-The Tecmo Bowl Cup-
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Tecmo Cup I
AFC & NFC Pools
AFC analysis:The Bears are the odds on favorite here. Outside of that, there’s a lot of mystery with most of the teams being fairly evenly matched. In theory the Broncos & Raiders have an easier road than the rest in the pool. With the middle to lower tier talent here, this pool should offer some surprises.
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NFC analysis:The 49ers or Giants should win this pool. The 49ers have a more favorable schedule than the Giants. Cleveland & Miami are legit contenders to make the playoffs. Indianapolis faces 3 very difficult opponents, & will have to pull off an upset or two. Washington will be lucky to win 1 game.
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Pool Play Results
Indy & Seattle were teams we felt needed to win their opening game more than anyone else. Neither did, but Indy was still able to make the playoffs. Dallas threw their pool on its ear as they upset LA in week 2. That caused some shake up in terms of what we thought would happen.
Miami had to gut it out with a couple close games but got the 2 seed.
Miami had to gut it out with a couple close games but got the 2 seed.
Pool Standings
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Chicago & New York were dominant as expected. Dallas came out of nowhere beating LA, & demolishing Denver. The Raiders looked very impressive in their 2 wins, & nearly beat Dallas. Denver was on the verge of a high seed until the loss to Dallas. If not for the Cowboys surprise wins, this pool would have featured three teams that were 3-0.
San Francisco was the other surprise team, dropping both of their home games. Indianapolis won the last 2 games to earn a playoff spot. Miami took care of business to earn the 2 seed. The Browns played well despite their losing record.
San Francisco was the other surprise team, dropping both of their home games. Indianapolis won the last 2 games to earn a playoff spot. Miami took care of business to earn the 2 seed. The Browns played well despite their losing record.
Playoff Results
Raiders @ Cowboys:
L.A. leads 7-0 early in the 4th when a swing pass to Allen turns into a juke with complimentary wall hitting and some huge yardage. LA adds in a field goal and eliminates the Cowboys by a score of 10-0. The Raiders avenged 13-10 loss in pool play against the Cowboys. Broncos @ Bears: In Soldier field, the Bears have 2 methodical drives to open the game resulting in touch downs. 14-0 at the half. The Broncos open the 3rd and drive down to the 5 yard line facing 4th down, but Elway gets picked off in the endzone on a desperation pass. McMahon tosses a few 2nd half interceptions but Chicago wins easily 14-0.
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Dolphins @ Colts:
Indy took a 6-3 lead in the 3rd w/ 2 big Albert Bentley kick returns. The Colts then get a big drive & score a touchdown on a pass to Pat Beach to lead 13-3. Miami scores a late touchdown, but its too late. Indy wins 13-10. In pool play the Dolphins had beaten Indy 10-7. Browns @ Giants: The Giants defensive playcalls get in a serious groove & strangle Cleveland's offense all game long. A couple Browns turnovers prove costly. The Giants easily roll 16-0. New York had narrowly beat Cleveland in the last week of pool play, but hammered them in the playoffs.
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Conference Championship games: Gentry takes the opening kick off into Raider territory resulting in 3. L.A. has 4 turnovers in their own territory & Chicago rolls 26-0. The Bears took a 13-0 lead without taking a single snap in their own territory. Ditka & the Bears pound their way into the Tecmo Cup championship game by outscoring the Broncos and Raiders 40-0.
The Giants defense strangles the life out of Indy & the offense muster a couple field goals. Duane Bickett of the Colts does get a field goal block in the 2nd qtr that at the time looked like it could be costly. A masterful gameplan by Bill Belichik is executed all game long against the Colts. New York wins 6-0, & like Chicago has yet to allow a point in the playoffs. The Giants outscored the Browns & Colts 22-0.
The Giants defense strangles the life out of Indy & the offense muster a couple field goals. Duane Bickett of the Colts does get a field goal block in the 2nd qtr that at the time looked like it could be costly. A masterful gameplan by Bill Belichik is executed all game long against the Colts. New York wins 6-0, & like Chicago has yet to allow a point in the playoffs. The Giants outscored the Browns & Colts 22-0.
Tecmo Cup I
A back & forth defensive struggle plays out on the field which was actually dominated by Chicago in terms of field position. The Bears punter Mike Wagner had an amazing day dropping punts inside the 5 over & over. The Bears D was not allowing 1st downs early in the game. The Bears kept the Giants offense pinned back inside its own 20 for a good portion of the game.
In the 4th qtr the New York offense was finally able to solve the riddle that was the Bears defense and get a field goal late in the 4th to take a 3-0 lead. Kick return champion of the galaxy Dennis Gentry got one shot to win the game on a kick off as time expired. He took it near mid field & had a small group of blockers that made it interesting between the 30 and 40 but the Giants finally tackled him. The Giants win the 1st ever Tecmo Cup by a score of 3-0.
In the 4th qtr the New York offense was finally able to solve the riddle that was the Bears defense and get a field goal late in the 4th to take a 3-0 lead. Kick return champion of the galaxy Dennis Gentry got one shot to win the game on a kick off as time expired. He took it near mid field & had a small group of blockers that made it interesting between the 30 and 40 but the Giants finally tackled him. The Giants win the 1st ever Tecmo Cup by a score of 3-0.
Tecmo Cup II
-Conference Alignment-
AFC Pool
AFC AnalysisOn paper it looks to be the Giants & Bears poised to secure the #1 & 2 seeds. The Colts & Browns will be in the mix. Should New York or Chicago slip up a bit, either team could claim a high seed. Miami will likely be an upset factor with playoff aspirations. With the right match-up in a playoff game, Miami can be deadly. Dallas unfortunately is very likely to just be a spoiler here, & possibly will need to pull off a couple upsets to reach the playoffs. As always in the Tecmo Cup, the 3 game schedule that each team gets will play a key role in how they finish.
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NFC Pool
NFC AnalysisThis conference should belong to the 49ers. They are by far & away the best team here. From there it's anyone's guess as to how the rest will shake out.
The Broncos or Seahawks could feasibly win all 3 games in this conference with the right schedule, & then just need the 49ers to trip up once along the way to claim the #1 seed. It's also an opportunity for the Raiders to get a home game in the playoffs as well. Provided L.A. avoids Washington on the schedule, they could make a run. Washington & Minnesota will struggle to find wins here. |
Tecmo Cup Schedule
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