Today in Pro Football History

1983: Riggins Runs Redskins Past Dolphins to Win Super Bowl XVII

2012-01-30T06:14:00.005-05:00

Super Bowl XVII capped a 1982 NFL season that was shortened to nine games due to a players’ strike and, as a result, necessitated a change to the usual alignment and playoff structure. The divisions were done away with and the teams with the eight best records in each conference qualified for a postseason tournament. The clubs that came out of the process to meet in the Super Bowl on January 30, 1983 were the Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins.

The Redskins, under second-year Head Coach Joe Gibbs, had made it to the playoffs for the first time since 1976 and did so in impressive fashion, topping the NFC with an 8-1 record. QB Joe Theismann, the NFL’s top-ranked passer (91.3 rating), operated behind an outstanding offensive line known as “The Hogs”. Wide receivers Charlie Brown and Art Monk were productive, and FB John Riggins (pictured above), typically lined up as a single back in a two-tight end offense, gained 553 yards during the season and had been most impressive in the playoffs with 444 yards on 98 carries (4.5 avg.) in three dominating wins over the Lions, Vikings, and, for the NFC title, the Cowboys. The defense lacked big names but gave up the fewest points in the NFL. To top it off, a special teams performer was selected as league MVP by the Associated Press and Sporting News – PK Mark Moseley, successful on 20 of 21 field goal attempts. Moseley and DB Mike Nelms, an outstanding kick returner, were both named to the Pro Bowl.

The Miami Dolphins, coached by Don Shula, were the second-seeded AFC team at 7-2. With the unspectacular but mobile David Woodley at quarterback, Miami emphasized the ground game on offense, led by Pro Bowl FB Andra Franklin (701 yards). The tough, league-leading defense contained several notable players with last names that began with B and thus were dubbed “The Killer Bees”. They included NT Bob Baumhower, ends Doug Betters and Kim Bokamper, LB Bob Brudzinski, and sibling safeties Glenn and Lyle Blackwood. Outstanding defenders in the 3-4 alignment with non-B last names included inside linebackers A.J. Duhe and Earnest Rhone and CB Don McNeal. Miami defeated the Patriots and Chargers in the first two rounds of the playoffs and then shut out the New York Jets in the AFC Championship game.

There was a giant crowd of 103,667 on hand at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California for the contest. The teams traded punts to open the first quarter, but on the second play of the second Miami possession Woodley threw a sideline pass to WR Jimmy Cefalo, who made the catch 21 yards up the field and continued on to the end zone for a 76-yard touchdown.

The Redskins went three-and-out on their next series and the Dolphins ran effectively when they got the ball back, with RB Tony Nathan gaining 12 yards up the middle and Franklin adding another 13 yards on two carries. But with a first down on the Washington 37, Woodley dropped back to pass and was hit hard by DE Dexter Manley, forcing a fumble. DT Dave Butz recovered for the Redskins, who then proceeded to put together an eight-play scoring drive that stretched into the early seconds of the second quarter. After converting a third down to get to the Miami 35, it was Riggins running on five consecutive plays and gaining 21 yards. Moseley kicked a 31-yard field goal and Miami’s lead was cut to 7-3.

The Dolphins started their next series with good field position thanks to CB Fulton Walker’s 42-yard kickoff return to the Miami 47. They drove methodically down the field with Nathan and Franklin running the ball and Woodley throwing short passes. However, after getting a first-and-goal at the Washington eight yard line, the Dolphins couldn’t get into the end zone and settled for Uwe von Schamann’s 20-yard field goal that capped the 13-play possession and made the score 10-3.

The Redskins came back with a long drive of their own, going 80 yards in 11 plays. Theismann started off by passing to TE Rick Walker for 27 yards and the tight end followed up by running for six yards on a reverse. Two Riggins carries garnered a first down at the Miami 43 and Theismann threw twice for 19 yards, 15 on a screen pass to Riggins. Two plays later, Theismann ran the ball 12 yards to the 13 and, following two more runs by Riggins that got the ball to the four, Theismann threw to WR Alvin Garrett in the corner of the end zone. Moseley’s extra point tied the game at 10-10, but it didn’t stay that way for long. Fulton Walker returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown (pictured below) – the first on a kick return in Super Bowl history. It put Miami back in front at 17-10, and that remained the score at halftime. It would prove to the high water mark of the game for the Dolphins.

The clubs traded punts to start the third quarter before the Redskins put together a six-play, 61-yard scoring drive. The highlight was Garrett running on a reverse for 44 yards to the Miami nine. Moseley kicked a 20-yard field goal that narrowed the score to 17-13.

After neither team could generate a first down on the next three possessions, Theismann tossed a pass that Duhe intercepted at the Washington 47. The Dolphins were unable to capitalize, however, as Woodley’s long pass intended for Cefalo was deflected and picked off by FS Mark Murphy at the five yard line. Riggins ran twice for 13 yards but, with the ball out to the 18, disaster nearly struck for the Redskins when Theismann’s first-down throw intended for Charlie Brown was tipped up into the air and almost intercepted by Bokamper. As the defensive tackle tried to pull the ball in, and with nothing between him and the goal line, Theismann alertly reached over to jar the ball loose for an incompletion.

Washington continued its drive, with the game entering the fourth quarter, to the Miami 43 and a long pass by Theismann intended for Brown was intercepted by Lyle Blackwood at the one. In a critical series, the Dolphins were able to gain only three yards and Tom Orosz’s punt sailed 41 yards - with a three-yard return by Nelms, the Redskins had good field position at the their 48.

They made the most of it. Following two runs by Riggins and a carry by RB Clarence Harmon, Washington faced a fourth-and-one situation and went for it. Riggins took the handoff, headed toward left end, and kept going all the way for a 43-yard touchdown. With Moseley’s extra point, the Redskins took a 20-17 lead.

The Washington defense was steadily taking control and the Dolphins responded with a short series that started at their 22 and ended with a net loss of a yard at the 21. Orosz punted only 32 yards, Nelms returned for 12, and the Redskins again had outstanding field position, starting at the Miami 41.

It was all ball control now as Riggins carried on six of the next seven plays. Theismann rolled out on a third down play and threw to Charlie Brown for the needed nine yards to get inside the Dolphins’ ten and three plays later he threw to Brown again for a six-yard TD that sealed the win for Washington. The 12-play drive ran nearly seven minutes off the clock and the Dolphins were down by ten points with under two minutes to play. Miami turned to backup QB Don Strock, a better passer than Woodley, but it made no difference. The Redskins won their first NFL title since 1942 by a score of 27-17.

Washington’s domination was complete, outgaining the Dolphins by 400 yards to 176 and posting 24 first downs to Miami’s 9. 276 of the Redskins’ yards came on the ground, and the Dolphins gained only 34 total yards in the second half, with no pass completions at all. Each team turned the ball over twice.

John Riggins was the game’s MVP as he rushed for 166 yards on 38 carries and a TD – 108 of those yards came in the second half. Joe Theismann (pictured at left) completed 15 of 23 passes for 143 yards with two touchdowns and two intercepted. Charlie Brown had 6 catches for 60 yards and the game-clinching TD.

For the Dolphins, David Woodley was successful on four of his 14 throws for 97 yards with the one long touchdown that accounted for most of the yardage and one interception. Jimmy Cefalo, who caught the scoring pass, had two catches for 82 yards and WR Duriel Harris pulled in the other two completions, gaining 15 yards. Andra Franklin led the ground game with 49 yards on 16 attempts. Fulton Walker, with his 190 yards on four kickoff returns for a 47.5 average and a TD, was Miami’s most productive offensive weapon.

After Coach Gibbs had received the congratulatory phone call from President Ronald Reagan and Riggins learned that he was the game’s Most Valuable Player, the irrepressible fullback said, “At least for tonight, Ron may be the President, but I’m the King.” The Super Bowl performance crowned an impressive postseason for Riggins, in which he ended up with more rushing yards in the four playoff games (610) than he did in the nine regular season contests (553).

The Redskins proved it was no fluke in 1983, putting together a record-setting offensive season while going 14-2. They again won the NFC title, but were upset by the Raiders in the Super Bowl. Miami went 12-4, losing in the Divisional round of the playoffs, although the stage was set for a return to the Super Bowl in ’84 due to the impressive play of rookie QB Dan Marino.

Past Venue: Yale Bowl

2012-01-29T08:46:00.003-05:00

New Haven, CT

Year opened: 1914
Capacity: 64,246, down from 70,869 at opening

Names:
Yale Bowl, 1914 to date

Pro football tenants:
New York Giants (NFL), 1973-74

Postseason games hosted:
None

Other tenants of note:
Yale University, 1914 to date
Connecticut Bicentennials (NASL), 1976-77

Notes: Hosted NFL Giants for two seasons after Yankee Stadium was closed for major renovation and prior to completion of Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ (the team played one season at Shea Stadium as well). First bowl-shaped stadium in the US. Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987. Scoreboard was added in 1958 that had the unusual feature of displaying the game time vertically rather than in the typical horizontal fashion (replaced in 2008). Facility underwent a major renovation in 2005-06. Largest crowd to attend a football game at the stadium was 80,000 for Yale vs. Army, Nov. 3, 1923. First football game at venue was Yale vs. Harvard, Nov. 21, 1914. First pro football game was a preseason contest between the Giants and Detroit Lions in 1960.

Fate: Still in use.

MVP Profile: Earl Morrall, 1968

2012-01-28T08:28:00.003-05:00

Quarterback, Baltimore Colts

Age: 34
13th season in pro football, 1st with Colts
College: Michigan State
Height: 6’1” Weight: 206

Prelude:
After leading Michigan State to a win in the Rose Bowl, Morrall was taken in the first round of the 1956 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Following a mediocre rookie season in which he backed up Y.A. Tittle, he was dealt to Pittsburgh where he became the starter and had a fair year in ’57. Two games into 1958, he was traded to Detroit in the deal that brought Bobby Layne to the Steelers and for the next seven years he shared the job with, first, Jim Ninowski and then Milt Plum. His best season with the Lions was in 1963, when he passed for 2621 yards and 24 TDs. But when new Head Coach Harry Gilmer committed to Plum for ’65, Morrall was dealt to the New York Giants. He started in 1965 and had a good year for a 7-7 team, but missed half of ’66 due to injury and was on the bench behind Fran Tarkenton in 1967. Frustrated at once again being a backup, he was traded to the Colts during the 1968 preseason to provide insurance as number two to Johnny Unitas. When Unitas suffered a major arm injury, Morrall took over as the starting quarterback.

1968 Season Summary
Appeared in all 14 games
(Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20)

Passing
Attempts – 317 (5)
Most pass attempts, game – 31 vs. San Francisco 9/15
Completions – 182 (3, tied)
Most pass completions, game – 17 vs. Minnesota 11/24, vs. Atlanta 12/1
Yards – 2909 (2)
Most passing yards, game – 302 vs. Chicago 10/6
Completion percentage – 57.4 (2)
Yards per attempt – 9.2 (1)
TD passes – 26 (1)
Most TD passes, game – 4 vs. Chicago 10/6
Interceptions – 17 (4, tied)
Most interceptions, game – 3 at Atlanta 9/22, vs. LA Rams 10/27
Passer rating – 93.2 (1)
300-yard passing games – 1
200-yard passing games – 8

Rushing
Attempts – 11
Most attempts, game - 3 (for 13 yds.) vs. San Francisco 9/15
Yards – 18
Most yards, game – 13 yards (on 3 carries) vs. San Francisco 9/15
Yards per attempt – 1.6
TDs – 1

Scoring
TDs – 1
Points - 6

Postseason: 3 G
Pass attempts – 64
Most attempts, game - 25 at Cleveland, NFL Championship
Pass completions – 30
Most completions, game - 13 vs. Minnesota, Western Conf. Championship
Passing yardage – 520
Most yards, game - 280 vs. Minnesota, Western Conf. Championship
TD passes – 2
Most TD passes, game - 2 vs. Minnesota, Western Conf. Championship
Interceptions – 5
Most interceptions, game – 3 vs. NY Jets, Super Bowl

Rushing attempts – 3
Most rushing attempts, game - 2 vs. NY Jets, Super Bowl
Rushing yards – -2
Most rushing yards, game - 0 at Cleveland, NFL Championship
Average gain rushing – -0.7
Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, UPI, NEA, Sporting News
1st team All-NFL: AP, NEA, UPI, NY Daily News, Pro Football Weekly
2nd team All-NFL: PFWA
1st team All-Western Conference: Sporting News
Pro Bowl

Colts went 13-1 to finish first in the NFL Coastal Division while ranking second in points (402) and TDs (50). Won Western Conference Championship over Minnesota Vikings (24-14) and NFL Championship over Cleveland Browns (34-0). Lost Super Bowl to New York Jets (16-7).

Aftermath:
Morrall returned to a backup role with the return of Unitas in 1969 and helped rally the Colts in relief in the Super Bowl win over the Cowboys following the ’70 season. He saw considerable action in place of the increasingly-brittle Unitas in 1971, but with the team undergoing a youth movement in ’72 he was traded once more, this time to the Miami Dolphins where he was reunited with his first coach in Baltimore, Don Shula. When starter Bob Griese went down with a broken leg, Morrall led the team the rest of the way to an undefeated season, but gave way to Griese in the playoffs. He stayed on another four years as a backup, finally retiring following the 1976 season at age 42 and after 21 seasons in the NFL. Often regarded as the greatest backup quarterback in league history, he twice was selected to the Pro Bowl and ended up passing for 20,809 yards and 161 TDs.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

1991: Giants Edge Bills in Super Bowl XXV

2012-01-27T07:35:00.005-05:00

It was a showdown between two 13-3 teams in the 25th edition of the Super Bowl on January 27, 1991. The New York Giants, under Head Coach Bill Parcells, had won their first ten games in 1990 and, after thrashing the Bears in the Divisional playoff round, dethroned the two-time champion San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. In losing three of their last four regular season contests, the Giants had also lost QB Phil Simms to a foot sprain and RB Rodney Hampton to an injured leg, but backup QB Jeff Hostetler and 33-year-old RB Ottis Anderson (pictured above) both rose to the occasion. The conservative offense made few mistakes along the way, turning the ball over just 14 times in 16 games. The stifling defense was led by LB Lawrence Taylor and ranked first in the conference.

The Buffalo Bills, coached by Marv Levy, won the AFC East in 1988 and ‘89 but had not made it to the Super Bowl. Their offense was the league’s highest-scoring, led by QB Jim Kelly (who also had an able backup in Frank Reich) and featuring all-purpose RB Thurman Thomas (pictured at right) and WR Andre Reed. The outstanding defense was anchored by DE Bruce Smith and was especially strong at linebacker, with Cornelius Bennett, Shane Conlan, and Darryl Talley. They ran up a total of 95 points in defeating Miami in the Divisional playoff round (44-34) and the Raiders for the AFC title (51-3) to advance to the team’s first Super Bowl (the Bills won two championships in the AFL).

There was a crowd of 73,813 at Tampa Stadium for the contest between the two clubs from New York state. The Bills punted following the first series of the game and New York took over at its 31 yard line after RB Dave Meggett returned it 20 yards. The Giants put together a methodical 10-play, 58-yard drive. Hostetler completed passes of 13 yards to TE Howard Cross and 16 yards to WR Mark Ingram along the way and Matt Bahr finished the possession off with a 28-yard field goal.

Buffalo came right back when, on the second play of their next series, Kelly threw a long pass that was deflected but caught by 13-year veteran WR James Lofton for a 61-yard gain to the New York eight. The Giants defense held and Scott Norwood booted a 23-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-3.

After a punt by the Giants, the Bills put together a long scoring drive of 12 plays that extended into the second quarter and covered 80 yards. Kelly completed four passes to Reed that covered a total of 44 yards and RB Don Smith scored on a one-yard touchdown carry. Norwood’s PAT made it 10-3.

The teams traded punts and Buffalo’s Rick Tuten pinned the Giants back on their seven yard line with his. Following a gain of seven yards on a pass to Anderson, New York was penalized half the distance due to a holding penalty, putting them back at the seven, and Hostetler tripped when fading back to pass and was sacked in his end zone by Bruce Smith for a safety. The Bills were up by 12-3 and dominating the contest.

With 3:49 to go in the first half, the Giants got the ball back on their 13 following a Buffalo punt. The offense gained ground in chunks as, following a Hostetler pass to TE Mark Bavaro, Anderson ran up the middle for an 18-yard gain, Hostetler went to the air again to Ingram for 22 more, and Meggett ran around end for 17 yards to the Buffalo 24. On a third-and-seven play, Hostetler threw to Cross who clawed his way to the first down. After two incomplete passes, Hostetler found WR Stephen Baker in the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown. The teams went into halftime with the Bills holding a narrow 12-10 lead.

