Minnesota 24 at Tampa Bay 20

Tampa Bay gave up 15 points in the 4th quarter allowing the Vikings to pull out the win.  Tampa Bay at one point had one of the best defenses in the League, no more.

Minnesota
Mike Rieker 18/34 244yds
Chuck Foreman 15car/75yds
Leonard Willis 12tt/7rec/116yds
Tom Pridemore 8 tackles 3 knockdowns

Tampa Bay
Rich Campbell 18/33 252yds 1TD
Charles Alexander 16car/65yds 1TD
Morris Owens 11tt/3rec/31yds
Glenn Oglesby 4tt/4rec/67yds 1TD
Tom Cousineau 9 tackles

Minnesota (2-5) at Tampa Bay (2-5)

  Minn offense  13th   100.6 rush - [10th] / 189.0 pass - [16th]
       defense  11th   79.7 rush - [8th] / 192.1 pass - [13th]
       scoring         16.1 for - [18th] / 18.0 against - [16th]

  T.B. offense  18th   109.4 rush - [7th] / 165.3 pass - [21st]
       defense  18th   97.0 rush - [19th] / 195.1 pass - [16th]
       scoring         17.4 for - [14th] / 22.0 against - [23rd]


   key matchups:
       DT Barry Bennett (8 sacks) vs. G Ed White
       TE Lawrence Sampleton (26 rec/292 yds/0 TDs) vs. LB Ken Fantetti (2 INTs)
       HB Chuck Foreman (521 yds/1 TDs) vs. Tampa Bay run D (4.0 rush avg)

   prediction:
       Minnesota 19, Tampa Bay 21

Oakland 17 at Denver 20

A win here would have put the Raiders at .500, but their defense could do nothing to help them. 

Denver
Danny White 13/24 234yds 1TD
Rickey Anderson 30car/127yds 1TD
John Schultz 6tt/3rec/111yds 1TD
Mike Davis 6 tackles 1 int

Oakland
Ken Stabler 17/38 153yds 1TD 1Int
George Rogers 16car/98yds
Cliff Branch 15tt/5rec/48yds 1TD
Tommy Campbell 8 tackles

Oakland (3-4) at Denver (1-6)

   Oak offense  22nd   116.9 rush - [3rd] / 126.0 pass - [28th]
       defense  23rd   100.1 rush - [22nd] / 216.9 pass - [22nd]
       scoring         14.3 for - [22nd] / 25.0 against - [25th]

   Den offense  26th   54.9 rush - [25th] / 149.6 pass - [25th]
       defense  15th   89.1 rush - [14th] / 193.7 pass - [14th]
       scoring          7.9 for - [28th] / 18.7 against - [18th]


   key matchups:
       TE Riley Odoms (23 rec/198 yds/0 TDs) vs. LB Jim LeClair (3 INTs)

   prediction:
       Oakland 17, Denver 19

New Orleans 20 at San Francisco 7

Turnovers and sloppy play killed the 49ers hopes of an undefeated season, and let the Saints get a bit closer to the Division leader. 

New Orleans
Peil Pennington 8/21 123yds 1TD
Tony Dorsett 18car/102yds
Freddie Solomon 4tt/2rec/41yds 1TD
Randy Rhino 8 tackles 3 knockdowns 1Fumble recovery
Craig Cassady 8 tackles 1 knockdown 1Int
Richie Szaro 2 of 4 long of 43yds

San Francisco
Jim Plunkett 19/33 227yds 2Ints
Delvin Williams 18car/38yds 1TD
Archie Griffin 4car/41yds 2 fumbles
Jerry Butler 8tt/5rec/67yds 1Fumble
Larry Brune 6 tackles 1 knockdown

New Orleans (4-3) at San Francisco (7-0)

  N.O. offense  17th   92.6 rush - [12th] / 183.3 pass - [18th]
       defense  7th    53.4 rush - [2nd] / 205.1 pass - [19th]
       scoring         19.0 for - [11th] / 16.0 against - [12th]

  S.F. offense  9th    83.3 rush - [16th] / 224.9 pass - [6th]
       defense  10th   95.9 rush - [17th] / 175.6 pass - [8th]
       scoring         26.7 for - [3rd] / 13.9 against - [4th]


   key matchups:
       HB Delvin Williams (448 yds/6 TDs) vs. New Orleans run D (2.4 rush avg)
       TE Ken MacAfee (12 rec/136 yds/1 TDs) vs. LB Junior Hardin (2 INTs)

   prediction:
       New Orleans 16, San Francisco 24

Cleveland 7 at Seattle 29

An easy win for the Seahawks as Cleveland continues to tumble.

Seattle
Brian Sipe 24/32 259yds 2TDs 2Ints
Sterling Rolfe 11car/44yds
Duke Fergerson 7tt/7rec/90yds 2TDs
Otis Wilson 5 tackles 1 knockdown 1 int

Cleveland
Dave Mays 20/40 208yds 2Ints
Greg Pruitt 6car/11yds
Tom Fleming 8tt/5rec/77yds
Bill Craven 4 tackles 2 knockdowns 1 int
Dave Graf 6 tackles 1 int

Cleveland (2-5) at Seattle (4-3)

  Clev offense  15th   73.4 rush - [19th] / 210.7 pass - [11th]
       defense  4th    97.7 rush - [20th] / 138.0 pass - [2nd]
       scoring         13.7 for - [23rd] / 16.1 against - [13th]

   Sea offense  19th   116.7 rush - [4th] / 155.0 pass - [22nd]
       defense  14th   89.4 rush - [15th] / 192.0 pass - [12th]
       scoring         18.7 for - [12th] / 17.0 against - [14th]


   key matchups:

   prediction:
       Cleveland 15, Seattle 20

Atlanta 10 at Los Angeles 31

An easy win for the Rams and a disappointing  performance by the Falcons. 

Los Angeles
James Harris 20/34 266yds 3TDs
 John Cappelletti 12car/79yds 1TD
George Lantz 9tt/5rec/136yds 1TD
Tony Elliott 1 tackle 3 sacks
Jim Youngblood 4 tackles 2 sacks

Atlanta
Guy Benjamin 12/31 190yds 1TD 1Int
Bubba Bean 7car/29yds
John spagnola 10tt/4rec/45yds
Al Jenkins 8tt/4rec/102yds 1TD
Ralph Ortega 10 tackles 2 sacks

Atlanta (3-4) at Los Angeles (3-4)

   Atl offense  23rd   52.6 rush - [26th] / 189.6 pass - [15th]
       defense  16th   104.6 rush - [23rd] / 178.4 pass - [9th]
       scoring         11.9 for - [25th] / 18.3 against - [17th]

  L.A. offense  10th   71.0 rush - [21st] / 235.1 pass - [5th]
       defense  13th   83.4 rush - [11th] / 191.6 pass - [11th]
       scoring         22.4 for - [7th] / 20.6 against - [21st]


   key matchups:
       QB James Harris (12 TDs/1765 yds) vs. Atlanta pass D
       WR George Lantz (28 rec/573 yds/4 TDs) vs. CB Ron Mabra
       DE Dennis Harrison (10 sacks) vs. T Arthur Scott
       WR Al Jenkins (24 rec/276 yds/1 TDs) vs. CB Monte Jackson (2 INTs/2 TDs)
       TE John Spagnola (38 rec/372 yds/1 TDs) vs. LB  Jim Youngblood (1 INT)

   prediction:
       Atlanta 16, Los Angeles 23

Philadelphia 24 at Houston 20

This game was full of biggest plays, but the biggest came with 1:56 left when John Walton hit James Lofton for 60yds to setup the game winning touchdown. 

