(NES) 1978-1993 Tecmo Super Bowl Updated/Juiced/SuperCharged

[Mike Gordan]

Week 2:  Minnesota vs. Denver

 

Now I face down against the defending AFC Champions, my very own Orange Crush.  And in spite of their offensive trick plays, I got the quick sack against Craig Morten.  I forced a quick 3-and-out, and Miller returned the Punt all the way to the Denver 40.  Which is gonna be extremely helpful against the Orange Crush defense.  I got a 1st down after taking a sack, but the deep pass continued to elude me; either Tarkenton overfthrows against a wide-open receiver, or he gets sacked.  Eventually, I simply settled on getting Foreman into the line of scrimmage, and settled for a field goal.  I then forced a Safety against Craig Morten, and now I am up by 5.  Immediately upon getting the Kickoff return, Tarkenton connected with White on their first deep pass for a touchdown to get up 12-0.  Perrin returned the subsequent kickoff to the 30-yard line, and their next drive commences.  I surrendered only a yard on the final play of the half.

 

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Regardless, none of the Broncos' offense has been able to fool me, and I've been able to all but totally shut down their run, and sack the QB before he even gets the ball out of his hand.  And Miller on Special Teams continues to light up the competition, helping my offense a great deal.  But then when I handed the ball out to Young in the Red Zone, he fumbled the ball, and the Broncos were able to recover.  Craig Morten overthrew to his first receiver, however, and then Mark Mullerny ran up the middle and almost got another Safety in.  Thankfully, Blair was able to interpret the trick play and get the Safety in on Mullerny's behalf.  And of course, Miller continues to get us into field goal range.  A deep throw to Rashad later, and I am now up by 3 touchdowns as I continue to shut out the Orange Crush.  Or at least I would be had the PAT hadn't been blocked.  And just as the half was about to close, Jon Keyworth found an opening and exploited it to run all the way down to the end zone to finally put the Broncos on the board.

 

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Miller barely avoided the safety upon the second half kickoff return.  But as soon as I put a play in, the Orange Crush blitzed Tarkenton for a sack.  A Pass to White and a run from Foreman later, and I was able to convert a 1st down (from a 2nd and 18).  Tarkenton then fought off a sack attempt to throw it deep, but the wide-open White dropped the ball.  But runs from Tarkenton and Foreman converted a first down just before midfield.  Tarkenton then beat a blitz to complete a pass to Rashad.  White caught a fly ball for yet another 1st down.  Another pass to White for a touchdown.  This time, the PAT is good.  I forced a three-and-out against the Broncos--sacking Morten twice--and then Miller returned the Punt to midfield.  Tarkenton barely missed the 1st down run, however, as the 3rd quarter expired.

 

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Not to worry though; Young got the first down to open the 4th quarter.  And a play later, Tarkenton throws it deep to Rashad for a touchdown.  Mullaney immediately forced a Safety against Morten, and then Miller returned the subsequent kickoff all the way down for a touchdown!  Good news for Morton; he finally completed a deep pass to Moses, and even scored a touchdown.  Even better for him--his kicking team successfully managed the onside kick, and now they have it in Viking territory.  Unfortunately for Morton and the Broncos, that's the full extent of the good news, as Blair and Mullaney relentlessly sacked him four consecutive times, putting the Vikings deep into Bronco territory.  But instead of throwing anymore passes, Tarkenton continues handing them off to his runningbacks.  I got the final touchdown, and the game came to an end.

 

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[Mike Gordan]

Week 3:  Tampa Bay vs. Minnesota

 

Okay, on the opening play of the game, the handoff to Foreman led to a fumble recovery by Tampa Bay.  So already, I am already giving a football team that began its existence with 26-straight losses before winning their first game.  And that was 1976-1977 (then again, they do win the division the following season in 1979, and even reach the NFC Championship).  And they immediately score on me with a screen pass for a touchdown.  Tarkenton then throws a bone-headed interception.  So already, I am in a bit of a bind against the lowly Buccaneers.  And then they began dissecting my defense until they were deep in Viking territory.  Luckily, the Purple People Eaters were able to stuff Doug Williams and the offense, and then they blocked a field goal and recovered the ball, taking it all the way to the 40-yard line.  Meanwhile, the Buccaneer defense continues to frustrate Tarkenton and his runningbacks, as they struggle to so much as gain a yard against their crazy-mad defenders.  I threw a couple more deep passes against White, and Foreman ran a few yards, and that was it for the 1st quarter.

 

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Good news--I got on the board with a pass to White.  The bad news is, Doug Williams immediately connects to Davis and scores a touchdown against the Viking defense.  So I have to fidget around with a couple running plays for a bit.  Whatever happens, I have to make sure the Buccaneers do not get the ball back for the remainder of the half.  At 3rd & 7, I threw a deep pass to Tucker for a 1st down.  Another pass to White, another 1st down.  My run game stymied, I threw another pass to White to get within 4 yards towards the end zone, with 3 seconds to spare.  Foreman ran it in for the touchdown, and there ends the first half.

 

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I kicked off to the Buccaneers in the second half, so now I have to make some stops and try and take control over this game.  Doug Williams--once again--took advantage of an opening when he threw to Davis, and he made it all the way to the Vikings redzone.  Luckily, I made the stop, and the Bucs had to settle for a field goal.  Plus, Miller was able to finally manage a decent kick return.  And the longer this game lasts, the more berserk the defenders are, as White barely catches the pass while in coverage for a first down.  A deep pass to a wide open Rashad finally gives me my first lead of the game.  Unfortunately, that didn't matter since Doug Williams wound up throwing a couple of quick bombshells downfield to Davis for another touchdown.  But Miller was able to get us deep into Viking territory in the subsequent kickoff, and the quarter came to a close.

 

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A few run plays and a couple passes to Sammy White later, and the Vikings retake the lead 27-24.  Unfortunately, even after I switched tactics into stopping the pass, the Buccaneers still managed to get all the way to the Viking 3-yard line.  And with just under 3 minutes remaining, I intend to make the indecisive stop so the game can come to a close.  I forced a 3-and-out by smothering their run game, and then just as they were about to line up for a field goal kick, the Vikings blocked it, and Blair recovered and ran it all the way down to the 20-yard line.  I merely made a couple of runs and then kicked the field goal before having to make the final stop in the subsequent kickoff, winning an otherwise epic game against a surprisingly strong opponent.  Blair is the game's MVP.

 

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[Mike Gordan]

Week 4:  Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears

 

I kicked off to the Bears, and am gonna try to key on Walter Payton throughout the entire game.  While I successfully shut down Walter Payton, it left my secondary greatly exposed as the Bears QB threw downfield for an automatic touchdown.  Meanwhile, Fran Tarketon threw a pass downfield to Sammy White for a first down, as I enter Bear territory.  Unfortunately, I was forced to throw the ball away towards Tucker's direction shortly afterwards.  But, Rickey Young caught a deep pass from Tarkenton to answer right back with a touchdown of their very own.  Walter Payton has been getting some yards in, but all things considered, I altered my gameplan a bit so that I could continuously rush the passer.  And then the QB threw an interception, and the Vikings now have the football back with an opportunity to seize the lead.  I immediately took advantage by throwing a pass to Sammy White for a first down, and into field goal range.  Another deep pass to White, and now I am up by a touchdown.  Unfortunately, Schubert returned our kickoff all the way down to the Viking 40-yard-line.  And the quarter had ended.

 

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Mark Mullaney automatically dived down the middle for a QB sack, while the rest of the defense continues to key on Walter Payton.  Another sack and a 3-and-out at midfield, and the Bears are forced to punt.  Miller was forced to run up the field past the 20-yard line because the ball was just barely outside of the end zone, meaning no touchback.  Tarkenton then throws it deep to Rickey Young, and Rickey Young leaps up into the air and makes the catch for a first down at midfield!  Another pass later down to Sammy White, and we have yet another touchdown!  Mulanney continues to make the QB's life a living hell while the defense continues to shut down Walter Payton.  Walter Payton then fumbles into his own endzone, and the Vikings recover for another touchdown!  I then take out Stephen Schubert out for the rest of the game in the subsequent kickoff, as the Bears continue to fall apart.  Marshall then tackles Walter Payton in the endzone for a safety.  I try putting in a few runs, but the Bears are utterly hell bent on shutting down our running attack.  Luckily, this opens up Sammy White downfield for a deep pass.  He fights off a cornerback, and runs all the way from our 20-yard line all the way down to the endzone for a touchdown!  Schubert's replacement at the return team, Earl, was able to fight off our defenders for an epic kick return to midfield, but it doesn't matter since it is now the end of the half!