The Giants started off the second half as they had ended the first, putting together a long scoring drive of 75 yards in 14 plays that ate up over nine minutes. Along the way, they converted on third-and-eight with Hostetler throwing to Meggett for 11 yards, Anderson had a 24-yard run, Hostetler connected with Ingram, who broke four tackles after making the catch, for 14 yards in a third-and-13 situation, and on third-and-four at the Buffalo 12, Hostetler completed a pass to Cross for nine yards. Anderson capped the long series with a one-yard scoring run and New York took the lead at 17-12.

The Bills found themselves in a fourth-and-25 situation on their next possession and had to punt from their own 38. Tuten’s kick traveled only 20 yards, giving the Giants good field position at their 42. Driving to the Buffalo 35, they went for it on fourth-and-two. The result was Anderson being thrown for a two-yard loss, and the momentum shifted back to the Bills as the game moved into the fourth quarter.

It took just four plays for Buffalo to capitalize as Thomas took the handoff on a draw play, broke two tackles, and bounded down the sideline for a 31-yard touchdown. With Norwood’s extra point, the Bills were back in front by two points at 19-17.

The Giants responded by putting together another long drive. They converted two third downs as Hostetler completed four passes and Anderson, Meggett, and FB Maurice Carthon all carried the ball. After going 74 yards in 13 plays to the Buffalo three yard line, Bahr kicked a 21-yard field goal and New York was in the lead by a point.

The teams traded punts, and Buffalo regained possession on its own 10 with 2:16 remaining on the clock. Kelly scrambled twice for nine yards and, on third-and-one, Thomas took off for 22 yards on a draw play out of shotgun formation. A pass to Reed and a nine-yard Kelly run got the ball into New York territory. Kelly threw to TE Keith McKellar, who made a shoestring catch at the 40, and Thomas ran for 11 yards to the New York 29. Kelly spiked the ball to stop the clock, which was now down to eight seconds, and Norwood came in to attempt a 47-yard field goal. There was no last-second success for the Bills, though – Norwood’s kick sailed wide to the right and the Giants were champions by a score of 20-19.

New York had a huge edge in time of possession (40:33 to 19:27), keeping the high-powered Bills and their no-huddle offense off the field. Statistically it was closer, however, as the Giants had the edge in total yards (386 to 371) and first downs (24 to 18). Neither team turned the ball over, but Buffalo suffered from dropped passes and missed tackles.

“We didn't want them to have the ball,” Bill Parcells said. “I have a lot of confidence in our defense, but I'm not so naive to think they couldn't put points on the board against us. I knew for us to have a chance to win we had to keep their offense off the field.”

Cornelius Bennett summed up the feeling of his Buffalo teammates when he said, “Scotty (Norwood) didn’t lose the football game. We lost it as a team.”

Jeff Hostetler (pictured at left) completed 20 of 32 passes for 222 yards and a touchdown. Ottis Anderson was the game’s MVP as he rushed for 102 yards on 21 carries that included a TD; Dave Meggett added 48 yards on 9 attempts. Mark Ingram caught 5 passes for 74 yards and Mark Bavaro also had 5 receptions, gaining 50 yards.

For the Bills, Thurman Thomas was outstanding as he ran the ball 15 times for 135 yards and added another 55 yards on 5 pass receptions. Jim Kelly was successful on 18 of 30 throws for 212 yards. Andre Reed had 8 catches for 62 yards and James Lofton gained 61 on his one reception.

In the offseason, Bill Parcells quit as coach of the Giants and, under his successor Ray Handley, the club fell out of contention during the next two years. Buffalo continued to top the AFC, winning the next three AFC Championships. However, the one-point loss to New York was the closest they came to winning a Super Bowl during that period as they lost badly to the Redskins following the 1991 season and Dallas after ’92 and ’93.

1970: Dolphins Obtain Paul Warfield from Browns

2012-01-26T06:20:00.002-05:00

The Miami Dolphins had been a losing team in its first four years, but took major steps to reverse that in the offseason following the ’69 season. The biggest step was replacing the team’s original head coach, George Wilson, with Don Shula, pried away from the Colts and made general manager as well as head coach. Prior to that, on January 26, 1970, the team made a significant addition to the roster by trading its first pick in the upcoming NFL draft to the Cleveland Browns for WR Paul Warfield.

The 27-year-old Warfield, who expressed surprise at the trade, was considered one of the premier wide receivers in the game. A halfback in college at Ohio State, with its ground-oriented attack under Head Coach Woody Hayes, Warfield was taken by the Browns in the first round of the 1964 draft and quickly converted to split end. It was a fortuitous move – as a rookie, he caught 52 passes for 920 yards (17.7 avg.) and nine touchdowns. He was selected to the Pro Bowl, and his addition to an offense that already included QB Frank Ryan, FB Jim Brown, and flanker Gary Collins undoubtedly played a role in winning the NFL title in ’64.

Warfield missed virtually all of the 1965 season due to a broken collarbone, however, but returned in ’66 to average 20.6 yards per catch on his 36 receptions – indeed, he never averaged under twenty yards in any of his remaining four years in Cleveland. In 1968 and ’69 he again was chosen to the Pro Bowl and in ’68 had his best year with 50 catches for 1067 yards (21.3 avg.) and 12 TDs. Overall with the Browns, he caught a total of 215 passes for 4346 yards (20.2 avg. gain) and 44 touchdowns.

In the restructured NFL, newly-merged with the American Football League, the Browns were concerned about developing a young quarterback behind the capable-but-fragile Bill Nelsen. In dealing for Miami’s spot in the first round of the draft, which was third overall, they were looking to take advantage of a highly-regarded field of quarterbacks and chose Mike Phipps from Purdue.

Said Browns owner Art Modell, “Paul has played so well for us and is such a high type person that I hated like the devil to consider any trade involving him. However, it was the overwhelming consensus of all our combined thinking that we had a pressing need for backup protection behind quarterback Bill Nelsen.”

In an effort to replace Warfield, Cleveland traded DT Jim Kanicki (who missed virtually the entire ’69 season with a broken leg), promising young RB Ron Johnson, and LB Wayne Meylan to the New York Giants to obtain WR Homer Jones. Jones had put together some outstanding seasons for the Giants in which he was a potent deep threat, but was not of the same caliber as Warfield, who ran more disciplined patterns and played with greater skill. He was coming off a bit of a lesser year in ’69, having been shifted from split end to tight end by Giants Head Coach Alex Webster with poor results.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins had a promising young quarterback in Bob Griese but a lack of speed at wide receiver. Their most productive receiver in 1969 had been TE Larry Seiple, also the team’s punter, who caught 41 passes for 577 yards and five TDs. Flanker Karl Noonan, who had a good year in ’68, slumped badly as he pulled in just 29 throws for 307 yards (10.6 avg.) and three scores, and split end Jack Clancy hadn’t come close to duplicating his 67-catch season of 1967 as he pulled in 21 passes for 289 yards (13.8 avg.) and one TD (he was traded to Green Bay). Slow-but-sure-handed WR Howard Twilley had yet to emerge, with 10 catches for 158 yards and a touchdown. The addition of Warfield upgraded the receiving corps dramatically.

The team responded well to Shula’s coaching, going a surprising 10-4 in 1970 and qualifying for the postseason as a wild card team (a new feature in the NFL). While the ground game was predominant in the ball-control offense, and Griese was still a work in progress, Warfield’s presence was significant. He missed three full games due to a rib injury and caught only 28 passes, but they were good for 703 yards, which was an average of 25.1 yards-per-reception, and six touchdowns. Moreover, he attracted double-coverage from opposing defenses and Twilley improved as a possession receiver on the other side, pulling in 22 throws for 281 yards and five TDs. The catches may not have been many, but Warfield was again selected to the Pro Bowl as one of the best wide receivers in the league.

The improvement in ’70 marked the beginning of an outstanding run for Miami. The Dolphins won the next three AFC titles and the Super Bowls following the 1972 and ’73 seasons, posting a perfect record in ’72. Warfield continued to be the deep-threat receiver that kept defenses honest against the run-oriented team and was a Pro Bowl selectee after each of those seasons. He had his best statistical year with the Dolphins in ’71, catching 43 passes for 996 yards (23.2 avg.) and a league-leading 11 TDs and was also a consensus first-team All-Pro. In ’72 and ’73, Warfield caught just 29 passes apiece, but in the latter year an amazing 11 of them were for touchdowns and he was once more a first-team All-Pro.

Miami again made it to the postseason in 1974 but came up short in losing a thrilling AFC Divisional playoff game to the Raiders. Warfield was limited to nine games as a result of injury but still went to the Pro Bowl for the seventh straight year with 27 receptions for 536 yards (19.9 avg.). However, going into the season it was already known that it would be his last with the Dolphins. In a blockbuster move, the Toronto Northmen of the newly-created World Football League signed Warfield, along with FB Larry Csonka and HB Jim Kiick, to big contracts that would take effect in 1975 (the team would become the Memphis Southmen – or, more popularly, Grizzlies - before it ever took the field). Warfield left Miami, having made 156 catches for 3355 yards (21.5 avg.) and 33 touchdowns – he added 34 receptions for 717 yards (21.1 avg.) and four TDs in 11 postseason games.

In the abbreviated 1975 WFL season, Warfield caught 25 passes for 422 yards (16.9 avg.) and three scores in the eleven contests before the league folded. He returned to the NFL in 1976, but with his original team, the Browns. After two years back in Cleveland, he retired with career totals of 427 receptions for 8565 yards (20.1 avg.) and 85 TDs – his ratio of one touchdown for every five catches is still one of the best in league history.

Playing at the time he did, and largely with teams that ran the ball far more often than they threw it, Warfield’s numbers don’t look spectacular when compared to top modern wide receivers. Zone defenses had made NFL offenses ground-oriented, and the rules changes that did so much to open up the passing game for the most part didn’t come into effect until after his retirement. But the honors he received and the regard in which he was held during his career speak to his effectiveness – he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983, his first year eligible. Fast, with outstanding moves, graceful leaping ability, and dependable hands, he was a receiver that defenses had to account for and thus made him a key player on any offense he was with.

As a postscript to the trade that sent Warfield to the Dolphins, Homer Jones lasted one year with the Browns, failed to maintain a spot in the starting lineup, and caught just 10 passes – he was used more as a kickoff returner, averaging 25.5 yards on his 29 returns with one that was brought back 94 yards for a touchdown. Mike Phipps never lived up to his first-round promise in seven seasons with Cleveland. Jim Kanicki played two years for the Giants while Wayne Meylan didn’t play for them at all. However, Ron Johnson proved to be a very good runner and receiver out of the backfield, when healthy, achieving the first two thousand-yard rushing seasons in franchise history.

2010: Saints Defeat Vikings in Overtime for First NFC Title

2012-01-24T07:19:00.010-05:00

The NFC Championship game on January 24, 2010 featured the New Orleans Saints, who had never been to a Super Bowl in their history dating back to 1967, against the Minnesota Vikings, who had been to four, but none since 1976.

The Saints, in their fourth season under Head Coach Sean Payton, featured an exciting and high-scoring offense. QB Drew Brees (pictured at right) compensated for his relatively short stature (6’0”) with outstanding passing accuracy and a quick release. The receiving corps was talented and led by WR Marques Colston (70 catches, 1074 yards). The running backs were more nondescript, but RB Pierre Thomas had emerged as the best of the group. Defense had been the team’s downfall in prior years, but under first-year defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, the platoon had become more aggressive and opportunistic. MLB Jonathan Vilma went to the Pro Bowl, as did the tandem of SS Roman Harper and 34-year-old FS Darren Sharper, who intercepted 9 passes. New Orleans won its first 13 games before losing its last three, but pulverized the Cardinals by a score of 45-14 in the Divisional playoff round.

The key player for Minnesota was 40-year-old QB Brett Favre. After 16 years with division-rival Green Bay and a season with the Jets, Favre ended the annual speculation regarding his retirement to sign with the Vikings in the preseason. Proving the critics wrong who believed he could no longer hold up to the rigors of a full season, he passed for 4202 yards and 33 touchdowns, with only seven interceptions. He was helped by the arrival of rookie WR Percy Harvin (60 catches, 790 yards) and the improved play of WR Sidney Rice (83 catches, 1312 yards), who both were selected to the Pro Bowl. RB Adrian Peterson rushed for 1383 yards and 18 touchdowns. The defense led the NFL in sacks, spearheaded by DE Jared Allen, and was second best against the run.

There was a record crowd for a Saints game of 71,276 at the Louisiana Superdome. It was the Vikings scoring first, however, on the initial series of the game as they drove 80 yards in 10 plays. Favre completed six passes for 47 of those yards and Peterson closed out the drive with a 19-yard touchdown run. New Orleans came right back on its first possession, however, going 76 yards in seven plays that ended with Brees throwing a short pass to Pierre Thomas out of the backfield that covered 38 yards for a TD.

It seemed certain to be a shootout when Minnesota responded with another scoring drive. Penalties helped the Vikings along, with a defensive holding call converting a third down and, after a 15-yard gain on a Favre pass to WR Bernard Berrian that took the ball into New Orleans territory, a 15-yard unnecessary roughness call following a short running play moved them to the 31. Favre threw to Harvin for 20 yards on a third-and-seven play and, on another third-down pass, he connected with Rice for a five-yard TD. The score was 14-7 after one quarter of action.

The pace slowed as the teams traded punts, but then on a third-and 10 play from his own 36 yard line, Brees passed to RB Reggie Bush for a 28-yard gain. Two runs by Pierre Thomas, surrounding an 11-yard pass completion to TE Dave Thomas, set up a nine-yard scoring pass to WR Devery Henderson. With the successful extra point, the game was again tied at 14-14.

The contest again settled down to the teams trading punts until late in the second quarter. The Vikings got a break when Bush muffed a punt deep in his own territory and LB Kenny Onatolu recovered for Minnesota at the ten yard line. Peterson ran for six yards, but then a handoff exchange from Favre to Peterson was fumbled and LB Scott Fujita grabbed it to end the threat. The score remained tied at the half.

New Orleans got off to a fast start in the third quarter when WR Courtney Roby returned the second half kickoff 61 yards to the Minnesota 37. Brees tossed a pass to Dave Thomas that gained 17 yards and three plays later Pierre Thomas put the Saints in front with a nine-yard touchdown run.

The Vikings came back with a nine-play, 80-yard series. The big plays were three Favre passes to TE Visanthe Shiancoe (pictured at right) that totaled 67 yards. Peterson carried for the last yard and, with the successful PAT, it again was a tie game at 21-21.

Following a punt by the Saints, Minnesota was backed up to its 10 yard line but put together another promising drive. Running effectively and getting 15 yards on a roughing-the-passer penalty on a third-and-four play, the Vikings advanced to the New Orleans 34. But in a second-and-eight situation, Favre was intercepted by Jonathan Vilma. Not only did the Saints get a takeaway, but the veteran quarterback suffered a leg injury (he returned to the contest).

New Orleans again had to punt on the final play of the period. Two plays into the fourth quarter, Harvin fumbled and NT Remi Ayodele recovered for the Saints at the Minnesota 12. Brees threw to Bush for a five-yard TD (thanks to a successful challenge by Payton, as the running back was originally ruled down at the one) and the home team was once more in front at 28-21.

Again the Vikings mounted a threat as Peterson ran for a 27-yard gain to midfield and, in a third-and-10 situation, Favre connected with Berrian for 30 yards to the New Orleans 20. But two plays later, another turnover undid a promising drive as Berrian fumbled when hit by CB Tracy Porter after catching a pass and Vilma recovered at the five.

The Saints went three-and-out on their next possession. Taking over at their 43 following the punt, the Vikings put together a seven-play scoring drive highlighted by Favre passing to Shiancoe for 16 yards on a third-and-six play and Peterson rushing for an 18-yard gain. It was Peterson finishing the series with a two-yard carry for a touchdown and Ryan Longwell again tied the score at 28-28 with the extra point.

New Orleans had another short series and punted. With 2:37 left in regulation, the Vikings again mounted a drive. On a third-and-eight play, Favre passed to Berrian for 10 yards and followed up with a throw to Rice for 20 that took the ball into Saints territory. RB Chester Taylor carried for a 14-yard gain, but the New Orleans defense stiffened and stopped two running plays before the Vikings were penalized for having too many players in the huddle. Facing a third-and-15 situation at the New Orleans 38, Favre, rolling to his right, threw an ill-advised pass that was intended for Rice but instead was intercepted by Porter. The game remained tied after four quarters and went into overtime.