Philadelphia
John Walton 14/21 281yds 3TDs
Ricky Bell 15car/23yds
James Lofton 5tt/3rec/119yds 2TDs
Charlie Smith 5tt/3rec/99yds 1TD
Cliff Odom 6 tackles 1 sack

Houston
Dan Pastorini 21/30 243yds 2TDs
Ronnie Coleman 18car/24yds
Ken Burrough 5tt/5rec/111yds 1TD
Barry Krauss 3 tackles 3 sacks
Dwight Hicks 6 tackles 1 sack 1 knockdown

Philadelphia (6-1) at Houston (3-3-1)

  Phil offense  6th    149.6 rush - [1st] / 174.6 pass - [20th]
       defense  28th   62.0 rush - [5th] / 292.1 pass - [28th]
       scoring         24.9 for - [5th] / 21.9 against - [22nd]

   Hou offense  14th   91.0 rush - [13th] / 197.1 pass - [13th]
       defense  20th   59.3 rush - [4th] / 244.4 pass - [27th]
       scoring         15.9 for - [19th] / 19.1 against - [19th]


   key matchups:
       HB Ronnie Coleman (376 yds/5 TDs) vs. Philadelphia run D (2.8 rush avg)
       DE Al Burton (8 sacks) vs. T Stan Walters
       QB John Walton (12 TDs/1306 yds) vs. Houston pass D
       HB Ricky Bell (672 yds/7 TDs) vs. Houston run D (2.7 rush avg)
       WR James Lofton (25 rec/350 yds/2 TDs) vs. CB  Willie Alexander (2 INTs)

   prediction:
       Philadelphia 22, Houston 23

New York Giants 10 at Washington 7

A great road win for the Giants as their defense shut down the Redskins.  The Giants have put a lot of energy into building their offensive line and it seems to be paying off as they give Joe Reed great protection and have turned Chuck Muncie into an effective running back.

New York
Joe Reed 12/19 87yds
Chuck Muncie 23car/85yds 1TD  6tt/6rec/46yds
Don Smith 3 sacks

Washington
Joe Theismann 14/23 142yds
Mike Thomas 19car/33yds
Frank Grant 5tt/4rec/56yds
Ken Bordelon 7 tackles

New YorkNFC (4-3) at Washington (4-3)

   NYG offense  12th   77.9 rush - [18th] / 214.6 pass - [9th]
       defense  5th    105.4 rush - [24th] / 149.6 pass - [4th]
       scoring         17.3 for - [15th] / 17.3 against - [15th]

  Wash offense  1st    105.7 rush - [9th] / 257.1 pass - [1st]
       defense  22nd   89.1 rush - [13th] / 220.3 pass - [24th]
       scoring         26.7 for - [1st] / 26.1 against - [27th]


   key matchups:
       QB Joe Theismann (18 TDs/1930 yds) vs. New YorkNFC pass D
       WR Frank Grant (35 rec/529 yds/4 TDs) vs. CB Bill Bryant
       TE Joe Rose (16 rec/238 yds/3 TDs) vs. LB Brad Van Pelt (2 INTs)
       DT Don Smith (9 sacks) vs. G John Schuhmacher
       WR Jim Robinson (32 rec/562 yds/2 TDs) vs. CB Walter  Tullis (1 INT)

   prediction:
       New YorkNFC 22, Washington 25

Pittsburgh 6 at Cincinnati 21

The Bengals were winless going into this game, but they were also favored.  The Steelers defense has been awful and they were without Terry Bradshaw.  Still this would have brought Pittsburgh up to .500 and put them right back in the race in the AFC Central. 

Cincinnati
Bob Bateman 14/22 183yds 1TD
Charles White 29car/163yds 1TD 1Fumble
Cleveland Rocker 7tt/4rec/66yds
Melvin Morgan 6 tackles

Pittsburgh
Jeb Blount 11/22 136yds
Willie McClendon 13car/68yds
Lynn Swann 11tt/6rec/61yds
John Stallworth 4tt/3rec/63yds
Lawrence Taylor 9 tackles 1 knockdown

Pittsburgh (2-5) at Cincinnati (0-7)

  Pitt offense  21st   64.4 rush - [23rd] / 181.6 pass - [19th]
       defense  26th   122.1 rush - [27th] / 207.0 pass - [20th]
       scoring         16.9 for - [16th] / 20.1 against - [20th]

  Cinn offense  11th   73.1 rush - [20th] / 221.3 pass - [7th]
       defense  27th   122.6 rush - [28th] / 225.9 pass - [26th]
       scoring         17.6 for - [13th] / 26.3 against - [28th]


   key matchups:

   prediction:
       Pittsburgh 22, Cincinnati 23

St. Louis 16 at Dallas 27

A big home win for the Cowboys who got a lot of big plays.

Dallas
Roger Staubach 10/15 235yds 1TD
Earl Campbell 23car/30yds 1TD
Butch Johnson 3tt/3rec/85yds  6punt returns/118yds 1TD
Thomas Henderson 7 tackles 1 sack
Calvin Favron 8 tackles 1 sack 1 int
Guy Frazier 7 tackles 1 sack

St. Louis
Mike Phipps 25/46 349yds 1Int
Mike Strachan 14car/44yds 1TD
Ike Harris 17tt/9rec/148yds
George Floyd 9 tackles

St. Louis (3-4) at Dallas (5-1-1)

   StL offense  7th    67.7 rush - [22nd] / 254.3 pass - [2nd]
       defense  21st   96.6 rush - [18th] / 210.1 pass - [21st]
       scoring         26.7 for - [2nd] / 25.7 against - [26th]

  Dall offense  3rd    115.1 rush - [5th] / 213.7 pass - [10th]
       defense  19th   85.1 rush - [12th] / 217.0 pass - [23rd]
       scoring         26.3 for - [4th] / 15.3 against - [8th]


   key matchups:
       HB Earl Campbell (495 yds/3 TDs) vs. St. Louis run D (3.8 rush avg)
       WR Drew Pearson (29 rec/620 yds/6 TDs) vs. CB Mike Sensibaugh
       QB Mike Phipps (14 TDs/1958 yds) vs. Dallas pass D
       WR Ike Harris (33 rec/410 yds/3 TDs) vs. CB Lester Hayes (3 INTs/1 TDs)

   prediction:
        St. Louis 21, Dallas 29

NFL 1982 Week 8 Preview

The 49ers are at 7-0 and looking good.  They have been on the verge year after year, but this may be their year to win it all.  Despite Delvin Williams having lost a step their defense is playing great right now.  With their defense and their passing game, they just might go all the way.  It won't be easy though to go unscathed in the West.  The Saints have come out of hibernation and are playing quite well.  They finally managed to get their offense going again.  And the Rams, well they are always tough. 

