan ook meteen al raak. Wie anders dan quarterback Tony Romo en de fitte wide receiver Terrell Owens brachten de stand op gelijke hoogte door een 5-yard touchdown pass. Een challenge van New York haalde niks uit. Even later was het running back Marion Barber die vanaf de Giants 1-yard line de bal endzone inliep waarmee de stand op 14-7 kwam. Met nog 53 seconden op de klok kreeg Manning de kans New York naar een score te leiden. Een goede drive van de Giants eindigde uiteindelijk in de endzone door middel van een 4-yard touchdown pass naar wederom Amani Toomer.
Dallas antwoordde in het derde kwart. Nick Folk schoot een field goal van 34 yards tussen de palen en herstelde daarmee de voorsprong van de Cowboys: 17-14. De Giants hadden tot dusverre moeite druk te zetten op Romo, maar dit zou veranderen in het vierde kwart.
Dat vierde kwart begon goed voor New York. De derde play leverde al zeven punten op. Running back Brandon Jacobs zette met een 1-yard touchdown run de 17-21 op het scorebord. Deze stand zou uiteindelijk de eindstand betekenen mede dankzij de interception van McQuarters. Dit was overigens de enige turn-over van de wedstrijd waarin Dallas elf keer bestraft werd voor een totaal van 84 yards, vaak op cruciale momenten.
De New York Giants zullen het in de NFC Conference championship nu moeten opnemen tegen de Green Bay Packers op Lambeau Field. De winnaar van deze wedstrijd zal 3 februari afreizen naar Arizona, de plaats van handeling van Super Bowl XLII.
Lorenzo Neal, de fullback van de San Diego Chargers, zal zondag in de AFC finale spelen tegen de New England Patriots.
Neal brak zijn been in het reguliere seizoen tegen de Tennessee Titans. De fullback zou afgelopen weekend spelen, maar werd op het laatste moment niet opgesteld, doordat hij toch nog niet helemaal fit was. Maar nu staat vast dat de fullback zal spelen. Of hij de starter wordt is niet zeker, daar zijn vervanger, Andrew Pinnock, goed heeft gepresteerd in de afwezigheid van Neal.
Het is nog maar de vraag of Philip Rivers aanstaande zondag tegen de Patriots kan spelen. De quarterback van de San Diego Chargers ondervindt nog veel last van een blessure die hij opliep in de divisional play-offs tegen de Indianapolis Colts.
In die wedstrijd kwam hij bij een screen play verkeerd neer met zijn rechterbeen waarbij hij zijn rechterknie blesseerde. De play eindigde voor Rivers wel in een 56-yard touchdown pass. "Op dit moment is hij questionable voor de wedstrijd van zondag maar heeft hij nog wel kansen", aldus headcoach Norv Turner.
De logische vervanger voor Rivers is backup quarterback Billy Volek. Hij verving Rivers al in de wedstrijd tegen Indianapolis en deed dit meer dan naar behoren. Drie van zijn vier passes kwamen aan voor 48 yards. Een 1-yard quarterback touchdown sneak van Volek bleek uiteindelijk genoeg voor de winnende touchdown.
Er was ook goed nieuws uit het kamp van San Diego. Sterspeler LaDainian Tomlinson zei dat hij hoogstwaarschijnlijk gewoon kan spelen tegen de New England Patriots. De league MVP van vorig seizoen kwam de gehele tweede helft niet in actie tegen de Colts.
Second-half rally sends Chargers into AFC Divisional date with Colts
SAN DIEGO -- LaDainian Tomlinson jumped for joy. Norv Turner's eyes were red.
It was rainy and gloomy, but it might as well have been a sunny day.
Yes, the San Diego Chargers can win in the playoffs. Thirteen long years after their last postseason victory, the Chargers finally came to life late in the second half Sunday to beat the Tennessee Titans 17-6 in an AFC Wild Card Game.
Tomlinson was held to 42 yards on 21 carries, but the star running back got to celebrate the first playoff victory in three tries in his brilliant seven-year career.
"It didn't come easy, but I tell you, I'm just happy to get that first one," Tomlinson said.
"It's a relief, but at the same time, it's not like we're saying, 'OK, we won a playoff game, so let's get ready to lose,' you know what I mean? I'm already thinking about next week and how tough of a game we're going to have going to Indianapolis, facing the champs."
The Chargers (12-5) advance to face the Colts on Sunday. San Diego escaped with a 23-21 win over the Colts at Qualcomm Stadium on Nov. 11, when Peyton Manning threw a career-high six interceptions and Adam Vinatieri missed a 29-yard field-goal attempt with 1:31 left.
The Titans bottled up Tomlinson, the two-time NFL rushing champion and 2006 league MVP, and dared quarterback Philip Rivers to beat them. The second-year starter did just that, throwing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson late in the third quarter that gave San Diego its first lead at 10-6.
L.T. finally found the end zone midway through the fourth quarter, on a fourth-down leap over the pile from inside the 1-yard line that had to survive a video review.
