NFL playoffs, 2002–03

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The NFL playoffs following the 2002 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXVII.

Prior to the 2002-03 season, the league realigned the teams into eight divisions (four in each conference). Thus, the 12-team playoff format was modified:

  • The four division champions are seeded 1 through 4 based on their regular season won-lost-tied record.
  • Two "wild card" qualifiers (those non-division champions with the conference's best won-lost-tied percentages) are seeded 5 and 6 within the conference.

These changes meant that a wild card team could no longer host a playoff game during the first Wild Card round.

After the success of holding Saturday prime time playoff games during the 2001-02 postseason, the league revised all of the Sunday playoff games starting in 2002 to draw more television viewers. First, the Sunday wild card and divisional playoff games were moved from 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. EST to 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively. [1]

The starting times for the Conference Championship Games were also changed, from 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. EST respectively. [1] The conferences would then begin to annually alternate between the early and late games, with the first game during this 2002-03 season being the NFC title game and the second the AFC title game. Since then, the NFC title game is first in even-numbered seasons (2002, 2004, etc.) and the AFC title game first in odd-numbered seasons (2003, 2005, etc.).

This change would also avoid the future possibility of having to reschedule a 9:30 a.m. PST / 10:30 a.m. MST Conference Championship Game if both contests took place in those time zones. Conference Championship Games in those time zones now start no earlier than 12:00 p.m. PST / 1:00 p.m. MST. When the Denver Broncos and the San Francisco 49ers hosted the AFC and NFC championship games during the 1989-90 playoffs, the league moved both contests back an hour, but it also forced the networks to reluctantly change or move their prime time lineups.

Playoff seeds
Seed AFC NFC
1 Oakland Raiders (West winner) Philadelphia Eagles (East winner)
2 Tennessee Titans (South winner) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (South winner)
3 Pittsburgh Steelers (North winner) Green Bay Packers (North winner)
4 New York Jets (East winner) San Francisco 49ers (West winner)
5 Indianapolis Colts New York Giants
6 Cleveland Browns Atlanta Falcons

Contents

[edit] Wild Card playoffs

[edit] Saturday January 4, 2003

[edit] AFC: New York Jets 41, Indianapolis Colts 0

1 2 3 4 Total
Colts 0 0 0 0 0
Jets 7 17 10 7 41

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

In his playoff debut, quarterback Chad Pennington completed 19 of 25 passes for 222 yards and 3 touchdowns as he led the Jets to a shutout victory over the Colts. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was limited to 14 out of 31 (45.2 percent) completions for 137 yards, with 2 interceptions.

On New York's fifth play of the game, fullback Richie Anderson caught a screen pass from Pennington and took off down the left sideline for a 56-yard touchdown, the longest play in Jets postseason history. Indianapolis responded by driving deep into Jets territory, with Manning completing three passes to Marvin Harrison for 38 yards, but the drive stalled and Mike Vanderjagt missed a 41-yard field goal attempt.

In the second quarter, Jets kicker John Hall kicked a 41-yard field goal. Then Ray Mickens recovered a fumble from Troy Walters on the ensuing kickoff on the Colts 39-yard line, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Lamont Jordan. Later in the period, the Jets increased their lead to 24-0 with Pennington's 4-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss, who made a leaping catch in the back of the end zone with 37 seconds left in the half.

Early in the third quarter, Hall kicked another field goal on the end of a drive that was set up by a 70-yard kickoff return from receiver Chad Morton. Later on, Pennington threw his third touchdown pass, a 3-yard toss to rookie tight end Chris Baker, and Jordan, who finished the game with 102 rushing yards, closed out the scoring with his second 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

  • Scoring
    • NYJ - Anderson 56 pass from Pennington (Hall kick) NYJ 7-0
    • NYJ - field goal Hall 41 NYJ 10-0
    • NYJ - Jordan 1 run (Hall kick) NYJ 17-0
    • NYJ - Moss 4 pass from Pennington (Hall kick) NYJ 24-0
    • NYJ - field goal Hall 39 NYJ 27-0
    • NYJ - Baker 3 pass from Pennington (Hall kick) NYJ 34-0
    • NYJ - Jordan 1 run (Hall kick) NYJ 41-0