It may also be the Packers year.  For years now the Packers have been looked at as a potential Super Bowl team behind their defense.  Their offense has never been able to produce enough, but they are looking better and right now the Packers sit atop a weakened NFC Central.  The Bears are in a total collapse and the Lions just don't seem to have it together with their struggling defense and now they've lost Mel Jacobs for at least 3 weeks. 

The NFC East is very competitive.  The Eagles are on top, but their defense is very shaky and it's hard to imagine they can actually hold it together to win the Division.  The Cowboys would then be the favorite as their defense is playing very well so far, but the Giants and the Redskins could be dangerous.  The Redskins are pretty hot right now and the Giants have probably the best defense in the Division. 

The AFC Central is a sad state of affairs.  The leading Oilers have a record of 3-3-1.  The Steelers with two straight wins are suddenly back in the picture at 2-5.  There is really no good team in this Division. 

In the AFC West it's all Chargers right now.  With their tough defense and improved offense they are at 6-1 and look a cut above the rest.  The Chiefs are starting to turn things around and the Seahawks can be dangerous, but right now it looks all Chargers.

In the AFC East it's anyone's guess.  The Jets still lead with a 5-2 record, but the Colts, Dolphins, and Patriots all sit at 4-3.  The Patriots are the big question mark in this group as their offense has been struggling.


Trades
GB 8th year FB Scott Laidlaw for Den 2nd year S Eric Wright


Statistics
QBs
NYJ Vince Evans 107.0
SF Jim Plunkett 103.6
Phi John Walton 102.8

RBs
Phi Ricky Bell 672yds
Bal Billy Sims 646yds
Mia Benny Malone 543yds

Recs
Det Mel Jacobs 898yds
NYJ Ronnie Moore 682yds
Dal Drew Pearson 620yds


Games to Watch
New York Giants 4-3 at Washington 4-3
     The Redskins are very hot right now and should take this one pretty easily.

New Orleans 4-3 at San Francisco 7-0
     The Saints are pretty hot right now, but no one is playing better than the 49ers.  I wouldn't be surprised if this were a blowout for the niners.

New England 4-3 at Green Bay 5-2
     This is a tough road trip for the Patriots who are fighting to stay even with the AFC East.  But they should be a tough match up for the Packers.

New York Jets 5-2 at Miami 4-3
     The Dolphins need this Division home game if they hope to repeat as the East champs.

Philadelphia 6-1 at Houston 3-3-1
     The Oilers definitely need this win at home, while the Eagles are looking to stay atop the NFC East.

 

1982 Week 7 Standings

American Conference
Eastern Division
               W  L  T   PF   PA   Stk   Home   Away    vs Div   vs Conf
New YorkAFC    5  2  0  156   95    L2  3-0-0  2-2-0     1-1-0    2-2-0
Miami          4  3  0  111   92    L1  2-2-0  2-1-0     1-1-0    3-2-0
New England    4  3  0   79   69    L2  1-1-0  3-2-0     3-1-0    3-3-0
Baltimore      4  3  0  137  111    W1  3-2-0  1-1-0     1-2-0    2-2-0
Buffalo        2  5  0   72  111    L2  0-4-0  2-1-0     1-2-0    2-3-0

Central Division
               W  L  T   PF   PA   Stk   Home   Away    vs Div   vs Conf
Houston        3  3  1  111  134    L1  2-0-1  1-3-0     3-0-0    3-1-0
Cleveland      2  5  0   96  113    L4  2-2-0  0-3-0     1-1-0    2-1-0
Pittsburgh     2  5  0  118  141    W2  1-2-0  1-3-0     0-1-0    0-3-0
Cincinnati     0  7  0  123  184    L7  0-4-0  0-3-0     0-2-0    0-3-0

Western Division
               W  L  T   PF   PA   Stk   Home   Away    vs Div   vs Conf
San Diego      6  1  0  136  101    W3  3-1-0  3-0-0     2-0-0    4-1-0
Seattle        4  3  0  131  119    L1  2-1-0  2-2-0     1-2-0    2-2-0
Oakland        3  4  0  100  175    W1  2-1-0  1-3-0     2-1-0    3-2-0
Kansas City    3  4  0  113  112    W2  3-2-0  0-2-0     2-1-0    3-2-0
Denver         1  6  0   55  131    W1  0-3-0  1-3-0     0-3-0    1-3-0



National Conference
Eastern Division
               W  L  T   PF   PA   Stk   Home   Away    vs Div   vs Conf
Philadelphia   6  1  0  174  153    W1  4-0-0  2-1-0     3-1-0    3-1-0
Dallas         5  1  1  184  107    L1  3-1-0  2-0-1     3-0-0    3-0-0
New YorkNFC    4  3  0  121  121    W1  2-2-0  2-1-0     0-2-0    1-2-0
Washington     4  3  0  187  183    W3  2-1-0  2-2-0     0-3-0    0-3-0
St. Louis      3  4  0  187  180    W2  2-2-0  1-2-0     1-1-0    2-3-0

Central Division
               W  L  T   PF   PA   Stk   Home   Away    vs Div   vs Conf
Green Bay      5  2  0  109   99    W3  4-1-0  1-1-0     3-0-0    4-1-0
Detroit        3  4  0  164  161    W1  2-1-0  1-3-0     2-1-0    2-3-0
Chicago        3  4  0   92   98    L3  1-2-0  2-2-0     1-2-0    3-2-0
Tampa Bay      2  5  0  122  154    L1  1-2-0  1-3-0     1-2-0    2-3-0
Minnesota      2  5  0  113  126    L1  1-3-0  1-2-0     0-2-0    1-3-0

Western Division
               W  L  T   PF   PA   Stk   Home   Away    vs Div   vs Conf
San Francisco  7  0  0  187   97    W7  3-0-0  4-0-0     2-0-0    4-0-0
New Orleans    4  3  0  133  112    W1  2-0-0  2-3-0     1-1-0    2-3-0
Atlanta        3  4  0   83  128    L1  3-1-0  0-3-0     1-1-0    2-3-0
Los Angeles    3  4  0  157  144    L3  1-1-0  2-3-0     0-2-0    1-3-0

New York Jets 17 at Baltimore 22

An impressive display by the Colts both offensively and defensively.  They completely shut down the Jets running game, which really crippled the Jets offense. 

