Indianapolis became the second team this season to lose a game despite rolling up 500 yards of offense (540) with Sunday's loss to the Ravens. The first team to lose with 500 yards was the Cowboys on Thursday. The eight previous teams with 500 all won. In two games against the St. Louis Rams this season, Atlanta Falcons running back Jamal Anderson has gained 360 yards and averaged 6.8 yards a crack. In two games against the San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos tailback Terrell Davis is averaging 3.3 yards a carry. Davis was held to 69 and 74 yards by the Chargers. The Falcons are 7-0 in domes this season and play the last four games indoors. The New Orleans Saints are 5-0 when they hold a team under 30 points, 0-7 when they don't. The Cowboys have lost just one turnover in their last five games. The Packers have 27 giveaways through 12 games.
NFL zebras: endangered species?
Week 13 In Review
Best and worst
Best fake: Bears' field-goal team. Lined up for a 35-yard kick, holder (and punter) Mike Horan flipped a shovel pass to Ryan Wetnight, who rumbled 18 yards for a touchdown and a 7-7 tie against Tampa Bay.
Worst gaffe: Bucs' kick-return team. Right after the Wetnight touchdown, Reidel Anthony allowed Chicago's kickoff to bounce at the Bucs' 23. Wetnight recovered the free ball for the Bears, who promptly scored to take a 14-7 lead.
Most opportunistic: Bucs' Ronde Barber. When a Horan punt glanced off Jeff Gooch's side, Barber, who hadn't returned a punt since high school, ran back the short kick for a 23-yard touchdown to tie the game, 14-14.
Easiest PAT: Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri. When the Patriots scored a game-winning touchdown against Buffalo, the Bills went directly to the locker room. With just the offense lined up, Vinatieri took the extra point snap and jogged into the end zone for a two-point conversion.
Best runback: Rams' Tony Horne. The free-agent rookie from Clemson returned the second-half kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown against Atlanta.
Worst special teams: Colts. They didn't give up any big returns to the Ravens' Jermaine Lewis, but did give up three long kick returns to Corey Harris (for 55, 49 and 47 yards) that accounted for 13 points. The Colts also lost a 49-yard field goal on a holding penalty and had another field goal blocked in a seven-point loss.
Best call: Falcons' Jessie Tuggle. Mindful of the coin-toss controversy in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day, Tuggle brought a sign with him to midfield for the pre-game coin toss at St. Louis. It read, "HEADS." The coin toss went smoothly, the Falcons received and ultimately won, 21-10.
Pub Date: 12/01/98
