Sam Farmer February 8, 2010
Times
NFL writer Sam Farmer looks at the 10 most memorable and pivotal games from the 2009 season:
Seems Like Old Times — Think
Brett Favre magic is a thing of the past? Not so fast. In a Week 3 game against the
49ers, the Vikings' Favre fired a 32-yard touchdown pass to Greg Lewis with two seconds to play for a 27-24 victory at the Metrodome. It was Favre's 42nd career comeback from fourth-quarter deficits or ties. "It's hard to even recall all of 'em," he said. "This one was pretty special." For the Vikings, it was validation that all those on-again, off-again Favre flirtations had paid off.
The Big Chill — Favre played plenty of great games at Lambeau Field, but none quite like this one. He made his return to Green Bay wearing the purple of the hated Vikings, and left with a 38-26 victory that included him throwing four touchdown passes and no interceptions. Even Favre might have been surprised by the sheer volume of the boos, but it made sense to him. "Packer fans cheer for the Packers first," he said. "I know that. But I hope that everyone in the stadium watching tonight said, `I sure hate those jokers on the other side, but he does play the way he's always played.' "
The Longest Yard —
Patriots coach Bill Belichick gambled and lost in a Week 10 game at Indianapolis. The Patriots, leading by 6, needed a first down to clinch the victory, and Belichick decided to go for it on fourth-and-2 from his own 28 with 2:08 remaining. It was a stunningly bold call, and sent the message that he didn't trust his defense to stop
Peyton Manning. A short pass to
Kevin Faulk wasn't enough — he was tackled just short of the first down by safety Melvin Bullitt — and Manning came back to win with a short touchdown drive. Said Belichick: "I thought we could make a yard." They did. But they needed two.
Die Hard — No team could match the turnaround of the Titans, who lost their first six before switching quarterbacks from
Kerry Collins to Vince Young and winning eight of their final 10. The most dramatic of those victories came in Week 12 against the Cardinals. At the end of that game, Young won it with an 18-play, 99-yard drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt as the clock expired. It was shades of the 1996 BCS title game between Texas and
USC, because it was once again Young vs.
Matt Leinart, who was filling in for
Kurt Warner.
Mr. Wrong — When
the Bears traded for
Jay Cutler, they thought they'd finally gotten their franchise quarterback. If his first season in the Windy City was an indicator of things to come, the Bears had better keep looking. He finished with 27 touchdown passes but a league-high 26 interceptions, including four in his debut. His worst game came in Week 10, though, when he was picked off five times in a 10-6 loss at San Francisco. The five interceptions were the most by a Bears quarterback since Zeke Bratkowski threw seven in losing to Baltimore in 1960.
The Perfect Storm — In a move that left frustrated
Colts fans lamenting what could have been, coach Jim Caldwell essentially gave up on the possibility of a "perfect" season by pulling Manning during the third quarter of the regular-season home finale against the
Jets. The Colts were 14-0 at the time, and had a five-point lead. The Jets feasted on the mistakes of untested replacement quarterback Curtis Painter and won 29-15. Hometown fans were livid. "I don't blame them a bit, man," Colts center
Jeff Saturday said. "I probably would have booed too. They pay to come see us win games, and we didn't get it done."
The Green Mile — Who could have predicted the Jets would get as far as they did? Even first-year coach
Rex Ryan mistakenly thought his team had been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention before they actually made the playoffs. Their most dramatic victory was their last one, when they rolled into San Diego and shocked the Chargers 17-14. San Diego, which had won 11 in a row, saw Pro Bowl kicker Nate Kaeding miss three field goals. The Jets, meanwhile, advanced to their first AFC championship since 1998 with a rookie quarterback (Mark Sanchez), running back (Shonn Greene) and coach.
High Noon — Hard to believe, but the highest-scoring playoff game in history was decided by defense. In an unforgettable shootout in the desert, the Cardinals beat the Packers 51-45 in overtime when Karlos Dansby returned an Aaron Rodgers fumble 17 yards for a touchdown. Kurt Warner, playing in what would be the final home game of his career, matched his career best with five touchdown passes and no interceptions. Rodgers, making his first playoff start, threw for a postseason-record 422 yards and four touchdowns. "That," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said, "is probably one of the best games ever played in the playoffs." Yeah, but he won.
Miracle — Aints no longer, the Saints reached their first
Super Bowl when Garrett Hartley kicked a 40-yard field goal in overtime to beat Minnesota 31-28. Statistically speaking, the Vikings had a far better game. But the Saints collected five turnovers and beat the stuffing out of Favre to pave the path to Miami. The Saints started the season 13-0 before losing their last three. That made them the first team to reach the Super Bowl despite entering the postseason with a losing streak of three or more games. "The city is on its way to recovery, and in a lot of ways has come back better than ever," quarterback Drew Brees said. "We've used the strength and resiliency of our fans to go out and play every Sunday and play with the confidence that we can do it, that we can achieve everything we've set out to achieve."
As Good As It Gets — Who Dat Nation rejoices! Making their first Super Bowl appearance in the 43-year history of the franchise, the Saints topple the favored Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV in South Florida. Drew Brees plays a remarkable game, tying
Tom Brady's Super Bowl record with 32 completions and outplaying four-time MVP Peyton Manning. Cornerback Tracy Porter is the hero of the New Orleans defense, returning an interception 74 yards for a touchdown with three minutes to play and slamming the door on a team looking to win a second ring in four years. To a man, the Saints say they weren't just playing for their team, but for the entire storm-ravaged Gulf South region. Finally, the Saints can plant their flag atop the NFL's mountaintop
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