Baltimore
Bert Jones 24/38 285yds 2TDs 1Int
Billy Sims 25car/122yds
Frank Russell 10tt/6rec/92yds
Roger Carr 7tt/6rec/93yds 2TDs
Doug Marsh 10tt/6rec/39yds
Kirby Criswell 5 tackles 1 sack 1 knockdown
Toni Linhart 3 of 4 long of 49yds

New York
Vince Evans 17/33 263yds 2TDs
Horace Ivory 9car/3yds
Trent Smock 3tt/3rec/105yds 2TDs
Ken Schroy 11 tackles 1 knockdown
Luther Bradley 10tackles 2 knockdowns
John Tate 5 tackles 1 int

New YorkAFC (5-1) at Baltimore (3-3) [MNF]

   NYJ offense  3rd    101.2 rush - [10th] / 239.3 pass - [2nd]
       defense  6th    64.7 rush - [6th] / 184.3 pass - [12th]
       scoring         23.2 for - [6th] / 12.2 against - [3rd]

   Bal offense  9th    103.2 rush - [9th] / 207.8 pass - [10th]
       defense  13th   86.3 rush - [13th] / 187.3 pass - [13th]
       scoring         19.2 for - [12th] / 15.7 against - [11th]


   key matchups:
       HB Billy Sims (524 yds/4 TDs) vs. New YorkAFC run D (3.0 rush avg)
       QB Vince Evans (13 TDs/1581 yds) vs. Baltimore pass D
       WR Ronnie Moore (42 rec/635 yds/5 TDs) vs. CB Ray Griffin

   prediction:
       New YorkAFC 19, Baltimore 20

Los Angeles 19 at New Orleans 28

A solid win for the Saints who have found a spark in their offense finally. 

New Orleans
Peil Pennington 19/30 264yds 4TDs 1Int
Tony Dorsett 18car/65yds
Jimmy Childs 4tt/2rec/128yds 2TDs
Randy Rhino 8 tackles 2 knockdowns

Los Angeles
James Harris 18/35 236yds 2TDs
William Andrews 17car/32yds
George Lantz 15tt/7rec/135yds 1TD
Jim Youngblood 5 tackles 1 knockdown 1 int

Los Angeles (3-3) at New Orleans (3-3)

  L.A. offense  10th   72.8 rush - [21st] / 236.3 pass - [3rd]
       defense  9th    82.7 rush - [10th] / 180.5 pass - [10th]
       scoring         23.0 for - [7th] / 19.3 against - [19th]

  N.O. offense  18th   93.3 rush - [13th] / 170.8 pass - [20th]
       defense  7th    52.3 rush - [2nd] / 201.3 pass - [16th]
       scoring         17.5 for - [14th] / 15.5 against - [8th]


   key matchups:
       WR Jimmy Childs (9 rec/161 yds/0 TDs) vs. CB Monte Jackson (2 INTs/2 TDs)
       WR George Lantz (21 rec/438 yds/3 TDs) vs. CB Kenny Downing
       TE Brian Nemeth (17 rec/121 yds/0 TDs) vs. LB Junior Hardin (2 INTs)

   prediction:
       Los Angeles 19, New Orleans 21

San Francisco 23 at Atlanta 3

Guy Benjamin had a horrific day and the Falcons were not able to take advantage of the 49ers having to play their backup QB. 

San Francisco
Craig Penrose 15/24 205yds 2TDs
Delvin Williams 21car/48yds
Keith Wright 4tt/3rec/84yds
Kim Anderson 3 tackles 2 knockdowns 2ints
Dale Mitchell 5 tackles 1 int
Aaron Mitchell 5 tackles 1 sack
Steve Mike-Mayer 3 of 4 long of 40yds

Atlanta
Guy Benjamin 23/50 249yds 6Ints
Bubba Bean 8car/42yds
John Spagnola 23tt/12rec/124yds
Wes Chandler 10tt/4rec/44yds
Dennis Harrison 2 tackles 3 sacks

San Francisco (6-0) at Atlanta (3-3)

  S.F. offense  6th    89.8 rush - [14th] / 234.3 pass - [5th]
       defense  12th   104.8 rush - [23rd] / 166.0 pass - [7th]
       scoring         27.3 for - [1st] / 15.7 against - [12th]

   Atl offense  25th   54.3 rush - [25th] / 182.3 pass - [16th]
       defense  17th   114.7 rush - [25th] / 180.2 pass - [9th]
       scoring         13.3 for - [24th] / 17.5 against - [17th]


   key matchups:
       DE Dennis Harrison (7 sacks) vs. T Keith Fahnhorst
       DT Steve George (7 sacks) vs. G John Watson
       HB Delvin Williams (400 yds/6 TDs) vs. LB Fulton Kuykendall (40 Tackles)
       WR Jim Lash (29 rec/457 yds/1 TDs) vs. CB Ron Mabra

   prediction:
       San Francisco 22, Atlanta  18

Detroit 41 at Minnesota 38 (OT)

What a great game for these two aging powerhouses of the NFC Central. 

Detroit
Greg Landry 20/42 410yds 4TDs 1Int
Dexter Bussey 13car/51yds
Mel Jacobs 17tt/8rec/193yds 2TDs
James Hunter 8 tackles 2 knockdowns 1int
Jim Meeks 6 tackles 2 knockdowns 1 int

Minnesota
Mike Rieker 26/46 275yds 4TDs 2Ints
Chuck Foreman 25car/185yds
Ahmad Rashad 10tt/7rec/60yds 1TD
Sammy White 9tt/6rec/66yds 1TD
Ken Fantetti 11 tackles

Detroit (2-4) at Minnesota (2-4)

   Det offense  4th    105.7 rush - [8th] / 226.7 pass - [6th]
       defense  18th   80.3 rush - [8th] / 215.0 pass - [22nd]
       scoring         20.5 for - [8th] / 20.5 against - [22nd]

  Minn offense  20th   81.3 rush - [17th] / 174.7 pass - [19th]
       defense  5th    84.0 rush - [11th] / 156.7 pass - [5th]
       scoring         12.5 for - [26th] / 14.2 against - [6th]


   key matchups:
       WR Mel Jacobs (41 rec/705 yds/3 TDs) vs. CB Walt Williams (1 INT)
       TE Junior Miller (9 rec/104 yds/0 TDs) vs. LB Ken Fantetti (2 INTs)

   prediction:
       Detroit 17, Minnesota 20

Miami 13 at St. Louis 24

A solid game for Mike Phipps as the Cardinals get a big win over one of the better teams in the League. 

