1996: Jaguars Defeat Bills for Franchise’s First Postseason Win

In their second season of existence, the Jacksonville Jaguars had gotten off to a 4-7 start. They were performing in typical fashion for a recent expansion team, but then they reeled off five straight wins to finish the year. The Jaguars not only ended the 1996 regular season with a winning record of 9-7, but finished in second place in the AFC Central and qualified for the postseason as a wild card entry.

Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s team featured third-year QB Mark Brunell, who led the NFL with 4367 passing yards and 7.8 yards per attempt. Wide receivers Keenan McCardell and Jimmy Smith emerged as outstanding receivers, but it was the running game that keyed the season-concluding winning streak. Veteran RB Natrone Means (pictured above), formerly of the Chargers, gained 364 of his 507 rushing yards in the last five games. The defense benefited from the addition of eleventh-year veteran DE Clyde Simmons (pictured below left) and rookie DE Tony Brackens, as well as rookie LB Kevin Hardy.


The Jaguars went on the road for their first playoff game, facing the Buffalo Bills at Rich Stadium on December 28. The Bills, coached for the eleventh season by Marv Levy, went 10-6 to end up second in the AFC East. Many of the key players who had helped Buffalo to dominate the AFC at the beginning of the decade were still vital to the club’s success, but were also showing the effects of aging and wear-and-tear, including 36-year-old QB Jim Kelly, 30-year-old RB Thurman Thomas, and 32-year-old WR Andre Reed. Defense had mostly carried the club during the season, in particular DE Bruce Smith, still an elite player at age 34.

There were 70,213 fans at Rich Stadium, a venue where the Bills had never lost a postseason game, on a cloudy day with temperatures in the fifties. Following a punt by Jacksonville, the Bills drove 43 yards in six plays to score the game’s first touchdown on a seven-yard pass from Kelly to Thomas. However, on Buffalo’s third possession the veteran defensive end Simmons intercepted a shovel pass from Kelly that was also intended for Thomas and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown.

The Bills came right back with a ten-play drive that included four pass completions by Kelly and ended with a two-yard touchdown run by Thomas over right tackle. But the Jacksonville offense, which had not been able to move thus far in the game, was spurred by a 62-yard run by Means to the Buffalo five. The drive stalled there, but Mike Hollis kicked a 27-yard field goal and the score was 14-10 after one quarter.

The Bills had to punt following their next possession but regained the ball when a long Brunell pass was intercepted by CB Thomas Smith in the end zone. Buffalo proceeded to mount another long drive that included three pass completions to WR Quinn Early that totaled 31 yards. But on fourth-and-one at the Jacksonville 16 yard line, Kelly’s attempted quarterback sneak was stopped short.

The Jaguars regained momentum as Brunell threw to TE Pete Mitchell for a 47-yard gain into Buffalo territory and then Means ran for a 30-yard touchdown. Jacksonville was ahead for the first time at 17-14.

The Bills managed a 33-yard field goal by Steve Christie at the two-minute warning while Jacksonville came up empty on its last possession of the half when Hollis was short on a 58-yard field goal attempt on the last play before halftime. The score remained 17-17 at the intermission.

Buffalo’s opening drive of the third quarter resulted in a 47-yard field goal by Christie that put the Bills back in front. The teams traded punts before the Jaguars moved 62 yards in 11 plays, featuring a 27-yard pass completion from Brunell to McCardell, and culminated in a 24-yard Hollis field goal to again tie the game at 20-20.

On the second play of the fourth quarter, Buffalo CB Jeff Burris intercepted a partially deflected Brunell pass and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown and 27-20 lead for the Bills. The Jaguars responded by driving 65 yards in 10 plays that resulted in a two-yard TD pass from Brunell to Jimmy Smith, and with the successful PAT the game was again tied.

On Buffalo’s next series, Kelly fumbled when hit by safety Chris Hudson and CB Aaron Beasley recovered for the Jaguars at the Jacksonville 42. Brunell completed passes of 14 yards to Smith and 11 to McCardell in setting up a 45-yard field goal attempt by Hollis that hit the right upright but caromed on through for three points.

Todd Collins replaced the injured Kelly at quarterback for the Bills and was unable to move the team in two possessions while the Jaguars were able to run a minute-and-a-half off the clock. Brackens forced Collins to fumble in the last seconds to nail down the 30-27 win for Jacksonville.


The Jaguars outgained Buffalo (409 yards to 308) although the Bills had the edge in first downs (19 to 18). Buffalo suffered more turnovers (three to two) and only managed to sack Brunell twice as offensive left tackle Tony Boselli (pictured at right) had an outstanding day against Bruce Smith.

Natrone Means had a big day running the ball for Jacksonville, gaining 175 yards on 31 carries with a TD. Mark Brunell (pictured below) completed 18 of 33 passes for 239 yards with a touchdown against two interceptions. Jimmy Smith caught 5 passes for 58 yards and a score while Keenan McCardell gained 76 yards on his four receptions.


In his last game before retiring, Jim Kelly was successful on 21 of 32 passes for 239 yards with a TD and an interception. Quinn Early caught 9 passes for 122 yards, but the Buffalo running game was held to 92 yards on 29 attempts – Thurman Thomas led the way with 50 yards on 14 carries.

Jacksonville advanced to the AFC Championship game after beating Denver in the Divisional playoff round, but the prospect of a Super Bowl between the two 1995 expansion teams (the Carolina Panthers had similarly advanced through the NFC postseason) ended when New England handily defeated the Jaguars for the AFC title (the Panthers also lost the NFC Championship game to Green Bay).

For Buffalo, it was the end of the postseason road in the Levy era. The Bills dropped to 6-10 in 1997, and while they were back in the playoffs in ’98, it was under a new head coach (Wade Phillips), Kelly was retired, and Thurman Thomas only a shell of his former greatness (381 yards rushing for the year).

