NFL playoffs, 2003-04
The NFL playoffs for the 2003-04 season led up to Super Bowl XXXVIII.
Playoff seeds
Wild-card roundJanuary 3, 2004
AFC: Tennessee Titans 20, Baltimore Ravens 17
:at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
Gary Anderson kicked the winning 46-yard field goal with 29 seconds left. It was a defensive struggle: Titans quarterback Steve McNair threw three interceptions, one of which was returned by Will Demps for a touchdown while regular-season rushing leader Jamal Lewis of the Ravens was limited to 35 yards on 14 carries. Todd Heap scored another touchdown for Baltimore, while Chris Brown and Justin McCareins scored for Tennessee.Scoring*TEN - Brown 6 run (Anderson kick)*BAL - Demps 56 interception return (Stover kick)*BAL - FG Stover 43*TEN - McCareins 49 pass from McNair (Anderson kick)*TEN - FG Anderson 45*BAL - Heap 35 pass from Wright (Stover kick)*TEN - FG Anderson 46
NFC: Carolina Panthers 29, Dallas Cowboys 10
:at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
The Cowboys' turnaround season under coach Bill Parcells came to a crashing halt. Quarterback Quincy Carter threw for only 154 yards and an interception, while being sacked 3 times. He scored the Cowboys' only touchdown of the game. His counterpart on the Panthers, Jake Delhomme, threw for 273 yards and a touchdown to Steve Smith. Stephen Davis ran for 104 yards and another touchdown. John Kasay kicked five field goals for Carolina. Scoring*CAR - FG Kasay 18*CAR - FG Kasay 38*CAR - Davis 23 run (Kasay kick)*DAL - FG Cundiff 37*CAR - FG Kasay 19*CAR - Smith 32 pass from Delhomme (Kasay kick)*CAR - FG Kasay 32*DAL - Carter 9 run (Cundiff kick)*CAR - FG Kasay 34
January 4, 2004
NFC: Green Bay Packers 33, Seattle Seahawks 27 (OT)
:at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
After winning the coin toss for the start of overtime, Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck told the referee, the crowd at Lambeau Field and a national television audience watching on Fox "We'll take the ball and the victory." However, defensive back Al Harris made him eat those words and returned his interception 52 yards for the game winning touchdown 4:25 into the fifth quarter. The game was sent into overtime on Seahawk running back Shaun Alexander's third touchdown of the day. Ahman Green scored two TD's for Green Bay, and Bubba Franks caught a 23-yard touchdown in the second quarter.Scoring*SEA - FG Brown 30*GB - FG Longwell 31*SEA - FG Brown 35*GB - Franks 23 pass from Favre (Longwell kick)*GB - FG Longwell 27*SEA - Alexander 1 run (Brown kick)*SEA - Alexander 1 run (Brown kick)*GB - Green 1 run (R.Longwell kick)*GB - Green 1 run (R.Longwell kick)*SEA - Alexander 1 run (Brown kick)*GB - Harris 52 interception return
AFC: Indianapolis Colts 41, Denver Broncos 10
:at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
Colts Quarterback Peyton Manning recorded a perfect passer rating of 158.3 as the Colts manhandled the Broncos from wire to wire. Manning passed for four touchdowns in the first half alone (five in all), including one to Marvin Harrison where he got up and scored after falling down untouched. Both Harrison and Brandon Stokley scored two touchdowns for Indianapolis, and Reggie Wayne added the fifth. Rod Smith scored a late touchdown for Denver. Scoring*IND - Stokley 31 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick)*DEN - FG Elam 49*IND - Harrison 46 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick)*IND - Harrison 23 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick)*IND - Stokley 87 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick)*IND - FG Vanderjagt 27 *IND - Wayne 7 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick)*IND - FG Vanderjagt 20*DEN - Smith 7 pass from Plummer (Elam kick)
ByesAFC: Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots.NFC: Philadelphia Eagles, St. Louis Rams.