St. Louis
Mike Phipps 17/24 187yds 1TD 1Int
Sam Scarber 7car/11yds
Ike Harris 11tt/7rec/63yds 1TD
Steve Henry 9 tackles 1 knockdown
George Floyd 9 tackles 1 int

Miami
Bob Griese 7/13 117yds 1TD 1Int
Don Strock 7/12 170yds 1Int
Benny Malone 21car/54yds
Willis Adams 4tt/3rec/76yds
Mike Singletary 8 tackles 1 sack
Rick Sanford 7 tackles 1 int
Reggie Wilkes 6 tackles 1 sack
Garo Yepremian 2 of 4 long of 44yds

Don Strock

Since missing most of the Dolphins' perfect 1972 season, Bob Griese has hardly missed a snap in Miami. But QB2 Don Strock, Miami's third-round draft pick after leading the NCAA in passing and total offense at Virginia Tech in that same 1972, is on the field against the Cardinals.

Miami's ball on their 27 yard line. Third and less than 5 to go. 9:02 left in the second quarter. The score is Miami 0, St. Louis 3.
The pass from Miami's QB2 #11 Don Strock is intercepted by St. Louis's S3 #29 Irvin Phillips and returned for a gain of just over 2 yards. Phillips is tackled by G2 #60 Ed Newman. First down, St. Louis! First and 10 to go. That was 33UoutA (313) against NN1ssbl0 (311).

Miami (4-2) at St. Louis (2-4)

   Mia offense  8th    128.5 rush - [2nd] / 187.7 pass - [15th]
       defense  1st    60.2 rush - [4th] / 135.3 pass - [3rd]
       scoring         16.3 for - [16th] / 11.3 against - [2nd]

   StL offense  2nd    75.8 rush - [19th] / 268.8 pass - [1st]
       defense  20th   100.2 rush - [20th] / 202.5 pass - [17th]
       scoring         27.2 for - [3rd] / 27.8 against - [27th]


   key matchups:
       QB Mike Phipps (13 TDs/1771 yds) vs. Miami pass D
       HB Benny Malone (489 yds/5 TDs) vs. St. Louis run D (4.0 rush avg)
       DT Larry Bethea (8 sacks) vs. G Conrad Dobler

   prediction:
       Miami 22, St. Louis 23

Tampa Bay 7 at Green Bay 20

A good solid win for the Packers, a great game for Lynn Dickey and Ken Payne.

Green Bay
Lynn Dickey 10/15 170yds
David Overstreet 23car/57yds 2TDs
Ken Payne 7tt/6rec/124yds
Dan Bunz 6 tackles 1 sack
Gary Spani 5 tackles 1 sack 1int
Jim Burrow 3 tackles 2 knockdowns 1 int

Tampa Bay
Rich Campbell 19/39 197yds 2Ints
Ed Williams 7car/18yds
Morris Owens 12tt/6rec/82yds
Tom Cousineau 9 tackles

Tampa Bay (2-4) at Green Bay (4-2)

  T.B. offense  15th   122.2 rush - [3rd] / 164.2 pass - [21st]
       defense  21st   101.7 rush - [21st] / 202.5 pass - [18th]
       scoring         19.2 for - [11th] / 22.3 against - [23rd]

  G.B. offense  28th   56.0 rush - [24th] / 135.2 pass - [27th]
       defense  3rd    51.5 rush - [1st] / 163.2 pass - [6th]
       scoring         14.8 for - [21st] / 15.3 against - [7th]


   key matchups:
       DE Mark Gastineau (7 sacks) vs. T Keith Van Horne
       DT Dan Hampton (13 sacks) vs. G Everett Little
       DT Barry Bennett (7 sacks) vs. G Melvin Jackson

   prediction:
       Tampa Bay 17, Green Bay 22

Cincinnati 13 at New York Giants 20

The Giants get a solid game out of their backup quarterback and their defense to get back above .500.

New York
Rob Hertel 18/32 180yds
Chuck Muncie 27car/100yds 1TD
David Hill 10tt/3rec/27yds
Jim Robinson 9tt/4rec/49yds
Robert Woods 3tt/3rec/37yds 4 punt returns/101yds 1TD
Brad Van Pelt 4 tackles 2 knockdown 1 int
Charles Johnson 2 tackles 3 sacks

Cincinnati
Bob Bateman 14/30 227yds 1TD 1Int
Charles White 16car/30yds 1TD
Joe Harris 10tt/6rec/75yds
Ken Kuhn 10 tackles

Cincinnati (0-6) at New YorkNFC (3-3)

  Cinn offense  11th   77.5 rush - [18th] / 222.8 pass - [7th]
      defense  27th   123.2 rush - [28th] / 234.7 pass - [27th]
      scoring         18.3 for - [13th] / 27.3 against - [25th]

  NYG offense  12th   71.0 rush - [22nd] / 221.5 pass - [8th]
      defense  8th    115.2 rush - [26th] / 139.2 pass - [4th]
      scoring         16.8 for - [15th] / 18.0 against - [18th]


  key matchups:
       DT Don Smith (9 sacks) vs. G Dave Lapham
      WR Jim Robinson (28 rec/513 yds/2 TDs) vs. CB Scott Perry (1 INT/1 TDs)

  prediction:
       Cincinnati 18, New YorkNFC 25

San Diego 19 at Chicago 0

The Bears have a very solid defense, a good running game, but a passing game that is at best mediocre. So Bill Walsh brought in Ken Anderson from Cincinnati hoping to bring a spark to the offense. At one time Anderson was one of the top QBs in the league. Since becoming the Chicago starting QB the Bears have scored zero points in two games. Suddenly things aren't looking good for the Bears.

San Diego
Dan Fouts 11/20 137yds
Rickey Young 21car/74yds
Jesse Wolfram 9tt/3rec/50yds
Ken Greene 6 tackles 1 knockdown 1 int 1TD
Toni Fritsch 4 of 4 long of 38yds

Chicago
Ken Anderson 18/33 191yds 1Int
Walter Payton 14car/47yds
James Scott 6tt/4rec/67yds
Mike Fultz 1 tackle 3 sacks
EJ Junior 7 tackles 1 sack

San Diego (5-1) at Chicago (3-3)

  S.D. offense  24th   41.5 rush - [28th] / 201.0 pass - [12th]
      defense  11th   98.8 rush - [19th] / 167.0 pass - [8th]
      scoring         19.5 for - [10th] / 16.8 against - [16th]

  Chi offense  13th   94.3 rush - [12th] / 194.5 pass - [14th]
      defense  2nd    80.8 rush - [9th] / 131.2 pass - [1st]
      scoring         15.3 for - [20th] / 13.2 against - [4th]


  key matchups:
       DT Myron Lapka (12 sacks) vs. G Doug Wilkerson
      WR Jesse Wolfram (31 rec/475 yds/1 TDs) vs. CB Allan Ellis

  prediction:
       San Diego 16, Chicago 19

Cleveland 12 at Philadelphia 20

A good win for the Eagles over a tough defensive team. Ricky Bell is a star, Don Cockroft is not.