[edit] NFC: Atlanta Falcons 27, Green Bay Packers 7

1 2 3 4 Total
Falcons 14 10 3 0 27
Packers 0 0 7 0 7

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST/7:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 31 °F (−1 °C), chance of flurries
  • TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator)
  • Referee: Bernie Kukar
  • Game attendance: 65,358

The Packers suffered their first home playoff loss as the Falcons forced five turnovers and limited Green Bay to only one touchdown. 22-year-old quarterback Michael Vick passed for 117 yards and rushed for 64 yards. The Packers, playing without Pro Bowl running back Ahman Green, Pro Bowl defensive back Darren Sharper, and their top receiver Terry Glenn, due to injuries, fell down 24-0 in the first half and could not recover. Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, while Ryan Longwell missed two field goals.

The Falcons stormed out to a 7-0 lead by driving 76 yards on the opening drive and scoring with Vick's 10-yard touchdown pass to Shawn Jefferson. Then on the Packers next drive, Atlanta linebacker Mark Simoneau blocked Josh Bidwell's punt and Artie Ulmer recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown to increase their lead to 14-0. Later on, defensive back Tyrone Williams, a blocker on Green Bay's punt return team ran into returner Eric Metcalf. As a result, Metcalf muffed the kick and Atlanta fullback George Layne recovered the ball on Green Bay's 21-yard line. Packers coach Mike Sherman did not challenge the call, a mistake considering replays showed the punted ball bouncing off a Falcons player's left shoulder. Sherman said he spoke with an official on the field, "but he [mistakenly] led me to believe it would not be reviewable.".[2] Four plays after the turnover, T. J. Duckett's 6-yard touchdown run increased Atlanta's lead to 21-0. Green Bay responded by driving to a first and goal situation inside the Falcons 5-yard line, but on fourth down, Green was dropped for a 4-yard loss by nose tackle Ellis Johnson. Then Vick led the Falcons 90 yards in 16 plays, and kicker Jay Feely finished the drive with a 22-yard field goal on the last play of the half.

Favre threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver at the end of the Packers opening second half drive, but Driver was knocked out of the game on the play, and the Packers could not score again.

  • Scoring
    • ATL - Jefferson 10 pass from Vick (Feely kick) ATL 7-0
    • ATL - Ulmer 1 blocked punt return (Feely kick) ATL 14-0
    • ATL - Duckett 6 run (Feely kick) ATL 21-0
    • ATL - field goal Feely 22 ATL 24-0
    • GB - Driver 14 pass from Favre (Longwell kick) ATL 24-7
    • ATL - field goal Feely 23 ATL 27-7

[edit] Sunday January 5, 2003

[edit] AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 36, Cleveland Browns 33

1 2 3 4 Total
Browns 7 10 7 9 33
Steelers 0 7 7 22 36

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 27 °F (−3 °C), light snow
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel (play-by-play) and Phil Simms (color commentator)
  • Referee: Bill Carollo
  • Game attendance: 62,595

An amazing performance from Browns quarterback Kelly Holcomb, one of the most inexperienced quarterbacks ever to play in a postseason game, was overshadowed by Journeyman quarterback Tommy Maddox, who led the Steelers to 29 second half points to overcome a 17-point deficit. A 3-yard touchdown run by Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala with 54 seconds left capped the game-winning 58-yard drive.

On the third play of the game, Holcomb completed an 83-yard pass to Kevin Johnson at the Steelers 1-yard line, setting up William Green's 1-yard touchdown run and giving the Browns a 7-0 lead after just 1:16 had elapsed in the game. In the second quarter, the Steelers turned the ball over three times in a span of 5 and 1/2 minutes: two interceptions by Browns defensive back Daylon McCutcheon and a fumbled punt by returner Antwaan Randle El that Cleveland converted into a 32-yard touchdown completion from Holcomb to receiver Dennis Northcutt.

Randle El later made up for his mistake by returning a punt 66 yards for a touchdown, but the Browns responded with Phil Dawson's 31-yard field goal on their next drive, giving them a 17-7 halftime lead.