Tomlinson went airborne and was met by linebacker Stephen Tulloch, but the running back used a second effort to get the ball over the goal line before linebacker Colin Allred knocked it out of his hands.
"I just felt like going through the air was a better option," Tomlinson said.
Tomlinson jumped for joy once he emerged from the pile, but Titans coach Jeff Fisher threw his red challenge flag. After a review, it was ruled that the ball crossed the plane. Tomlinson celebrated again on the sideline. Tomlinson's wife, LaTorsha, doesn't like it when he leaps over the pile. Asked if he expected to hear about it, he said: "Absolutely."
Twelve of Tomlinson's 21 carries went for 1 yard or less, including four for losses.
There would be no comeback for Vince Young and the Titans (10-7), who were missing four offensive starters due to injuries.
"Nobody gave us a chance to be here," Young said. "We're just happy to be part of it. Next year, we'll have a good run again."
Said Fisher: "I thought Vince played well enough for us to win. He got banged around a little bit and bounced back, made some throws."
Just like that, the nightmares of the Marty Schottenheimer era finally went away in San Diego.
Schottenheimer was fired due to front-office friction in February, a month after San Diego inexplicably melted down in a 24-21 divisional-round playoff loss to New England. The Chargers had gone an NFL-best 14-2 in 2006.
Two years earlier, the Chargers lost in overtime to the New York Jets in a home wild-card game.
Overall, the Chargers had lost four straight postseason games dating to their ugly 49-26 loss to San Francisco in the Super Bowl following the 1994 season.
Turner improved his career playoff record as a head coach to 2-1. After stumbling to a 1-3 start this season and then leveling off at 5-5, the Chargers have won seven straight and 11 of 13 under Turner.
"Norv was brought here in an odd situation," Tomlinson said. "It was either, get us back to the playoffs and win a game in the playoffs, or you're a failure. That was kind of what he was given."
When it was noted during his postgame news conference that his eyes were red, Turner said: "I don't know. It's probably the rain.
"This game is about the players. They fought through a lot of ups and downs, and a lot of disappointments. This is a start for them."
Rivers was 19-of-30 for 292 yards, with one interception. Chris Chambers had six catches for 121 yards, and Jackson had five for 114.
"We wanted Philip Rivers to beat us," Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck said. "I think he did a good job of that. Anytime you leave anybody wide open, any quarterback in this league is going to hit them."
The Titans were looking for some payback after losing to the Chargers in overtime in Nashville in a tough, nasty game five weeks ago. Several players were hurt, and four players were fined a total of $32,500 by the NFL.
The Titans started faster than the Chargers in this game, but couldn't find the end zone.
Pro Bowl kicker Rob Bironas, who led the NFL with 35 field goals, had kicks of 30 and 44 yards to give the Titans a 6-0 halftime lead. He pushed a 38-yarder just wide left in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.
The Titans weren't happy at their inability again to score touchdowns instead of settling for field goals.
"That's been our problem all year, scoring points," wide receiver Eric Moulds said.
The Titans were heading for a great scoring chance early in the second quarter when Chris Brown fumbled when he was hit by Shawne Merriman, with Shaun Phillips recovering at the Chargers 9-yard line. San Diego ended up punting.
The Chargers lost three-time All-Pro tight end Antonio Gates to a sprained left big toe late in the second quarter. He's questionable for the Indy game.
Notes: Tomlinson spent the last few minutes on the sideline with a wrap on his left calf. ... This was the third time the Chargers had two or more players surpass 100 yards receiving in a playoff game. In their epic 41-38 overtime win against Miami on Jan. 2, 1982, Kellen Winslow had 166 yards, Charlie Joiner 108 and Wes Chandler 106. In a wild-card win over Pittsburgh on Jan. 9, 1983, Chandler had 124 and Winslow 102. ... Fisher is 0-5 in his career against San Diego and 1-10, counting playoffs, on the West Coast.
Jaguars collapse in fourth, but rally to beat Steelers
PITTSBURGH -- The past means nothing to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Pittsburgh, and neither does a frantic Steelers fourth-quarter rally. The Jaguars overcame both obstacles there for the second time in three weeks, and next up might be another date with history.
Josh Scobee saved the game by kicking a 25-yard field goal with 37 seconds remaining and the Jaguars came back after squandering an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter to beat the Steelers 31-29 on Saturday night in an AFC wild-card game that was wild in every sense of the word.
Jacksonville, becoming the first opponent to win twice in Pittsburgh in the same season in the Steelers' 75-season history, appeared to be done after Najeh Davenport's second 1-yard TD run of the game gave the Steelers a 29-28 lead with about six minutes remaining. But quarterback David Garrard, not an exceptional runner, found a seam on a convert-or-else fourth-and-2 play and rambled 32 yards to the Steelers 11 with 1:56 left.
"Right before we went out, I pulled the guys together and said, `Guys, you got to love it, this is what we're here for,"' coach Jack Del Rio said. "Now let's go out and make some plays and win it."
The Jaguars will play unbeaten New England in Foxborough on Saturday night, after the Chargers beat the Titans on Sunday.