The Saints won the toss and started off at their 39 after Pierre Thomas returned the kickoff 40 yards. A defensive holding penalty on a third-and-six play kept the series going and a nine-yard Brees completion to Henderson set up a fourth-and-one situation at the Minnesota 43. Taking the chance and going for it, Thomas dove ahead for two yards and New Orleans continued the advance to the Minnesota 22. From there, first-year PK Garrett Hartley (pictured at left) booted a 40-yard field goal and at 4:45 into overtime the Saints were winners by a score of 31-28 and on their way to the first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

The Vikings dominated statistically, outgaining New Orleans (475 yards to 257) and leading in first downs (31 to 15). However, they also fumbled six times, losing three of them, and turned the ball over a total of five times – it proved to be their undoing. The Saints turned the ball over once.

Drew Brees completed 17 of 31 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns with none intercepted. Devery Henderson led the New Orleans receivers with 4 catches for 39 yards and one TD. Pierre Thomas gained 38 yards on his two receptions that included a TD and rushed for 61 yards on 14 carries with another score.

For Minnesota, Brett Favre went to the air 46 times and completed 28 for 310 yards and a touchdown, but with the two big interceptions. Adrian Peterson (pictured below) ran the ball 25 times for 122 yards and three TDs. Bernard Berrian caught 9 passes for 102 yards and Visanthe Shiancoe contributed 4 receptions for 83 yards.

“I've felt better,” said a disappointed Favre afterward. “It was a physical game - a lot of hits. You win that and you sure feel a lot better.”

“It was as loud as I have ever heard it in the dome,” Drew Brees said. “It feels so good to know we have given our fans an NFC championship. We have another championship to go after in two weeks.”

Facing the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl (the first time the top-seeded teams in each conference faced each other for the title since 1993), the Saints finished off their climb to the top with a 31-17 win. They returned to the postseason in 2010 with a lesser record (11-5) and as a wild card, although still offensively potent, and were upset in the first round by the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks.

Brett Favre (pictured below) returned for a twentieth season that proved to be disastrous – not just for him, but the team. His streak of playing in 299 straight games finally ended amid a rash of injuries, and it appeared that age had finally caught up to him. Beyond Favre, the offensive line and defense showed signs of decline and the Vikings sank to 6-10. By the end, Coach Brad Childress was already gone and Favre retired for good.

Past Venue: Nickerson Field

2012-01-23T06:17:00.006-05:00

Boston, MA

Year opened: 1955
Capacity: 10,412, down from 21,000 when it was still being used for football

Names:
Nickerson Field, 1955 to date

Pro football tenants:
Boston Patriots (AFL), 1960-62
Boston Breakers (USFL), 1983

Postseason games hosted:
None

Other tenants of note:
Boston University, 1955 to date
Boston Minutemen (NASL), 1975
New England Tea Men (NASL), 1979
Boston Bolts (ASL/APSL), 1988-90
Boston Breakers (WUSA), 2001-03
Boston Cannons (MLL), 2004-06

Notes: Built on site of Braves Field using some segments of that stadium, including the right field pavilion and portions of the outer wall and entry gate, but the main grandstand, left field pavilion, and a smaller section of bleachers known as the Jury Box were demolished. Venue was given the name of the university’s previous athletic field, which pertained to William E. Nickerson, a member of the school’s board of trustees who donated that original facility in Weston, MA. The stadium was renovated to accommodate the arrival of the AFL Patriots in 1960. In a further renovation in 1968, the Braves Field light towers were taken down and the field was converted to AstroTurf. It has since been replaced with FieldTurf. Boston University officially dropped its football team in 1997, although a club team has since been formed, and the facility is mostly used for soccer and lacrosse.

Fate: Still in use

(top view shows original football configuration with grandstand still intact, lower view is more recent)

1989: Late Drive Gives 49ers Win Over Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII

2012-01-22T09:20:00.004-05:00

Super Bowl XXIII on January 22, 1989 featured a rematch of two teams who had met in the Super Bowl following the 1981 season. The winning team in that earlier Super Bowl was the San Francisco 49ers, and under Head Coach Bill Walsh they had won a second championship in 1984. However, they had fallen short in the next three years, and it had been especially disappointing in 1987 when they put together the best record in the league but were upset in the Divisional round by the Vikings. There were questions about QB Joe Montana (pictured above), so outstanding in that first Super Bowl-winning year and beyond, but coming off back surgery in ’86 and challenged by younger backup Steve Young in 1988. RB Roger Craig had a great year (2036 yards from scrimmage), but star WR Jerry Rice was hindered by an ankle injury. The Niners were sputtering at 6-5 after eleven games of the ’88 season, but then won four of their last five to top the NFC West with a 10-6 record. Montana was at his best in the playoff run as San Francisco gained revenge on the Vikings at home and then dominated the Bears in the NFC Championship game at Chicago.

The AFC Champions, as in ’81, were the Cincinnati Bengals, now coached by Sam Wyche. They had made a dramatic jump from 4-11 in 1987 to 12-4 in ’88. QB Boomer Esiason was the consensus league MVP and RB Ickey Woods rushed for 1066 yards and 15 touchdowns (followed by the “Ickey Shuffle”) behind an outstanding offensive line; backfield mate James Brooks contributed another 931 yards. WR Eddie Brown (53 catches, 1273 yards) and TE Rodney Holman (39 receptions, 527 yards) headed a good group of receivers. The defense was not as impressive but contained stars in All-Pro NT Tim Krumrie (who would be lost to a broken leg early in the Super Bowl) and two Pro Bowlers in the secondary, CB Eric Thomas and SS David Fulcher. The Bengals defeated Seattle in the Divisional playoff round and Buffalo for the AFC title, although there were concerns that Esiason was being slowed by injuries.

There were 75,129 fans on hand at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, along with the usual mammoth television audience, and they were anticipating a shootout between the two potent offenses. Instead, the first half was low-scoring. Both teams punted on their first possession before the 49ers, backed up to their own three yard line to start, put together a long 12-play scoring drive that covered 73 yards. Montana completed three passes along the way but, after reaching the Cincinnati 24, had three straight incompletions that included a drop by Craig. Mike Cofer kicked a 41-yard field goal to make it 3-0.

That was the score heading into the second quarter as San Francisco mounted another drive following a punt by the Bengals. Montana completed a pass to Rice that gained 30 yards to the Cincinnati 11. On third-and-eight, FB Tom Rathman ran for seven yards up the middle and was stopped at the two. However, following a bad snap, Cofer shanked the 19-yard field goal attempt.

The Bengals went three-and-out, and while Lee Johnson’s punt sailed 63 yards, WR John Taylor’s return was for 45 yards to the Cincinnati 46. The Niners moved backward from there, however, as a lateral to RB Harry Sydney lost 10 yards and Montana was sacked for a loss of two more. Craig broke off a 13-yard run on third-and-22, but fumbled and DE Jim Skow recovered for the Bengals at his own 41. Cincinnati moved into San Francisco territory, but DE Daniel Stubbs sacked Esiason for an eight-yard loss to the 50 on a third-and-ten play. Johnson’s punt pinned the 49ers back at their 11 and, in the battle for field position, Cincinnati came out ahead when Barry Helton’s 37-yard punt was returned to the San Francisco 44.

Esiason completed an 18-yard pass to WR Tim McGee and runs by Brooks and Woods got the ball to the 16. Jim Breech booted a 34-yard field goal and the score was tied at 3-3 going into halftime.

The Bengals started off the second half with a long scoring drive that covered 63 yards in 12 plays. Along the way, Esiason threw to WR Cris Collinsworth for 23 yards and Brooks for 20. An 11-yard completion to Collinsworth on a third-and-eight play moved Cincinnati to the San Francisco 22, but the drive stalled there and Breech kicked a 43-yard field goal that put the Bengals in front at 6-3.

On the first play following a punt by the Niners, Esiason was intercepted by rookie LB Bill Romanowski, giving San Francisco the ball at the Cincinnati 23. Cofer was successful on a 32-yard field goal that evened the tally at 6-6, but it didn’t stay that way for long. RB Stanford Jennings returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown and, with the successful extra point, the Bengals were back in front at 13-6.

Down by seven points, San Francisco’s offense came alive as Montana finished out the third quarter with a 31-yard completion to Rice and started off the final period by going deep to Craig out of the backfield for 40 more to the Cincinnati 14. After a throw intended for Taylor was almost picked off, Montana completed a touchdown pass to Rice, who just managed to get the ball into the end zone and, with Cofer’s PAT, the score was even at 13-13.

Following a Cincinnati punt, Montana again passed for a long gain, hitting Rice for 44 yards to the Bengals’ 38. After Craig’s seven-yard run, the drive stalled and the 49ers came up empty when Cofer was wide to the right on a 49-yard field goal attempt.

Starting from their own 32, the Bengals moved methodically down the field. Esiason connected with WR Ira Hillary for 17 yards on a third-and-13 play, Woods had back-to-back carries that gained 17 more yards, and a pass to Brooks gained 12. Breech kicked a 40-yard field goal and the Bengals were up by 16-13 with 3:20 remaining in the fourth quarter.

An illegal block on the kickoff return started the 49ers off at their own eight yard line. Montana completed three straight passes to start off the series, gaining 22 yards. Craig ran twice and, on third-and-two, Montana found Rice for 17 yards. It was Montana to Craig for 13 yards down the middle, but after an incompletion the Niners were backed up due to an illegal player downfield on another pass play. Montana followed up by throwing to Rice, running a crossing pattern, for a 27-yard gain to the Cincinnati 18. San Francisco was now within field goal range, but Montana went to the air twice more. The first was to Craig for eight yards and, following a timeout, the second was to Taylor in the end zone for a ten-yard touchdown (Taylor’s only catch of the day, pictured below). The 49ers had gone 92 yards in 11 plays and, with the successful extra point, were up by four points with 34 seconds remaining on the clock.

After a short pass on Cincinnati’s first play, three passes fell incomplete, the last broken up by CB Eric Wright at the San Francisco 25, and the 49ers were champions by a score of 20-16.

The 49ers outgained Cincinnati by 452 yards to 229 and had 23 first downs to the Bengals’ 13. The highest-scoring team in the NFL scored no offensive touchdowns and was held to just 123 net passing yards as Esiason was sacked five times (to three of Montana). The 49ers turned the ball over twice, while Cincinnati had one.

Joe Montana completed 23 of 36 passes for 357 yards with two touchdowns and none intercepted, and was at his best in the closing drive. Jerry Rice (pictured below) was the game’s MVP, however, as he had 11 catches for 215 yards (a Super Bowl record) and one TD. Roger Craig rushed for 71 yards on 17 carries and pulled in 8 passes for 101 yards. LB/DE Charles Haley accounted for two of the team’s five sacks.

For the Bengals, Boomer Esiason was successful on just 11 of his 25 throws for 144 yards and was picked off once. WR Eddie Brown was the club’s top receiver with 4 catches for 44 yards. Ickey Woods ran the ball 20 times for 79 yards.

The win in Super Bowl XXIII marked the end of Bill Walsh’s successful tenure as head coach of the 49ers. He chose to move exclusively to the front office and defensive coordinator George Seifert took over as coach for 1989. The result was the same – another NFC title and a win in the Super Bowl over Denver (and by a much larger margin).

Sam Wyche, whose job was in trouble after the losing year in ’87, was rewarded with a new contract for 1989. Much was expected of the Bengals, but they dropped to 8-8 and missed the postseason altogether.

1979: Steelers Withstand Dallas Rally to Win Super Bowl XIII

2012-01-21T08:57:00.004-05:00

Both of the participants in Super Bowl XIII on January 21, 1979 had been regular contenders throughout the decade of the ‘70s. The Dallas Cowboys, coached by Tom Landry, were the defending champions and had made it to the postseason in all but one year from 1966 through ’78. They had been to the Super Bowl on four prior occasions and won twice. The Pittsburgh Steelers, under Head Coach Chuck Noll, had won back-to-back championships in 1974 and ’75 – defeating the Cowboys in the second instance – and were in the playoffs for the seventh straight year.

The Cowboys were considered a good bet to repeat when the 1978 season began, but had a 6-4 record after losing consecutive games to Minnesota and Miami. They didn’t lose again, finishing out the regular season with six straight wins for a 12-4 tally. They fought off the feisty Falcons to win in the Divisional round of the postseason and shut out the Rams for the NFC Championship. 36-year-old QB Roger Staubach was still one of the best in the game, second-year RB Tony Dorsett ran for 1325 yards, and the receiving corps of wide receivers Tony Hill and Drew Pearson and TE Billy Joe DuPree was very good (Hill and Dupree, as well as Staubach and Dorsett, were selected for the Pro Bowl). The “Doomsday Defense” no longer had retired safety Mel Renfro, but it did have DT Randy White, DE Harvey Martin, LB Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson, and safeties Charlie Waters and Cliff Harris.

If any team in the league was more formidable than the Cowboys, it was Pittsburgh. The Steelers cruised through the schedule with a 14-2 record and easily defeated the Broncos and Oilers in the playoffs to win the AFC title. QB Terry Bradshaw (pictured above) had a MVP year, FB Franco Harris was typically steady with 1082 yards rushing, and WR Lynn Swann was a consensus first-team All-Pro as he caught 61 passes for 880 yards and 11 TDs. The “Steel Curtain” defense was as solid as ever and contained Pro Bowlers in DT “Mean Joe” Greene, DE L.C. Greenwood, MLB Jack Lambert, OLB Jack Ham, CB Mel Blount, and SS Donnie Shell.

Super Bowl XIII was played at the Orange Bowl in Miami before a crowd of 79,484. On the game’s first series, Dorsett ran the ball three times for 38 yards, but the Steelers got the first break as Drew Pearson fumbled when taking the handoff on a double-reverse and DE John Banaszak recovered at the Pittsburgh 47 yard line. It took the Steelers seven plays to score as Bradshaw passed to WR John Stallworth for 12 yards and TE Randy Grossman for 10, and finished off the series by hitting Stallworth in the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown.

The Cowboys drove into Pittsburgh territory on their next series, highlighted by a 26-yard pass down the middle of the field from Staubach to WR Butch Johnson. However, after advancing to the Steelers’ 39, Staubach was sacked twice for a total loss of 22 yards and Dallas was forced to punt. Pittsburgh advanced thanks to pass plays from Bradshaw to Harris that covered 22 yards and to Swann for 13, but Dallas LB D.D. Lewis intercepted a pass at his own 15 and returned it 21 yards.

Following a punt by the Cowboys, the Steelers turned the ball over again when Bradshaw fumbled while being sacked by Martin and DE Ed “Too Tall” Jones recovered for Dallas at the Pittsburgh 41. Three plays later, and on the last play of the opening period, Staubach connected with Tony Hill for a 39-yard touchdown that tied the score.

On the next series, Bradshaw fumbled when hit simultaneously by Henderson and LB Mike Hegman, who stripped the ball from the quarterback and ran 37 yards for a touchdown. It was 14-7 in favor of the Cowboys and Bradshaw had an injured shoulder. It didn’t keep Pittsburgh from responding quickly. On the third play of the next possession, Bradshaw threw a short pass to Stallworth who eluded CB Aaron Kyle and sprinted to the end zone for a 75-yard touchdown. With the successful conversion, the game was once more tied at 14-14.

The Cowboys had to punt again and Bradshaw immediately threw to Swann for a 26-yard gain to the Dallas 22, but Franco Harris lost eight yards on an end run and four plays later Hegman sacked Bradshaw for an eleven-yard loss. A 51-yard field goal attempt by Roy Gerela hit the cross bar and was no good.

With less than five minutes remaining in the half, Dallas drove into Steelers territory, but Mel Blount intercepted a pass at his own 16 and the Steelers capitalized. It took them five plays, highlighted by Swann pulling in a Bradshaw screen pass for a 29-yard and then grabbing another throw for 21 more. With the clock down to 26 seconds, Bradshaw rolled out and threw a seven-yard TD pass to RB Rocky Bleier and it was 21-14 in favor of Pittsburgh at halftime.

The teams traded punts to start the second half. In a critical series midway through the third quarter, the Cowboys started off with good field position at the Pittsburgh 42 following a short punt by Craig Colquitt and 12-yard return by Johnson. With a light rain falling, they drove steadily down the field, but on a third-and-three play at the 10, Staubach’s pass into the end zone was dropped by 16-year veteran TE Jackie Smith. Instead of possibly tying the game once more, the Cowboys had to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Rafael Septien and trailed by 21-17.

The clubs again traded punts heading into the fourth quarter. Starting at their own 15, the Steelers put together an eight-play, 85-yard drive. The series was helped along by a 33-yard pass interference penalty called on CB Benny Barnes, who had gotten tangled up with Swann, and that moved the ball to the Dallas 23. Four plays later, Franco Harris ran up the middle for a 22-yard touchdown.