 

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I try working in a few running plays, and then I threw another pass to Sammy White as we continue to run the score up on the Bears.  Earl--surprisingly enough--is proving to be even more troublesome than Schubert ever did in this game, as he ran the following kickoff all the way down to the Vikings' 20.  And in spite of a good run from Walter Payton that nearly got the Bears the first down, we continue to smother the Bears' offense.  And they even missed the field goal--wide left!  So now the Vikings have the ball back!  Now that I'm up 44-7, I am now just pounding it in, and killing the clock with my much-neglected running game.

 

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As we keep pounding it in, the Bears have finally given up on stopping the run, as Rickey Young ran it into the endzone for a touchdown!  This time, I make sure to stop Earl, no questions asked.  Mark Mullaney continues to make the Bears QB miserable, and Walter Payton is unable to get anything done.  We forced a 4-and-out, and the Vikings got the ball back.  I continue pounding it in, and this time, it's Chuck Foreman that got the touchdown.  A couple passes to White and Young later, and now the Vikings are up a whopping 65-7!  The game is pretty much over since the Bears have been unable to get much done outside of their opening drive and their kick return teams.  Sammy White and Mark Mullaney are the game's MVP's.

 

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[Mike Gordan]

Week 5:  Rematch with the Bucs!

 

And I just got Devin Hester'ed in the opening kickoff!  Only for Miller to return a kickoff for a touchdown of his very own.  So back-to-back kickoff returns for touchdowns!  Luckily, we were able to collapse around Carter behind the Bucs' very own 5-yard line.  I then continued to shut down the Bucs' running attack, and got a safety in their very first possession of the game.  Following the kickoff return, I attempted to establish the run early so that I could keep the Bucs off the field, but their defense is proving rather stingy.  So on 3rd down, I threw a pass to Sammy White and got the first down at midfield.  I then threw to a wide open Tucker, who ran it all the way downfield for a touchdown.  I stuffed Davis and Bell at the 20-yard line, and the quarter was over.  I forgot to save the image, but the score so far is 16-7 Vikings.

 

Mike Mullaney then ran up and sacked Doug Williams, forcing a punt towards midfield.  The Viking offense had struggled during the possession, forcing a 3 and out.  The Vikings now have to punt for the first time this entire season.    Rather than give their punt return team the benefit of the doubt, I decided to settle for a touchback.  I continue to shut down Davis and Bell, and then putting as much pressure on Doug Williams as I possibly can.  Another 3-and-out, and on the subsequent Punt, Miller ran all the way down to Tampa Bay territory at around the 30.  Fidgeting around a bit with the running attack some more, and then Tarkenton threw deep to Bob Tucker for a touchdown!  Carter then ran all the way down to the Viking 30, and the Bucs kicked a field goal just before the half, taking the score to 23-10.

 

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Miller then brings the ball back to the 50 to open up the half.  The Bucs' defense continues to be relentless, as the offense struggles to get anything done.  But Foreman and Young continue to chip away at the Bucs' defense as the Vikings continue to eat away at the clock and work for the 1st downs.  Little by little, and eventually, Foreman made it to the endzone to bring his team back up to a 20 point lead.  Then I aimed for a low kickoff--but not quite an onside kick--so as to set the opposing offense to recover the ball quickly and for the kicking team to take Carter down without wasting too much time.  Mike Mullaney then forced a 3-and-out, sacking Doug Williams constantly all the way down to their 10-yard line.  They punt it as far as they could, and Miller carried the ball all the way to the 20 before getting tackled.  A single run, and the 3rd quarter has ended, with the Vikings up 30-10.

 

I'm continuing to struggle to get the 3rd downs, especially since that defensive line is constantly blitzing my pass packages no matter what I do, and my running attack can't do anything.  Really not much else to say since all I am doing is converting on 3rd downs (and in one case, a 4th down).  But with only two or three passes, Rickey Young eventually converted to a touchdown, bringing the scoring tally to 37-10.  I then injure Carter with only 30 seconds left in the game, and Mullaney continues his assault against Williams.  Mike Mullaney forced yet another safety, but the Bucs recovered with only 3 seconds left.  We make one final stop against Johnny Davis, and the game was over.  Mullaney was the game's MVP.

 

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[Mike Gordan]

Okay, does anybody know how to take those links and turn them into actual pictures that I can post on here?  Thank you.

 

Anyways, on to Week 6:  Minnesota Vikings @ Seattle Seahawks

 

Seahawks RB David Sims came back from injury in time to face my Purple People Eaters.  But QB Zorn decided to make the first run play of the game, rushing for one measly yard.  But after a loss of 5, Sims was able to find an opening--taking advantage of a trick play that I didn't see coming--to run it all the way to our 35-yard line.  Zorn overthrew towards the endzone,  I stuffed the run game and forced the Seahawks to settle for a field goal.  The Vikings then continued to pound in their run game--taking advantage of the Seahawks' weak defensive line--to run it all the way down to the endzone for a touchdown.  Hunter then ran the subsequent kickoff return all the way past the 50 before being tackled down.  While the Vikings continued to stuff the run, Blair got in the sack on Zorn for a massive loss of downs.  But Jim Zorn was able to connect a bomb downfield to Sam McCullen for a touchdown.  The 1st quarter had ended with the Vikings having yet to throw a pass, and down 7-10.

 

First play of the half, Tarkenton threw a deep one to Rashad, who caught it midair near the Seahawks' 10.  Foreman then ran it all the way down for a touchdown.  The Vikings then forced a 3-and-out, and returned the Punt near midfield.  I continue pounding down on the running game to stall out for time in order to set myself up for a double-score.  Inside the Seahawks' 10 and with 1 second to go, Tarkenton decides to go for it, and Chuck Foreman runs it all the way in for the touchdown, ending the half up 21-10.

 

And to open the half, Miller returned the kickoff all the way for a touchdown, the lead now growing 28-10.  Mark Mullaney runs up the middle for the sack on Jim Zorn.  I couldn't get the safety, but at least I returned the punt passed midfield.  Tarkenton threw a 10-yarder to Tucker, and then Foreman ran for an additional 9 yards.  A deep connection to Sammy White later, and we go up another 7 points, essentially icing the game before the 4th quarter.  I would eventually force a safety, and get the ball back.  Tarkenton has struggled to find openings to pass (Seattle's secondary is surprisingly no fluke), but luckily, Chuck Foreman and Rickey Young is able to continuously exploit the Seahawk's weak secondary as the half comes to a close.  The Vikings are up 37-10.

 

First play of the 4th quarter, and Tarkenton connects to a wide-open Sammy White for a touchdown.  Mullaney and Matt Blair had sacked Jim Zorn repeatedly, forcing a 4-and-out from their own 8.  A couple runs from Foreman, Young and Tarkenton later, and the Vikings score yet another touchdown, now up 51-10.  But Hunter got an explosive kick return in, taking it all the way to the Viking's 23.  I sacked Zorn and stuffed their run attack, forcing the field goal team to the field, where the kicker missed wide left.  Tarkenton threw but 1 pass, while his running attack continued to haunt the Seahawks.  Then, on the final play of the game, Tarkenton threw a pass to Sammy White for the final touchdown.  Final score is Vikings 58-10 Seahawks.  It is the only game so far this season where the Vikings' passing attack suffered.  But at least Foreman, Young, and Tarkenton combined for a total of 174 yards on the ground--the highest amount so far this season.

 

Sorry I don't have any pictures.  But once I figure out how to save them and then actually paste said image onto the comment, I will do so.

[Mike Gordan]

Just to let you guys know, after six weeks, the Minnesota Vikings are the last undefeated football team left.  Meanwhile, the Colts are the last winless football team remaining.

 

Next game is a match for the top seed.  Week 7:  Minnesota Vikings @ L.A. Rams

 

First play, Larry Brooks sacks Tarkenton.  Jack Youngblood follows suit.  To avoid a safety, Tarkenton hands it off to Foreman for a measly loss of 2 yards.  The Vikings, for the first time all season, have failed to convert a single first down on the opening possession.  The Punt went as far as it could, but it was returned to about the 40.  Bryant was able to get the quick first down past the 50.  Luckily, I was able to stuff Cappel on the next run attempt down the middle, the Mullaney ran up the middle to sack Haden twice.  I returned the punt near midfield, so now's the time to capitalize.  Foreman ran up for a couple of yards, then Tarkenton threw a quick pass to Sammy White for a first down.  Foreman ran a little bit at a time to get the Vikings into field goal range.  Tarkenton threw another deep pass to White, who fumbled it out of bounds at the 12-yard line.  Foreman took the ball just a yard shy of the touchdown when time expired with neither team scoring a point.