Early in the third quarter, Holcomb's 15-yard touchdown pass to Northcut increased the Browns lead to 24-7. Later in the quarter, Maddox led the Steelers 66 yards, featuring a 24-yard completion by Randle El, and finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress, cutting his team's deficit to 10 points with 3:50 left in the period. Then after another Dawson field goal, Maddox completed three passes to Randle El for gains of 20, 30, and 6 yards before finding tight end Jerame Tuman with a 3-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. But the Browns stormed back and scored with Holcomb's 22-yard touchdown pass to Andre Davis, giving them a 33-21 lead after the 2-point conversion failed.

With 3:06 left in the game, Maddox finished off a 77-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward, cutting the score to 33-28. The Browns tried to run out the clock on their ensuing possession, but Northcut dropped a potential first down catch on third down and 12, forcing his team to punt. Taking over at their own 42-yard line, Maddox threw to Burress for 24 yards, Ward for 10, Buress again for 17, and Ward again for 7 before Fuamatu-Ma'afala finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. Then Tuman scored the two point conversion to give the Steelers a 36-33 lead. The Browns attempted to drive for the tying field goal, but time expired in the game on Holcomb's 16-yard completion to Andre King at the Steelers 29-yard line.

Maddox finished the game with 30 of 48 completions for a franchise postseason record 367 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 2 interceptions. Burress caught 6 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown, while Ward caught 11 passes for 104 yards and a score. Randle El caught 5 passes for 85 yards and returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown. In his first career playoff game, Kelly Holcomb completed 26 of 43 passes for 429 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 1 interception. Kevin Johnson caught 4 passes for 140 yards, while Northcutt caught 6 passes for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns.

  • Scoring
    • CLE - Green 1 run (Dawson kick) CLE 7-0
    • CLE - Northcutt 32 pass from Holcomb (Dawson kick) CLE 14-0
    • PIT - Randle El 66 punt return (Reed kick) CLE 14-7
    • CLE - field goal Dawson 31 CLE 17-7
    • CLE - Northcutt 15 pass from Holcomb (Dawson kick) CLE 24-7
    • PIT - Burress 6 pass from Maddox (Reed kick) CLE 24-14
    • CLE - field goal Dawson 24 CLE 27-14
    • PIT - Tuman 3 pass from Maddox (Reed kick) CLE 27-21
    • CLE - Davis 22 pass from Holcomb (Pass failed) CLE 33-21
    • PIT - Ward 5 pass from Maddox (Reed kick) CLE 33-28
    • PIT - Fuamatu-Ma'afala 3 run (Tuman pass from Randle El) PIT 36-33

[edit] NFC: San Francisco 49ers 39, New York Giants 38

1 2 3 4 Total
Giants 7 21 10 0 38
49ers 7 7 8 17 39

at 3Com Park, San Francisco

The Steelers' comeback earlier in the day was matched by San Francisco's similar late drive, overcoming a 38-14 deficit by scoring 25 unanswered points in the second half.

In the first quarter, 49ers linebacker Julian Peterson intercepted a pass from Giants quarterback Kerry Collins at the San Francisco 24-yard line. On the next play, 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia threw a 76-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens. New York responded with an 11-play, 65 yard drive, that ended with Collins' 12-yard touchdown pass to Amani Toomer, tying the game at 7.

In the second quarter, the Giants stormed 61 yards in five plays, featuring 29-yard run by Tiki Barber. After that, Collins completed a 27-yard pass to tight end Jeremy Shockey, and capped off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to him one play later. But the 49ers responded with an unconventional 69-yard drive that featured two runs by Garcia for over 10 yards and a 25-yard completion from Owens to receiver Tai Streets on a reverse-pass play. Running back Kevan Barlow completed the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game. However, two key 49ers turnovers allowed the Giants to go into their locker room at halftime with a 28-14 lead. First, the Giants were forced to punt on their ensuing possession, but returner Cedrick Wilson muffed the kick and New York's Johnnie Harris recovered the ball on the 49ers 8-yard line. Collins then threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Toomer on the next play. After the ensuing kickoff, defensive back Jason Sehorn picked off a pass from Garcia at New York's 44-yard line. Two plays later on third down and 8, Collins completed a 30-yard pass to Barber, and followed it up with a 24-yard touchdown completion to Toomer with just 10 seconds left in the half.