The following kickoff was squibbed and Randy White, in as a blocker for the kick return and with a cast on one hand, couldn’t hold onto the ball when hit by Pittsburgh safety Tony Dungy. LB Dennis Winston recovered the fumble at the Dallas 18 and, from there, Bradshaw immediately passed to Swann for a touchdown. It was 35-17 and there were less than seven minutes to play.

The Cowboys responded with an 89-yard drive highlighted by Staubach running for an 18-yard gain, throwing to Drew Pearson for 17 more, and Dorsett running 29 yards on a draw play. Staubach threw to Billy Joe DuPree for a seven-yard touchdown.

An onside kick was recovered by the Cowboys and Staubach threw to Pearson for 22 yards at the two-minute warning. On a fourth-and-18 play, the savvy veteran quarterback known for engineering comebacks completed a pass to Pearson for a 25-yard gain. Three plays later, he found Butch Johnson for a four-yard TD and, with the extra point, the margin was narrowed to four points. There were only 22 seconds left, however, and another onside kick was recovered by Bleier for the Steelers to seal the win. The final score was 35-31.

The statistics largely reflected the closeness of the score. Pittsburgh had the most total yards (357 to 330) and the Cowboys the edge in first downs (20 to 19). Dallas led by a big margin in rushing yards (154 to 66) but, thanks to Staubach being sacked five times for a loss of 52 yards, they had just 176 net passing yards to Pittsburgh’s 291 (the Cowboys got to Bradshaw four times, with 27 yards lost but also a fumble that led directly to a TD). Each team turned the ball over three times.

Terry Bradshaw, the game’s MVP, completed 17 of 30 passes for 318 yards and four touchdowns with one intercepted. Lynn Swann (pictured at right), who had performed so well against the Cowboys in their previous Super Bowl meeting, was outstanding again with 7 catches for 124 yards and a TD. John Stallworth contributed 115 yards and two touchdowns on his three receptions. Franco Harris rushed for 68 yards on 20 carries.

For the Cowboys, Roger Staubach was also 17-of-30, but for 228 yards with three TDs and one picked off. Tony Dorsett ran for 96 yards in 16 attempts and caught 5 passes for 44 more yards. Drew Pearson gained 73 yards on his four catches.

“The thing I didn’t want to do was change the things that got us here,” said a happy Terry Bradshaw. “Play-action passes, throwing the ball, doing whatever it took to win - that was what made this team. We just needed to keep it up.”

“We tried hard, but we didn’t take advantage of the opportunities we had,” summed up a disappointed Tom Landry. “I said all along that turnovers and breaks would determine the winner. That’s what happened today. On any given day the Steelers are no better than we are.”

It was the last Super Bowl appearance for Staubach (pictured below), who retired following the ’79 season and had started in four along the way – he was the winning quarterback in two and the loser in two, but in both of those losses to the Steelers, he had kept the Cowboys in the game to the end.

The Steelers went on to repeat as Super Bowl champions in 1979. Dallas again topped the NFC East but was upset by the Rams in the Divisional round, who went on to win the conference title and face Pittsburgh.

1998: Doug Flutie Returns to NFL with Buffalo

2012-01-20T07:23:00.002-05:00

The Buffalo Bills had the NFL’s 25th-ranked offense in 1997 with Todd Collins and Alex Van Pelt at quarterback. On January 20, 1998 they took a step toward addressing that problem by signing 35-year-old QB Doug Flutie to a two-year contract loaded with incentives.

The diminutive (5’9”, 180) scrambler with the big throwing arm had been an exciting player at Boston College and won the Heisman Trophy in 1984. His game-winning 50-yard “Hail Mary” touchdown pass on the final play of the game to beat the University of Miami (and QB Bernie Kosar) became an instant classic. But there were doubts that he could succeed in pro football with his short stature.

The Los Angeles Rams picked him in the 11th round of the ’85 NFL draft, but he signed with the USFL’s New Jersey Generals instead, who obligingly dealt away veteran QB Brian Sipe to open up the starting job for him. He struggled initially and also sustained a broken collar bone, but had a respectable year in which he threw for 2109 yards with 13 TDs and 14 interceptions and rushed for 465 yards.

Following the demise of the USFL, the Bears traded for his rights and he mostly sat on the bench (and drew the ire of veteran starter Jim McMahon). He got to start the season finale, a win, and a playoff game that was a loss. At the time of the players’ strike in 1987, Chicago dealt Flutie to New England. He started the last of the replacement player games for the Patriots and saw occasional action in 1988 and ’89, but failed to impress and was let go with Head Coach Raymond Berry suggesting that he try coaching.

Flutie didn’t try coaching – he went to the Canadian Football League instead and had a tremendous career. Over eight years, he was named the CFL’s outstanding player six times and led his teams to three Grey Cup titles. He played for British Columbia, Calgary, and Toronto and threw for over 41,355 yards, including a record 6619 in 1991 alone, and 270 touchdowns.

In ’97, Flutie passed for 5505 yards and 47 TDs in leading Toronto to its second consecutive Grey Cup title. While he was within sight of the CFL career records in passing yards and touchdowns held by Ron Lancaster, Flutie preferred to return to the NFL. He had been earning 1.1 million Canadian dollars per year ($700,000 American at the time).

“I always said that if there was a reason to go back it would be to play two more years and shoot for the record,” said Flutie. “But as far as I'm concerned that's probably behind me now. This (NFL) is my future.”

The Bills didn’t just add Flutie at quarterback, however. They also obtained QB Rob Johnson, a third-year pro who had been backing up Mark Brunell in Jacksonville and was considered to be a promising talent. The conflict with the younger quarterback added an element of drama to Flutie’s tenure in Buffalo and proved highly divisive to the team.

The Bills lost their first three games in ‘98, and Johnson was the starting quarterback. He led the team to a win over the 49ers but suffered a rib injury and Flutie took over. The result was four straight wins and six in ten games. The turnaround owed much to the veteran’s leadership skills and, even after Johnson was available again, first-year Head Coach Wade Phillips kept Flutie in the lineup. Buffalo’s record improved from 6-10 to 10-6 and the team returned to the playoffs, losing in the first round to division-rival Miami. While the numbers might have paled next to his CFL performances, Flutie still completed 57.1 percent of his passes for 2711 yards with 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and earned selection to the Pro Bowl. All in all, it was an impressive return to the NFL.

The Bills chose to keep both Flutie and Johnson, and restructured Flutie’s contract accordingly. It was a rockier road in 1999. While Flutie passed for 3171 yards and 19 TDs, against 16 interceptions, his yards per attempt dropped from 7.7 to 6.6 and the team did not score as readily. His arm was no longer as strong, defenses were catching up to his style of play, and in a controversial move, Coach Phillips chose to start Johnson in the Wild Card playoff game at Tennessee that the Titans won with a stunning kickoff return referred to as “the Music City Miracle”.

The bitter quarterback conflict continued for one more year. Johnson again moved ahead of Flutie on the depth chart, but was injured once more and the team’s performance improved with Flutie behind center. Johnson was far less mobile and prone to taking sacks, in contrast to the nimble veteran who also displayed superior leadership skills. Overall, the team’s record was a drop to 8-8 (4-1 in Flutie’s starts, 4-7 with Johnson) and Flutie ended the battle by moving on to the San Diego Chargers as a free agent. He had his highest passing-yardage season in the NFL with the Chargers in 2001 (3464) but eventually gave way to Drew Brees, finishing his career back with the Patriots as backup to Tom Brady in 2005. At age 43, he said good-bye to pro football by drop-kicking an extra point in the season finale.

Doug Flutie brought a unique style of play and a great deal of excitement to pro football. Despite his small stature and many detractors, his return to the NFL after a brilliant run in the CFL proved successful. He led the Bills to back-to-back winning seasons and was selected to a Pro Bowl. In all, he lasted 21 years as a pro quarterback, playing in three different leagues, an impressive feat in itself.

1968: Dick Nolan Becomes Head Coach of 49ers

2012-01-19T06:14:00.002-05:00

On January 19, 1968 the San Francisco 49ers announced the hiring of 35-year-old Dick Nolan as head coach, succeeding Jack Christiansen. The 49ers had posted one winning record in the preceding six seasons and had most recently gone 7-7 in 1967.

Nolan, who had no prior head coaching experience, was most recently defensive coach for the Dallas Cowboys. He had been a defensive back on the University of Maryland team that won the national championship in 1953 and played professionally for the Giants, who drafted him in the fourth round, from 1954 thru ’61, with the exception of 1958 when he was with the Chicago Cardinals. Nolan started out as a defensive halfback (cornerback) and was converted to safety later in his career. He joined the Cowboys as a player-coach in 1962 and became a full-time coach in ’63, recognized as an architect of the “flex” defense along with Head Coach Tom Landry.

Said club president Lou Spadia, “Dick was a winner when he played for Maryland and the New York Giants. He also helped coach a winner at Dallas. We believe he can do the same thing for the 49ers."

There was talent on the 49ers, but as the record indicated, they had been an inconsistent team and unable to compete with division rivals like the Colts and Rams. QB John Brodie was an outstanding passer who reflected the team’s inconsistency. Smallish backup George Mira, a former University of Miami All-American, was a scrambler who could be exciting but was even more erratic, although he led the team to wins in the last two contests of the ’67 season. The team also had their 1967 first draft choice, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback out of Florida, Steve Spurrier, but it was not anticipated that he would be ready to challenge for the starting job. In the end, Nolan stuck with Brodie and was rewarded when the 33-year-old veteran led the NFL in pass attempts (404), completions (234), yards (3020), and completion percentage (57.9) while tossing 22 touchdown passes along with 21 interceptions.

The receiving corps was diminished by the loss of end Dave Parks, who played out his option and signed with New Orleans. However, flanker Clifton McNeil was acquired from the Browns prior to the season and had a career-year, leading the league in pass receptions with 71 for 994 yards and seven TDs. Veteran HB John David Crow was converted to tight end and pulled in 31 passes for 531 yards and five scores. The running game was centered around two 230-pound backs, FB Ken Willard and HB Gary Lewis, and Willard placed second among the league’s rushers with 967 yards. The line had talent, in particular in the form of All-Pro G Howard Mudd, as well as twelth-year C Bruce Bosley and OT Len Rohde.

Two members of the defense made the Pro Bowl – OLB Dave Wilcox and CB Kermit Alexander. There were solid veterans in tackle Charlie Krueger, LB Matt Hazeltine, and outstanding CB Jimmy Johnson as well.

Overall, the Niners went 7-6-1 and were third in the league in total offense. The defense set a club record for fewest yards allowed in a 14-game season

For 1969, the 49ers drafted TE Ted Kwalick from Penn State and Stanford flanker Gene Washington and seemed poised to possibly challenge in the tough Coastal Division. Instead, the team regressed to 4-8-2 and finished at the bottom. Injuries played a major role in the decline as Brodie missed time and Spurrier was forced into action (Mira had been traded to Philadelphia). Three starters on defense went down with knee injuries – LB Ed Beard, DE Stan Hindman, and FS Johnny Fuller. It was not all bad – Washington caught 51 passes in his rookie season and went to the Pro Bowl. Willard was still a solid runner who gained Pro Bowl recognition and TE Bob Windsor, fighting off the challenge of the highly-regarded Kwalick, caught 49 passes for 597 yards. Second-year pro Forrest Blue took over for Bosley at center and another second-year player, Woody Peoples, stepped into the lineup at guard. The team also added FS Roosevelt Taylor during the season, who had been discarded by the Bears. LB Frank Nunley played well in place of Beard and rookie DE Earl Edwards gained valuable experience.

The stage was set for the 49ers to make a move in 1970 in the newly-restructured NFL (and without the Colts in the same division). They went 10-3-1, the franchise’s best record since 1948 when San Francisco was in the AAFC, and won the NFC West for their first division title ever in their 25th season. Brodie had an MVP year, leading the league in passing and only being sacked eight times thanks to the performance of the offensive line. Gene Washington was also a consensus first-team All-Pro with his 53 catches for a league-leading 1100 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The defense came together in brilliant fashion. With an abundance of talent on the line, helped by the arrival of brash first draft pick DE Cedrick Hardman, Nolan rotated players in and out effectively. Wilcox and Nunley continued to star at linebacker, along with Skip Vanderbundt, and the backfield was bolstered by the addition of rookie CB Bruce Taylor, who provided the added bonus of leading the league in punt returns (12.0 average on 43 returns). Roosevelt Taylor provided veteran leadership along with the eventual Hall of Famer Johnson and SS Mel Phillips. The 49ers topped the NFL with a +17 turnover differential.

The turnaround on special teams helped – Taylor drastically improved what had been a major problem area in 1969 with his punt returning, and veteran PK Bruce Gossett, obtained from the Rams, increased San Francisco’s field goal production from a measly six in ’69 to 21.

After defeating the Vikings at Minnesota in the Divisional playoff round, the 49ers lost to Dallas at home in the NFC Championship game.

The Niners moved from Kezar Stadium to Candlestick Park in ’71 and again made it to the NFC title game. The division-winning record dropped to 9-5 and Brodie was more erratic, tossing 14 more interceptions (24) and six fewer TD passes (18) than in ’70. The line still protected him well, as he was sacked just 11 times. Gene Washington continued to be a top-rate deep threat and Kwalick emerged at tight end to rank second in the NFC with 52 receptions. HB Vic Washington provided much-needed outside speed, and both he and Willard rushed for over 800 yards apiece (811 and 855, respectively). The defense continued to be solid, ranking fourth overall, although the backfield starters Johnson and Taylor were nicked up by injuries. Once again, the 49ers won in the Divisional round, defeating the resurgent Redskins, and once more they lost to Dallas for the NFC title.

San Francisco won a third straight division title in 1972, this time with an 8-5-1 tally. Brodie went down with a broken ankle five games into the schedule, but the unproven Spurrier led the club to five wins and, when he faltered in the finale, Brodie returned to rally the 49ers into the playoffs. While still capable, both the offensive line and defense experienced injury problems. But it seemed as though they had finally solved the Cowboys when they led their postseason nemesis at home in the Divisional game by a score of 28-13 in the fourth quarter. Dallas QB Roger Staubach came off the bench to rally his team to a stunning 30-28 triumph, and with that, the postseason run of the Nolan coaching era came to an end.

The 49ers dropped to 5-9 in 1973. Both Brodie and Willard were benched after the team started slowly, the running game never improved, and Gene Washington and Jimmy Johnson suffered from knee injuries that robbed them of their effectiveness. The defense was afflicted by age and injuries.

It did not get better in 1974 and ’75 as the Niners went 6-8 and 5-9, respectively. Brodie retired after the ’73 season and Spurrier was injured in ’74, leading to instability at quarterback. The receiving corps remained strong, even after Kwalick jumped to the World Football League, and the running game benefited from the addition of backs Wilbur Jackson in 1974 and Delvin Williams in ‘75. The defense began to develop holes that proved difficult to fill. But the hole at quarterback ultimately became a chronic issue, especially as Spurrier failed to live up to expectations.

Nolan was fired following the 1975 season, the early promise of his tenure having not brought a championship nor continued success. The low-key coach’s overall record was 54-53-5, not including 2-3 in the postseason.

Nolan made a return to coaching in New Orleans, serving as an assistant in 1977 and then being elevated to head coach in ’78. As in San Francisco, he enjoyed some initial success as the Saints put together their two best records up to that time at 7-9 in 1978 and 8-8 in ’79. But when the club started off at 0-12 in 1980, he was fired once more. He returned to assistant coaching, most notably going back to Landry and the Cowboys for several seasons. His son Mike later served as head coach of the 49ers (and was named to the job 37 years to the day after his father was).

MVP Profile: Bob Griese, 1971

2012-01-18T17:34:00.003-05:00

Quarterback, Miami Dolphins

Age: 26
5th season in pro football & with Dolphins
College: Purdue
Height: 6’1” Weight: 190

Prelude:
A multi-talented player in college, Griese was taken by the Dolphins in the first round of the 1967 AFL/NFL draft. When starting QB John Stofa was lost to a broken ankle, Griese took over and had a solid rookie season as he threw for 2005 yards and 15 TD passes for a second-year franchise. He earned selection to the AFL All-Star game in 1967 and ’68, but suffered along with a struggling team until Don Shula took over as head coach in 1970. The Dolphins went 10-4 and made it to the playoffs and the quarterback was selected for the Pro Bowl in the newly-merged league. Griese didn’t have the strongest arm, but it was accurate and he proved to be a good fit in Shula’s ball-control offense.