 

Foreman ran it in on the very first play of the 2nd quarter for a touchdown.  I nearly stripped the ball on the subsequent kickoff, but the ball wound up out of bounds at the 11-yard line.  I nearly stripped it yet again off of Bryant, but once again, it went out of bounds to help the Rams get a first down.  Mullaney then sacked Haden, and I stuffed the run, but then Haden completed a deep pass to Willie Miller for a touchdown, tying the game back up.  After Foreman ran for a loss of 4, Tarkenton rushed a pass amidst heavy pressure and threw an interception.  Bryant took advantage of blown coverage and ran it into field goal range.  Then a blitz stuffed Bryant for a loss of 5, and Haden threw an incomplete pass (just shy of a touchdown catch).  Mullaney then sacked Haden to push the Rams out of field goal range, and then the punting team went for a touchback.  A deep pass to Rashad took us near midfield, and then Tarkenton threw an incomplete pass towards Tucker under coverage.  A couple run plays later, and I am in 4th down.  From the 50-yard line, I decided to go for a field goal kick, which barely hit the upright, taking me up 10-7.  With 12 seconds left, I got to make sure the Rams do not reach the endzone under any circumstances.  Bryant ran to the 50-yard line, and the half came to an end.  Vikings up 10-7.  But the Rams offensively have combined for a 112 combined yards to the Vikings measly 55, and the Rams will be getting the ball to open the second half.

 

The defensive slugfest for whatever minimal field position we could acquire continued, with a successful 3-and-out, so the Vikings got yet another touchback from the subsequent punt.  Tarkenton then threw an interception, only for the ball to be fumbled and recovered by, of all people, Sammy White, the intended receiver.  So Vikings still have possession of the ball.  Tarkenton then found a wide open Tucker and threw a deep vertical in his direction to take the Vikings all the way to Rams territory.  Young then carried the ball a couple more times for another 1st down (in order to help get into better field goal position and all).  Tarkenton then threw a pass to Sammy White for another first down.  But the Rams stuffed up my run game at their own 5-yard line, forcing the field goal unit out to kick it for a 13-7 lead.  I kicked off to the Rams to end the 3rd quarter, as they near their own 40.

 

My defense then stuffed the offense, shutting down Bryant and sacking Haden into a 4-and-out.  But with points at a premium, and not wanting to turn the ball over, I handed the ball over to Rickey Young to run it inside the Rams' 5-yard line, putting us into scoring position.  Foreman then ran it in for the game-clinching touchdown, to go up 20-7.  Or so I thought.  I forced yet another fumble in the subsequent fumble, and then a return teammate then recovered the fumble and ran it all the way down to the endzone completely unopposed to get back within 6 points.  The score is now 20-14, and now it is up to me to take care of the ball, and keep the Rams' offense off of the field.  I ran a couple of times and then Tarkenton threw deep to Tucker while in coverage for a pivotal 1st down inside Rams' territory.  Young and Foreman ate up the Rams' timeouts, and ate the clock.  I attempted a field goal on 4th down, but the kick was blocked.  I recovered it, but it became a turnover on downs.  So now Rams have the ball with over a minute left to play, and down 20-14.  First pass attempt from Haden was blocked.  Then, Mullaney ran up the middle and sacked Haden.  And then Haden completed a deep pass to Jesse all the way down to the Vikings' 20-yard line with 30 seconds to go!  Haden then narrowly missed Miller in the endzone.  Then Mullaney sacked Haden.  13 seconds to go!  Another sack from Mullaney!  6 seconds to go!  Last play of the game...and Haden completed the pass to Willie Miller, who punched it into the endzone for a touchdown.  And with the PAT good, my Minnesota Vikings have lost their very first game of the regular season 21-20.

[Mike Gordan]

Week 8:  Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers

 

First play of the game, Tarkenton got sacked for a safety.  Luckily, I was able to stuff up Whitehurst, forcing the Packers into a 3-and-out.  Following the kickoff, Foreman was able to get a good run in for a first down.  Then Tarkenton threw a deep one to a wide open Tucker to get into Packer territory.  Foreman ran for another first down, then Tarkenton sealed it with a pass down the middle to Sammy White for a touchdown.  Marshall then forced a safety on a Packers' reverse play, then Miller ran it all the way in from the Vikings' 10-yard line all the way to the endzone for the kickoff return for a touchdown.  The quarter ended with the Vikings up 16-2.

 

Second half, the Purple People Eaters forced yet another safety, and then Tarkenton threw a wide-open bomb to Rashad to get his team into Packer territory.  I had Foreman rush it a couple times until we were inside the Packers' 10, and then he ran it in again for another touchdown.  The score is now 25-2.  A 3-and-out later, and Miller returned the subsequent punt all the way down to the Packer 40-yard line.  I continued down the field, but ultimately settled for a field goal instead.  The score stands at 28-2 at halftime.

 

Second half began, and I forced a three-and-out on the Packers' opening drive.  They muffed the punt pretty badly next, and Miller ran it all the way to the Packers' redzone.  After a pass to White, Foreman ran it in for another touchdown.  The score is now 35-2.  I forced another safety, and then Tarkenton threw a really deep one to Sammy White to get the team back into Packer territory.  And I made my way down to the Packers' 1-yard line before the quarter ended, with the score 37-2.

 

Rickey Young then ran it throw for another touchdown.  Up 44-2.  Another Safety, and the Vikings were able to recover the onside kick.  Ran it down for a touchdown.  Another safety.  Recovered yet another onside kick.  A couple runs and then one last pass to Sammy White, and the game is over with yet another touchdown, and to the final tune of 61-2.

[Mike Gordan]

Week 9:  Minnesota Vikings vs. Dallas Cowboys

 

Another brutally difficult contest for the Vikings to overcome.  I only gained three yards on the ground before going 3-and-out on my opening drive.  I wound up giving up a first down to Tony Dorsett, but after smothering him on the next set of downs and sacking legendary QB Roger Staubach twice, we were back where we started--with Miller driving to the Vikings' 40.  With Tarkenton rendered helpless against the Doomsday Defense, the Vikings had no choice but to rely on Chuck Foreman, who was mere inches short of the first down and in midfield.  I considered going for it, but decided to instead punt it away, where the Cowboys returned it just passed their own 15.  Forced another 3-and-out near their own endzone, but it didn't matter, as their punter kicked it all the way passed our 20, and Miller was pinned down at the 20.  Foreman ran once more to bring about the end of the 1st quarter, with the game scoreless.

 

Another two run plays and the Vikings finally net a first down.  Tarkenton finally completed his first pass--to Rashad while under tight coverage.  We had finally reached enemy territory on that play as well.  After a couple more runs from Foreman, Tarkenton finally found a wide open Tucker downfield, who barely got it in for the touchdown.  In addition, our kicking team was able to smother their return team behind their 10-yard line.  A sack took them to their own 1-yard line, and Blair blocked a Staubach pass.  Then, Tony Dorsett was tackled for a safety, and Miller returned the kickoff into field goal territory.  Hasty to capitalize on the field position, Tarkenton threw an interception towards Randy White, intended for Sammy White.  The Cowboys were quick to capitalize on the turnover; after Tony Dorsett ran for a few yards, Staubach threw a bombshell to Newhouse who ran it all the way down for a touchdown, making the score 9-7 Vikings.  After throwing two incomplete passes, Tarkenton handed the ball to Foreman, who fumbled it, only for the Cowboys to recover in Viking territory.  After covering Staubach's right flank for a sack, Staubach threw yet another bombshell to Pearson for a first-and-goal--only for him to get hurt and having to be carted away. Backup receiver Johnson wound up taking his place.  They got their field goal unit out for the chipshot, only for it to hit the upright and deflect, rendering it no good heading into half time!  Foreman wound run for a yard just to run out the clock.  The Vikings lead the Cowboys 9-7.

 

The Vikings receive the second half kickoff, and once again, my kicking team smothered them behind their 10.  Staubach then threw a bombshell to Newhouse, who was tackled near midfield.  Then just like that, Staubach threw an interception at the other side of midfield, putting me at our own 40.  Rickey Young ran for 3 yards, and then Foreman ran it passed midfield for a first down.  Another first down on the legs of Chuck Foreman, and then with an incomplete pass and a Rickey Young run for no gain later, and Tarkenton finally found Bob Tucker passed the Cowboys' ten-yard line wide open, and he took it all the way in to their 6.  Foreman then ran it in for another touchdown, making the game 16-7 Minnesota.  Deep in their own territory, Blair tackled Staubach all the way to their own 1-yard line.  Staubach then ran the ball all the way to their own 30.  And just like that, Staubach threw a missile to Robert Newhouse for a touchdown, and nearly got a safety on Miller in the subsequent kickoff just before the end of the third quarter.  The game is now 16-14 Minnesota.

