NFL Primetime 1997 Wild Card Playoff Sunday (ESPN December 28th, 1997)

Chris Berman and Tom Jackson host ESPN NFL Primetime for 1997 Wild Card Sunday, where the New England Patriots defeated Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins 17-3, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated Barry Sanders and the Detroit Lions 20-10. New England had narrowly defeated the Dolphins 14-12 in a tough defensive struggle during the last Monday night game of the regular season, and this playoff game would have similar results. The Patriots' defense held Miami to 162 total yards of offense, 42 rushing yards and forced three Dolphins turnovers. Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino completed only 17 of 43 passes for 141 yards and was intercepted twice. He also fumbled the ball twice, losing a turnover on one of them. This was the first time in Marino's 15-year career (including 14 postseason games) that he did not throw a touchdown pass in a playoff game. Without star running back Curtis Martin, New England could only generate 228 offensive yards, but their ball security turned out to be key as they avoided losing any turnovers for the entire game. The Buccaneers won their first playoff game since 1979, in what turned out to be their final game at Houlihan's Stadium. Tampa Bay built a 20–0 lead midway through the third quarter. Lions quarterback Scott Mitchell completed only 10 of 25 passes for 78 yards, and running back Barry Sanders, who rushed for over 2,000 yards during the season, had 18 carries for just 65 yards. _______________________________________________