European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 20, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday december 20,1988 the stars and stripes Page 21sports playoff picture in focus giants pats saints Colts ousted on final sunday by he associated press Philadelphia Seattle Cleveland and the los Angeles rams arc in. The new York giants new England new Orleans and Indianapolis arc oui buddy Ryan s eagles won the pfc East and advanced to the playoffs for the kit time since 1981. The giants who would Hove won the division with a Victory Over the new York jets instead lost to their stadium nil Roundup co tenants 27-21 and then lost the last wildcard spot when inc rams upset san Francisco 38-16 sunday night. We won in great style and i d like to thank the jets for helping us out Ryan said. Personally his Rales right up there with the three super bowls i be been  the rams behind Jim Everett s tour touchdown Jas pcs beat the pfc Wesl Champion 49ers in san Francisco Load Vance to the wild card game against Minnesota it Wili be in Minnesota if the Vikings win monday night against Chicago. If the Vikings lose inc game will be in los Angeles. That s the nil giants quarterback Phil Simms said. Sometimes you have to rely on another team. We had the Chance i n out hands and we did t Lake advantage. We did t take care  Cleveland beat Houston 28-21 setting up n rematch with the oilers next Sal urday in the acc wild card game. The Field was covered with Snow and the in a pc Raturi was 22 degrees. I Don t want to come Back to his ral Hole Houston receiver Ernest Givins said. The weather could be even worse than it is today. But Well be All right."1 it s tin example of our whole season Cleveland Light end Ozzie new some said. We had a slow Start things were going bid. But when the chips Are Down we re one of inc toughest teams in the  Seattle beat the los an gets raiders 43-37 to win the acc West for the first time in the so Hawks 13-Ycar history Seattle plays at Cincinnati the acc Cen trial Winner. We knew that this was going to be a wild game Seattle coach Chuck Knox said. Right from the Start raiders line Backer malt Millen said i heard one of their lineman say it s going to be one of those games.1 a and in  Indianapolis beat Ruffalo. 17-14 and new Orleans beat Atlanta 10-9 to slay in. Contention briefly on the nil s final Reg ular season sunday. But both were eliminated several minutes later. Philadelphia s Victory finished new Orleans and Clave land swin . In games not affecting the playoffs Tampa Bay beat Detroit 21-10, Pitts Burgh but Miami 40-24, san Diego beat Kansas City 24-13 and Green Bay beat i hocnix26-l7 on saturday  Washington 20-17 in overtime and Denver beat new England 21-10.haras 38,49m 16 Jim Everett threw four touchdown passes three 10 Damone Johnson and. The rams sacked Joe Montana eight times. The 49crs, who had won four straight clinched the pfc West title earlier in the Day when new Orleans beat Atlanta they finished in a three Way tie with the saints and rams at 10-6 but won their third consecutive division championship based on a 3-1 record against the two foes. ". So Hawks Bannic Blades drags raiders Ron Fellows into the end  in n 17-Yard scoring play in Scalia s win sunday. Everett completed 19 of 38 passes for 201 Yards and set a club record with a league leading 31 to passes for inc sea son. The rams scored on six straight possessions beginning in the second Quarter. Browns 28, oilers 23 Veteran Don Elrock filling in for injured Dernie Kosar passed for 326 Yards and two touchdowns As Cleveland Over came a 23-7 deficit and beat Houston oilers. The Cleveland Victory set up a re match in the same stadium for the acc wild card game next saturday. The Browns and oilers both finished the Reg ular season at 10-6, but Cleveland earned the Home Field advantage because of a belter division record the game Winner was an improvised 22-Yard pass to Webster Slaughter with 6 23 to play capping a comeback from a horrible Start that saw Elrock throw interceptions on each of the Browns first three possessions. The oilers led 16-7 Al halftime and they seemed to have the game Well in hand after quarterback Warren Moon. Completed a 7-Yard touchdown pass to Haywood pc Flores sin minutes into the third Quarter Strock however completed a 15-Yard pass to Slaughter a 22-Yardcr to Clar ence Weathers and a 13-Yardcr to Ozzie Newsome to set up a 2-Yard scaring pass to Earnest byner less than three minutes later ". The Browns defense forced a punt and Elrock directed another scoring drive starting in with a 32-Yard pass to Slaughter and finishing it with byner s 2 Yard touchdown run the drive was kept alive by a fourth Down offsides Penally against Houston and a 7-Yard reception by Herman Fon i not on a pass deflected by two other pity cars. Cleveland s defense again held and the Browns Goi the Ball Back at their own 11-Yard line trailing 23-21 with 10 54 to play. Elrock completed a 6-Yard pass to Reggie Langhorne on fourth-and-2 from the. Houston 31, and two plays later threw the Winner to Slaughter on a Sim pm Posl pattern. Sea Hawks 43, raiders j7 Dave Krieg plagued by inconsistency Nihro Ghoul his career passed for 410 Yards and four touchdowns giving him nine scoring passes in two games against los Angeles this season As Seattle out lasted inc los Angeles raiders to win Llie acc Wesl championship. Seattle 9-7, Wil. Play at Cincinnati against the acc Central Champion Beng als on either dec. 31 or Jan. I the raid ers 7-9, finished third in the acc Wisi and missed qualifying for the playoffs for the third straight year. Krieg who completed 19 of 32 passes threw five touchdown passes in his team s 35-27 win Over the raiders at inc kingdom on nov. 28. The raiders iwo losses to the so Hawks were the Only ones los Angeles suffered in eight Divi Sion sacs. Even though they Werc in command most of the Way the so Hawks nearly  raiders had a Chance to win the game and division but Jay Schroedor threw four consecutive in completions from inc Scampi 45-Yard line inc final one with Silt seconds left. V Seattle had 490 Yards of total offence to 441 for the raiders Schmo Cdr completed 22 of 49 for 35-1 Yards and three touchdowns but it was t enough. Knee threw a 75-Yard touchdown pass to John l. Williams Midway through the third Quarter giving the so Hawks a 37 20 Lead Hui Schroeder s third touch Down pass a 54-Yardcr to Mervyn Fernandez Wilh i 2 54 left made it 40-14. Norm Johnson s fifth Field goal with out a miss a 32-Yardcr Wilh 5 18 remain ing gave Seattle a nine Point lend. Chris Bahr kicked a 24-Yard held goal with 2 21 logo Tor inc game s final Points. Earlier Kring threw a 35-Yard much Down pass to Sieve la genl and 17 and 30-Yard scoring passes to Rookie Brian Blades who had four receptions for 123 Yards. Large no who finished his 13th season has now caught at least one pass in a record 167 consecutive games. The Loucht Iown reception wus the 97lh of his career two behind Don hut sort who caught a record 99. Larger i finished inc a Jim with two catches for so Yards giving him 39 receptions for 645 Yards this season. He has career totals of 791 receptions for 12,610 Yards both tops in nil history. Colts 17, bills14 Wilh Veteran quarterback tory ilog Boom Knish info where he started 15 weeks earlier Indianapolis beat Buffalo 17-14 to slay in con cation for an acc wild cat  if Only briefly barely a half hour later As the Colls wailed nervously in their locker room they got word that Cleveland had rallied Nusl Houston 28-23, Dimi Naling the Colts from the playoffs and making the oilers and Browns the conference s wild card entries v Hogeboom who loss his starting Job after the first game of the season re placed injured Rookie Chris Chandler in the fourth Quarter and passed for 89 Yards and two touchdown. The winning touchdown came with a Little More than a minute left and sea nil on Page 33