 

From our own 4-yard line, Foreman ran it three times for a first down (barely) as he fumbled the ball out of bounds.  Foreman continued carrying the ball all throughout the drive, eating up nearly 5 minutes of the entire fourth quarter and eating up all three of Dallas' timeouts.  Still, we were forced to settle for a field goal, and with a 19-14 lead, we will now have to keep Staubach from throwing those downfield bombs on us to maintain victory, all while the Cowboys are deep in their own territory.  Even after the Safety that put us up by a whole touchdown, the Cowboys still recovered the onside kick at their own 40, so the game isn't over yet by a long shot.  Staubach then threw a pass to Tony Dorsett, who fought off the Purple People Eaters and ran it all the way down to the endzone in order to force overtime.  The score is 21-21!

 

The Vikings got the overtime kickoff, and Miller ran it near the 20.  We were then forced to a 3-and-out, and we had to punt the ball away.  We then exchanged punts thanks to back-to-back 3-and-outs with 1:40 left in overtime, and the Cowboys got the touchback.  But Staubach was able to orchestrate a couple complete passes to near midfield.  We then stuffed up Dorsett, sacked Staubach, and then in a desperation move, Staubach threw an incomplete pass to one of his wide open receivers.  The Cowboys were forced to punt yet again, and Miller returned it to near the 10 with under 30 seconds to go.  Tarkenton got sacked at the one and then Foreman ran for a couple more yards in order to end the game in a resounding stalemate against two of the league's best defenses (as well as the league's best offense in the Cowboys).  The final score is, of course, 21-21.

[Mike Gordan]

Week 10:  Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions

 

The Lions received the opening kickoff, and RB King got a quick first down.  Other than a quick pass to King for 8, the Lions were forced to punt away after back-to-back incomplete passes.  Tarkenton then threw a complete pass to Rashad, who ran it near midfield.  After going through the entire Cowboys game without completing a single pass, Sammy White then caught another Tarkenton pass for another first down, putting the team into field goal range.  Another deep pass to Bob Tucker, and he is in for the touchdown.  A 3-and-out against the Lions forced them to punt the ball to our 30, which Miller returned all the way into the Lions' 35-yard line.  After yet another deep throw to Tucker, Chuck Foreman then ran it into the endzone for a touchdown.  We then kicked the ball to the Lions' 8-yard line before the end of the first quarter.  The Vikings are up 14-0--already with a hundred yards passing after failing to throw for that much against the Cowboys the week before.

 

In the second half, we were able to score 9 points in under a minute, by blitzing both of Detroit's run packages for a Safety, and then Kick Returner Kevin Miller ran it all the way into the endzone for a touchdown.  Now up 23-0.  Another safety, and this time, the Lions kicked it deep, and kept Miller at the 20.  But that didn't matter because Tarkenton continued throwing complete passes to his receivers, including a single solid run from Chuck Foreman.  Tarkenton then threw a touchdown pass to Sammy White, bringing the score 32-0.  Another Safety later, and Kevin Miller once again runs the ball all the way to the endzone for yet another touchdown, bringing the scoring total to 41-0.  Rinse and repeat to end the half 50-0 and essentially clinching the game.

 

In the second half, Miller took the team all the way to midfield.  After Tarkenton threw a deep pass to Tucker, he then handed it off to Foreman twice for another touchdown, making the score 57-0.  Our kicking team then buried the Lions' kick return unit to their 1-yard line, and easily scored the safety.  Miller didn't get far, but we were still in field goal range when all was said and done.  Same thing in our previous possession occurred, and we got up 66-0.  Another Safety, and then Tarkenton threw another deep pass to Tucker, who ran it in for a touchdown, to go up 75-0.  Another Safety, and now the Lions' defense had waken up, forcing the Vikings to run out the clock in the third quarter.  The lead is 77-0.

 

First play of the 4th quarter, Tarkenton threw a touchdown pass to Bob Tucker for yet another touchdown, going up 84-0.  Mullaney forced yet another safety and took QB Danielson out of the game, replaced by backup Landry.  The Vikings recovered the onside kick, and methodically drove downfield for the go ahead score.  We forced another safety to go up 95-0, but the Lions were able to recover it.  But we forced a 4-and-out by sacking the QB constantly, and stopping the run.  I then gave it to the hands of Chuck Foreman, who ran it all the way down to the endzone for a touchdown, bringing the final total to 99-0 (it should have been 102-0, but the NES version doesn't get any higher than 99).  I made two more sacks before time expired.  Final score is 99-0 (though it should have been 102-0).

[Mike Gordan]

Week 11:  Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears

 

The Minnesota Vikings are the only football team that is remotely close to winning their division.  To win this week, I will need a win and a Tampa Bay loss.  Can the Vikings pull it off?  A huge advantage that I can at least claim to have is that the Bears will be playing without Walter Payton due to an injury he suffered the week before.

 

Well, I got a safety a minute in by basically shutting down Payton's replacement (it took forever just to bring the kick returner down in spite of the fact that he wasn't even going anywhere).  Miller then recovered the kickoff and ran it to midfield where he was immediately tackled.  Tarkenton handed the ball off to Foreman a bunch of times, but then when he initiated a pass play from the pocket, Tarkenton found all his receivers covered, but a huge opening down the middle and he ran for it for a first down & goal.  Foreman ran down twice, falling short of the goal line.  Then Tarkenton ran it down himself for a touchdown.  After smothering the run, the Bears QB threw an interception.  Tarkenton continued to hand the ball over or running it in himself, and with 2 yards to go before scoring, the quarter came to an end, with neither QB having completed a pass yet.  The score is 9-0 Minnesota.

 

Foreman ran it into the endzone for a touchdown, now up 16-0.  The Vikings then forced a 3-and-out against the Vikings, and returned the ball to the 40-yard line.  Tarkenton then completed his first pass to Rashad for a first down and well into field goal range.  Foreman kept running the ball after that, then Tarkenton went for it himself for the touchdown.  We then forced a 3-and-out, but when they went to punt the ball, the punter was tackled to the ground before he could kick it downfield, so now the Vikings have it at the Bears' 10-yard line!  First immediate play in the Bears' possession, the QB was blitzed for a safety.  And to close out the half, Kevin Miller ran the ball all the way to the endzone for a touchdown.  The score is 39-0 Minnesota.

 

Second half, Miller ran it to our 40-yard line, then Tarkenton threw a pass to a wide-open Sammy White.  He threw another deep pass to White who barely caught it to get the ball to first-and-4 to the goal.  Tarkenton then ran it to the goal line himself for a touchdown.  We continue to force safeties as Miller delivered the ball past midfield.  Tarkenton then continues handing the ball out to Chuck Foreman as the Vikings march down the field bit-by-bit.  Tarkenton then threw a bombshell for a touchdown to Bob Tucker.  RB Earl then fumbled the football, and Vikings linebacker recovered the ball and ran it into the endzone for a touchdown.  Score is now 62-0.  Vikings then blitzed Earl again, forcing yet another safety as the Vikings prepare their second straight shutout.  I threw to a wide open Sammy White for a first down.  Then Rashad catches Tarkenton's touchdown pass.  We kicked it to the Bears and the quarter is over.  Score's 71-0.

 

And after yet another safety, Bears QB Bob Avellini went down to injury as well.  But the Bears recover the onside kick.  But we forced a 4-and-out, and Tarkenton threw to Rashad for a touchdown.  Another safety, and the Vikings recovered the onside kick.  Tarkenton threw to Tucker for a touchdown, bringing the score to 89-0.  And then the Vikings recovered the fumbled kick return and now it's first-and-goal from the 1-yard line.  Tarkenton ran it in for a touchdown.  We then kicked short to the Bears' return team.  We forced a 4-and-out, and continued running the ball all the way to the Bears' 1-yard line, with less than 30 seconds to go.  We kicked the field goal to make it 99-0 exactly, then we had the long kickoff that we allowed a sizable return in order to run out the clock and win the game.  While RB Chuck Foreman's technically the MVP of the Cowboys game, and KR Kevin Miller is the MVP of the Lions game, the MVP of this Bears game is none other than Fran Tarkenton, who completed all of his passes for 220 yards, ran for 25 yards, threw four touchdown passes and ran for another 4.