The Giants continued to build their lead in the second half. 5 minutes into the third quarter, San Francisco turned the ball over on downs at the Giants 46-yard line, and New York subsequently moved the ball 54 yards in six plays. Barber rushed for 37 yards on the drive and finished it with a 6-yard touchdown run, increasing the Giants lead to 35-14. Later in the quarter, Collins' 46-yard completion to Toomer set up a 21-yard field goal from kicker Matt Bryant, making the score 38-14 with 4:27 left in the third period.

The Giants lead seemed insurmountable, but it wasn't. San Francisco stormed back, driving 70 yards in 7 plays on a drive that consumed only 2:24 and ended with Garcia's 26-yard touchdown pass to Owens. Owens added a 2-point conversion catch on the next play, cutting the 49ers deficit to 38-22. New York was forced to punt after three plays on their next drive, and Wilson returned the ball 29 yards, with a personal foul against the Giants adding another 15 and giving San Francisco the ball on the Giants 27-yard line. Two plays later, Garcia scored on a 14-yard touchdown run, and then completed another two point conversion pass to Owens, cutting the score to 38-30 five seconds into the fourth quarter.

After forcing New York to punt once again, the 49ers drove 74 yards in 15 plays and scored with a 25-yard field goal by Jeff Chandler. The Giants responded with a drive to the San Francisco 20-yard line, but with 3:01 left in the game, Bryant missed a 42-yard field goal attempt. Garcia then took over, converting two third downs, one of them a 25-yard completion to tight end Eric Johnson, on the way to a 13-yard touchdown pass to Streets. This time, the two point conversion failed, but the 49ers took the lead, 39-38, with 1 minute left in regulation.

However, the Giants did have a chance to win. Collins led them to the 49ers 23-yard line with 6 seconds left. But a botched snap by Trey Junkin resulted into a feeble pass play that fell incomplete. The Giants were also called for having an illegal man downfield on the play, and the game ended. The following day, it was revealed that the penalized player had in fact checked in as an eligible receiver before the field goal attempt, although the penalty was not called on the eligible receiver but rather a different lineman who was also downfield on the desperation pass.

Garcia threw for 331 yards and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception, while also leading the 49ers on the ground with 60 rushing yards and another score. Owens caught 9 passes for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also scored two 2-point conversions and completed a 25-yard pass. Collins threw for 342 yards and 4 touchdowns with 1 interception. Toomer caught 8 passes for 136 yards and 3 touchdowns. Barber rushed for 115 yards, caught 5 passes for 62 yards, and scored a touchdown.

  • Scoring
    • SF - Owens 76 pass from Garcia (Chandler kick) SF 7-0
    • NYG - Toomer 12 pass from Collins (Bryant kick) Tie 7-7
    • NYG - Shockey 2 pass from Collins (Bryant kick) NYG 14-7
    • SF - Barlow 1 run (Chandler kick) Tie 14-14
    • NYG - Toomer 8 pass from Collins (Bryant kick) NYG 21-14
    • NYG - Toomer 24 pass from Collins (Bryant kick) NYG 28-14
    • NYG - Barber 6 run (Bryant kick) NYG 35-14
    • NYG - field goal Bryant 21 NYG 38-14
    • SF - Owens 26 pass from Garcia (Owens pass from Garcia) NYG 38-22
    • SF - Garcia 14 run (Owens pass from Garcia) NYG 38-30
    • SF - field goal Chandler 25 NYG 38-33
    • SF - Streets 13 pass from Garcia (pass failed) SF 39-38

[edit] Divisional playoffs

[edit] Saturday January 11, 2003

[edit] AFC: Tennessee Titans 34, Pittsburgh Steelers 31 (OT)

1 2 3 4 OT Total
Steelers 0 13 7 11 0 31
Titans 14 0 14 3 3 34

at The Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee

  • Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 34 °F (1 °C), sunny
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg (play-by-play) and Dan Dierdorf (color commentator)
  • Referee: Ron Blum
  • Game attendance: 68,809

The third time was the charm for Titans kicker Joe Nedney. After missing the potential game-winning field goal at the end of regulation time, and a second failed kick in overtime was negated because of a controversial running-into-the-kicker penalty on Pittsburgh's Dewayne Washington, Nedney won the game from 26 yards out 2:15 into overtime. Steelers coach Bill Cowher was incensed, saying he called a timeout before the winning kick took place.