1971 Season Summary
Appeared in all 14 games
(Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20)

Passing
Attempts – 263 (13)
Most pass attempts, game – 30 at Baltimore 12/11
Completions – 145 (11)
Most pass completions, game – 17 at Baltimore 12/11
Yards – 2089 (11)
Most passing yards, game – 232 vs. Pittsburgh 11/14
Completion percentage – 55.1 (6)
Yards per attempt – 7.9 (5)
TD passes – 19 (2, tied)
Most TD passes, game – 4 vs. New England 10/17
Interceptions – 9
Most interceptions, game – 2 vs. Pittsburgh 11/14, at Baltimore 12/11
Passer rating – 90.9 (2)
200-yard passing games – 3

Rushing
Attempts – 26
Most attempts, game - 4 (for 6 yds.) vs. Baltimore 11/21
Yards – 82
Most yards, game – 22 yards (on 2 carries) vs. Chicago 11/29
Yards per attempt – 3.2
TDs – 0

Postseason: 3 G
Pass attempts – 66
Most attempts, game - 35 at Kansas City, AFC Divisional playoff
Pass completions – 36
Most completions, game - 20 at Kansas City, AFC Divisional playoff
Passing yardage – 555
Most yards, game - 263 at Kansas City, AFC Divisional playoff
TD passes – 2
Most TD passes, game - 1 at Kansas City, AFC Divisional playoff, vs. Baltimore, AFC Championship
Interceptions – 4
Most interceptions, game – 2 at Kansas City, AFC Divisional playoff

Rushing attempts – 4
Most rushing attempts, game - 2 at Kansas City, AFC Divisional playoff
Rushing yards – 21
Most rushing yards, game - 12 vs. Baltimore, AFC Championship
Average gain rushing – 5.3
Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: NEA
AFC Player of the Year: Sporting News
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, NEA, Pro Football Weekly
1st team All-AFC: AP, UPI, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News
Pro Bowl

Dolphins went 10-3-1 to finish first in the AFC East while leading the league in rushing (2429 yards). Won AFC Divisional playoff over Kansas City Chiefs (27-24) and AFC Championship over Baltimore Colts (21-0). Lost Super Bowl to Dallas Cowboys (24-3).

Aftermath:
Griese suffered a broken leg five games into the 1972 season but returned in the playoffs as the team went undefeated and won the Super Bowl. They won again in ’73 and Griese was again selected to the Pro Bowl even though the offense ran the ball more than it passed. Injuries factored into a couple of lesser seasons in 1975 and ’76, with personnel factors also an issue, but Griese, now wearing glasses, came back strong in 1977 as he led the NFL in passing (87.8 rating), TD passes (22), and yards per attempt (7.2) – he was a consensus first-team All-Pro as well as Pro Bowl selection and MVP. He was selected to a sixth Pro Bowl in ’78 while leading the league in completion percentage (63.0) but injuries began to wear him down and ultimately ended his career in 1980. He ended up passing for 25,092 yards with 192 TD passes and the team went 92-56-3 with him behind center. The Dolphins retired Griese’s #12 and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1990. His son Brian followed him into the NFL.

--

MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

1988: Broncos Win AFC Title as Browns Fumble Away Last Chance

2012-01-17T07:18:00.004-05:00

On January 17, 1988 the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns met for the AFC Championship for the second consecutive year. In the previous season’s meeting at Cleveland, QB John Elway led the Broncos on a 98-yard drive to tie the game in the fourth quarter and Denver won in overtime. The rematch would be at Mile High Stadium this time, and the Browns were hoping to turn the tables.

In the strike-affected 1987 season (one week wiped out, three with the teams populated by replacement players), the Broncos again won the AFC West with a conference-best 10-4-1 record (2-1 in the replacement games). Coached by Dan Reeves for the seventh year, the key to the offense remained Elway, who passed for 3198 yards and 19 TDs and became even more formidable when the team began using a shotgun offense. Wide receivers Vance Johnson, Ricky Nattiel, and Mark Jackson, known as “The Three Amigos”, were all capable of making big plays (Johnson was out for the game against the Browns due to a groin injury). The defense had been overhauled but had outstanding players in DE Rulon Jones and LB Karl Mecklenburg. Denver defeated the Houston Oilers in the Divisional round to move once again to the conference title game.

Cleveland, under Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer, had won the AFC Central for the third straight year at 10-5 (also 2-1 in games with replacement playes). The run-oriented offense featured RB Earnest Byner and FB Kevin Mack, but also had the conference’s top-rated quarterback in Bernie Kosar (95.4 rating). Byner had the most pass receptions, but deep-threat WR Webster Slaughter, possession WR Brian Brennan, and TE Ozzie Newsome were a talented group. The most notable players on “the Dawg Defense” were LB Clay Matthews and cornerbacks Frank Minnifield and Hanford Dixon. The Browns had easily beaten the Colts in their Divisional game to advance.

It was sunny and in the 40s with 75,993 fans in attendance at Mile High Stadium. They saw the home team get an early break as DE Freddie Gilbert intercepted a deflected pass on the third play from scrimmage, giving the Broncos the ball at the Cleveland 18 yard line. RB Sammy Winder ran twice for 11 yards, lost one, and then Elway threw to Nattiel for an eight-yard touchdown.

The Browns turned the ball over again on their next possession as Mack fumbled when hit by FS Tony Lilly and CB Steve Wilson recovered for the Broncos at the Denver 40. Following a seven-yard scramble by Elway, RB Gene Lang broke away for a 42-yard gain to the Cleveland 11 and seven plays later, RB Steve Sewell ran for a touchdown from a yard out on a reverse. Two turnovers by the Browns had led to two TDs for Denver and it was 14-0 at just over 11 minutes into the game.

The Browns came back with a 13-play drive that covered 64 yards and stretched into the second quarter. Kosar threw to Newsome for a 25-yard gain on the first play and also hit for 19 yards to WR Clarence Weathers in a third-and-17 situation that moved the ball to the Denver 19. Cleveland got to the six yard line before having to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Matt Bahr, but had put together a good sustained drive and gotten on the board.

The Broncos responded with a scoring drive of their own, moving 80 yards in eleven plays. Elway (pictured at right) threw to Nattiel for 21 yards to the Cleveland one on a third-and-seven play and Lang went one yard up the middle to finish it off and, with Rich Karlis adding his third extra point, it was a formidable 21-3 margin for Denver.

Following a short three-and-out series for the Browns, the Broncos again drove into Cleveland territory. Elway again scrambled out of trouble along the way, taking off on an 11-yard run for a first down in a third-and-ten situation from his own 46. The drive stalled at the Browns’ 33 and a 50-yard field goal attempt by Karlis went wide to the left.

Mack started off the Cleveland series with a 13-yard run and Kosar threw to Slaughter for nine, but after moving into Denver territory, a 15-yard personal foul penalty moved the ball back to the Cleveland 42 and Brennan fumbled after catching a short pass and safety Randy Robbins recovered at the 48. Fortunately for the Browns, this time the Broncos came up empty on the takeaway and had to punt. Cleveland had a shot at putting three more points on the board after Kosar connected with Slaughter for 24 yards to the Denver 28, but Bahr’s 45-yard field goal attempt on the last play of the half was no good.

It was the turn of the Browns to capitalize on a turnover when, on Denver’s initial possession of the third quarter, FS Felix Wright intercepted an Elway throw and returned it 13 yards to the Broncos’ 35. Three plays later, Kosar threw to WR Reggie Langhorne for an 18-yard touchdown and, with the successful conversion, it was a 21-10 contest.

Still, the Broncos came right back. In a third-and-ten situation at his own 20, a scrambling Elway tossed a short pass to Mark Jackson who proceeded to sprint down the sideline for an 80-yard touchdown. It seemed as though Denver had regained command, but the Browns put together an 80-yard drive of their own that took just five plays. The last three were pass completions by Kosar of 12 yards to Byner, 30 to Langhorne, and to Byner again for 32 yards and a TD. The score was 28-17 with just under seven minutes remaining in the period.

The Broncos had to punt following a short series and, starting from the Denver 42, Kosar (pictured at left) again passed the Browns down the field. This time it was nine yards to Mack (followed by a five-yard encroachment penalty on the Broncos), 16 to Slaughter, and eight once more to Mack before Byner ran up the middle for a four-yard touchdown. Suddenly, it was a four-point game in what had been an eventful third quarter.

The period wasn’t over yet and the Broncos went 59 yards in nine plays, highlighted by a 22-yard Elway completion to Jackson. Karlis was successful on a 38-yard field goal attempt and Denver led by 31-24 going into the final period.

Taking over at their own 14 following the kickoff return, the Browns put together an 86-yard drive in nine plays. The biggest along the way was a Kosar pass to Byner that gained 53 yards to the Denver 27. Three plays later, Mack ran for 14 yards to get the ball inside the ten and, on third-and-goal from the four, Kosar passed to Slaughter for a touchdown. Bahr added the extra point and the game that had seemed under control for the Broncos only a short time before was now tied at 31-31.

On the next possession, Elway came out passing and connected with Jackson for 23 yards, but the drive stalled at midfield. With fourth-and-one, the team lined up in shotgun formation but Elway punted, although his kick traveled only 18 yards. The Browns had to punt after their possession, giving the Broncos the ball at their own 25.

Elway threw to Nattiel for 26 yards and, after a three-yard carry by Winder and an incomplete pass, it was again to Nattiel for 26 more yards to the Cleveland 20. Following a time out, Elway passed to Winder three yards behind the line of scrimmage and the running back proceeded to go all the way to put the Broncos ahead by a touchdown.

With just under four minutes remaining on the clock, the Browns started at their own 25. Byner gained 16 yards up the middle and, after another short carry, Kosar threw to Brennan for 14 yards and again for 19, putting the ball at the Denver 24 at the two-minute warning. The Browns gained another five yards on an encroachment penalty and ran for six yards to the 13. Following an incomplete pass and another five-yard penalty on the Broncos, Byner took the ball and had a good gain with the end zone in sight before fumbling. DB Jeremiah Castille recovered for Denver at the three and, for all intents, it was all over (aftermath with Byner in foreground and pile untangling following the fumble pictured at top).

The Broncos ran the clock down with Elway maintaining possession all the way and punter Mike Horan took an intentional safety. After the free kick, Kosar’s last-gasp pass fell incomplete and the Denver Broncos were once again AFC Champions by a score of 38-33.

The Browns had the edge in total yards (464 to 412) and first downs (25 to 24). However, they also turned the ball over four times, including the play that came to be known simply as “The Fumble” at the end, while Denver had just one.

John Elway completed 14 of 26 passes for 281 yards with three touchdowns and an interception and also ran the ball 11 times for 36 yards. Ricky Nattiel caught 5 of those throws for 95 yards and a TD and Mark Jackson (pictured below) gained 134 yards on his 4 receptions that also included a score. Sammy Winder led the team in rushing with 72 yards on 20 carries while, with the one long run, Gene Lang added 51 yards on 5 attempts.

For the Browns, Bernie Kosar went to the air 41 times and completed 26 for 356 yards and three TDs with one picked off. Earnest Byner led the team in rushing with 67 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and also in receiving with 7 catches for 120 yards and a score - unfortunately, the fumble at the end overshadowed the rest. Kevin Mack also ran the ball 15 times and accumulated 61 yards.

“I’m enjoying it now that it’s over,” said Elway afterward. “It was a little nerve-wracking at the time.”

Said a dejected Earnest Byner, “We know that Denver practices stripping the ball every day. Every time you run the ball, they try to take it out of your hands. Maybe if I had pulled the ball in closer…well, I don’t know.”

“This football team would not have been in a position to win the game if it wasn't for Earnest Byner,” said Marty Schottenheimer in defense of his star running back. “I already told it to him. If it hadn't been for - for lack of a better word - Earnest's heroics, we wouldn't have been in the position to win.”

The Broncos went on to lose the Super Bowl to the Washington Redskins. They dipped to 8-8 in 1988 but won their third AFC title in four years in ’89. Unfortunately for them, they lost the Super Bowls in each instance. Cleveland again made it to the postseason in ’88, but as a wild card entry. They lost a close contest in the first round and Schottenheimer was forced to resign. Under Bud Carson in 1989, the Browns again advanced to the AFC Championship game, and again lost to Denver in a contest that was not as closely decided as the previous two between the clubs. The team faded from contention thereafter.

Past Venue: Astrodome

2012-01-16T08:41:00.006-05:00

Houston, TX

Year opened: 1965
Capacity: 62,439

Names:
Harris County Domed Stadium, 1965
Houston Astrodome, 1965-2000
Reliant Astrodome, 2000 to date

Pro football tenants:
Houston Oilers (AFL/NFL), 1968-96
Houston Texans (WFL), 1974
Houston Gamblers (USFL), 1984-85

Postseason games hosted:
AFC Wild Card playoff, Oilers 13 Broncos 7, Dec. 23, 1979
USFL Quarterfinal playoff, Wranglers 17 Gamblers 16, July 1, 1984
AFC Wild Card playoff, Oilers 23 Seahawks 20, Jan. 3, 1988
AFC Wild Card playoff, Steelers 26 Oilers 23, Dec. 31, 1989
AFC Wild Card playoff, Oilers 17 Jets 10, Dec. 29, 1991
AFC Divisional playoff, Chiefs 28 Oilers 20, Jan. 16, 1994

Other tenants of note:
Houston Astros (MLB – NL), 1965-99
Univ. of Houston (college football), 1965-97
Houston Hurricane (NASL), 1978-80

Notes: Hosted AFL All-Star game, Jan. 17, 1970. Hosted annual Bluebonnet Bowl, 1968-84, 87. Hosted Houston Bowl, 2000-01. Hosted annual Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, 1966-2003. Also hosted high school football playoff games. World’s first air-conditioned domed stadium when completed in 1965 and dubbed the “Eighth Wonder of the World”, it was also the world’s largest self-supporting dome at the time of construction. Original grass surface proved impractical and was replaced with AstroTurf in 1966 (the first such use of an artificial surface). Underwent major renovation in 1989, with external ramps added outside the structure, the dirt floor converted to concrete, and a new artificial surface installed. Conceived by Judge Roy Hofheinz, an entrepreneur and politician who was instrumental in bringing major league baseball to Houston and who maintained a large luxury apartment in the Astrodome that was removed as part of the renovation (Hofheinz died in 1982). Located in what is now Reliant Park; Reliant Stadium was constructed adjacent to it.

Fate: Facility is closed but still standing.

(more recent view, showing external renovations)

1995: Chargers Stun Steelers for AFC Championship

2012-01-15T09:17:00.006-05:00

The Pittsburgh Steelers were heavily favored to win the AFC Championship game on January 15, 1995 as they hosted the San Diego Chargers at Three Rivers Stadium. In their third year under Head Coach Bill Cowher, the Steelers had won the AFC Central with a conference-best 12-4 record. The offense was the league’s best at running the ball and had an outstanding tandem of running backs in Barry Foster and Bam Morris as well as FB John L. Williams who, tellingly, was the club’s leading pass receiver. Sixth-year QB Neil O’Donnell was a good fit in the conservative offense – not flashy, but also not prone to making mistakes. It was the “Blitzburgh” defense that carried the club, however, with an outstanding linebacker corps that included All-Pros Kevin Greene and Greg Lloyd as well as run-stuffing Levon Kirkland and versatile Chad Brown. Another All-Pro performer, CB Rod Woodson, was the key player in the backfield and CB Carnell Lake earned selection to the Pro Bowl.

The Chargers finished first in the AFC West at 11-5, but had slowed after getting off to a 6-0 start. Head Coach Bobby Ross was also in his third year and, unusual in the franchise’s history, favored a power running offense. In his second season, RB Natrone Means ran for 1350 yards and 12 touchdowns. At quarterback was Stan Humphries (pictured below), who GM Bobby Beathard had drafted in Washington and then traded for with the Chargers. Like the Steelers, the pass receiving group was unheralded but effective. The defense had a fine pass-rushing line, led by Pro Bowl DE Leslie O’Neal (12.5 sacks), and a great middle linebacker in Junior Seau, who still played at a high level despite being hampered by a pinched nerve all year.

There were 61,545 fans in attendance on a 60-degree day in Pittsburgh that was overcast with occasional rain. The Steelers took the opening kickoff and put together a solid 13-play, 67-yard scoring drive. In a third-and-twenty situation at midfield, O’Donnell passed to WR Andre Hastings for 18 yards and, going for it on fourth-and-two, threw again to Hastings for another 11 yards. John L. Williams capped the series by catching a pass from O’Donnell for a 16-yard touchdown and the Steelers had the early 7-0 lead.

That was the score at the end of the first quarter as the teams traded punts. The Chargers got a break late in the period when Foster fumbled and safety Darren Carrington recovered at the San Diego 41, but they were unable to capitalize and had to punt for the third straight time.