[Mike Gordan]

Week 12:  Minnesota Vikings vs. San Diego Chargers

 

I got the kickoff, but Kevin Miller doesn't seem to be feeling so good.  Speaking of which, I was only able to gain 7 total yards rushing before going 3-and-out.  And Punt returner Artie Owens was able to run it all the way to our own endzone for a touchdown (which, to my knowledge, has never happened before, like, ever, between me or any of the COM's in any iteration of Tecmo Super Bowl).  Foreman ran it a couple of times to reach midfield, and with my passing attack already rendered useless thanks to San Diego's supped up secondary, had no other choice than to put it into the hands of RB Chuck Foleman.  On the last play of the quarter, I handed it off to Rickey Young, who converted a 1st down at the San Diego 8-yard line.  The Vikings currently suffer a deficit of 0-7.

 

Foreman and Tarkenton fought for each and every one of those 8 remaining yards in order to tie up the game 7-7.  I kicked off to Artie Owens, who I was thankfully able to stop at the Chargers' 30-yard line.  However, knowing full well that Dan Fouts and the Chargers were gonna pass, Mark Mullaney had absolutely no trouble whatsoever running up the middle and sacking him repeatedly, followed up by a lousy punt from their punting team that helped Miller put this game squarely in the red zone.  Chargers linebacker Gary Johnson continues to make Fran Tarkenton's life as a passer a living hell, however, since Tarkenton has yet to complete a single, solitary pass; all of his attempts either end with an incompletion or with a Gary Johnson sack.  Still, with the legs of Chuck Foreman, the Vikings were able to score yet another touchdown.  We then only surrendered a single 1st down to the Chargers on their next drive before forcing them to punt.  And with 30 seconds to play, the only option remaining is to pass (if Gary Johnson were to let me).  I was luckily able to throw a deep ball to Bob Tucker (thank goodness) that had put me to field goal range with 2 seconds to go.  The field goal proves good, and now the Vikings are up 17-7 at the half.

 

The Chargers got the second half kickoff, and in spite Fouts' receivers able to get open as well as an open run lane, the Chargers were 3-and-out and were forced to punt the ball away without converting a 1st down.  I got the touchback, so I start at my very own 20.  Tarkenton was able to avoid a Gary Johnson sack and fight off a couple other defenders and quickly threw deep to Rickey Young, who caught it in coverage!  After a couple of run plays, Tarkenton then threw to a wide open Sammy White for a touchdown.  Now up 24-7.  I then smothered the Chargers' run game and forced a 3-and-out.  Kevin Miller was able to get the ball near midfield.  I ran the ball a couple times and let the clock run out.

 

In the 4th quarter, Tarkenton threw a deep pass to Bob Tucker for a first down, and near the Chargers' 20-yard line.  Tarkenton gave the ball to Foreman continuously, and eventually found the end zone.  But the extra point was blocked, so the score is now 30-7 Minnesota.  Mark Mullaney--who is proving his case as the game's MVP--continues to sack Fouts while the rest of the defense continues to blitz the running attack, eventually forcing a safety.  The Vikings recovered the onside kick, and then Tarkenton threw a deep pass to Bob Tucker.  Tarkenton then handed the ball off to Foreman, who pounded the ball to the endzone to make it 39-7 with under 2 minutes left to play.  The Vikings returned the subsequent kickoff to their own 40-yard line.  But Mark Mullaney and the Viking defense smothered the Chargers' vaulted offensive unit, limiting the Chargers to a mere 8 yards of total offense, all from a Dan Fouts pass attempt, and forcing a 4-and-out.  Tarkenton then put the game in the hands of Chuck Foreman to run out the clock and clinch the game.  The final score was 46-7 Minnesota, and the Vikings won the NFC Central.

[Mike Gordan]

Week 13:  Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers

 

So the Packers got the opening kickoff, and in the opening play, Mark Mullaney was able to strip the ball from the QB's hands and recovered it at their own 1-yard line.  Chuck Foreman was able to run it in for an easy touchdown.  After forcing a 3-and-out, Tarkenton was able to work his offense down the field, handing it off to Foreman for another touchdown pass.  The quarter ends after the Vikings forced another 3-and-out and Kevin Miller returned the Punt all the way to the Packers' 8-yard line.  The score is 14-0.

 

Foreman then ran the ball to the endzone for yet another touchdown.  Bobby Bryant then forced another fumble and recovered it to the endzone for yet another endzone, making the score 28-0.  Forced another 3-and-out, and then Tarkenton lead yet another drive down the field, and handed it off to Foreman for yet another touchdown.  After I kicked the ball back to the Packers, I exploited their reverse play in order to force a fumble and recover the ball.  Tarkenton then completed a touchdown pass to Sammy White, making the score 42-0 at halftime.

 

After halftime, Miller returned the second half kickoff to midfield.  Tarkenton then fought off some defensive linemen and completed a deep pass to Bob Tucker for yet another touchdown, making the score 49-0.  Mullaney then forced a Safety, and the Vikings returned to kickoff passed midfield.  Tarkenton then threw a pair of passes--one to Sammy White and another to Rickey Young for yet another touchdown, making the score 58-0.  Mark Mullaney forced another safety, and Tarkenton threw a deep pass to Sammy White at the Packers' 15-yard line.  Chuck Foreman punched it in to make the score 67-0.  Forced another 3-and-out, and got the ball at the 20 to end the quarter.

 

In the 4th quarter, Tarkenton put the entire game in the hands of his two running backs--mostly Foreman, but also Young as well.  With a minute and a half to go, Foreman ran in for another touchdown to make the score 74-0.  The QB finally completed a pass down the middle into Viking territory.  The final play of the game was when Blair forced a fumble on the Packers' reverse play, and Doug Sutherland ran it all the way for a touchdown, making the final score 81-0.

[Mike Gordan]

Following most of Week 14, the Vikings, Broncos, Steelers, and Cowboys have all won their respective divisions.  The Eagles have also clinched a playoff spot as well.  Meanwhile, the Dolphins and Patriots are both tied for the AFC East at 10-4, and outside of those two, the Oilers (9-4-1), Raiders and Chargers (both 9-5) are also competing for Wild Card Spots.  In the NFC, the Eagles are locked in, while the Buccaneers and Falcons (the latter, who is also competing with the Rams for the division title) are the likely wild card teams to join the Eagles, the Saints and even the Lions (in spite a 5-9 record) have not quite been eliminated yet.  Still, the Eagles and the Vikings get to play each other.  This match is important for both teams; the Eagles can lock up the top seeded wild card spot rather easily with a win, while the Vikings can remain in contention with the Cowboys for the division title (the Cowboys are currently 12-1-1, with their lone tie being against the Vikings).  As the Vikings currently hold an 11-1-1, they must win this one to remain neck-in-neck for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, with both teams for sure clinching the first round bye (the Rams are 9-4-1, in spite having defeated both the Vikings and Cowboys earlier in the season).  Yes, the Vikings and Cowboys are that neck-in-neck in all except point differential:  The Cowboys have scored 362, but have surrendered 181 points.  The Vikings, meanwhile, scored a gaudy 718 points while surrendering a mere 130 points.  But the next two games are gonna be important--if I win both games, I'll win homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.  Lose against either the Eagles, Lions or Raiders, and the Cowboys may come to take the division crown away from me.  Speaking of which, the final game of Week 14 is gonna be Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles.  Gotta win out to win homefield advantage throughout.

[Mike Gordan]

Week 14:  Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles

 

On the opening kickoff, Kevin Miller was able to return it all the way for an opening 7-0 lead for the Vikings.  After forcing a 3-and-out, the Eagles were forced to punt it.  Miller returned the ball just passed the Vikings' 40.  After giving the ball to Foreman a couple of times, Tarkenton then threw a deep pass to Bob Tucker, who caught it into the red zone.  Foreman punched it in for another touchdown.  The subsequent kicking team, however, allowed the Eagles to slip past their own 30.  The Vikings forced another 3-and-out to end the first quarter.  The Vikings are winning 14-0.

 

The Vikings recovered a punt, and after a run play for no gain, Tarkenton threw it deep to Rashad into Eagles territory.  Foreman then converted another 1st down, putting the Vikings into field goal range.  Tarkenton then threw it down the middle to Sammy White, who ran it in for a touchdown pass.  Our Kicking team then made sure the Eagles return had nowhere to go, and smothered them deep near their own endzone.  Matt Mullaney then ran up the middle, forced a fumble against the Eagles' RB, and Bobby Bryant was able to return it to the endzone for yet another touchdown.  We forced another Eagles 3-and-out, and Miller returned the Punt near our 30.  Tarkenton then threw a dousey of an interception to Eagles CB Bewgey, who returned it to the Vikings 35.  Still, the Vikings exploited the Eagles' easy-to-read Eagles playbook, and buried them to midfield, forcing another 3-and-out, and forcing them to kick a long field goal.  In spite having the distance, it went wide left, so the Vikings got the ball back with 18 seconds to go.  Tarkenton then threw a quick pass down the middle to Sammy White for a gain of 9, and took a quick timeout.  The Vikings then kicked a field goal of their own, and they came up 31-0 at halftime.