Earlier in the game, the Titans jumped to an early 14-0 lead with touchdowns from Eddie George and Steve McNair before the Steelers converted three turnovers into 20 points. Two of the turnovers were fumbles by George, who had not fumbled all season, and his second one was converted into a 31-yard touchdown run by Amos Zereoue. But Tennessee stormed right back, going into a no-huddle offense and scoring twice in a span of five minutes with McNair's touchdown passes to tight ends Frank Wycheck and Erron Kinney, giving them a 28-20 lead going into the fourth quarter.

In the final period, a 21-yard Hines Ward touchdown reception and subsequent two-point conversion tied the game at 28. The teams traded field goals late in the final period to send the game into overtime, following a missed 48-yard field goal by Nedney on the last play in regulation.

In the extra period, referee Ron Blum announced that each team had three timeouts, which was odd considering they were supposed to get two. [3] The Titans took the opening kickoff and drove inside the Steelers 20-yard line, only to have Nedney miss a field goal again, this time from 31 yards. But Washington was penalized for running into Nedney, and the second kick was good to win the game.

Wycheck finished the game with 10 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown. McNair threw for a career postseason high 338 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 2 interceptions, while rushing for 29 yards and another score on the ground.

  • Scoring
    • TEN - McNair 8 run (Nedney kick) TEN 7-0
    • TEN - George 1 run (Nedney kick) TEN 14-0
    • PIT - Ward 8 pass from Maddox (Reed kick) TEN 14-7
    • PIT - field goal Reed 30 TEN 14-10
    • PIT - field goal Reed 39 TEN 14-13
    • PIT - Zereoue 31 run (Reed kick) PIT 20-14
    • TEN - Wycheck 7 pass from McNair (Nedney kick) TEN 21-20
    • TEN - Kinney 2 pass from McNair (Nedney kick) TEN 28-20
    • PIT - Ward 21 pass from Maddox (Burress pass from Ward) Tie 28-28
    • PIT - field goal Reed 40 PIT 31-28
    • TEN - field goal Nedney 42 Tie 31-31
    • TEN - field goal Nedney 26 TEN 34-31

[edit] NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 20, Atlanta Falcons 6

1 2 3 4 Total
Falcons 0 6 0 0 6
Eagles 10 3 0 7 20

at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia

  • Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 29 °F (−2 °C), clear
  • TV announcers (FOX): Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Daryl Johnston (color commentator)
  • Referee: Mike Carey
  • Game attendance: 66,452

The hyped quarterback duel between Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick never materialized, as the Eagles' defense sacked Vick three times and intercepted him off twice, including Bobby Taylor's 39-yard return for a touchdown.

With the Eagles leading 13-0 in the second quarter, Vick tried to rally his team back. First he led them 61 yards in 13 plays to score on a Jay Feely field goal with 4:10 left in the half. Then after forcing a punt, Vick ran for 20 yards and completed a 16-yard pass to Brian Finneran to set up a 52-yard field goal from Feely, making the score 13-6 by halftime. But in the third quarter, a 20-yard touchdown run by Vick that could have tied the game was called back by a holding penalty on Travis Claridge, and Feely missed a 37-yard field goal a few plays later. The Eagles then put the game away in the fourth quarter with McNabb's 35-yard touchdown pass to James Thrash with 6:26 left in regulation. McNabb finished with 20 of 30 completions for 247 yards and a touchdown, along with 24 rushing yards.

