NFL Roundup : Giants Fall to 0-5 After Bills’ Schlopy Decides Sloppy Game, 6-3

As the National Football League’s first strikeball season comes to an end after three games, the Super Bowl champion New York Giants, 0-2 before the strike, are left with an overall record of 0-5.

The latest Giant killers were the Buffalo Bills, who won, 6-3, in overtime Sunday at Buffalo on a 27-yard field goal by Todd Schlopy. The game that was marked by 258 yards in penalties, 9 turnovers and 5 missed field goals.

Schlopy, a former ski racer who earlier missed three times, kicked the game-winner from 27 yards with 19 seconds left. It was set up on a 30-yard run by Carl Byrum, Buffalo’s starting fullback, who had 139 yards in 25 carries.

The Bills are now 2-3 overall after their replacement team went 1-2.

New England 21, Houston 7--Doug Flutie, traded to the Patriots by Chicago last week, rewarded his new team with 242 yards of total offense as New England beat the Oilers at Houston.

Both the Patriots (3-2) and the Oilers (3-2) finished the strike replacement season 2-1.

Flutie completed 15 of 25 passes for 199 yards with no interceptions and rushed for 43 yards in 6 carries.

Flutie engineered scoring drives on New England’s first two possessions, and late in the first half Raymond Clayborn returned a field goal blocked by Andre Tippett 71 yards for a touchdown.

Pittsburgh 21, Indianapolis 7--Former UCLA quarterback Steve Bono, who led the Steelers to a 2-1 record in strikeball games, threw two touchdown passes to lead them over the Colts at Pittsburgh.

For the Colts (2-3) it was the first loss in a non-union game. The Steelers are 3-2.

The Steelers, who fielded 6 pre-strike starters and 18 regulars in all to no starters and 9 regulars for Indianapolis, scored all three of their touchdowns following Colt turnovers. The Colts lost two fumbles, and quarterback Blair Kiel, replacing the injured Gary Hogeboom, had three passes intercepted.

The Steelers’ first replacement home game attracted 34,627 in 59,000-seat Three Rivers Stadium, ending a streak of 119 consecutive home sellouts dating to Nov. 5, 1972.

San Francisco 34, St. Louis 28--Joe Montana threw four touchdown passes and the 49ers rallied to beat the Cardinals before 38,094 at San Francisco.

The 49ers (4-1) joined the Chargers as the only teams to go 3-0 in strike games. St. Louis (2-3) was 1-2 in strike games.

Montana, leading 17 regular 49ers who defied the strike, threw all of his touchdowns to veterans--two to split end Dwight Clark, one to running back Roger Craig and the winner to tight end Ron Heller, a three-yarder with 4:39 left.

Denver 26, Kansas City 17--Ken Karcher completed 25 of 39 passes for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the Broncos at Kansas City.

The Chiefs, who sold almost 63,000 pre-strike tickets to what turned out to be their only home non-union game, announced an attendance of 20,296.

The Broncos are 3-1-1 after going 2-1 in strike games. Kansas City is 1-4 after going 0-3.

Green Bay 16, Philadelphia 10--John Hargrove’s five-yard run with 9:56 left in overtime at Green Bay gave the Packers a victory in their second straight overtime game and third of the season.

The Packers, 0-2 before the strike, are 2-2-1. They are 1-1-1 in the three overtime games. The Eagles, 0-3 in strike games, are 1-4 overall.

The victory was the Packers’ first at Lambeau Field since 1985. Some in the crowd of 35,842 chanted “B team, B team” at the end of the game.

New York Jets 37, Miami 31--Pat Ryan threw four touchdown passes, including the game-winner with 34 seconds left in overtime, as the Jets beat the Dolphins at East Rutherford, N.J.

Ryan had career highs in completions (30), attempts (49), yardage (301) and touchdowns.

Eddie Hunter, who rushed for 94 yards, caught the game-winning pass, an eight-yarder that was set up when safety George Radachowsky returned an interception 45 yards.

The Jets are 3-2 and on top of the AFC East. The regulars were 2-0 before the strike.

Miami, 1-1 before the strike, is now 2-3 overall.

Cleveland 34, Cincinnati 0--Gary Danielson, playing for the first time in two years, passed for four touchdowns to lead the veteran-laden Browns to victory over the outmanned Bengals before 40,179 at Cincinnati.

The Browns are 3-2 overall, 2-1 since the strike, while the Bengal are 2-3 and 1-2.

Tampa Bay 20, Minnesota 10--The Buccaneers scored on a fumble recovery and an interception return in the third quarter win at Tampa, Fla.

A crowd of 20,850, the smallest to watch a Buccaneer home game in the team’s 12 years of existence, saw 7 turnovers.

But the victory could provide a boost for the regular Buccaneers, 3-2 after going 2-1 in strike games. They trail Chicago by one game.