Divisional roundJanuary 10, 2004
NFC: Carolina Panthers 29, St. Louis Rams 23 (2OT)
:at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
The Panthers stunned the favored Rams in double-overtime in a thrilling finish to a game that featured big swings in momentum. Carolina scored on a long pass play in the opening seconds of the second overtime period to win. Both teams had missed field goals in the first overtime period, and the teams had to play on. Carolina led through most of the game, but the Rams rallied from a 11 point deficit to tie the score in the closing seconds of regulation time.Scoring*STL - FG Wilkins 20*STL - FG Wilkins 26*CAR - Muhammad fumble recovery in end zone (J.Kasay kick)*STL - FG Wilkins 24*CAR - FG Kasay 45*STL - FG Wilkins 51*CAR - FG Kasay 52*CAR - FG Kasay 34*CAR - Hoover 7 run (Kasay kick)*STL - Faulk 1 run (Looker pass from Bulger)*STL - FG Wilkins 33*CAR - Smith 69 pass from Delhomme
AFC: New England Patriots 17, Tennessee Titans 14
:at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
In one of the coldest games in NFL history, with tempratures reaching 4°F (-15°C), the Patriots survived both the cold and Steve McNair . Bethel Johnson opened the scoring with an opening drive 41-yard touchdown reception from Tom Brady. Chris Brown later evened the score for the Titans, then the Pats' Antowain Smith and the Titans' Derrick Mason swapped touchdowns. As he has done in the past, Patriots' placekicker Adam Vinatieri made a 46-yard field goal with 4:06 remaining in the game. The Titans tried to rally, but McNair's pass to Drew Bennett was dropped on fourth down clinching the win for New England. Scoring*NE - Johnson 41 pass from Brady (Vinatieri kick)*TEN - Brown 5 run (Anderson kick)*NE - Smith 1 run (Vinatieri kick)*TEN - Mason 11 pass from McNair (Anderson kick)*NE - FG Vinatieri 46
January 11, 2004
AFC: Indianapolis Colts 38, Kansas City Chiefs 31
:at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
This game was what many observers called a textbook example of an offensive showdown, as the scoreboard was lit up like a Christmas tree. In a playoff first, neither team punted during the entire game. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns (to Reggie Wayne, Brandon Stokley and Tom Lopienski), while Edgerrin James ran for two scores. On the Kansas City side, Dante Hall caught a touchdown and ran a kickoff for another; and Priest Holmes, who set the regular-season rushing touchdown record in 2003, also scored twice. Holmes' third-quarter fumble, which set up a Colts' field goal, turned out to be one of the Chiefs' downfalls. Kansas City defensive coordinator Greg Robinson resigned the following week in disgust.Scoring*IND - Stokley 29 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick)*KC - FG Andersen 22*IND - James 11 run (Vanderjagt kick)*KC - Hall 9 pass from Green (Andersen kick)*IND - Lopienski 2 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick)*IND - FG Vanderjagt 45*KC - Holmes 1 run (Andersen kick)*IND - Wayne 19 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick)*KC - Hall 92 kickoff return (Andersen kick)*IND - James 1 run (Vanderjagt kick)*KC - Holmes 1 run (Andersen kick)
NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 20, Green Bay Packers 17 (OT)
:at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
With 1:12 left in the fourth quarter, the Packers were up 17-14. Philadelphia needed a miracle play, which they got when Donovan McNabb completed a 28 yard pass to Freddie Mitchell on 4th and 26. The Eagles went on to tie the game at 17-17 on David Akers' 37-yard field goal and won in overtime when Akers kicked a 31-yard field goal. Scoring*GB - Ferguson 40 pass from Favre (Longwell kick)*GB - Ferguson 17 pass from Favre (Longwell kick)*PHI - Staley 7 pass from McNabb (Akers kick)*PHI - Pinkston 12 pass from McNabb (Akers kick)*GB - FG Longwell 21*PHI - FG Akers 37*PHI - FG Akers 31
Conference ChampionshipsJanuary 18, 2004
AFC: New England Patriots 24, Indianapolis Colts 14
:at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
The weather was on the Patriots' side, as there was snow on the field in the second and third quarters of the game. The league's highly regarded co-MVP, QB Peyton Manning was intercepted four times by the Patriots' tenacious defense, thanks to longtime defense coordinator-turned-head coach Bill Belichick's efforts. Three interceptions were by Ty Law alone. The Patriots didn't take advantage of their defensive success; they score only one touchdown. They go on to win the game, granting them the right to return to the Super Bowl after missing the previous season's game.Scoring*NE - Givens 7 pass from Brady (Vinatieri kick)*NE - FG Vinatieri 31*NE - FG Vinatieri 25*NE - Safety, Snow fumbled out of end zone*IND - James 2 run (Vanderjagt kick)*NE - FG Vinatieri 27*NE - FG Vinatieri 21*IND - Pollard 7 pass from Manning (Vanderjagt kick)*NE - FG Vinatieri 34
NFC: Carolina Panthers 14, Philadelphia Eagles 3
:at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
For the first time in their Carolina's brief franchise history, they won a trip to the biggest game in pro football. It was the third straight NFC Championship loss for the Philadelphia Eagles whose quarterback, Donovan McNabb, sustained a lower-rib injury early in the game. The Eagles' passing game is shut down with the help of rookie cornerback Ricky Manning, Jr, who finished the game with three interceptions. Just two seasons earlier, the Panthers had been the NFL's worst team with a record of 1-15. Scoring*CAR - Muhammad 24 pass from Delhomme (Kasay kick)*PHI - FG Akers 41*CAR - Foster 1 run (Kasay kick)
|
|