  • Scoring
    • PHI - Taylor 39 interception return (Akers kick) PHI 7-0
    • PHI - field goal Akers 34 PHI 10-0
    • PHI - field goal Akers 39 PHI 13-0
    • ATL - field goal Feely 34 PHI 13-3
    • ATL - field goal Feely 52 PHI 13-6
    • PHI - Thrash 35 pass from McNabb (Akers kick) PHI 20-6

[edit] Sunday January 12, 2003

[edit] NFC: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, San Francisco 49ers 6

1 2 3 4 Total
49ers 3 3 0 0 6
Buccaneers 7 21 3 0 31

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

The Buccaneers, with the league's top ranked defense during the 2002 regular season, forced five turnovers, sacked quarterback Jeff Garcia four times, and limited the 49ers to only two field goals. Tampa Bay quarterback Brad Johnson, who had been sidelined for a month, returned to throw for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Fullback Mike Alstott scored two touchdowns, while the Buccaneers held onto the ball for 36:46 and held the 49ers to a season low 228 yards. This was San Francisco's first playoff game without a touchdown since 1986.

  • Scoring
    • TB - Alstott 2 run (Gramatica kick) TB 7-0
    • SF - field goal Chandler 24 TB 7-3
    • TB - Jurevicius 20 pass from B. Johnson (Gramatica kick) TB 14-3
    • SF - field goal Chandler 40 TB 14-6
    • TB - Dudley 12 pass from B. Johnson (Gramatica kick) TB 21-6
    • TB - Alstott 2 run (Gramatica kick) TB 28-6
    • TB - field goal Gramatica 19 TB 31-6

[edit] AFC: Oakland Raiders 30, New York Jets 10

1 2 3 4 Total
Jets 3 7 0 0 10
Raiders 3 7 7 13 30

at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST/1:30 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), mostly cloudy
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel (play-by-play) and Phil Simms (color commentator)
  • Referee: Dick Hantak
  • Game attendance: 62,207

Chad Pennington's dream season came to an end as the Jets quarterback threw two interceptions, lost two fumbles, and was sacked four times (twice by Rod Coleman). Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns as Oakland pulled away from a 10-10 halftime tie by forcing four consecutive turnovers and scoring twenty consecutive second half points.

Aided by a 15-yard run from Curtis Martin and a 20-yard pass interference penalty on Charles Woodson, John Hall's 38-yard field goal gave the Jets an early 3-0 lead before he was matched by a 29-yard field goal from Sebastian Janikowski to tie the game. On the Jets next drive, Oakland lineman Travian Smith forced and recovered a fumble from Pennington on New York's 27-yard line. On the next play, running back Charlie Garner fumbled the ball, but Oakland guard Frank Middleton recovered it, and fullback Zack Crockett ended up scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run a few plays later. But Pennington led the Jets back, completing 8 of 9 passes for 51 yards on an 81-yard drive that took 7 minutes off the clock and ended with his 1-yard touchdown pass to Jerald Sowell, tying the game with 22 seconds left in the first half.

Early in the third quarter, Raiders defensive back Tory James intercepted a pass from Pennington on the Jets 45-yard line. Gannon then went downfield, hitting Tim Brown with a 16-yard completion and then throwing a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Rice. New York turned the ball over on downs with their next possession, and Gannon once again went to work, completing a 50-yard strike to Jerry Porter and finishing the drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Rice, increasing the Raiders lead to 24-10. Then the Jets turned the ball over again when Richie Anderson fumbled a handoff on their ensuing drive. New York defensive back Damien Robinson intercepted a pass from Gannon on the next play, but Oakland's Eric Barton returned the favor with an interception of his own, setting up a 34-yard Janikowski field goal. Janikowski later added another field goal with less than five minutes left in the game.