Garrard aided the Steelers' comeback by throwing two interceptions -- one less than he had all season -- only to come up with the play that may have saved the Jaguars' season.
They kind of lost their gaps, they thought pass, I was able to get through there," Garrard said. "I just wanted to get a first down. I did enough to get into field-goal range and that was all I was thinking about."
Steelers linebacker Larry Foote argued emphatically that Jacksonville's offensive line held on Garrard's run.
"I don't want to get fined, but watch the long quarterback sneak," Foote said. "Watch the middle of the defensive line and you'll see. You'll see it. Watch what happens in the middle of the field. ... You see a big old hole open up and you'll see the reason why."
Ben Roethlisberger (29-of-42, 337 yards) put the Steelers into a deep hole himself by throwing three interceptions before halftime, then got rolling after he began lining up in a shotgun formation and threw touchdown passes to Santonio Holmes (37 yards) and Heath Miller (14 yards) in 4½ minutes of the fourth quarter to get Pittsburgh within 28-23.
"Ben is our leader, he's always going to be our leader. I'll ride or die with him any day," right tackle Willie Colon said in a subdued Steelers locker room, one filled with disappointment but no screaming or angry words. "He's tremendous and I love him to death and he led us back."
The Steelers rallied from 15 points down to tie Jacksonville late in the Jaguars' 29-22 win at Heinz Field on Dec. 16, but couldn't close the deal. They couldn't this time, either, even though Roethlisberger, shouldering the Steelers' offense virtually by himself with no running game, was 17-of-23 for 263 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. Hines Ward made 10 catches for 135 yards, but the Willie Parker-less Steelers ran for only 43 yards on 26 carries.
Pittsburgh also came up two points short by gambling, perhaps unwisely, for 2-point conversions after each of its final two touchdowns and getting neither. If the Steelers had kicked both times, Scobee's field goal would have only tied it.
"It's very disappointing, everyone's fired up," linebacker Clark Haggans said. "We fought hard. We came up short. It was a play here, a play there."
The Jaguars have beaten Pittsburgh four times in the last three seasons, including that Dec. 16 win, and they appeared ready to do easily by building a 28-10 lead behind backup running back Maurice Jones-Drew's playmaking and Rashean Mathis' two important interceptions.
Then, in less than only about eight minutes, they almost gave away their season.
"I was very proud of our guys for responding after watching that 18-point lead evaporate," Del Rio said. "Certainly, getting this experience will benefit our football team. We wanted to stay calm, stay poised and understand that that's what you need to do, make some plays. We needed every bit of them."
Jones-Drew, in a performance filled with big plays, scored on a 43-yard swing pass after one of Roethlisberger's interceptions and a 10-yard run that provided the 18-point lead. Jones-Drew's 96-yard kickoff return the first time Jacksonville touched the ball set up Fred Taylor's 1-yard touchdown run and immediately answered the Steelers' opening-possession 80-yard touchdown drive.
Taylor, who ran for 147 yards in Pittsburgh last month and had 381 yards in his last two games there, was held to 48 yards on 16 carries and, but it didn't matter.
"It was a tough way to get a win and we got one," Jones-Drew said.
The Jaguars came in off six wins in their last eight games, while the Steelers -- missing five starters, including star running back Parker -- limped into the postseason with three losses in four games and four in seven.
With no Parker, the NFL's leading rusher until he broke his right leg Dec. 20 against St. Louis, the Steelers needed to be creative offensively and Roethlisberger was exactly that on the opening possession. Using rollouts and swing passes to gain the yardage they normally get on Parker's running, the Steelers drove 80 yards for Davenport's 1-yard TD run and a 7-0 lead.
That efficient, creative Steelers offense disappeared the rest of the half, replaced by the familiar mistake-a-minute style so common when they ended five seasons with home playoff losses under former coach Bill Cower from 1992-2004. Cowher, coincidentally, resigned as coach after 15 seasons a year to the day Saturday.
Mathis, who decided Jacksonville's 23-17 overtime win at Heinz Field in 2005 with an interception return touchdown in overtime, jumped on a slant pattern by Holmes early in the second quarter for his 63-yard interception return. Two plays before, the Steelers appeared to get a big break when a tipped pass intended for Miller deflected to Ward for a 33-yard gain, a mini-Immaculate Reception 35 years and two weeks after the original.
Roethlisberger, perhaps attempting to prove he wasn't discouraged by that interception, went right back at Mathis on Pittsburgh's next possession -- and was intercepted by him again. The Jaguars promptly scored two plays later, on a 43-yard swing pass to Jones-Drew that made it 21-7.
With the Steelers driving late in the half, after Scobee's missed 46-yard field goal attempt, Roethlisberger was intercepted yet again by rookie backup lineman Derek Landri.
Despite the comeback, the Steelers ended their first season under new coach Mike Tomlin the same way they did their first under Cowher in 1992, with a first-game playoff loss on their home field.
"We fell short," Tomlin said. "Nothing really soothes the feeling we have right now."
