Subject: Week 10

WHAT A FINISH!!

In another nailbiter, the Browns (Mark) pull off an unprobable victory over
the Steelers.  It was back and forth throughout... the tables seemed to have
turned with a blocked extra point kick by Poteat... but the Browns answered
back with a clutch two point conversion next time around.  With 8 seconds on
the clock, and the Steelers down by 8, they not only score but complete the
necessary super-clutch two point conversion to tie the game.  In an *almost*
miraculous finnish, as the steelers have a collective heart attack, a deep,
deep throw to kevin johnson is caught, pulled in, and then stopped at the 2
by a shoe-string tackle with no time left on the clock.  Overtime it is!
The Browns win the toss but their drive grinds to a halt at the opposing 43
and they are left with a 4th and 4 decision.  In a gutsy move, they go for
it... and complete their ONLY 4th down conversion of the game.   In front of
an absolutely silent pittsburgh croud, they proceed to march with a
confident swagger downfield all the way to the 7 yard line.... its up....
its GOOD! And the Browns come away with a clutch victory to keep their slim
playoff hopes alive.
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In the GAME OF THE WEEK...

To set the stage, both teams were coming off the longest win streaks in OUR
league- the niners off a 4 game, and the Raiders off a FIVE game win-streak,
not having lost since the second week of the season.  A 49er win would tie
them in the NFC standings, while a Raiders win would give Oakland a
comfortable lead heading into the tail part of the year.

The 49ers defense came out strong and were determined to stop the Oakland
passing game.  The first 3 Oakland possessions were halted in their tracks
without even a first down.  I don't think Rice even saw daylight, he was so
smothered on his routes.  It was not just defense for San Fran, though, as
Garcia came out with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove.  The
Garcia-Owens connection put the Niners up early to 14-0 midway through the
first quarter.  Rice tried to step it up to start the second, but could only
bring them to the 35 yd line, before the niners defense reasserted itself in
a major way, forcing a 10 yard loss on 3rd down to push the Raiders out of
FG range.  The resultant 49er offensive series ended with what looked like a
turning point as Wheatstone intercepted a Garcia TD pass, but it was not to
be.  The smothering defense was still too much, and yet again, it was 3 and
out for the Niner's *fifth* defensive stop of the half.  Rice, played well
when he found the ball with over a 100 receiving yards on only 3 catches,
but had gotten nowhere near the promised land.  Heading into the half with a
big egg on the board was just too embarrassing for the future Hall-of-Famer,
and a determined Rice leaped high to catch the spiral on the two yd line,
landed, hurdled one defender, and proceeded to bull his way between two
others to finally land in the endzone.  With the score 17-7, the Raiders
headed into the locker room with a glimmer of hope.
	That brief glint of a comeback was quickly squashed, however, as Gannon
never seemed to find his rhythm, and Garner and Rice just never saw a hole
to exploit.  In the end, Owens was unstoppable with 270 Yds and 4 TD's, and
even the second-string (HB) Barlow kicked ass- setting up a deadly running
tandem with (FB) Beastly for a bruising running game.  The way Barlow
played, Hearst might not have a job when he returns from his injury.  Rice
definitely lost this receiver match-up, being held to only SIX receptions
(for 170 yds, 1 TD), and the Raiders will have to shrug this one off heading
into a tough matchup with the Broncos in Week 10.