  • Scoring
    • NYJ - field goal Hall 38 NYJ 3-0
    • OAK - field goal Janikowski 29 Tie 3-3
    • OAK - Crockett 1 run (Janikowski kick) OAK 10-3
    • NYJ - Sowell 1 pass from Pennington (Hall kick) Tie 10-10
    • OAK - Porter 29 pass from Gannon (Janikowski kick) OAK 17-10
    • OAK - Rice 9 pass from Gannon (Janikowski kick) OAK 24-10
    • OAK - field goal Janikowski 34 OAK 27-10
    • OAK - field goal Janikowski 31 OAK 30-10

[edit] Conference Championships

[edit] Sunday January 19, 2003

[edit] NFC: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27, Philadelphia Eagles 10

1 2 3 4 Total
Buccaneers 10 7 3 7 27
Eagles 7 3 0 0 10

at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia

Tampa Bay won on the road for the first time in playoff history, and in temperatures below 32°F (0°C), in the last football game played at Veterans Stadium. The Eagles were heavy favorites at home going into the game. The Eagles had beaten the Buccaneers four consecutive times, in the wild card round the two previous seasons, and also during regular-season games in 2001 and 2002. During the two playoff losses, both at Veterans Stadium, Tampa Bay had failed to score a single touchdown.

Eagles running back Brian Mitchell returned the opening kickoff 70 yards, setting up a 20-yard touchdown run by Duce Staley less than a minute into the game. Tampa Bay responded with Martin Gramatica's 48-yard field goal on their ensuing drive. At the end of Philadelphia's next possession, Lee Johnson's punt pinned the Buccaneers back at their own 4-yard line. But Tampa Bay stormed 96 yards and scored with Mike Alstott's 1-yard touchdown run to take the lead. The key play on the drive was a 71-yard completion from Brad Johnson to Joe Jurevicius on third down and two from their own 24-yard line.

David Akers tied the score, 10-10, with a 30-yard field goal midway through the second quarter, but the Bucs responded with an 80-yard, 12-play drive that ended with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Brad Johnson to Keyshawn Johnson. With time running out in the half, Donovan McNabb led the Eagles to the Tampa Bay 24-yard line, only to lose a fumble while being sacked by his high school teamate Simeon Rice, who stripped the ball away and recovered it himself.

On the Eagles' first drive of the third quarter, McNabb lost another fumble due to a tackle from defensive back Ronde Barber, and Bucs lineman Ellis Wyms recovered it. Later on, with 1:02 left in the third period, Gramatica's 27-yard field goal increased the Tampa Bay lead to 20-10. In the fourth quarter, the Eagles managed to drive 73 yards to Tampa Bay's 10-yard line, but Barber intercepted McNabb's pass with 3:12 left in the game and returned it 92 yards for a touchdown.

This was the last Eagles game ever played at Veterans Stadium which was demolished following the 2003 Major League Baseball season. In a Sports Illustrated list of the worst losses in Philadelphia sports history since the city's last title in 1983, this game was ranked first.

  • Scoring
    • PHI - Staley 20 run (Akers kick) PHI 7-0
    • TB - field goal Gramatica 48 PHI 7-3
    • TB - Alstott 1 run (Gramatica kick) TB 10-7
    • PHI - field goal Akers 30 Tie 10-10
    • TB - K. Johnson 9 pass from B. Johnson (Gramatica kick) TB 17-10
    • TB - field goal Gramatica 27 TB 20-10
    • TB - Barber 92 interception return (Gramatica kick) TB 27-10

[edit] AFC: Oakland Raiders 41, Tennessee Titans 24

1 2 3 4 Total
Titans 7 10 7 0 24
Raiders 14 10 3 14 41

at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Game time: 6:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C), clear
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel (play-by-play) and Phil Simms (color commentator)
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • Game attendance: 62,544

Oakland called only one running play in the first three quarters of the game, choosing rely almost exclusively on the passing of 37-year old quarterback Rich Gannon. And Gannon proved to be up to the task, leading the Raiders to victory with 286 passing yards and three touchdowns, along with 41 yards and a touchdown on 8 carries.

Raiders wide receiver Jerry Porter scored first with four minutes into the game, but the Titans countered with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Steve McNair to Drew Bennett to tie it up five minutes later. Oakland struck back with 12-yard touchdown catch by Charlie Garner before a 29-yard field goal from Joe Nedney and a McNair touchdown run gave the Titans a three point lead late in the second quarter.