The Steelers took over at their 12 yard line and began to move the ball effectively as O’Donnell completed passes to TE Jonathan Hayes for 16 yards and WR Yancey Thigpen for 21. Pittsburgh converted another fourth down on an O’Donnell quarterback sneak that just got the needed yard to the San Diego 38. The Steelers made it to the Chargers’ 27 before being backed up by a holding penalty and ended up having to punt.

San Diego’s offense had been quiet thus far, but taking over at their 20, Means immediately ran for 17 yards and followed up with a 15-yard gain on a pass from Humphries. A long pass intended for WR Shawn Jefferson drew a pass interference penalty that put the ball on the Pittsburgh two. Three straight runs by Means were stopped, however, and the Chargers were forced to settle for a 20-yard field goal by John Carney.

The Steelers came back with a 12-play drive that covered 51 yards with O’Donnell converting three third downs along the way with pass completions, all to WR Ernie Mills. With 13 seconds remaining in the half, Gary Anderson booted a 39-yard field goal and Pittsburgh went into halftime with a 10-3 lead. Thus far, the Steelers had outgained San Diego by 229 yards to 46 and had 13 first downs to the Chargers’ four. Despite the closeness of the score, Pittsburgh was clearly dominating the contest.

It looked even better for the Steelers when Rod Woodson intercepted a Humphries pass on the third play of the second half. O’Donnell connected with TE Eric Green for 33 yards to highlight a 50-yard drive that ended at the San Diego six yard line. Anderson kicked a 23-yard field goal to stretch Pittsburgh’s lead to 13-3.

The Chargers needed a big play on offense and they got it on their next series. On the fifth play, Humphries threw to a wide-open TE Alfred Pupunu for a 43-yard touchdown and, with Carney’s extra point, it was suddenly a three-point game midway through the third quarter.

The teams traded punts for the remainder of the period and into the fourth quarter. With just under ten minutes to go, the Chargers took over at their 20. Humphries tossed back-to-back completions to Pupunu that covered 31 yards and runs by Means got the ball into Pittsburgh territory. On a third-and-14 play, Humphries went long for WR Tony Martin, who outmaneuvered CB Tim McKyer for a stunning 43-yard touchdown (pictured at top). Carney’s extra point put San Diego ahead by four points.

Now with 5:13 on the clock, the Steelers moved furiously down the field. O’Donnell completed seven consecutive passes, the longest of 21 yards to Green to the San Diego nine for first-and-goal at the two-minute warning. Foster was stopped for a one-yard loss and O’Donnell’s pass intended for Green was incomplete. A throw to Williams gained seven yards, but it was now fourth-and-three. O’Donnell threw toward Foster in the end zone, but LB Dennis Gibson knocked the pass away and that was it. The Chargers were able to run out the clock and advance to their first Super Bowl appearance with a 17-13 upset.

The Steelers won the statistical battle, outgaining San Diego by 415 yards to 226 and accumulating 22 first downs to 13 for the Chargers. Neither team was able to effectively run on the other, with identical rushing totals of 66 yards (on 26 carries by the Steelers, 24 by San Diego). There was only one sack – by the Steelers – and each team turned the ball over one time. Pittsburgh was far more penalized, however, getting flagged 8 times at a cost of 111 yards to three for 15 yards on the Chargers.

Stan Humphries completed 11 of 22 passes for 165 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Alfred Pupunu (pictured above) led San Diego’s receivers with 4 catches for 76 yards and a TD. The wide receivers combined for just three catches, but Tony Martin’s for the game-winning 43-yard score was a very big one. Natrone Means rushed for 69 yards on 20 carries (Humphries had -3 yards, accounting for the lower net team total). Defensively, Junior Seau had 16 tackles and spearheaded the effort that shut down Pittsburgh’s running game, even after suffering a shoulder injury on a tackle late in the first half.

For the Steelers, Neil O’Donnell (pictured below) went to the air 54 times and completed 32 for 349 yards with the one TD and none intercepted - it was the failure to complete a pass in the end zone in the climactic possession that was most remembered afterward, however. Ernie Mills had 8 receptions for 106 yards and John L. Williams contributed 7 catches for 45 yards and a TD to go along with his three rushing attempts for 16 yards. Eric Green gained 80 yards on his 4 receptions. Barry Foster, thanks to the inspired play of Seau and the San Diego defense, was held to 47 yards on 20 attempts.

“We knew they were altering their game plan and that was something to our advantage,” said Seau. “Even before we stepped in the stadium, the issue was how to stop their running game.”

“There's a very empty feeling right now,” said Bill Cowher. “I guess you can say the further you come, the harder it is to fall.”

The Chargers faced another uphill battle in the Super Bowl against the NFC Champions, the San Francisco 49ers. This time they came out on the short end by a decisive score of 49-26. They returned to the postseason in 1995 as a 9-7 wild card entry, lost in the first round, and didn’t reappear in the playoffs until 2004.

The defeat was a bitter one for the Steelers and their fans (a clearly distraught Tim McKyer had to be helped off the field afterward), but they came back to win the AFC title in 1995, losing to the Cowboys in the Super Bowl. They would remain regular contenders through the remainder of Cowher’s coaching tenure and beyond.

1954: Weeb Ewbank Becomes Head Coach of Colts

2012-01-14T09:38:00.002-05:00

The Baltimore Colts had been formed in 1953 out of the debris that had been the Dallas Texans franchise of ’52. The original Colts had been part of the All-America Football Conference from 1947 to ’49, and when the AAFC was merged into the NFL, it was one of three clubs (along with the Browns and 49ers) to be taken into the older league. For the Colts, it was only a one-year stay as they went 1-11 and folded.

Fans in Baltimore held out hopes for a return to the NFL and, once it was apparent that the Texans wouldn’t survive, Commissioner Bert Bell announced that, if they could sell 15,000 season tickets in a six-week period and locate viable ownership, they would become the league’s twelfth franchise. The ticket goal was reached in a month and a group headed by Carroll Rosenbloom was approved to operate the team. Don Kellett was appointed general manager and Keith Molesworth, ex-Bears quarterback, became the head coach. The fans were enthusiastic but the team went 3-9 in its first year.

On January 14, 1954 it was announced by Kellett that Molesworth was being shifted to the front office as executive vice president (in essence, chief talent scout) and his replacement would be Wilbur C. “Weeb” Ewbank, who turned 47 prior to the ’54 season.

Ewbank had, since 1949, been an assistant coach under Paul Brown with the Cleveland Browns – his hiring made him the first of Brown’s assistants to become a pro head coach (the Colts were reportedly also interested in Blanton Collier, who eventually succeeded Brown in Cleveland). His coaching experience stretched to the high school and college levels, as well as the military. Ewbank went to college at Miami of Ohio, where Brown was a teammate on the football team. He became head football coach at Van Wert High School in 1928 and ’29, a losing program, and then moved on to Oxford McGuffey High School, both in Ohio. He was reunited with Brown as an assistant at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in 1944, where he was also basketball coach in 1945 before being discharged from the Navy. After going into college coaching after World War II, he entered the pro ranks in Cleveland.

“I accept the job as a challenge,” said Ewbank at his signing. “I hope to institute the same principles that made the Browns champions.”

Rosenbloom said, “I believe we made an ideal choice selecting Ewbank.” His actions would belie that statement over the next few years, and the stocky head coach was often on shaky ground as he attempted to fulfill a five-year timetable to producing a championship team. In the end, however, Ewbank would prove Rosenbloom’s initial reaction to be correct.

There was talent to lay a foundation with in 1954, but there was also plenty of room for improvement as the team again went 3-9. The Colts scored just 14 touchdowns over the course of the season. Star HB Buddy Young accounted for the most with five and the all-purpose talent was also the team’s leading rusher with 311 yards. Another ex-AAFC star, HB George Taliaferro, had a lesser year due to a knee injury. QB Gary Kerkorian was an accurate passer but lacked arm strength and was clearly not a long-term answer at the position. End Dan Edwards was the top receiver, but jumped to Canada the following year. Rookie end Jim Mutscheller would pay dividends in future years, and two other rookies broke into the lineup on the offensive line, C Buzz Nutter and G Alex Sandusky.

The more promising platoon was the defense. Two ex-Texans, DE Gino Marchetti and DT Art Donovan, were joined by DE Don Joyce on the line. LB Bill Pellington, halfbacks Carl Taseff and Don Shula, and safety Bert Rechichar all had talent (Shula also brought a knowledge of the game that would make him a successful head coach later). Young, Marchetti, and Donovan earned selection to the Pro Bowl and, in addition, the 29-year-old Donovan was a consensus first-team All-Pro.

Ewbank proved to be a good judge of talent (and effective at bringing out the best in that talent), as was Molesworth on the scouting side of the organization, and over the next few years the roster would develop accordingly. 1955 brought FB Alan Ameche, the Heisman-winning first round draft choice out of Wisconsin who led the NFL in rushing as a rookie and was the key to the ground game until an injury ended his career in 1960. It also brought another pick in the first round of the draft (in the form of a bonus choice) in QB George Shaw from Oregon. Baylor HB L.G. “Long Gone” Dupre, C/LB Dick Szymanski of Notre Dame, and tackles Jack Patera from Oregon and George Preas of Virginia Tech were other draftees who would have an impact. Slow-but-steady offensive end Raymond Berry caught the first 13 of an eventual 631 career passes. Baltimore’s record improved to 5-6-1.

DT Gene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb was claimed off waivers from the Rams in 1956 and became a highly-successful Ewbank reclamation project. Another new arrival was rookie HB Lenny Moore from Penn State, an outstanding outside runner who could also be used with extreme effectiveness as a flanker.

But the most significant addition of all arrived in the form of an unheralded quarterback out of Louisville, Johnny Unitas, who was drafted in the low rounds and cut by the Steelers in ‘55 and was playing semipro football when the Colts gave him a call. The Colts were looking for a backup for Shaw, but when the starter went down with a leg injury five games into the season, Unitas stepped in and showed great promise. That promise would blossom into greatness over the next few seasons.

The Colts held steady at 5-7 in ’56 despite the influx in talent, and they were not improving quickly enough for Rosenbloom. The impatient owner had considered Ewbank’s five-year plan to a title to be too slow to begin with, and a third straight losing record had the coach’s job in jeopardy. It was widely reported in the media late in the season that Ewbank would be fired. A long Unitas-to-Mutscheller touchdown completion pulled out a win in the last game, apparently giving the coach a reprieve, but when Buddy Parker abruptly resigned as head coach of the Lions on the eve of the 1957 preseason, there was speculation that Rosenbloom would hire him to replace Ewbank (Parker went to Pittsburgh instead).

The Colts turned a corner in ’57, winning their first three games and remaining in contention until losing the final two on their annual West Coast swing to finish out of the running at 7-5. Rookie first draft choice Jim Parker out of Ohio State moved directly into the starting lineup at left offensive tackle. Unitas, in his first full season as starting quarterback, had a breakout year and led the league in passing yards (2550) and TD passes (24). Berry topped the NFL with 800 receiving yards and Moore placed fourth with 687 and also led the league in yards from scrimmage (1175) and touchdowns (11). Mutscheller had the most pass receiving TDs (8). Marchetti, Donovan, and DHB Milt Davis were consensus first-team All-Pros and joined Unitas, Ameche, Mutscheller, and Rechichar as Pro Bowl selections.

The stage was set for the Colts to go all the way in Ewbank’s fifth year, as planned, in 1958. They did, compiling a 9-3 record and winning a thrilling overtime championship game over the Giants. In ’59 they again went 9-3 and defeated New York to repeat as champions.

When Baltimore started off at 6-2 in 1960, it seemed as though the Colts might make it three straight. However, the defense began to show its age, the running game was not as effective (especially after Ameche suffered a career-ending injury), and Unitas injured his back and, while still able to pass well, was less mobile and thus more vulnerable to pass rushers. The team lost four straight to close out the season with a disappointing 6-6 record.

In the follow-up to the 1960 season, there was talk about dissension among the players, although age and injuries seemed more the culprit in the team’s decline. Ewbank had always tended toward regimentation (no doubt a trait influenced by Paul Brown) and could drive both the team and himself very hard. In the 1958 Championship game, he showed a fiery streak when Berry caught a pass and was pushed out of bounds near the Baltimore bench. Feeling that the Giants’ middle linebacker, Sam Huff, was guilty of a late hit on his star end, the 5’7”, 182-pound coach went after the 230-pound linebacker. While players quickly intervened to break up the altercation, it was a display that won Ewbank respect from his players (although he later expressed regret and made light of the incident).

Following two more mediocre seasons, in which the Colts went 8-6 and 7-7, Ewbank was finally dismissed by Rosenbloom. 33-year-old Don Shula took his place, and Ewbank moved on to the newly-renamed and refurbished New York Jets of the AFL for 1963, where he performed another major rebuilding job that culminated in a championship.

In nine years as head coach of the Colts, Ewbank compiled a 59-52-1 regular season record and, most importantly, was 2-0 in the postseason with the two NFL titles. The less-than-overwhelming overall record reflects the years of building the team into a winner (as would also be the case later in New York). In 1978 he was honored for his coaching efforts with induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

MVP Profile: Mark Moseley, 1982

2012-01-13T07:08:00.004-05:00

Placekicker, Washington Redskins

Age: 34
12th season in pro football, 9th with Redskins
College: Stephen F. Austin
Height: 6’0” Weight: 205

Prelude:
Taken by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 14th round of the 1970 NFL draft, Moseley had a mediocre rookie year and lost his job to Happy Feller in the ’71 preseason. Catching on with the Houston Oilers during the season, he had a better year but was cut in favor of Skip Butler after one game in 1972. Moseley caught on with the Redskins in 1974 and finally hit his stride, leading the NFL in field goals kicked three times (1976, ’77, and ’79) and gaining selection to the Pro Bowl following a 1979 season in which he connected on 75.8 % of his field goal attempts (25 of 33). His performance dipped in ’80 and he nearly lost his job to Dan Miller during the 1982 preseason.

1982 Season Summary
Appeared in all 9 games
(Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20)

Kicking
Field goals – 20 (1)
Most field goals, game - 4 at St. Louis 12/12
Field goal attempts – 21 (4, tied)
Most field goal attempts, game – 4 at St. Louis 12/12
Field goal percentage – 95.2 (1)
PATs – 16 (17, tied)
PAT attempts – 19
Longest field goal – 48 yards at Philadelphia 9/12

Scoring
Field Goals – 20
PATs – 16
Points – 76 (4)

Postseason: 4 G
Field goals – 4
Most field goals, game – 2 vs. Miami, Super Bowl
Field goal attempts – 8
Most field goal attempts, game – 2 in all four contests
PATs – 14
Most PATs, game – 4 vs. Detroit, NFC First Round playoff, vs. Dallas, NFC Championship
PAT attempts – 14
Longest field goal – 31 yards vs. Miami, Super Bowl

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, NEA, Pro Football Weekly
1st team All-NFC: UPI
Pro Bowl

Redskins went 8-1 in strike-shortened season and were top seed in the NFC playoff tournament that replaced the usual postseason format. Defeated the Detroit Lions in the First Round playoff (31-7), Minnesota Vikings in the Second Round playoff (21-7), Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship (31-17), and Miami Dolphins in the Super Bowl (27-17).

Aftermath:
With the high-scoring 1983 Redskins, Moseley set a then-record for points that didn’t include TDs with 161 (62 extra points and 33 field goals). He was finally let go during the 1986 season and finished up his career that year with Cleveland as the last straight-ahead placekicker in regular service in the NFL. At the time of his retirement, he ranked fourth all-time in career scoring with 1382 points, including 300 field goals in 457 attempts (65.6 %) and 482 extra points. His 1206 points and 263 field goals with the Redskins are franchise records.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

1986: Patriots Upset Dolphins to Win AFC Title

2012-01-12T06:15:00.003-05:00

The Miami Dolphins were the defending AFC Champions and looking to return to the Super Bowl as they faced the New England Patriots in the conference title game on January 12, 1986 at the Orange Bowl.

Head Coach Don Shula’s Dolphins, after a 4-1 start in 1985, had struggled during a midseason slump that reduced their record to 5-4, including a loss at New England. But they proceeded to win their last seven games to again top the AFC East at 12-4. QB Dan Marino, coming off a record-setting year in ’84, held out during training camp and WR Mark Duper missed nearly half the season, but the high-flying aerial attack still had WR Mark Clayton (70 catches, 996 yards), 34-year-old WR Nat Moore, and RB Tony Nathan accumulating nearly as many yards as a receiver out of the backfield (651) as he did as a runner from scrimmage (667). Marino’s numbers might not have been as astronomical as they were a year earlier, but he still led the NFL with 4137 passing yards and 30 TD passes. A chink in the defensive armor was noted in the AFC Divisional round win over the 8-8 Cleveland Browns in which the Dolphins struggled and gave up 251 rushing yards.