 

When the Eagles got the kickoff return, they made three Run attempts--one was smothered by Mullaney, while the other one got away from him, and ran it all the way close to midfield.  Still, the Vikings defense stayed firm and forced them to punt from midfield, and Miller accepted the touchback.  Tarkenton gave the ball to Foreman until he was forced into a 3-and-1.  When he dropped back to pass, he found no one open and ran a few yards for the 1st down.  Tarkenton then threw a pass to Sammy White for a first down, and the quarter ended.  Score's still 31-0.

 

Tarkenton ran it down the middle for yet another touchdown.  The Vikings the buried the Eagles in their own enzone for a safety, but the Eagles recovered the onside kick.  Jodorowsky then completed a pass to Carmichael for a first down.  Montgomery then found an opening and ran it all the way down to the endzone for a touchdown--the first touchdown in three games the Vikings had surrendered.  But instead of going for the onside kick, the Eagles conceded defeat and kicked it deep to the Vikings' 15.  Tarkenton then threw a deep pass to Bob Tucker while he was under heavy coverage, and converted it to a 1st down near the Eagles' 30.  Tarkenton then threw another pass to Ahmed Rashad who ran it in for a touchdown.  Mark Mullaney then buried Jodorowsky into his own endzone for a safety, and recovered the onside kick.  On the final play, Chuck Foreman ran it all the way to the endzone to make the final score 56-7.

[Mike Gordan]

Week 15:  Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions

 

With the Cowboys' loss to the Eagles, the Vikings now have to win against a Lions team they humiliated a few weeks earlier 99-0 in order to secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs.  But on the opening kickoff, Kevin Miller finally went down to injury, leaving it up to the Vikings offense and defense to win this game against the Lions on their own.  Tarkenton threw a deep pass to Bob Tucker for a quick first down into Lions territory.  Foreman then pounded it into the Lions' red zone for yet another 1st down.  Unable to establish the pass, Tarkenton turned to Chuck Foreman to get the 1st downs while he ran through the lanes whenever he spotted an opening.  Foreman ran it in for the first touchdown of the game.  And the Vikings kicking team restricted the Lions to their own 5-yard line.  But Kevin Miller's replacement, McClanahan proved immediately inadequate on the kicking team, forcing the Vikings to make a quick roster change for backup RB Miller instead.  Tarkenton threw another deep pass to Bob Tucker, who took it all the way near midfield.  Didn't matter since Tarkenton was stripped by the Lions.  But the Vikings forced a 3-and-out and the Lions missed the field goal.  Foreman ran for close to a 1st down and the clock ran out.  The Vikings lead 9-0.

 

Foreman was then able to cross midfield for a 1st down.  After a couple more run plays from Foreman, Tarkenton--who was battered and bruised all day long, threw deep to Bob Tucker, who caught it in coverage inside the Vikings' 10.  Foreman ran it in for another touchdown, and once again, the Lions were buried inside of their own 10.  But a screen pass to Bussey allowed him to run it all the way downfield to the Vikings' 40.  He then threw another pass for another 1st down.  Hill caught the Lions' touchdown pass.  After Foreman ran for a 1st down, Tarkenton found a wide open Rickey Young for a 1st-and-goal with 6 yards to go.  Foreman ran out the clock and scored his third touchdown of the day to make the halftime score 23-7.

 

On the opening play of the second half, Danielson connected to Hill who ran it all the way down for yet another touchdown, making the score 23-13 (the PAT was blocked).  But the Miller the Vikings have was no substitute for the injured Kevin Miller, and he could only take the ball to the Vikings' 12.  Tarkenton's first pass attempt was blocked.  Still, Tarkenton barely broke free of some defensive tackles and barely completed a pass to Rickey Young while he was in deep coverage, and barely got the 1st down.  After a couple more runs from Foreman, Tarkenton then completed another pass downfield to Sammy White, who got the 1st down at midfield.  Foreman continuing to demonstrate his position as the game's MVP kept fighting for the 1st downs in consecutive run attempts.  And Bob Tucker caught the touchdown pass from Tarkenton.  Blair then tackled Thompson for a Safety, and the 3rd quarter was at an end.  The score is 32-13 Minnesota.

 

After a couple of run plays fell short of a 1st down, Tarkenton then threw a deep pass to Bob Tucker in coverage, and Tucker caught it, fought off the defenders, and ran 30+ yards downfield after the catch to ice the game at 39-13.  Danielson then connected to Scott for a first down.  Freddie Scott then caught another pass for a touchdown, though as the game had already been lost, they opted to kick it away to the Vikings, which Miller returned to their own 36.  Tarkenton handed the ball off to Foreman for the rest of the game to run out the clock, and kick one final field goal.  The subsequent onside kick ensured the Lions couldn't possibly reach the endzone.  And the final score was 42-20 Vikings.

[Mike Gordan]

Okay, so in the final two weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Denver Broncos in order to clinch homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, while the Broncos settled for the 2 seed.  The New England Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins in order to clinch the AFC East, while the Dolphins and Chargers wound up tying at 11-5 apiece.  However, since the Chargers defeated the Oilers, the Raiders were eliminated from playoff contention (the Oilers were 10-4-1 and had already clinched a playoff spot versus the 9-6 Raiders).  However, because the Cowboys had narrowly lost to the Jets, the Vikings decided to rest their starters against the Raiders and lost 28-24 (in other words, I skipped the final week of the regular season altogether).  Meanwhile, the Falcons, Bucs, and Eagles had already clinched playoff spots while the Vikings, Cowboys, and Rams were locked in as division champions.  As such, the final playoff seeding is as follows:

 

1.  Pittsburgh Steelers (14-2) and Minnesota Vikings (13-2-1)

2.  Denver Broncos (13-3) and Dallas Cowboys (12-3-1)

3.  New England Patriots (12-4) and Los Angeles Rams (10-5-1)

4.  Miami Dolphins (11-5) and Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)

5.  San Diego Chargers (11-5) and Atlanta Falcons (10-6)

6.  Houston Oilers (10-5-1) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8)

 

Eliminated:  Cleveland Browns (10-6), Oakland Raiders (10-6), New Orleans Saints (7-9), Detroit Lions (6-10), Phoenix Cardinals (6-10)

 

And now for the tournament  Wild Card Round will pair up the Miami Dolphins with the San Diego Chargers, Houston Oilers @ New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Los Angeles Rams, and the Atlanta Falcons @ Philadelphia Eagles.

[Mike Gordan]

Wild Card Round:

 

Miami Dolphins vs. San Diego Chargers:  San Diego won 24-27

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Atlanta Falcons:  Atlanta won 30-28

New England Patriots vs. Houston Oilers:  Houston won 27-21

Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  LA won 17-14

 

Great because now in the divisional round, it's time for a rematch against the only other team (besides the Jets in a meaningless season finale) all year to beat me.  The matchups are as follows:

 

Denver Broncos vs. San Diego Chargers

Dallas Cowboys vs. Atlanta Falcons

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Houston Oilers

Los Angeles Rams vs. Minnesota Vikings

[Mike Gordan]

In the divisional round, the Broncos defeated the Chargers 17-14, but lost Jon Keyworth for the season.  The Cowboys have also won the narrowest of victories against the Atlanta Falcons by the score of 28-27.  And the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Houston Oilers 26-21 for the opportunity to host the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship.  Meanwhile, the Vikings must overcome the Rams--who had upset them earlier in the season--for the chance to settle the tie with the Dallas Cowboys once and for all.

 

Rams got the opening kickoff, and made it just passed the 10.  Pat Haden then made a pass, whose receiver ended up fumbling the ball.  The Vikings recovered at the Rams' 30.  But their defense is just as revved up and juiced up as they were when they defeated us earlier in the season.  So Tarkenton wasted no time completing a pass to Sammy White for a first down at the 8-yard line.  Tarkenton then found an opening and ran down it for a gain of 6.  Chuck Foreman then ran it down for a touchdown.  Vikings up 7-0.  Cullen Bryant is feeling hot, so I have to contain the run at all costs.  As a result, Haden completed a deep pass down the middle to Willie Miller into field goal range.  Still, the Vikings stymied the Rams' offense, and buried them close to midfield, so they were forced to punt it away.  After a gain of 1, Tarkenton completed a pass to a wide open Sammy White for another 1st down and close to midfield.  Tarkenton then ran the ball himself for a gain of 10 and barely got the 1st down.  After a couple run attempts have netted very little results, Tarkenton then fought off a Rams' defender and completed another pass to Sammy White, and the 1st quarter came to an end.