Then things fell apart for Tennessee. Backed up at their own 11-yard line by a Tom Tupa punt and simply trying to run out the clock, running back Robert Holcombe fumbled the ball while being tackled by Raiders linebacker Eric Barton, and defensive back Anthony Dorsett, who was a member of the Titans 1999 Super Bowl squad, recovered the ball at the Tennessee 16-yard line. On the next play, Jerry Rice caught a 15-yard reception at the 1-yard line, and then Gannon found Doug Jolley in the back of the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown pass, giving the Raiders a 21-17 lead. Then on the ensuing kickoff, rookie returner John Simon was stripped of the ball by Tim Johnson and Alvis Whitted recovered the fumble for Oakland on the Titans 39-yard line, setting up a 43-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski on the last play of the first half.

Tennessee took the second half kickoff and drove all the way to the Raiders 22-yard line before McNair was sacked on third down by John Parrella. Because Nedney had been injured making a tackle in the second quarter, Titans coach Jeff Fisher decided to punt rather than attempt a field goal, but due to a bad snap, punter Craig Hentrich was unable to make the kick and was downed at the Titans 19-yard line. A few plays later, Janikowski kicked another field goal to make the score 27-17. This time, the Titans managed to resond, driving 67 yards and scoring with McNair's 13-yard touchdown run to cut the score to 27-24. But the Raiders responded with a 66-yard drive, capped off with a 2-yard touchdown run by Gannon in the fourth quarter. Fullback Zack Crockett later added a 7-yard touchdown run to put the game away.

  • Scoring
    • OAK - Porter 3 pass from Gannon (Janikowski kick) OAK 7-0
    • TEN - Bennett 33 pass from McNair (Nedney kick) Tie 7-7
    • OAK - Garner 12 pass from Gannon (Janikowski kick) OAK 14-7
    • TEN - field goal Nedney 29 OAK 14-10
    • TEN - McNair 9 run (Nedney kick) TEN 17-14
    • OAK - Jolley 1 pass from Gannon (Janikowski kick) OAK 21-17
    • OAK - field goal Janikowski 43 OAK 24-17
    • OAK - field goal Janikowski 32 OAK 27-17
    • TEN - McNair 13 run (Hentrich kick) OAK 27-24
    • OAK - Gannon 2 run (Janikowski kick) OAK 34-24
    • OAK - Crockett 7 run (Janikowski kick) OAK 41-24

[edit] Super Bowl

Further information: Super Bowl XXXVII

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC) 48, Oakland Raiders (AFC) 21 at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

[edit] Bracket

                                   
January 5 - Heinz Field   January 11 - The Coliseum          
 6  Cleveland  33
 3  Pittsburgh  31
 3  Pittsburgh  36     January 19 - Network Associates Coliseum
 2  Tennessee  34  
AFC
January 4 - Giants Stadium  2  Tennessee  24
January 12 - Network Associates Coliseum
   1  Oakland  41  
 5  Indianapolis  0 AFC Championship
 4  N.Y. Jets  10
 4  N.Y. Jets  41   January 26 - Qualcomm Stadium
 1  Oakland  30  
Wild Card Playoffs  
Divisional Playoffs
January 5 - San Francisco Stadium at Candlestick Point  A1  Oakland  21
January 12 - Raymond James Stadium
   N2  Tampa Bay  48
 5  N.Y. Giants  38 Super Bowl XXXVII
 4  San Francisco  6
 4  San Francisco  39     January 19 - Veterans Stadium
 2  Tampa Bay  31  
NFC
January 4 - Lambeau Field  2  Tampa Bay  27
January 11 - Veterans Stadium
   1  Philadelphia  10  
 6  Atlanta  27 NFC Championship
 6  Atlanta  6
 3  Green Bay  7  
 1  Philadelphia  20  


[edit] Notes and References

v • d • e
National Football League playoffs
1941 · 1943 · 1947 · 1950 · 1952 · 1957 · 1958 · 1965 · 1967 · 1968 · 1969
2000–01 · 2001–02 · 2002–03 · 2003–04 · 2004–05 · 2005–06 · 2006–07 · 2007–08 · 2008–09 · 2009–10