As a result, the tie stands and by virtue of the fact that Ricker is seeded high than Wallace, he moves on.

It was the best case scenario for Ricker. He gets to advance and his Culpepper Moss/Combo (35 of his 50 points this week), will have to play in week 16 as the Vikings lost to the Rams and did not wrap up home field advantage.

The bitter tie will eat at Wallace for a while. Surely it is on par with a '94 defeat where he switched kickers and lost 45-44 to Best. Wallace's QB switch from Oakland to Baltimore was a wash as each scored twice. However, the league wags are noting that he played too much with his Johnsons, starting Baltimore's Patrick over Phillie's Charles. It was a question of who he would replace the injured Marcus Robinson with. Patrick Johnson failed to catch a pass, but Charles scored twice. However, Charles really hadn't been in Wallace's rotation in recent weeks. Wallace had been playing Donald Hayes. Had Hayes been in the line-up, Wally would have had the precious bonus point to put him over the top.

Other facts about the tie:

• League record fifth this season
• Fourth tie in six weeks
• League record 10th lifetime by Wallace
• Third in playoff history, Others
  Berger Browell 43-43 with Peil (93 wk 14).
  Outlaw 27-27 with CZ (95 wk 16)

  Divison Winners Stunned As 6-7-8 Seeds Roll

  In three stunning upsets, all three division winners were ousted from the playoffs. Each team was playing a divisional opponent this week.

  Inspired Outlaw Chugs Bud

  For two years, Outlaw has been moaning about having to play in the division as Wallace and Bud. No more. Wallace and Bud are gone and Outlaw stands alone in the East division.

  For Bud, a shocker...This was supposed his year. It seemed that he was clearly the best team as he closed in on a points record. He gets the points record, but it's the same old story. He draws a hot team in the the playoffs and gets trounced. This time is was Outlaw, fresh off a 60-60 tie with Bud, Outlaw figures he has to do better and does. He scores 73 to Bud's 29 (so far). Fred Taylor and Emmitt Smith led a solid ground game, and both Outlaws QBs scored 25, (he started San Francisco). Those are numbers usually associated with St Louis Bud's QBs, but they could one manage a bonus point. It's the same old story, failure in the BRFL and success in the TWFL. In "his own league" Bud will play in the Super Bowl for the 8th time. Ironically it was Jeff Garcia who made the difference in his TWFL semi-final win over former BRFL'er Jeff Gates. More proof you can't have it both ways.

  For Outlaw, It is on to the semi-finals where Ricker awaits. In week 6, Ricker defeated Outlaw 57-54 on a 4th quarter combo Culpepper/Moss TD on Monday night.

  The Third is the Charm as JK whips AB

  When he left his line-up on the forum, AB mused about meeting an opponent for the third time after beating them twice. That perhaps is what is calling jinxing yourself, or perhaps you just got royally "Faulked".

  For JK, it ends a 7 game playoff skid that dates back to 1993 and they finish in the money for the first time since 1988. (Back then you didn't actually have to win in the playoffs to reach the money...)Yes, they are playing hockey in hell, folks. Marshall Faulk scored 27 points (a BRFL playoff record). The only other time JK won a playoff game (an upset of Montgomery on 1993), they had a back, Ronald Moore of Arizona, score 4 TDs. In, the 50-37 whipping of Barry. JK did take it a little easy. They sat Oakland D and Ryan Longwell in favor of a Philly flavored attach they was a net loss of 16 points.

  The "Magic Coin" Brings in Lots of Coins

  By Friday the week long debate of whether or not they should start Terry Glenn over Oronde Gadsen was settled Friday morning with the flip of a coin. (Only these two can obsess over a "fifth starter") Glenn won the toss. Not satisfied, they flipped again. "The coin is trying to tell us something". This was a "magic coin", one that has never been wrong about making line-up decisions. "We maximized our line-up this week, Chief". Glenn got the start. The difference was Glenn's TD as the DB's squeaked by 50-45.

  For Moses, a real heartbreaker. At one point in the Pittsburgh/New York Giant Amani Toomer is denied a TD in his attempt to strech the ball over the pylon. Then Ron Dayne is stuffed. The Jim Nance became Moses' worst enemy as he broke in with Db's highlights. Eddie George, Terry Glenn, George again, and again. A late rally by New Orleans, but Terry Allen rather than Aaron Brooks over the top took it in. In the late game. Wheatley had another chance near the goal, but Tim Brown scored instead.