 

Tarkenton fought off another defender and completed a screen pass to Chuck Foreman, who ran it all the way close to a touchdown.  Foreman then scores another touchdown to go up 14-0.  Still, KR Jim Jodat was able to return the ball all the way down close to their 40.  And Pat Haden then completed a pass to Ron Jessie, who ran it all the way down for a touchdown.  And Vikings' KR Kevin Miller was buried at their own 5-yard line with 3 minutes to go.  But Tarkenton stared down the rush and completed a pass to Bob Tucker for a first down near midfield.  Tarkenton then gave the ball to Foreman and Rickey Young to pound it in as far as they could before bringing out the field goal unit to make the score 17-7 at the half.

 

Miller returned the 2nd half kickoff passed the Viking 40.  Then, Tarkenton handed the ball to Foreman a couple of times, then completed a pass to Bob Tucker for a 1st down in the red zone.  Foreman continued pounding it in until he hit the 1-yard line when they got the 1st down.  After getting stuffed up for no gain, Foreman ran it in for another touchdown, making the score 24-7.  After forcing a 3-and-out, Tarkenton continued to dissect the Rams' defense and steadily headed passed midfield until time ran out for the 3rd quarter.

 

Tarkenton continued to hand the ball to Foreman until the Vikings were well into the red zone.  He completed a pass to Sammy White for a 1st and 3, and Foreman completed the scoring drive, putting away the Rams at 31-0 with just over 3 minutes to go.  After a couple of sacks, Pat Haden completed a pass to Willie Miller for a first down at midfield.  And then Mark Mullaney rushed the QB while the rest of the Vikings continued blitzing the Rams' left flank, forcing a 4-and-out in midfield, and ending the game.  The Vikings ran out the clock, and kicked a final field goal to make the final score 34-7, and now the Vikings have earned the right to face the Dallas Cowboys for an opportunity to break the tie between the two of them.

[Mike Gordan]

The AFC championship between Denver and Pittsburgh has been won by the Pittsburgh steelers in a thrilling overtime game 27-24, so now the Steelers get to face the winner of the NFC championship in Super Bowl XIII!  Between two teams that were so evenly matched when they faced each other, who will prove victorious?  Will it be Doomsday?  Or the Purple People Eaters?

 

First play of the game, Tarkenton completed a deep pass to Bob Tucker for a 1st down.  After completing a pass to Sammy White, Tarkenton handed the ball to Foreman who ran it in for another 1st down.  But against Doomsday, the drive stalled, and the Vikings kicked the field goal to go up 3-0.  Then on the Cowboys' first play, Roger Staubach completed a short pass to Dupree who ran it all the way down to the Vikings' 10.  Staubach was sacked twice, and in spite Tony Dorsett finding a deep opening against the blitz, the Cowboys were also forced to kick a field goal.  Kevin Miller returned the subsequent kick down midfield, and Foreman completed a deep run of his own for a 1st down into field goal range.  An incomplete pass intended for Rashad and a run from Foreman later, and the quarter came to an end, with the game tied 3-3.

 

After another run play, Tarkenton scrambled away from Harvey Martin and Randy White in order to complete a pass down the middle to Sammy White for a 1st down with 9 yards to go.  Tarkenton avoided the rush and threw a touchdown pass to Sammy White.  But Tony Dorsett continues to be troubling as he ran twice to convert on a 1st down past the 30-yard line.  Even with the blitz, Dorsett proves to be nearly unstoppable as he converts yet another 1st down in 3 runs as the Cowboys approach midfield.  After another blitz on Dorsett, Staubach threw an interception, and the Vikings have the ball inside their own 40 with just under 2:30 to go.  Tarkenton then completed a deep pass to Bob Tucker for a 1st down inside the Cowboys' 30.  After a 3-and-out with 49 seconds to go, the Vikings have a difficult decision to go for it or kick the field goal.  So Tarkenton handed the ball to Foreman who ran down the right side for a 1st down.  Tarkenton then threw a pass to Sammy White, and with 1 second to go, the Vikings kick the field goal to go up 13-3 at the half (barely).

 

After a short gain from Tony Dorsett, Staubach was able to complete a deep pass to Preston Pearson for a 1st down inside the red zone.  But the Vikings smothered the run (seriously, Matt Blair saw Staubach's QB run coming a mile away), and the Cowboys botched the field goal attempt.  And immediately, Tarkenton threw a deep pass to Tucker for a 1st down inside the Cowboys' 40.  But the drive stalled, and the Vikings kicked another field goal to go up 16-3.  The Vikings were able to force a 3-and-out, and Miller recovered the Punt near midfield.  But Randy White sacked Tarkenton for a loss of 11, and the Vikings switched over to a field position play and gave the ball to Foreman twice before punting for the touchback, and the quarter came to an end.

 

Staubach's deep pass was blocked, then Dorsett recovered a Staubach fumble and ran it all the way down to the endzone for the first touchdown of the day for the Cowboys.  The score is now 16-10 Minnesota.  Kevin Miller then returned the kick all the way down to the Vikings' 40, only to fumble it out of bounds for a loss of 5.  Tarkenton then completed a pass to Bob Tucker for a 1st down at the Cowboys' 40.  Randy White then sacked Tarkenton again with assistance from Harvey Martin, burying Tarkenton back to the 50.  Tarkenton then threw an incomplete pass to Bob Tucker, and the Vikings were once again forced to punt.  At 4-and-18, instead of punting, the Vikings opt to simply go for it by handing it off to Foreman.  The Vikings then turned the ball over on downs, but it saved us a great deal of time just in case Staubach and Dorsett find their way back in the endzone.  The Vikings smothered Dorsett, and the Cowboys opted to punt it away to our end zone instead.  After an incomplete pass, Tarkenton then threw it away, only for Sammy White to catch it for a first down.  Another complete pass to Sammy White puts the Vikings into field goal range with 40 seconds to go.  Foreman then ran out the clock, and the game was over, 19-10.  The Vikings ousted the defending world champions and are heading back to the Super Bowl to face the Steelers.

[Mike Gordan]

Super Bowl XIII:  Minnesota Vikings (13-2-1) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (14-2)

 

Fran Tarkenton is the lead NFL passer and is the league's MVP.  He has thrown for over 3000 yards (the only QB to have done so), and completed 128 passes out of 160 total attempts.  Sammy White was also the leagues' leading receiver in receptions (1223) and in touchdowns (20), while Bob Tucker leads the leagues in average yards per catch at 31.5.  RB Chuck Foreman is ranked 8th in rushing at 1455 yards in 255 attempts, but is the lead scorer among all players at 38 TD's and punting (for an average of 62.8 yards).  Mark Mullaney leads the league in sacks at 96 (in stark contrast, Harvey Martin and Bethea are tied for 2nd at 26 apiece), while Matt Blair is 5th at 18.  Mullaney has more sacks than the three tacklers between the two Vikings combined.  Kevin Miller is the league's best Punt Returner in attempts (31), yardage (491), and average (15.3), although San Diego's Owens is the only Punt Returner ever to score a touchdown (against the Vikings, ironically enough).  And while half the league has far better yardage than Kevin Miller in Kick Returns, he still ranks 3rd in average attempts at 21.4 yards while also being the best scoring Kick Returner by far, having returned 9 kicks for touchdowns.  The Vikings rival the Dolphins for best total offense in all of football at 5033 yards (the Dolphins are just 11 yards better), but ranked 4th in passing behind the Bills, Chargers, and Raiders at 3066 yards, and are 12th in running at 1967 yards.  However, across the board, the Vikings are the single best defensive unit in all of football; the only region their secondary is sorely lacking in is interceptions, but they are the only football team to tally well over 80 sacks combined.  They must defeat one of the greatest teams of all time if they wish to shed the notion that they cannot win the big one.

 

The Steelers got the opening kickoff, and Thorton returned the kick to the Steelers 10.  Terry Bradshaw completes his 1st completion to Lynn Swann for a gain of 20, then the Vikings defensive line closes in on Bradshaw for a sack.  On the Franco Harris blitz, he fumbles the ball and Jim Marshall recovers the ball and runs it downfield for a touchdown.  The Vikings are up 7-0.  Bradshaw ran the ball for a gain of 2, and then Franco Harris was restricted to a gain of 2.  Then Bradshaw completed a pass to Stallworth deep down field for a touchdown, tying the score back up 7-7.  Joe Greene quickly sacks Tarkenton on his opening possession, and then Joe Greene forces a Tarkenton fumble and ran it in for a touchdown of his very own.  The Steelers take the lead 7-13 (the PAT was blocked).  Tarkenton then completes a pass down the middle to Sammy White for a 1st down at midfield.  Tarkenton then completes another pass to Sammy White into field goal range, and completed another to White for a gain of 9.  Chuck Foreman than ran the ball all the way down near the Steelers' 10 with seconds to go in the 1st quarter.  Another pass completed to Sammy White, and the quarter came to an end with the Steelers still up 7-13.