Philadelphia
John Walton 13/23 172yds 1TD 1Fumble
Ricky Bell 24car/146yds 1TD 1Fumble
James Lofton 7tt/3rec/68yds
Howie Long 2 tackles 3 sacks 1 knockdown

Cleveland
Dave Mays 18/34 240yds 1TD
Greg Pruitt 9car/59yds
Tom Fleming 12tt/4rec/43yds
Aundra Thompson 10tt/7rec/154yds
Keith Simpson 10 tackles
Dave Graf 6 tackles 1 sack
Jim Laughlin 6 tackles 1 fumble recovery
Don Cockroft 2 of 6 long of 40yds

Cleveland (2-4) at Philadelphia (5-1)

  Clev offense  16th   75.8 rush - [20th] / 205.7 pass - [11th]
      defense  4th    89.2 rush - [16th] / 134.2 pass - [2nd]
      scoring         14.0 for - [23rd] / 15.5 against - [9th]

 Phil offense  5th    149.7 rush - [1st] / 176.8 pass - [18th]
      defense  28th   62.5 rush - [5th] / 300.7 pass - [28th]
      scoring         25.7 for - [4th] / 23.5 against - [24th]


  key matchups:
       QB John Walton (11 TDs/1133 yds) vs. Cleveland pass D
      HB Ricky Bell (526 yds/6 TDs) vs. Cleveland run D (3.4 rush avg)

  prediction:
       Cleveland 19, Philadelphia 24

Denver 10 at Buffalo 9

Denver gets a great game out of their defense to pick up their first win of the year.

Denver
Danny White 16/24 153yds
Rickey Anderson 28car/96yds 1Fumble
Art Monk 6tt/4rec/49yds
Matt Millen 7 tackles 1 int

Buffalo
Joe Ferguson 12/22 128yds 1Int
Jewerl Thomas 6car/36yds
John Holland 8tt/5rec/52yds
John Anderson 10 tackles
George Jakowenko 3 of 4 long of 46yds

Denver (0-6) at Buffalo (2-4)

   Den offense  27th   41.7 rush - [27th] / 149.8 pass - [25th]
      defense  19th   92.5 rush - [17th] / 205.7 pass - [20th]
      scoring          7.5 for - [28th] / 20.3 against - [21st]

 Buff offense  26th   43.5 rush - [26th] / 149.0 pass - [26th]
      defense  16th   104.5 rush - [22nd] / 183.7 pass - [11th]
      scoring         10.5 for - [27th] / 16.8 against - [15th]


  key matchups:
       DT Rod Horn (12 sacks) vs. G Paul Howard

  prediction:
       Denver 12, Buffalo 18

Houston 19 at Washington 41

Joe Theismann played an almost perfect game in this blowout of the Oilers.

Washington
Joe Theismann 16/19 410yds 3TDs
Mike Thomas 17car/52yds 2TDs
Dennis Law 11tt/10rec/253yds 2TDs
Bubba Garcia 4tt/3rec/109yds 1TD
Jeff Nixon 7 tackles 3 knockdowns
Ken Bordelon 6 tackles 1 fumble recovery

Houston
Dan Pastorini 19/37 198yds 2TDs
Ronnie Coleman 21car/58yds 1Fumble
Ron Smith 5tt/4rec/40yds
Greg Bingham 7 tackles 2 knockdowns

Houston (3-2-1) at Washington (3-3)

   Hou offense  14th   89.7 rush - [15th] / 197.0 pass - [13th]
      defense  14th   55.3 rush - [3rd] / 220.7 pass - [23rd]
      scoring         15.3 for - [19th] / 15.5 against - [10th]

 Wash offense  1st    109.5 rush - [6th] / 235.5 pass - [4th]
      defense  23rd   87.5 rush - [14th] / 224.0 pass - [25th]
      scoring         24.3 for - [5th] / 27.3 against - [26th]


  key matchups:
       QB Joe Theismann (15 TDs/1520 yds) vs. Houston pass D
      HB Mike Thomas (432 yds/1 TDs) vs. Houston run D (2.5 rush avg)
      WR Dennis Law (15 rec/258 yds/4 TDs) vs. CB Willie Alexander (2 INTs)
      HB Ronnie Coleman (318 yds/5 TDs) vs. LB Joe Norman (36 Tackles)
      DE Al Burton (7 sacks) vs. T Terry Hermeling

  prediction:
       Houston 21, Washington 23

Seattle (4-2) at Kansas City (2-4)

   Sea offense  19th   99.2 rush - [11th] / 158.8 pass - [22nd]
      defense  15th   88.5 rush - [15th] / 198.0 pass - [15th]
      scoring         19.7 for - [9th] / 15.8 against - [13th]

 K.C. offense  17th   115.2 rush - [5th] / 151.3 pass - [24th]
      defense  24th   98.7 rush - [18th] / 214.2 pass - [21st]
      scoring         14.8 for - [22nd] / 16.5 against - [14th]


  key matchups:
       HB Ted Brown (487 yds/3 TDs) vs. Seattle run D (3.8 rush avg)

  prediction:
       Seattle 18, Kansas City 19

Pittsburgh 24 at Dallas 20

Up 14-3 late in the first half Terry Bradshaw got knocked out of the game.  The Steeler offense collapsed behind Jeb Blount until late in the game.  Down 20-17 with 1:31 left Blount lead the Steelers on a 72yd drive to take a 24-20 lead.  The Cowboys almost got it back though with a 40yd pass from Roger Staubach to Fred Nixon getting down to the Pittsburgh 28 with 2 seconds left.  On the last play Staubach hit Darrin Nelson who was stopped just short of the goal line by Wayne Fields to save the game for Pittsburgh in a big upset. 