New England, under Head Coach Raymond Berry, had a reputation as a talented team that was prone to underachieving. The Patriots got off to a 2-3 start but went 9-2 the rest of the way (including a split with the Dolphins) to finish third in the AFC East at 11-5 and in the postseason as a wild card entry. Deposed as starting quarterback by Tony Eason, Steve Grogan stepped in when Eason was injured and performed well. FB Craig James (pictured above) earned a Pro Bowl berth as he ran for 1227 yards while HB Tony Collins contributed another 657 yards and caught 52 passes for 549 more. Wide receivers Irving Fryar and Stanley Morgan were outstanding. The defense featured linebackers Andre Tippett and Steve Nelson, CB Raymond Clayborn, and FS Fred Marion. The Patriots beat the team that finished second in the division, the Jets, in the Wild Card round and then upset the Raiders in Los Angeles to earn a shot at the AFC title against a team that had beaten them 18 straight times at the Orange Bowl.

There were 74,978 fans in attendance on a wet and cloudy day in south Florida. Following a 37-yard kickoff return by New England WR Stephen Starring, the Patriots made it to the Miami 45 and had to punt. On the Dolphins’ first play from scrimmage, Nathan fumbled after being hit by Nelson and DE Garin Veris recovered for New England. Six plays later, barefooted PK Tony Franklin kicked a 23-yard field goal and the Patriots had the early lead.

The teams traded punts, and as the first quarter came to an end the Dolphins were in the midst of an 80-yard drive. Marino connected on passes of 12 yards to TE Bruce Hardy, 18 to Duper, and finally 10 yards to TE Dan Johnson in the middle of the end zone for a touchdown. Fuad Reveiz kicked the extra point and Miami was ahead by 7-3. New England came right back, going 66 yards in eight plays highlighted by a 45-yard run by RB Robert Weathers. Eason threw to Collins for a four-yard TD and the Patriots were back in front.

New England regained possession thanks to another fumble, this time by Marino on the Dolphins’ second play of the next series. NT Lester Williams recovered for the Patriots at the Miami 36 and they drove to another score in seven plays. Craig James ran for 23 yards on three carries and Eason threw to Morgan for 12 yards and a first down at the one yard line. The third-year quarterback then rolled out and tossed a TD pass to TE Derrick Ramsey and, with Franklin’s PAT, the Patriots were ahead by 17-7.

The Dolphins drove from their 17 to the New England 14 with Marino making big completions of 16 yards to Clayton and 29 to Hardy. But they came up empty when Reveiz missed a 31-yard field goal try. The clubs traded punts to finish off the half and New England maintained its 10-point lead at the intermission.

The Patriots got a big break on the kickoff for the second half as Miami RB Lorenzo Hampton fumbled after being hit by RB Mosi Tatupu and WR/RB Greg Hawthorne recovered. Starting at the Dolphins’ 25, the visitors scored in six plays with James and Collins running the ball effectively and Eason passing to Weathers for a two-yard touchdown. Franklin kicked the extra point and New England’s lead was now 24-7.

Marino threw three incomplete passes on Miami’s next possession, but the Dolphins got a special teams break of their own when Reggie Roby’s punt was fumbled by safety Fred Marion and recovered by safety Bud Brown. With the ball at the New England 42, RB Joe Carter ran for a 19-yard gain and Marino threw to RB Ron Davenport for seven more to the 16 yard line. But a pass into the end zone intended for Clayton was intercepted by Marion – making up for his turnover – and the Dolphins came up empty.

The Patriots put together a 13-play drive that consumed nearly eight minutes with Collins, James, and Weathers carrying the load on the ground – Eason threw just one pass, a six-yard completion to Tatupu. However, after getting to the Miami 24, New England also came up short when Franklin’s 41-yard field goal attempt was wide to the left. Still, the Patriots maintained a 17-point lead going into the final period.

Three plays into the fourth quarter, the Dolphins punted, and once again the Patriots turned the ball over as safety Roland James fumbled. Miami gained possession on the New England 10 and immediately capitalized as Marino threw to Nathan for a TD. It was now a 24-14 contest with plenty of time remaining.

It looked even more favorable for the Dolphins when the Patriots went nowhere in three plays and punted. But two plays later, and with the ball at the Miami 38, it was the turn of the Dolphins to fumble the ball away as Carter lost the handle and 14-year DE Julius Adams recovered for New England. Again, the Patriots kept the ball on the ground as Craig James ran four straight times and Collins three consecutive, including a carry of 14 yards to the Miami 17 on a third-and-seven play. After a three-yard run by Collins, James went 13 yards to the one yard line, and Tatupu finished the nine-play drive off with a touchdown carry around end.

In effect, the Patriots had put the game away, but there was still 7:34 on the clock and Marino came out throwing. Hitting on six passes, the Dolphins moved from their 21 yard line to the New England eight. The drive stalled there, however, and two penalties moved Miami back to the 28 from where a Marino toss into the end zone was intercepted by Raymond Clayborn.

The Patriots kept the ball on the ground and, while Miami sent all eleven players after Rich Camarillo’s punt, it sailed 49 yards and came to rest on the Dolphins’ 14. By then, there was no longer any doubt and New England advanced to the Super Bowl with a stunning 31-14 win.

The Patriots had more total yards (326 to 302) and first downs (21 to 18) than Miami. Of the yardage total for New England, 255 came on the ground and just 71 through the air (as opposed to 68 and 234, respectively, for the Dolphins). Most of all, while the Patriots turned the ball over twice on fumbles, Miami lost the ball a costly six times. Combined with the other two playoff wins on the road, New England came away with a total of 16 takeaways in climbing to the pinnacle of the AFC and becoming the first wild card team to win three road games to advance to the Super Bowl.

Craig James paced the New England running attack with 105 yards on 22 carries while Robert Weathers carried 16 times for 87 yards and Tony Collins (pictured at right) contributed 61 yards on 12 attempts. Tony Eason went to the air just 12 times but completed 10 for 71 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Collins and Derrick Ramsey caught three passes apiece (for 15 and 18 yards, respectively, and each with a touchdown) while Stanley Morgan gained a team-high 30 yards on his two receptions.

Dan Marino was successful on just 20 of his 48 passes for 248 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Tony Nathan was Miami’s top receiver with 5 catches for 57 yards and a score (he gained four yards on two carries). Mark Duper and Mark Clayton caught three passes each, for 45 and 41 yards. Bruce Hardy gained the most receiving yards with 52 on his three receptions. Joe Carter rushed for 56 yards on 6 carries, but had the one big fumble.

The surprising run through the postseason came to an end for New England against the 15-1 Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl. The Patriots were crushed by a 46-10 score. They won the AFC East in ’86 but lost in the Divisional round and didn’t reappear in the postseason until 1994. Miami was 8-8 the next year and didn’t return to the playoffs until 1990 despite Dan Marino’s continued heroics.

1970: Chiefs Beat Vikings in Last Pre-Merger Super Bowl

2012-01-11T06:14:00.005-05:00

The 1969 season marked the last pre-merger campaign for the American Football League as it prepared to be absorbed into the NFL for 1970. The AFL’s New York Jets had stunned the NFL Colts in the Super Bowl following the ’68 season, thus giving notice that the teams from the new league were ready to compete with their longer-established brethren. On January 11, 1970 in Super Bowl IV the AFL was represented by the Kansas City Chiefs against the NFL champion Minnesota Vikings, with the AFL hoping to end its existence as a separate entity with another win over the NFL’s best – it was especially meaningful in that the Chiefs were owned by Lamar Hunt, the founder of the AFL, and the Vikings had originally been slated to join the new league before jumping ship and accepting an offer to become a NFL expansion franchise for 1961. Also, Kansas City had been the younger league’s representative in the first Super Bowl against Green Bay following the 1966 season, and there were still many players from that team that lost 35-10 who were looking forward to another shot.

The Chiefs, coached by the innovative Hank Stram, had finished second in the Western Division with an 11-3 record but benefited from a playoff system utilized for the AFL’s last year in which each second place team faced off against the opposing division’s first place club. After unseating the reigning-champion Jets in a close-fought game in New York, they beat the Raiders for the AFL Championship by a 17-7 score. QB Len Dawson (pictured above) had missed much of the year due to strained knee ligaments but was back and healthy in the playoffs, although reports that his name had come up in a federal gambling probe added a layer of distraction in the days prior to the Super Bowl (he was later cleared). The team employed a running back-by-committee approach that was highly effective and flanker Otis Taylor was one of the best receivers in the league. The defense was tough and strong and featured tackles Buck Buchanan and Curley Culp, linebackers Willie Lanier and Bobby Bell, CB Jim Marsalis, and FS Johnny Robinson. Another significant weapon was PK Jan Stenerud, a strong-legged soccer-style kicker (when they were still something of a rarity) who had kicked 27 field goals during the year.

Minnesota, in the third year under Head Coach Bud Grant, had topped the Central Division with a 12-2 record, losing only the first and last contests of the regular season. The Vikings came from behind to beat the Rams for the Western Conference title and then dominated Cleveland for the NFL Championship. Defense was Minnesota’s strong suit, giving up the fewest points in the league (a mere 133). All four of the linemen were selected for the Pro Bowl (ends Carl Eller and Jim Marshall, tackles Alan Page and Gary Larsen), along with FS Paul Krause. The offense was conservative but still led the NFL in points scored. QB Joe Kapp lacked passing finesse but was a fiery leader and a good fit in the ball-control attack while the running game featured HB Dave Osborn and FB Bill Brown. WR Gene Washington had earned a trip to the Pro Bowl with his 39 catches for 821 yards and 9 TDs. The line was excellent and contained All-Pros in OT Grady Alderman and C Mick Tingelhoff.

There were 80,562 fans in attendance at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans on an overcast day with a wet field. The highly-favored Vikings had the ball first and made it to the Kansas City 39 yard line on a series highlighted by a Kapp completion of 26 yards to TE John Beasley. However, the drive stalled and the Vikings punted. Now it was the turn of the Chiefs to move the ball effectively as Dawson completed passes to HB Mike Garrett for 17 yards and to WR Frank Pitts for 20. The drive lasted for eight plays and Stenerud capped it with a 48-yard field goal.

The Vikings got a break when they were forced to punt from their 27 yard line but retained possession thanks to a roughing-the-kicker penalty. They were unable to capitalize, though, making it to midfield before punting again. Taking over at their 20, the Chiefs got 20 yards on a Dawson pass to Pitts down the middle and then nine more on a throw to Taylor. The series extended into the second quarter and was helped along by a 17-yard pass interference penalty. Stenerud booted another field goal, from 32 yards, and Kansas City was ahead by 6-0.

The teams traded turnovers as WR John Henderson caught a pass from Kapp for 16 yards but fumbled, Johnny Robinson recovering for the Chiefs. Two plays later, Dawson went long for Taylor and was picked off by Krause at the Minnesota seven.

The Vikings were unable to move the ball (and in fact lost yards thanks to a delay-of-game penalty) and punted, with Kansas City starting off with good field position at the Minnesota 44. Pitts picked up 19 yards on a reverse and an offside penalty on the defense added another five. The drive stalled at the 17 and Stenerud was called upon for a third time, successfully kicking a 25-yard field goal that made it 9-0.

With 7:52 to go in the first half, Vikings safety Charlie West fumbled the ensuing kickoff and C Remi Prudhomme recovered for the Chiefs at the Minnesota 19. Dawson was immediately sacked by Jim Marshall for an eight-yard loss, but FB Wendell Hayes gained 13 yards up the middle on a draw play and Dawson connected with Taylor for 10 more to the four yard line. Three plays later, and after losing a yard on an end run, Garrett ran for a five-yard touchdown and Stenerud added the extra point.

Following a 27-yard kickoff return by West, Kapp threw to Henderson for another 27 yards, but the drive ended at the Kansas City 49. Fred Cox attempted a 56-yard field goal that fell short and was returned 17 yards by HB Warren McVea. There was no further scoring and the teams went into halftime with the Chiefs ahead by 16-0.

Kansas City had the ball first in the third quarter, maintained possession for six minutes, and punted. The Vikings proceeded to put together their best drive of the game, going 69 yards in 10 plays. Kapp completed four passes and had a seven yard run along the way. Dave Osborn ran four yards for a touchdown and, with the conversion, it was 16-7.

It took the Chiefs just six plays from scrimmage to respond decisively. They ran the ball five times, with a short passing play nullified by a penalty, and including a seven-yard gain for a first down by Pitts on another reverse. Dawson then threw to Taylor along the sideline. The star wide receiver made the catch, broke two tackles, and sprinted to the end zone for a 46-yard touchdown (pictured below).

As the game moved into the fourth quarter, Kansas City asserted its domination on defense. Kapp was intercepted to end each of the next two Minnesota possessions and the Chiefs kept the ball on the ground and punted to keep the Vikings in their own territory. Finally, Kapp was sacked by DE Aaron Brown and knocked out of the game. Backup QB Gary Cuozzo entered and, following a 15-yard carry by RB Oscar Reed on a second-and-23 play, threw to Henderson for 16 yards and a first down. But two plays later, Cuozzo was picked off by CB Emmitt Thomas, and that was it. Kansas City controlled the ball for the remaining four minutes and came away with a 23-7 win.

The Chiefs outgained Minnesota, 273 yards to 239, and had 18 first downs to 11 for the Vikings. While both teams recorded three sacks, Kansas City consistently put heavy pressure on Kapp and the Vikings turned the ball over five times, to just one turnover by the Chiefs.

Len Dawson completed 12 of 17 passes for 142 yards with a touchdown and an interception and was named as the game’s MVP. Otis Taylor caught 6 passes for 81 yards, including the one long TD. Mike Garrett ran for 39 yards on 11 carries that included a score and Frank Pitts was right behind with 37 yards on his three reverses. All members of the running back committee contributed with Wendell Hayes running the ball 8 times for 31 yards and Warren McVea accumulating 26 yards on 12 attempts. Jan Stenerud (pictured below) was successful on all three of his field goal attempts as well as two extra points.

For Minnesota, Joe Kapp was successful on 16 of 25 throws for 183 yards, giving up two interceptions. John Henderson had 7 catches for 111 yards, but Gene Washington was held to just one catch for nine yards. Bill Brown paced the ground game with 26 yards on 6 carries.

In the restructured NFL, the Chiefs made it to the postseason in 1971 but went into a long dry spell thereafter. But in winning Super Bowl IV, they allowed the AFL to achieve a split in the four contests that were played between champions of rival leagues. Wearing AFL ten-year commemorative patches on their jerseys, the Chiefs commemorated the American Football League’s tenure in the most meaningful way of all – by coming out on top.

2010: Cardinals Beat Packers in Wild 51-45 Overtime Thriller

2012-01-10T07:28:00.006-05:00

Coming into the NFC Wild Card playoff game at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on January 10, 2010, the Green Bay Packers appeared to be the team with the greater momentum as they faced the Arizona Cardinals.

The Packers, coached by Mike McCarthy, were a young club that was back on the rise two seasons after the departure of long-time QB Brett Favre. His successor, Aaron Rodgers, was sacked 50 times during the 2009 season but also passed for 4434 yards and 30 touchdowns. Wide receivers Donald Driver (70 catches, 1061 yards) and Greg Jennings (68 catches, 1113 yards) had over a thousand receiving yards and RB Ryan Grant ran for 1253 yards and 11 TDs. Moreover, the Packers scored a then-franchise record 461 points. The defense featured CB Charles Woodson, chosen as NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press, and OLB Clay Matthews (10 sacks), the first Green Bay rookie to make it to the Pro Bowl since WR James Lofton in 1978. The Packers had won seven of their last eight games to close out the regular season at 11-5, placing second in the NFC North, and including a win over the Cardinals at the same venue by a 33-7 score the week before – not a fair preview since Arizona, already assured of its spot in the playoffs, had rested many of its key players.

The foremost of those key players for the Cardinals was 38-year-old QB Kurt Warner (pictured above), who had revived his career in Arizona and led the team to an improbable climb through the postseason a year earlier that culminated in a NFC title and close loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl. Warner still had an accurate arm and quick release and had thrown for 3753 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also had outstanding targets in wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, although the latter was sidelined for the playoff contest by injuries. The running game was ordinary as rookie Chris “Beanie” Wells had overcome Tim Hightower to become the club’s top ball carrier. The defense was not special but included Pro Bowlers in DT Darnell Dockett, CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, FS Antrel Rolle, and SS Adrian Wilson. Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt’s team had been less consistent than the Packers over the course of the season, but had won the NFC West title with a 10-6 record.

On the first play from scrimmage, Rodgers was intercepted by Rodgers-Cromartie, giving the Cardinals good initial field position at the Green Bay 40 yard line. They scored in seven plays, with Warner converting a third-and-eight situation along the way with a 13-yard completion to WR Jerheme Urban and Wells following up with a 14-yard run. Hightower completed the series with a one-yard scoring carry and Arizona had the early 7-0 lead.