2005: Two Late Brunell to Moss TD Passes Pull Redskins Past Cowboys

The rivalry between the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys has produced numerous close contests and exciting finishes over the years. Such was the case when the two teams met at Texas Stadium in a Monday night game on September 19, 2005.

The Redskins had lost 14 of the previous 15 meetings with the Cowboys dating back to 1997. Hall of Fame Head Coach Joe Gibbs returned to the club in ’04 after an absence of twelve years amid high hopes of reversing the current dry spell, but Washington finished with a 6-10 record. Veteran QB Mark Brunell (pictured at right), obtained after spending nine years in Jacksonville, had labored through a difficult season and split time with third-year QB Patrick Ramsey. He was back for another year, and there was a newcomer at the head of the receiving corps in WR Santana Moss, obtained from the New York Jets for WR Laveranues Coles. They won their opening game against the Bears with Brunell playing well in relief of an injured Ramsey, who had started.

Dallas had also gone 6-10 in 2004 after reaching the postseason in ’03 in the first year under Head Coach Bill Parcells. The Cowboys had made acquisitions designed to improve a leaky defense in 2005, and also brought in an experienced veteran quarterback in 33-year-old Drew Bledsoe. They, too, had won their ’05 opener, beating San Diego with a late score and solid defensive play.

There were 65,207 fans on hand (the largest Cowboys home crowd in ten years) for the home-opening game that also featured the induction to the club’s Ring of Honor of three stalwarts of the 1990’s championship teams, QB Troy Aikman, RB Emmitt Smith, and WR Michael Irvin.

The Cowboys started off with a long 13-play drive that ended in a missed 41-yard field goal attempt by Jose Cortez. Early in the second quarter, Cortez made up for it by connecting on a 33-yard attempt. But by and large neither team could move the ball and the score stood at 3-0 at halftime.

Bledsoe connected with WR Terry Glenn for a 70-yard touchdown early in the third quarter to give the Cowboys a 10-0 lead, and when Cortez extended the margin to 13-0 nine minutes into the fourth period it seemed as though Dallas had the game safely in hand. Washington’s possessions had ended in seven punts and two turnovers and their closest penetration had been to the Dallas 28 yard line. Moreover, the Redskins had lost 25 consecutive games when behind after three quarters.

However, on the possession following the second Dallas field goal, the Redskins’ offense came alive. They drove 76 yards in 10 plays, highlighted by Brunell scrambling for 25 yards and then completing a fourth-and-two pass to WR James Thrash for 20 more. The possession ended with a 39-yard TD pass to Moss.

The Cowboys needed to run the clock down, and seemed bound to do that when Bledsoe completed a 17-yard pass to WR Keyshawn Johnson to the Washington 37. However, a holding penalty on OT Flozell Adams negated the play and, instead of first-and-ten in scoring position, Dallas faced third-and-18 back at its own 36. Bledsoe was able to regain only 13 yards on a pass to TE Jason Witten and the Cowboys were forced to punt.

The resulting kick by Mat McBriar went into the Redskins end zone for a touchback. With 2:52 remaining on the clock, Brunell completed a 10-yard pass to RB Clinton Portis. His next pass was deep for Moss and resulted in a 70-yard touchdown. With the successful extra point, the Redskins were suddenly clinging to a one-point lead.

That lead appeared tenuous when RB Tyson Thompson returned the ensuing kickoff 49 yards to the Washington 48. But the Cowboys couldn’t get a first down and when Glenn was stopped short on a fourth-and-four play, they were forced to turn the ball over on downs with under two minutes remaining. Dallas was able to get the ball back once more with 36 seconds left, but time ran out with Glenn tackled on the Redskins 43 after taking a lateral from RB Julius Jones, who had caught Bledsoe’s final pass of the game. Washington came away with a stunning 14-13 win.

Joe Gibbs was dumped with ice-water by his team on the sideline and pronounced the win “one of the greatest moments in sports for me.”

However, a frustrated Bill Parcells said afterward, “You’ve got to learn to close the show. We didn’t do that.” It was the first time that a Parcells-coached team had lost a game in which it led by 13 points in the fourth quarter, going back through 77 such instances.

The statistics reflected the closeness of the final score. Dallas outgained the Redskins by 351 yards to 346 and had the edge in net passing yards (261 to 242). Washington outrushed the Cowboys with 104 yards on 25 attempts to 90 yards on 29 carries. The Redskins gave up the only two turnovers and were penalized 12 times while Dallas drew 7 flags.


Mark Brunell went to the air 34 times with 20 completions for 291 yards, including the two late touchdowns; he was intercepted once. Santana Moss (pictured at left) caught 5 passes for 159 yards and both of the scores. Clinton Portis was Washington’s leading rusher with 52 yards on 17 carries.

Drew Bledsoe completed 21 of 36 passes for 261 yards and a TD with none picked off. Terry Glenn had 6 pass receptions for 157 yards and the one long touchdown. Julius Jones gained 81 yards on 22 carries.

The Redskins went on to sweep the season series with Dallas for the first time in ten years, and the games had a decisive effect on the final standings. Washington finished second in the NFC East with a 10-6 record and qualified for a wild card spot in the postseason, defeating Tampa Bay in the first round before falling to Seattle in the Divisional playoff. Dallas came in third in the division at 9-7 and failed to make the playoffs.

Mark Brunell, who had just turned 35 two days before the game at Dallas, had a comeback season in which he completed 57.7 percent of his passes for 3050 yards with a career-high 23 touchdown passes against just 10 interceptions. Santana Moss caught 84 passes for 1483 yards (17.7 average) including 9 touchdowns and was selected to the Pro Bowl.