Pittsburgh
Terry Bradshaw 12/17 128yds 2TDs 1Int
Jeb Blount 5/17 80yds 2Ints
Willie McClendon 13car/42yds
Lynn Swann 10tt/6rec/51yds
Theo Bell 5tt/4rec/58yds 1TD
Jack Lambert 7 tackles 1 sack

Dallas
Roger Staubach 16/30 230yds 2TDs 1Int 1Fumble
Earl Campbell 18car/144yds
Drew Pearson 7tt/3rec/53yds
Lester Hayes 5 tackles 1 knockdown 1 int
Thomas Henderson 7 tackles 1 int
Efren Herrera 2 of 4 long of 38yds

Pittsburgh 24 at Dallas 20

Up 14-3 late in the first half Terry Bradshaw got knocked out of the game. The Steeler offense collapsed behind Jeb Blount until late in the game. Down 20-17 with 1:31 left Blount lead the Steelers on a 72yd drive to take a 24-20 lead. The Cowboys almost got it back though with a 40yd pass from Roger Staubach to Fred Nixon getting down to the Pittsburgh 28 with 2 seconds left. On the last play Staubach hit Darrin Nelson who was stopped just short of the goal line by Wayne Fields to save the game for Pittsburgh in a big upset.

Pittsburgh
Terry Bradshaw 12/17 128yds 2TDs 1Int
Jeb Blount 5/17 80yds 2Ints
Willie McClendon 13car/42yds
Lynn Swann 10tt/6rec/51yds
Theo Bell 5tt/4rec/58yds 1TD
Jack Lambert 7 tackles 1 sack

Dallas
Roger Staubach 16/30 230yds 2TDs 1Int 1Fumble
Earl Campbell 18car/144yds
Drew Pearson 7tt/3rec/53yds
Lester Hayes 5 tackles 1 knockdown 1 int
Thomas Henderson 7 tackles 1 int
Efren Herrera 2 of 4 long of 38yds

Pittsburgh (1-5) at Dallas (5-0-1)

  Pitt offense  22nd   61.3 rush - [23rd] / 181.7 pass - [17th]
      defense  25th   117.3 rush - [27th] / 204.5 pass - [19th]
      scoring         15.7 for - [17th] / 20.2 against - [20th]

 Dall offense  7th    109.2 rush - [7th] / 212.3 pass - [9th]
      defense  22nd   85.5 rush - [12th] / 223.0 pass - [24th]
      scoring         27.3 for - [2nd] / 13.8 against - [5th]


  key matchups:
       WR Drew Pearson (26 rec/567 yds/6 TDs) vs. CB Wentford Gaines (1 INT)
      WR Lynn Swann (23 rec/271 yds/0 TDs) vs. CB Lester Hayes (2 INTs/1 TDs)

  prediction:
       Pittsburgh 15, Dallas 27

New England 0 at Oakland 6

The Patriots defense is playing very good, and helped launch them to a 4-1 start, but their offense is really struggling, especially quarterback Steve Grogan.

Oakland
Ken Stabler 9/31 122yds
George Rogers 11car/75yds
Glenn Starks 10tt/2rec/50yds
John Matuszak 1 tackle 3 sacks 1 knockdown
Tommy Campbell 4 tackles 1 knockdown 1 int

New England
Steve Grogan 14/37 191yds 1Int
Don Calhoun 18car/42yds
Darryl Stingley 10tt/6rec/77yds
Dave Waymer 5 tackles 3 knockdowns

New England (4-2) at Oakland (2-4)

  N.E. offense  23rd   88.2 rush - [16th] / 154.3 pass - [23rd]
      defense  10th   77.5 rush - [7th] / 187.5 pass - [14th]
      scoring         13.2 for - [25th] / 10.5 against - [1st]

  Oak offense  21st   118.5 rush - [4th] / 130.2 pass - [28th]
      defense  26th   109.5 rush - [24th] / 227.7 pass - [26th]
      scoring         15.7 for - [18th] / 29.2 against - [28th]


  key matchups:
       WR Cliff Branch (15 rec/180 yds/0 TDs) vs. CB Mike Haynes (2 INTs)
      TE Russ Francis (10 rec/103 yds/0 TDs) vs. LB Jim LeClair (3 INTs)

  prediction:
       New England 21, Oakland 16

NFL 1982 Week 7 Preview

The AFC East is lining up to be a big shootout between four teams. The Jets are still the top team, but they'll have to knock off the two time defending AFC champ Dolphins to win the Division. Miami had a big win last week over New England who is struggling on offense. If the Patriots can't get their offense going they will fade out of this race.

The AFC Central is a complete mess. The Oilers seem to be the best positioned to win the Division, but who can tell. The Browns started well, but have lost their offense. It does seem it will be one of these two teams that come out on top.

The AFC West is also lining up as a two team race between the Chargers and the Seahawks. Surprisingly the Seahawks defense is actually outplaying the Chargers so far. The Seahawks offense showed some spark last week and if they can get rolling I think they'll take the West.

The 49ers look as though they will easily take the NFC West and will probably be the only team coming out of the Division to the playoffs.

The NFC Central is in disarray as well with the Packers and the Bears still sitting atop the Division. Of course you can never write off the Lions but their defense seems to have completely collapsed.

The East is the only Division in the NFC that seem to have any excitement. The Cowboys I would say are the best team in the NFC right now and lead the Division, but the Eagles and their high flying offense are close behind.


Trades
NYG 3rd year DE Doug Martin for Buf 5th year T Steve McDaniels
GB 8th year FB Allen Carter for NO 8th year TE Keith Krepfle
SD 6th year CB Keith King for Dal 3rd year C Dwight Stephenson


Statistics
QBs
NYJ Vince Evans 108.5
Phi John Walton 104.1
SF Jim Plunkett 103.6

RBs
Phi Ricky Bell 526yds
Bal Billy Sims 524yds
Mia Benny Malone 489yds

Recs
Det Mel Jacobs 705yds
NYJ Ronnie Moore 635yds
Dal Drew Pearson 567yds


Games to Watch
Houston 3-2-1 at Washington 3-3
If the Redskins hope to get their season going and make the playoffs they need to win games like this at home against tough opponents.

San Francisco 6-0 at Atlanta 3-3
Hard to believe but the Falcons are actually in with a chance to make the playoffs. The difference in making it in can be games like this. At home against the best team in the Division.

Los Angeles 3-3 at New Orleans 3-3
The final playoff spot in the NFC is probably going to be filled by a team around .500 so all of these games are important.

San Diego 5-1 at Chicago 3-3
The Bears need to bounce back, but this will be a tough game at home.

New York Jets 5-1 at Baltimore 3-3
This should be a very good game between two teams with great offenses.

