Ten Best Games From NFL '07

SRW · Dec 31, 2007

Ten best games from NFL's '07 slate

With the 2007 regular season finished, USA TODAY looks back at 10 of the most memorable contests of 2007:

Sept. 16: Browns 51, Bengals 45
Derek Anderson, just a week after relieving Charlie Frye as Browns quarterback, had his coming-out party with five touchdown passes in the shootout. Cincinnati's Carson Palmer bettered Anderson with six scoring passes, but his two interceptions proved one too many when Cleveland's Leigh Bodden picked him off at the Browns' 27-yard line with 21 seconds left. Cleveland's win included the first game with a 300-yard passer, 200-yard rusher and two 100-yard receivers in franchise history.

Oct. 8: Cowboys 25, Bills 24
Dallas scored nine points in the final 20 seconds to stun Buffalo on Monday Night Football. Tony Romo, who overcame five interceptions (two of which were returned for touchdowns), connected with Patrick Crayton for a touchdown with 20 ticks left to cap an 80-yard drive. After the two-point conversion failed, Nick Folk nailed two field goals (the first one having been negated by a timeout) as time expired to clinch a victory that looked improbable at the two-minute warning.

Oct. 21: Titans 38, Texans 36
Down 32-7 with 3:01 left in the third quarter, Houston backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels rallied the Texans with four fourth-quarter touchdown passes to take a one-point lead in the game's final minute. The Titans, with starting quarterback Vince Young sidelined, relied on kicker Rob Bironas, who had already hit seven field goals, to rescue them. His field goal as time expired won the game and marked his NFL-record eighth trey of the contest.

Oct. 29: Packers 19, Broncos 13 (OT)
Brett Favre left no doubt when he connected with Greg Jennings on the first play from scrimmage in overtime for an 82-yard touchdown that defeated the Broncos. A field goal by Denver's Jason Elam as time expired in regulation forced the extra period. But Favre, who had a 79-yard strike to James Jones for a first-quarter score, registered a highlight in his renaissance season that featured his trademark arms-in-the-air celebration with the walk-off touchdown.

Nov. 4: Patriots 24, Colts 20
The Patriots mapped the road to the Super Bowl through Foxborough with two fourth-quarter touchdowns to rally past their nemesis, the Indianapolis Colts. Tom Brady hit Wes Welker for a 3-yard score with 7:59 left and then found Kevin Faulk for a 13-yard touchdown with 3:15 left to seal the win. The matchup of unbeatens, the latest faceoff of teams without a loss since 1921, drew the highest overnight TV rating since 1987.

Nov. 18: Browns 33, Ravens 30 (OT)
Victory was ripped away from the Ravens when officials reversed their initial call and ruled a field-goal attempt by Cleveland's Phil Dawson good as time expired. The kick, which bounced off the left upright, then the center support beam and back through the uprights into the end zone, was called no good, seemingly giving a victory to the Ravens, many of whom headed to the locker room. The officials gathered and correctly determined the kick was good. The players returned to the field, where the Browns won the overtime toss and Dawson kicked the game winner with 9:13 left. The loss was the fourth straight for the spiraling Ravens, who did not win again until Week 17.

Nov. 25: 49ers 37, Cardinals 31 (OT)
San Francisco's Tully Banta-Cain recovered a fumble in the end zone by Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner to secure a wild win for the 49ers. San Francisco had taken a three-point lead on Frank Gore's 35-yard touchdown run with 1:25 left, then saw the lead evaporate when Arizona's Neil Rackers nailed a field goal to force overtime as regulation ended. Rackers appeared to have won the game in overtime, but his 27-yard attempt with 7:05 left was nullified by a delay-of-game penalty. He missed the ensuing 32-yard try that gave a second chance to the 49ers, who could have won the game with a safety if Warner had not fumbled on the final play.

Nov. 26: Steelers 3, Dolphins 0
Highlights were few, but the mud of Heinz Field facilitated the deepest penetration of a scoreless tie in 64 years. Neither team entered the red zone until the Steelers drove 36 yards for a 24-yard field goal by Jeff Reed with 17 seconds left. The play that epitomized the game: A punt by Miami's Brandon Fields landed squarely and firmly in the muck at the Dolphins' 48-yard line offering no possibility for a return.

Dec. 3: Patriots 27, Ravens 24
The Patriots survived perhaps their stiffest test when Tom Brady, helped by several controversial penalties and a Ravens timeout, threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jabar Gaffney with 44 seconds remaining for the winning points. The Ravens had stopped Brady on a fourth-down quarterback sneak on the final drive, but a timeout that originated on the Baltimore sideline negated the play and allowed the still-perfect Patriots another chance. Capping the thrilling night was a 52-yard Hail Mary completion from Ravens QB Kyle Boller to Mark Clayton on the final play. The Patriots pushed the receiver out at the 3-yard line to preserve the victory.

Dec. 29: Patriots 38, Giants 35
Perfection isn't supposed to be easy, and the Giants made sure the Patriots would not get to 16-0 without a fight during a game that was broadcast on three networks simultaneously. Eli Manning's four touchdown passes helped New York open the largest lead (12 points) against New England all season in the third quarter. But Tom Brady led the Patriots to 22 unanswered points, including a 65-yard touchdown pass to Randy Moss that set the single-season record for TD passes and receptions, to claim the first 16-game undefeated regular season in league history.
Click to expand...

frost · Dec 31, 2007

Nov. 26: Steelers 3, Dolphins 0
Wow do I not agree with this game. That had to be the worst game I have ever witnessed from HS/college/pros combined.

Packman V2 · Dec 31, 2007

Packers/Cowboys game shoulda been on that list. It was close to the level of Pats/Colts, and had huge implications due to it being on NFL Network and no one being able to watch the game.

Dougerrrr · Dec 31, 2007

I would have picked the Steelers?Browns second game before the Fins and Steelers game.

DaBearsrule4ever · Jan 1, 2008

What about Bears vs. Vikings from october 14th or Bears vs. Broncos from november 25th?

burnout2oo7 · Jan 1, 2008

frost said: ↑

Nov. 26: Steelers 3, Dolphins 0
Wow do I not agree with this game. That had to be the worst game I have ever witnessed from HS/college/pros combined.
Click to expand...

:agreed:
There are A LOT of games I would have chosen over this one. The rest of the list is pretty decent, though.

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Ten Best Games From NFL '07

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Ten Best Games From NFL '07

SRW Ex-World's Worst Site Admin

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DaBearsrule4ever Hall Of Famer

burnout2oo7 I Am Dawk's Broken Heart

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