| 2002 NFL Football Recaps and Results | |
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Tennessee 25
Oakland 52
Much of the focus this season has been on Emmitt Smith's pursuit of Walter Payton's rushing record, but it was Jerry Rice that eclipsed one of the hall of famer's records first. His seven catches for 144 yards vaulted him past Payton as the NFL's career leader in yards from scrimmage, giving him 21,281 for his career, 17 more than Payton's record. Rice has now amassed 20,649 receiving and 632 rushing yards during his 18-year NFL career.
Rod Woodson's three interceptions, including one he returned 82 yards for a touchdown, made him the NFL's career leader in interception return yardage. But the player of the game may have been rookie cornerback Phillip Buchanon who intercepted a pass and returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown. Titans quarterback Steve McNair finished the day 33-for-47 for a career-high 398 yards and two touchdowns, but threw four interceptions.
Dallas 13
St. Louis 10
Dallas rookie kicker Billy Cundiff nailed a 48-yard field goal as time expired to beat the Rams 13-10 Sunday, dropping St. Louis to 0-4. The Rams problems continued to mount, as St. Louis quarterback Kurt Warner suffered a broken finger in the first quarter after throwing his eighth interception in four games. He is expected to be sidelined several weeks.
Quincy Carter was 26-for-36 for 204 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and led the Cowboys 41 yards on nine plays in 1:27 to set up Cundiff's game-winning kick. Emmitt Smith continued his pursuit of the all-time rushing record with 58 yards on 13 carries. He is now just 303 yards away from Walter Payton's record.
Miami 30
Kansas City 48
Kansas City quarterback Trent Green had a career day, completing 24-of-34 passes for 328 yards and five touchdowns, and also ran for 48 yards. Tony Gonzalez was the recipient of three of those TD passes, and finished the day with 140 yards receiving as the Chiefs' offense rolled over the normally stingy Dolphins' defense. Safety Greg Wesley intercepted three of Jay Fiedler's passes in the final eight minutes, setting up the final 10 points for the Chiefs.
Chicago 27
Buffalo 33
Bears' offensive tackle James "Big Cat" Williams blocked a Mike Hollis' 39-yard field goal attempt with 25 seconds left to send the Buffalo Bills into overtime for the third time in four games. After a quick three-and-out by the Bears to start the extra period, the Bills drove 56 yards in two plays to cap the game. Drew Bledsoe began the drive by hitting Eric Moulds for a 32-yard completion, and on the next play, hit Travis Henry who took it in for the score and the win.
NY Jets 3
Jacksonville 28
The New York Jets continued to look comatose on both sides of the ball as they failed to score a touchdown for the second week in a row, while their defense allowed Fred Taylor to rack up 237 total yards. Taylor caught three balls for 95 yards, and rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown on 21 attempts as the Jags rolled over the Jets, 28-3.
Carolina 14
Green Bay 17
Carolina nearly kept their perfect record in tact, but a Brett Favre to Donald Driver pass for a 22-yard touchdown with 4:10 left Sunday, led the Packers to a 17-14 come-from-behind victory. Shane Graham, signed by the Panthers just two days ago to solidify their kicking game, missed a 24-yard field goal with 13 seconds that would have sent the game to overtime.
New Orleans 21
Detroit 26
Rookie quarterback Joey Harrington threw for 267 yards and a touchdown as the Lions handed New Orleans their first loss of the season. The Saints fell behind 20-0 for the second week in a row, but they failed to match the comeback they staged last week against the Chicago Bears. Saints' wide receiver Donte Stallworth became the first rookie to catch touchdown passes in his first four games since Washington's Charlie Brown caught TD passes in his first five games in 1982.
Cleveland 13
Pittsburgh 16
XFL refugee Tommy Maddox replaced an ineffective Kordell Stewart to lead the Steelers on a game-tying touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. He then set them up for Todd Peterson's winning 31-yard field goal in overtime as the Steelers rallied to their first win of the season.
Houston 17
Philadelphia 35
Safety Brian Dawkins did it all for the Eagles Sunday, catching his first career touchdown pass, intercepting a pass, recording one sack, and recovering a fumble, as the Philadelphia Eagles rolled to a 35-17 victory over the expansion Houston Texans. Donovan McNabb completed 24-of-42 passes for 259 yards and one touchdown, and Duce Staley added two TD runs.
Tampa Bay 35
Cincinnati 7
Cincinnati jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a a 51-yard interception return by linebacker Brian Simmons in the first quarter, but the lead was short lived as the Bucs ran off 35 unanswered points. "We recovered from the interception and dominated after that," said quarterback Brad Johnson, who was 19-of-30 for 277 yards.
NY Giants 7
Arizona 21
The Arizona Cardinals, behind a strong performance by their young defense and an unhearalded rookie, capitalized on several Giant blunders on their way to a 21-7 victory. Marcel Shipp, who had never carried the ball in the NFL before this season, ran for 92 yards on 17 carries and caught five passes for 39 yards. Justin Lucas made the play of the game, intercepting a Kerry Collins' pass and returning it 38 yards for the game-tying touchdown with 4 seconds left in the first half.
New England 14
San Diego 21
LaDainian Tomlinson exploded for 217 yards on the ground, including touchdown runs of 58 and 37 yards, as the Chargers handed the defending Super Bowl champs their first loss of the season. Pats' QB Tom Brady was 36-for-53 for 353 yards with two touchdowns, but also tossed two interceptions. The Chargers improved to 4-0 for the first time since their Super Bowl season of 1994.
Sunday Night
Minnesota 23
Seattle 48
Shaun Alexander set an NFL record with five first-half touchdowns, scoring three times within a span of just over one minute as the Seattle Seahawks beat the Minnesota Vikings 48-23 on Sunday night. Wide receiver Randy Moss started for the Vikings after being arrested for pushing a Minneapolis traffic officer with his car, but was ineffective, dropping three passes in the endzone.
Monday Night
Denver 23
Baltimore 34