NFL 1982 Week 6 Standings

American Conference
Eastern Division
               W  L  T   PF   PA   Stk   Home   Away    vs Div   vs Conf
New YorkAFC    5  1  0  139   73    L1  3-0-0  2-1-0     1-0-0    2-1-0
Miami          4  2  0   98   68    W1  2-2-0  2-0-0     1-1-0    3-2-0
New England    4  2  0   79   63    L1  1-1-0  3-1-0     3-1-0    3-2-0
Baltimore      3  3  0  115   94    L1  2-2-0  1-1-0     0-2-0    1-2-0
Buffalo        2  4  0   63  101    L1  0-3-0  2-1-0     1-2-0    2-2-0

Central Division
               W  L  T   PF   PA   Stk   Home   Away    vs Div   vs Conf
Houston        3  2  1   92   93    W1  2-0-1  1-2-0     3-0-0    3-1-0
Cleveland      2  4  0   84   93    L3  2-2-0  0-2-0     1-1-0    2-1-0
Pittsburgh     1  5  0   94  121    W1  1-2-0  0-3-0     0-1-0    0-3-0
Cincinnati     0  6  0  110  164    L6  0-4-0  0-2-0     0-2-0    0-3-0

Western Division
               W  L  T   PF   PA   Stk   Home   Away    vs Div   vs Conf
San Diego      5  1  0  117  101    W2  3-1-0  2-0-0     2-0-0    4-1-0
Seattle        4  2  0  118   95    W2  2-1-0  2-1-0     1-1-0    2-1-0
Oakland        2  4  0   94  175    L2  1-1-0  1-3-0     2-1-0    2-2-0
Kansas City    2  4  0   89   99    W1  2-2-0  0-2-0     1-1-0    2-2-0
Denver         0  6  0   45  122    L6  0-3-0  0-3-0     0-3-0    0-3-0



National Conference
Eastern Division
               W  L  T   PF   PA   Stk   Home   Away    vs Div   vs Conf
Dallas         5  0  1  164   83    W1  3-0-0  2-0-1     3-0-0    3-0-0
Philadelphia   5  1  0  154  141    L1  3-0-0  2-1-0     3-1-0    3-1-0
New YorkNFC    3  3  0  101  108    L1  1-2-0  2-1-0     0-2-0    1-2-0
Washington     3  3  0  146  164    W2  1-1-0  2-2-0     0-3-0    0-3-0
St. Louis      2  4  0  163  167    W1  1-2-0  1-2-0     1-1-0    2-3-0

Central Division
               W  L  T   PF   PA   Stk   Home   Away    vs Div   vs Conf
Green Bay      4  2  0   89   92    W2  3-1-0  1-1-0     2-0-0    3-1-0
Chicago        3  3  0   92   79    L2  1-1-0  2-2-0     1-2-0    3-2-0
Detroit        2  4  0  123  123    L2  2-1-0  0-3-0     1-1-0    1-3-0
Tampa Bay      2  4  0  115  134    W1  1-2-0  1-2-0     1-1-0    2-2-0
Minnesota      2  4  0   75   85    W1  1-2-0  1-2-0     0-1-0    1-2-0

Western Division
               W  L  T   PF   PA   Stk   Home   Away    vs Div   vs Conf
San Francisco  6  0  0  164   94    W6  3-0-0  3-0-0     1-0-0    3-0-0
Atlanta        3  3  0   80  105    W2  3-0-0  0-3-0     1-0-0    2-2-0
Los Angeles    3  3  0  138  116    L2  1-1-0  2-2-0     0-1-0    1-2-0
New Orleans    3  3  0  105   93    L1  1-0-0  2-3-0     0-1-0    1-3-0

Los Angeles 14 at San Francisco 28

A solid win for the 49ers built on the back of a horrible game from James Harris. 

San Francisco
Jim Plunkett 18/26 250yds
Delvin Williams 20car/79yds 2TDs 1Fumble
Jim Lash 6tt/4rec/78yds
Donnell Thompson 4 tackles 2 sacks
Larry Brune 6 tackles 2 knockdowns 2 Ints

Los Angeles
James Harris 17/30 218yds 4Ints
William Andrews 12car/48yds 1TD
George Lantz 8tt/5rec/72yds
Henry Laws 8 tackles

Los Angeles (3-2) at San Francisco (5-0) [MNF]

  L.A. offense  10th   71.8 rush - [22nd] / 245.6 pass - [2nd]
    defense  7th    80.6 rush - [9th] / 168.2 pass - [8th]
    scoring         24.8 for - [7th] / 17.6 against - [15th]

S.F. offense  7th    89.2 rush - [16th] / 232.8 pass - [6th]
    defense  13th   110.2 rush - [22nd] / 161.2 pass - [7th]
    scoring         27.2 for - [3rd] / 16.0 against - [12th]


key matchups:
     QB Jim Plunkett (9 TDs/1253 yds) vs. Los Angeles pass D
    HB Delvin Williams (321 yds/4 TDs) vs. LB John Barefield (30 Tackles)
    WR Jim Lash (25 rec/379 yds/1 TDs) vs. CB Monte Jackson (2 INTs/2 TDs)
    QB James Harris (10 TDs/1311 yds) vs. San Francisco pass D
    WR George Lantz (16 rec/366 yds/3 TDs) vs. CB Eric Harris (1 INT)

prediction:
       Los Angeles 20, San Francisco 25

Missed opportunity

On a rainy day in Foxboro, the Patriots get a chance to get back into their key AFC East tilt with the visiting Dolphins when Benny Malone fumbles in Miami territory. Alas, Steve Grogan is unable to get the offense into the end zone, and then normally-reliable-at-this-distance John Smith--32 of 35 in the NFL76 era from 20 to 29 yards and "in the food business during the off-season," according to his 1981 card--flubs the field goal.

New England's ball on Miami's 9 yard line. First and goal. 5:18 left in the third quarter. The score is Miami 13, New England 3.
The pass from New England's QB1 #16 Steve Grogan was incomplete. The pass was intended for WR2 #81 Steve Burks. Second and goal. That was I1ZhtchY (77) against Miami's EB2FIRE0 (71).

New England's ball on Miami's 9 yard line. Second and goal. 5:06 left in the third quarter. The score is Miami 13, New England 3.
New England's QB1 #16 Steve Grogan gives to HB1 #32 Don Calhoun. Calhoun runs for a gain of almost 4 yards. Calhoun is tackled by Miami's LB1 #57 Lyman White. Third and goal. That was I23slnt1 (203) against EW2call4 (197).

New England's ball on Miami's 5 yard line. Third and goal. 4:36 left in the third quarter. The score is Miami 13, New England 3.
The pass from New England's QB1 #16 Steve Grogan was incomplete. The pass was intended for WR1 #80 Darryl Stingley. Fourth and goal. That was K3HcrosX (301) against Miami's NW5flat2 (295).

New England's ball on Miami's 5 yard line. Fourth and goal. 4:23 left in the third quarter. The score is Miami 13, New England 3.
New England's K1 #8 John Smith attempts a 22 yard field goal. The kick is wide. That was FGPAT (427) against Miami's FGPATD (421).