Once again Bud is the favorite. In 1995, Bud went into the playoffs undefeated, His 2K squad has only 8 wins, but he is in spitting distance of the BRFL season points record. Bud wants to pump that up to 1000 if he can. To do so, he has to average 61 points a game (a hair over his current 58) for three games. However, with Bud's luck, that won't guarantee him a title. The two highest scoring games in playoff history (Best's 79 and Talbot's 69) were scored against Bud. Bud has been susceptible to the big game during this regular season. Twice he's scored in the 60's and not won. Bud was also on the wrong end of thd DB's record tying 90 point game. So there is another point record Bud is chasing, most points allowed in the regular season (Talbot, 733 in 98).

For the second straight year, Outlaw makes the playoffs as a points qualifier. And despite a not so hot record, he always looks respectable. Then the points tend to dry up. Sometimes he wins as evidence of making the Super Bowl twice, squeaking by mainly. The most points he ever scored in a playoff game was 51. That was in a '96 Loss to Bud. This week, Fred Taylor and Joe Horn have good matchups, but his SF QBs might have it tough against New Orleans.

Things look good for Mike Anderson and St Louis QBs should benefit from some homecooking and a soft Viking secondary. Deitrich to clear the first hurdle and stay on the 1000 point pace.

Beep Beep Beep. That is the sound of JK backing into the playoffs. Every year the stars align just so and JK is in. Looking at the last three regular season weeks of the last three years (all playoff years for JK) they are a combined 2-7. 2-7! The only thing that is worse that is worse than that is their lifetime playoff record: 1-8. 1-8! Plus they have lost 7 stright playoff games. You know Best, Jackson and Stroupe, all former champions who missed the playoffs this year, have to be seething watching JK once again taking up space.

Despite his regular season woes, AB is a solid 4-4 in the playoffs. In his four trips to the post season he has won, and then lost a game. So what we have is one team that has never lost an opening playoff game vs another that has lost 7 straight.

We all know that the game isn't played in the archives, so let's see what we can forecast on the field. AB has Washington "win one for Norv" playing at Dallas. It should be fun for Jeff George to prove he is a starter. Robert Smith and Jerome Bettis (who have thunk it, Fantasy Studs again) have favorable games. Jimmy Smith should to well, and possibly the turf toe of Terrell Owens feels better. JK gets KC versus Carolina who recently shut down the Rams offense. Marshall Faulk against the Vikes, Brad "Who" Hoover against the Chiefs. Shannon Sharpe against the Chargers. I'm giving the edge to Barry. Perhaps on the field it is fairly even, so you got to go with history after all. History says JK never makes week 16.

Still, Moses has some MO-mentum. After a 2-4 start where we were calling him "Grandma Moses" he has put together a 7-1 run to make it to the postseason. He's got the big back attach, what you need this time of year and he's got a hot QB, New Orleans, that no one was expecting.

What's scary about the DB's is that some weeks they can be god-awful and some weeks look like world beaters: evidence their 90 and 79 point bursts this season. This week they have Denver at home vs the Seahawks, Eddie George vs the Bungles and Ike v Vikes. As far as the rest of the lineup, I would not be surprised if their lawyers turn up on Larry King to discuss it. "Larry, he wants to start Glenn again, He's nuts".

I have to pick an upset and this is the one that looks the ripest becauuse for weeks, the DB's had been bragging on how good they look in week 15. I thought they looked better against, say Barry which was the match-up before Bud's tie Monday Night. However, it's a taller order to beat Moses. OK, back me into the corner: the token playoff surprise is DB.

Wallace faces problems with Oakland up against the Jets D, and E James up against Buffalo D. Ricker should easily win this match-up of two-time champions.

Week 15

Sunday, December 10

• Arizona at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
• Carolina at Kansas City, 1 p.m.
• Cincinnati at Tennessee, 1 p.m.
• Detroit at Green Bay, 1 p.m.
• Minnesota at St. Louis, 1 p.m.
• New England at Chicago, 1 p.m.
• New Orleans at San Francisco, 4:15 p.m.
• Philadelphia at Cleveland, 1 p.m.
• Pittsburgh at New York Giants, 1 p.m.
• San Diego at Baltimore, 1 p.m.
• Seattle at Denver, 4:05 p.m.
• Tampa Bay at Miami, 1 p.m.
• Washington at Dallas, 4:15 p.m.
• New York Jets at Oakland, 8:20 p.m.

Monday, December 11

• Buffalo at Indianapolis, 9 p.m.

(Open date: Atlanta)