If ever there was a time where dashboard-quitting a multiplayer game would be justified, it would be fumbling your first three kickoff returns in Madden NFL 11. Reader Pd771 stuck with it though, pulling off a righteously satisfying comeback.
Picking the Packers right after their agonizing loss to the Falcons on Sunday, Pd771 saw no immediate comfort in the beginning of a Green Bay vs. Philadelphia ranked match. All three of his fumbled kickoffs led to Eagles touchdowns and a 21-0 hole for Pd771 before the first quarter was out.
Pat Lee began the Packers' turnaround by intercepting Michael Vick midway through the first half. That set up a Jordy Nelson touchdown, which Pd771 followed with a Donald Lee score and a Mason Crosby 43-yarder in the waning seconds of the first half.
Neither side scored in the third quarter, but the Packers broke through with a Greg Jennings touchdown reception with four minutes remaining in the game. The Eagles went on the march, reaching the 7-yard-line with 25 seconds remaining. Vick tried to thread the needle on an end zone corner route, Charles Woodson jumped all over it, and returned the pick for the killing score and the 31-21 final.
Here's the Box Score!
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Now the Kotaku Sports open thread commences with the sports highlights for today and tomorrow. All times are U.S. Eastern.
- College Football
Conference title games are today, pitting McWhertor alma mater Central Florida vs. SMU for the Conference-USA championship (kicked off an hour ago); No. 2 Auburn against No. 18 South Carolina for the SEC crown (4 p.m.); No 22 Florida State vs. No. 13 Virginia Tech for the ACC (7:45); and No. 13 Nebraska and No. 10 Oklahoma in the final Big XII championship game (8). Other games for high stakes: No. 1 Oregon visits rival Oregon State at 3:30, with the Beavers spoiling to ruin the Ducks' shot at a BCS Championship Game bid. Rutgers-West Virginia (kicked off an hour ago) and Connecticut-South Florida (8) will determine the outcome of the craptacular Big East. In the Pac-10, rivals USC and UCLA are playing for nothing for the first time in forever. Washington is at Washington State at 7, looking to become the NCAA's 72nd bowl-eligible team. - NFL
Week 13's best bets: The Raiders visit San Diego (4:05 p.m., CBS), winners of four in a row, in a game with big implications for the AFC West. NFC-best Atlanta hosts 7-4 Tampa Bay at 4:15 on Fox. Pittsburgh and Baltimore is the Sunday night national game (8:20 p.m., NBC) and ESPN's bet on Jets-Pats being relevant pays off big. It's on Monday Night Football, 8:30 p.m. - NBA
Houston's at Chicago at 8 p.m. on ESPN; the best regional game would be Atlanta at Miami, 7:30 p.m. if you can get it. New Orleans at San Antonio (7 p.m.) is tomorrow's best. - NHL
The CBC's games tonight, at 7 p.m. are San Jose at Montreal, Boston at Toronto, and Buffalo at Ottawa. The nightcap is St. Louis at Edmonton, 10 p.m. Tomorrow night the NHL Network delivers Calgary and Chicago at 7 p.m.
- College Basketball
Kentucky and North Carolina tipped off 30 minutes ago on CBS; Butler and Duke rematch their NCAA Tournament Final in New Jersey on ESPN at 3:15. N.C. State is at Syracuse on ESPN2 at 5:30. Tomorrow sees a quadrupleheader on Fox Sports Net, beginning at 4 with Oklahoma at Arizona.
Remember, you may send Game of the Week nominations to owenATkotakuDOTcom, and flag it "Box Scores" in the subject header. Please include your commenter handle for proper credit.