 

After a pass attempt fell incomplete, Tarkenton then ran the ball down the field himself for a touchdown to go up 14-13.  After shutting down Franco Harris, Bradshaw connected with Rocky Bleier for a 1st and goal.  But Mullaney shut down Harris and sacked the QB, forcing the Steelers to settle for a field goal to climb back up 14-16.  Miller then returned the kickoff to the 20-yard line.  Tarkenton completed a pass to Sammy White for a gain of 15, then another for a gain of 9.  Tarkenton continues completing passes to Sammy White for more and more yardage, while doing everything he can to avoid the Steel Curtain rush.  The Vikings ran out the clock, and kicked a field goal to take a 17-16 halftime lead, as we prepare for the 2nd half kickoff.

 

Kevin Miller returned the kickoff to the Vikings 40, then Tarkenton completed a pass to Rashad for a 1st down against the blitz.  Then Tarkenton found Bob Tucker wide open after the Steelers blew their coverage for an easy touchdown to go up 24-16.  The Vikings kicking team then limited the Steelers to their own 5, and forced a safety to go up 26-16.  Kevin Miller then returned the kickoff to the Vikings 40.  After Foreman fidgeted around for a couple of yards, Tarkenton then attempted a pass play and ran the ball in himself.  It was a 4th down, but the Vikings kicked another field goal to climb up 29-16.  After bottling up Franco Harris, Mullaney then ran in for a sack-safety, and the Vikings recovered the kick to their own 35.  And Tarkenton ran out of the way of the Steel Curtain and threw another deep pass to a wide open Bob Tucker for an easy touchdown.  But Bradshaw had shown that the game hasn't been won yet as on the last play of the quarter, he throws a pass to Stallworth who ran it all the way down for a touchdown, to close in within 38-23.

 

The Steelers quite easily recovered the onside kick with a huge burst of energy at midfield.  Bradshaw then completed another pass to Grossman for a touchdown.  The score is now 38-30 Minnesota.  Kevin Miller recovered the kick to the 30.  But Tarkenton threw an interception to Mel Blount in Steelers territory, attempting to complete another pass to Bob Tucker.  And Tarkenton immediately responded by completing another touchdown pass to Stallworth, and burying Kevin Miller to the Vikings' 9.  The score now stands at 38-37 with over 3 minutes to go.  But Bob Tucker caught another deep pass into Steeler territory for a 1st down.  Foreman then ran for 6 while Tarkenton ran for another 6.  But the Vikings ran the clock down to 49 seconds left and were forced to kick the field goal to go up 41-37, with one final stop needed to be crowned Super Bowl Champions.  On the final play of the game from the Steelers' 5, Bradshaw completed another pass to Stallworth, who attempted to make it all the way to the endzone, and with time running out, the blitz play that I called accurately hurried him on down and tackled Stallworth--who was untouched the entire game--and made the tackle as time expired.  In spite both defenses having shut down the run all game long, and in spite Terry Bradshaw having thrown for 448 yards and only 1 incompletion (versus Tarkenton's 274 yards, a fumble and an interception), the Vikings were finally Super Bowl champions by the score of 41-37!

 

snap0001.bmp

[Mike Gordan]

Next time, I'm going to be doing the 1979 season, and the team I'm gonna go with is the Philadelphia Eagles.

[Slippery Nips]

Gordan.  Gordan?  Did you take the Vikings to the championship in your first time playing this Juiced rom?

[Mike Gordan]

On ‎8‎/‎24‎/‎2016 at 2:53 AM, Bolt said:

Gordan.  Gordan?  Did you take the Vikings to the championship in your first time playing this Juiced rom?

Yes, I did.  I am admittedly having trouble actually posting images on here.  That Snap.0001 at the end is supposed to be the definitive proof that the Vikings defeated the Steelers in a shootout, but for whatever reason, I can't post any images here.

[Mike Gordan]

Time to take on the 1979 season as the Philadelphia Eagles.  Week 1:  Philadelphia vs. New York Giants

 

Man, is Nose Tackle Charlie Johnson a beast against the QB!  Billy Campbell is also a pretty big beast at Kick Returns as well.  As I immediately got in a safety and returned the subsequent kickoff to the 50.  RB Montgomery then ran it down the middle all the way down to the Giants' 10.  Plus, I took out their KR and RB Kotar out of the game in the subsequent Kickoff.  After getting another sack, Humphrey and Campbell tag-teamed the QB and forced a fumble in the endzone, which Humphrey recovered for a touchdown.  And after a couple more runs from Montgomery, the quarter ended with the Eagles up 16-0, with neither team having thrown a pass yet.

 

Rob Jaworski then completed the first pass of the game on the first play of the quarter to Keith Krepfle for a touchdown.  The score is now 23-0 Eagles.  Another Safety, and Campbell ran it all the way back down into field goal range.  Jaworski only threw one pass to Smith in the subsequent possession and then handed the ball off to Montomery in every other play, eventually scoring a touchdown.  Unfortunately, Bobby Hammon returned the kickoff all the way into Eagles' territory.  Unfortunately for rookie Phil Simms, there was no escape and no relief; they were pushed all the way to their own 50, and their field goal kick went no good.  Jaworski wasted no time and completed a deep pass to a wide open Keith Krepfle for a touchdown.  Another Safety, and Campbell returned the kickoff to midfield with 13 seconds to go.  But instead of killing the clock, Jaworski took advantage of the Giants' sudden leniency towards the run and completed another deep pass to Krepfle for an easy touchdown.  The score now stands as 48-0 Eagles at the half.

 

The second half kickoff was returned back to midfield, and the Eagles reestablished the threat of their run game before Jaworski connected to Keith Krepfle yet again for another touchdown.  While we were successful in forcing a 3-and-out, the Eagles never got the chance to Punt the ball away before the ball was knocked past the endzone for a safety.  Jaworski immediately capitalized to go up 64-0 with his favorite target, Keith Krepfle.  Another Safety, and the Eagles dissected the Giants' defense bit by bit on both sides of the ball, culminating in a Montgomery Touchdown run.  With 6 seconds to go, however, the Eagles forced another Safety, and returned the subsequent kickoff all the way down to field goal range as time expired in the 3rd quarter, with the Eagles up 75-0.

 

First play of the quarter, and Jaworski completed a pass to Smith for a touchdown to go up 82-0.  We forced a 4-and-out at the Giants' 1-yard line, and Montgomery punched it in for another touchdown to go up 89-0.  I then kicked an onside kick and made absolutely sure that Phil Simms never attempted a pass, and the Giants never gained a yard.  And Jaworski continued handing the ball to Montgomery to run out the clock and burn the Giants' timeout, then kicked a field goal to go up 92-0.  We recovered the onside kick, dissected the Giants' defense, and Jaworski completed a touchdown pass to Charlie Smith to make the final score 99-0.

[Mike Gordan]

Week 2:  Philadelphia Eagles @ Atlanta Falcons

 

On the opening kickoff, Billy Campbell returned the ball all the way to the Falcons' red zone, and Jaworski completed a short pass to Charlie Smith for an easy touchdown.  And while RB Andrews has proven to be a much tougher cookie than anybody from the New York Giants, we eventually forced them to punt, and we tackled the ball handler at the Falcons' 6.  Montgomery punched it in for a touchdown.  The same exact same thing happened again, and we continued to climb up to 21-0 before the half.

 

The second half was a bit more problematic since the Falcons' punting team had clamped down, and my punt returner fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Falcons for a touchdown.  But the rest of the second half was devoted to dissecting the Falcon's defense scoring two more touchdowns--one from Charlie Smith and another from Montgomery.  The Falcons were shut down the rest of the half, and the Eagles now lead 35-7.

 

We forced a 3-and-out and continued further down the field for another touchdown.  We got a Safety, then Campbell worked our way into Falcon territory and the Eagles offense scored yet another touchdown.  Not much to talk about; we kicked off to the Falcons, and the quarter came to an end.  Eagles are up 51-7.

 

The 4th quarter, we forced a 4-and-out and punched it in for yet another touchdown.  Then, we forced a safety, and the Eagles recovered the onside kick.  We ran out the clock, and scored our final touchdown, and kicked an onside kick in order to end the game immediately.  The final score was 67-7 Philadelphia.