The Packers turned the ball over again on their second play of the ensuing possession, this time on a fumble by Driver, who was stripped by LB Karlos Dansby after catching a short pass, and DT Alan Branch recovered for the Cards at the Green Bay 22. Two plays later, Warner connected with WR Early Doucet for a 15-yard TD.

The Packers managed to not turn the ball over on their next series but still had to punt. Arizona put together a 63-yard scoring drive in nine plays highlighted by Warner completions of 14 yards to Fitzgerald, 22 yards to TE Ben Patrick, and 18 to WR Steve Breaston. Neil Rackers finished things off with a 23-yard field goal and the first quarter ended with the Cardinals ahead by 17-0.

Green Bay had the ball as the second quarter got under way and Rodgers threw to Greg Jennings on a third-and-nine play for a 27-yard gain to the Arizona 35. The drive stalled there and Mason Crosby was wide on a 54-yard field goal attempt. It seemed as though the Cardinals would add to their lead two plays later when Breaston took the ball on an end-around and ran 28 yards to the Green Bay 22. But Fitzgerald fumbled after catching a short pass and Clay Matthews recovered and returned it 29 yards to the Green Bay 48.

Ryan Grant ran off tackle for 10 yards, a penalty on the Cardinals added another 15, and Grant rushed for 20 more to the Arizona seven. The defense stiffened, but a pass interference penalty put the ball on the one, and from there Rodgers kept the ball himself for the final yard and a TD that finally got the Packers on the board.

The Cardinals came right back with an eight-play, 61-yard scoring drive that was capped by Warner connecting with Doucet for a 15-yard touchdown. Green Bay responded with a 74-yard drive that was highlighted by a 44-yard pass play from Rodgers to TE Jermichael Finley in a third-and-five situation and another throw to Finley for 17 yards. With time running out in the first half, Crosby booted a 20-yard field goal and the score stood at 24-10 in favor of Arizona at the intermission. The teams were just getting warmed up.

The Cardinals extended their lead on the first possession of the third quarter, driving 80 yards in six plays that concluded with Warner passing to Fitzgerald for a 33-yard touchdown. If the 31-10 margin appeared comfortable at that point, it proved not to be as the Packers began to mount a comeback.

On the ensuing series, Green Bay put together a 10-play drive that also covered 80 yards and was highlighted by a Rodgers completion to Finley for 18 yards on a third-and-ten play, a pass interference call that converted a third-and-eight situation into a first down, and a pass to Jennings that covered 35 yards. Jennings scored on a six-yard pass from Rodgers and, with Crosby’s extra point, it was 31-17.

It was 31-24 after the Packers successfully executed an onside kick and then capitalized eight plays later when Rodgers threw to WR Jordy Nelson for an 11-yard TD. But the quick-striking Cardinals responded, uncharacteristically getting a big running play as Wells (pictured at right) ran 42 yards to the Green Bay 16. The four-play possession ended with Warner again connecting with Fitzgerald for a touchdown, this time from 11 yards out, and Arizona took a 38-24 lead into the fourth quarter.

Three plays into the final period, Rodgers capped an 80-yard Green Bay drive with a 30-yard TD pass to WR James Jones that again made it a one-touchdown game. The Cards went three-and-out on their next series and, following a punt, the Packers took over at their 33 and quickly closed the gap. Rodgers went deep to Finley for 38 yards and then to Driver, who gained 28 yards to the Arizona one. From there, FB John Kuhn ran the final yard for a touchdown that capped the three-play drive. Crosby’s extra point tied the score at 38-38.

The Cardinals maintained their composure, methodically moving down the field when they regained possession. After tossing an initial incompletion, Warner was successful on his next six passes, including one for a 26-yard gain to Breaston and then a 17-yard scoring pass to the same receiver to finish off the 80-yard drive that took 11 plays.

With just under five minutes remaining in regulation, the Packers put together their own scoring drive in seven plays. Rodgers scrambled for 13 yards and threw to Jennings for 22 into Arizona territory. The 71-yard series ended with Rodgers tossing a TD pass to TE Spencer Havner from 11 yards out and, with Crosby again successfully converting, the contest was tied once more.

There were now less than two minutes to go in the fourth quarter as the Cardinals took over. A pass to Breaston for 24 yards got the ball to midfield and a 15-yard completion to Fitzgerald took it to the Green Bay 35. A short pass that gained three more yards was followed by a 16-yard toss to Doucet that put the ball at the 16 yard line and the Cards called time out with 14 seconds to go. It seemed certain to end there, but in a stunning development, Rackers was wide to the left on the 34-yard field goal attempt, and the game went into overtime with the score at 45-45.

The Packers won the toss and elected to receive. Following a touchback on the kickoff, they took possession at their 20. Rodgers threw an incomplete pass and then an apparent gain for a first down was nullified by a holding penalty. On second-and-20, Jones pulled in a pass for a 14-yard gain, setting up a third-and-six situation. Looking to throw, Rodgers was hit by CB Michael Adams and fumbled. The ball struck the quarterback’s foot and was grabbed by Dansby (pictured at bottom), who ran 17 yards for the winning touchdown. It was all over at 1:18 into sudden death - in stunning fashion, the Cardinals had won by a score of 51-45.

The combined total of 96 points made it the highest-scoring playoff game in NFL history. The clubs also accumulated a total of 1024 yards and 13 touchdowns. Arizona had 531 of those yards to 493 for the Packers, while Green Bay had a 32 to 30 edge in first downs. The Packers turned the ball over three times, to one turnover by the Cardinals. Rodgers was sacked five times while Green Bay got to Warner once. Each team had only one punt apiece.

Kurt Warner threw for more touchdown than incomplete passes as he connected on 29 of 33 throws for 379 yards and five TDs with none intercepted (it was his second five-TD performance in a postseason game). Steve Breaston had 7 catches for 125 yards and a score, and also had a 28-yard run, while Larry Fitzgerald contributed 6 receptions for 82 yards and two touchdowns and Early Doucet pulled in 6 also for 77 yards and a pair of TDs. Beanie Wells led the running attack with 91 yards on 14 carries.

For the Packers, Aaron Rodgers (pictured at left) went to the air 42 times and completed 28 for 423 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. Greg Jennings pulled in 8 of those passes for 130 yards and a TD and Jermichael Finley gained 159 yards on his 6 catches. Ryan Grant ran for 64 yards on 11 attempts.

In Green Bay’s long franchise history, the game marked both the most points scored and the most allowed in a postseason game.

“Whew,” said Warner as he faced the media afterward, “anybody else tired?”

“That’s probably one of the best games ever played in the playoffs,” said Ken Whisenhunt.

“It’s clearly one of the toughest losses I've been a part of,” said Mike McCarthy from the Green Bay perspective. “I’m very proud of our football team and fight. This is a hard game to swallow.”

Arizona’s defense of its NFC title ended the next week in a 45-14 loss in the Divisional round at New Orleans. Kurt Warner retired in the postseason, and his absence was noted as the Cardinals dropped to 5-11 in 2010. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers came back to make the playoffs as a 10-6 wild card entry and advanced all the way to a win over Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.

1988: Anthony Carter Stars as Vikings Upset 49ers in NFC Divisional Playoff Round

2012-01-09T06:11:00.006-05:00

In what had been an odd NFL season (one game lost and three played with replacement players) due to a players’ strike in 1987, the San Francisco 49ers emerged with the best overall record at 13-2. They were 10.5-point favorites as they hosted the Minnesota Vikings in a NFC Divisional Playoff game on January 9, 1988. While the Vikings had easily dismantled the Saints in the Wild Card playoff the previous week by a 44-10 score, they had finished second in the NFC Central with a decidedly ordinary 8-7 tally.

QB Joe Montana had recovered from a severe back injury that required surgery in ’86 and led the league in passing (102.1 rating), although he was having to look over his shoulder at backup Steve Young, who played well when called upon in relief. WR Jerry Rice had a sensational season, pulling in a then-record 22 scoring catches while appearing in only 12 games. The Niners were strong on both sides of the ball and seemed a likely bet to win a third title in the coaching tenure of the innovative Bill Walsh, which had commenced in 1979.

Minnesota was coached for the second year by Jerry Burns and while the Vikings lost all three contests that involved replacement players, they also were beaten in three of their last four regular season games. QB Tommy Kramer was afflicted with a pinched nerve in his shoulder, but backup Wade Wilson performed ably in his absence. Ex-USFL star WR Anthony Carter (pictured above) averaged a NFL-leading 24.3 yards-per-catch on his 38 receptions for 922 yards and earned selection to the Pro Bowl. The defense was tough and contained Pro Bowlers in DE Chris Doleman (11 sacks in a breakout year), MLB Scott Studwell, and SS Joey Browner.

There were 62,547 in attendance at Candlestick Park on a foggy Saturday. The field was already wet and rain fell during the last three quarters of play. Because of conditions, and with Kramer still not at full strength, Minnesota’s Coach Burns decided to start Wade Wilson at quarterback.

The Vikings had the first possession and drove 77 yards in 15 plays, converting two third downs along the way. Wilson completed passes for first downs on each of the first two plays from scrimmage, and also ran 11 yards out of the shotgun formation to convert a third-and-seven situation. Chuck Nelson kicked a 21-yard field goal and the Vikings had an early 3-0 lead.

If the Minnesota offense set a tone with its methodical drive down the field, the defense set one on San Francisco’s first play from scrimmage when Montana passed to RB Roger Craig and LB Jesse Solomon dropped him for a two-yard loss. The teams traded punts and the 49ers put together a 10-play, 74-yard series that included Montana completions of 18 yards to Craig and 33 yards to WR John Taylor. Ray Wersching booted a 43-yard field goal and the first quarter ended with the score tied at 3-3.

The Vikings broke the tie in the second quarter thanks to a 70-yard drive. Carter caught two passes that gained 12 and 11 yards and Wilson again took off and ran for 12 yards and a first down on the play before throwing a seven-yard TD pass to TE Carl Hilton.

Following a San Francisco punt, Minnesota got a big play when a third-and-10 pass from Wilson to Carter covered 63 yards. That set up a 23-yard field goal by Nelson that made it 13-3. On the next series, safety Reggie Rutland of the Vikings, used as a nickel back, intercepted a poorly-thrown pass by Montana that was intended for WR Dwight Clark and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown.

Neither offense was able to move during the remainder of the half. Wersching missed a 26-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds and the teams went into halftime with Minnesota ahead by a score of 20-3 thanks to the 17-point second quarter.

The 49ers got a break early in the third quarter when SS Jeff Fuller intercepted a Wilson pass and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown. Minnesota came right back on the next possession, however, with a 68-yard drive. Carter ran 30 yards on an end-around play and five plays later, Wilson threw over CB Don Griffin to WR Hassan Jones for a five-yard TD.

Following an exchange of punts and with 6:29 to go in the third quarter, Walsh pulled Montana in favor of Steve Young. It did help spur the sputtering offense as Young immediately threw to Craig for a 31-yard gain and the five-play drive ended with the highly-mobile quarterback running around left end for a five-yard touchdown to make it a ten-point game. But the Vikings fired right back as Wilson threw to Carter for a 40-yard gain to the San Francisco 25. Nelson booted his third field goal, of 40 yards, and when Wersching missed again for the 49ers from 48 yards on the final play of the third quarter, Minnesota went into the final period with a 30-17 lead.

The Vikings went 40 yards in eight plays, highlighted by Wilson tossing a screen pass to RB Allen Rice that gained 19 yards plus another 15 thanks to a roughing-the-passer penalty on Fuller. While DE Charles Haley sacked Wilson for a 13-yard loss two plays later, Nelson kicked another field goal, from 46 yards, to extend Minnesota’s lead to 33-17.

Young came out throwing on the next series and was intercepted by CB Carl Lee. Following a punt by the Vikings, the Niners scored again thanks to an eight-play, 68-yard drive that ended with Young passing to TE John Frank for a 16-yard touchdown. But with 3:42 remaining, the result was no longer in question. Nelson capped the scoring with a 23-yard field goal and the Vikings came away with a stunning 36-24 win.

Minnesota outgained the 49ers (397 yards to 358), both on the ground (117 to 115) and through the air (298 to 267), and had more first downs (22 to 17). San Francisco turned the ball over twice, to just one suffered by the Vikings, and was flagged eight times while Minnesota was penalized twice.

Anthony Carter was the star of the game for the Vikings as he caught 10 passes for 227 yards (a playoff record at the time) and also had 30 more yards on the ground on his one run. Wade Wilson (pictured below) completed 20 of 34 passes for 298 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. HB Darrin Nelson led the club in rushing with 42 yards on 11 carries while the mobile Wilson ran the ball 6 times for 30 yards. Chuck Nelson set a NFL playoff game record with his five field goals, with no misses, which was especially noteworthy since he had been successful on just 13 of 24 attempts during the regular season.

Joe Montana had an uncharacteristically dismal performance for the 49ers as he was successful on just 12 of his 26 throws for 109 yards with one intercepted – he was also sacked four times (twice by Chris Doleman). Steve Young was 12 of 17 passing for 158 yards with a TD and one picked off and also led the team in rushing with 72 yards on 6 carries that included a touchdown. Roger Craig gained just 17 yards on 7 runs but led the Niners with 9 pass receptions for 78 yards. The Vikings secondary did a good job of shutting down Jerry Rice, who caught only 3 passes for 28 yards. Montana repeatedly looked for him but found him to be consistently double- and even triple-covered.

“I went with Wade because I thought the field would be heavy, and Tommy wasn’t 100 percent yet,” Jerry Burns explained afterward as to his decision to go with Wilson over Kramer. “Wade's ability to scramble and run got us out of some tough spots.”

“I've never seen Carter play any greater,” added Burns. “He’s a big-play guy in a big game.”

Minnesota’s postseason run came to an end the next week with a 17-10 loss to the Washington Redskins in the NFC Championship game. Anthony Carter had another fine performance with 7 catches for 85 yards, but the Vikings were forced to punt 10 times.

Joe Montana erased any questions regarding his ability to still win big games in 1988 as the 49ers again won their division (with a lesser record) and successfully advanced to the Super Bowl, winning a dramatic contest against the Bengals. Along the way, they again met up with the Vikings, who again qualified as a wild card, in the Divisional round and avenged their 1987 defeat by a convincing 34-9 score.

MVP Profile: Otto Graham, 1947

2012-01-08T08:54:00.004-05:00

Quarterback, Cleveland Browns

Age: 26 (Dec. 6)
2nd season in pro football & with Browns
College: Northwestern
Height: 6’1” Weight: 190

Prelude:
A single-wing tailback in college, Graham chose to sign with the Browns of the new AAFC rather than the NFL Detroit Lions, who had drafted him in the first round in 1944, after coming out of the Navy. An outstanding athlete, he first played pro basketball before joining the Browns for the 1946 season. Mobile and an accurate passer, Graham threw for 1834 yards as a rookie and led the AAFC with 17 TD passes as the Browns won the league championship.

1947 Season Summary
Appeared in all 14 games
(Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20)

Passing
Pass attempts – 269 (2)
Pass completions – 163 (2)
Passing yards – 2753 (1)
Completion percentage – 60.6 (1)
Yards per attempt – 10.2 (1)
TD passes – 25 (1)
Most TD passes, game – 3 at Buffalo 11/2, vs. San Francisco 11/16, at Baltimore 12/7
Interceptions – 11 (7, tied)
Passer rating – 109.2 (1)

Rushing
Attempts – 19
Yards – 72
Yards per attempt – 3.8
TDs – 1

Interceptions
Interceptions – 1
Return yards – 0
TDs – 0

Punt Returns
Returns – 10 (9, tied)
Yards – 121 (11, tied)
Average per return – 12.1
TDs – 0

Scoring
TDs – 1
Points – 6

Postseason: 1 G (at NY Yankees, AAFC Championship)
Pass attempts – 21
Pass completions – 14
Passing yardage – 112
TD passes – 0
Interceptions – 0

Rushing attempts – 4
Rushing yards – 21
Average gain rushing – 5.3
Rushing TDs – 1

Awards & Honors:
AAFC MVP: League
1st team All-AAFC: League, AP, NY Daily News

Browns went 12-1-1 to finish first in the Western Division while leading the AAFC in total offense (5547 yards), passing offense (2990), scoring (410 points), and touchdowns (56). Defeated New York Yankees for AAFC Championship (14-3).

Aftermath:
The Browns won AAFC titles again in 1948 and ’49, and Graham led the league in passing yards in both seasons (2753 and 2713 yards), as well as completion percentage (60.6) and TD passes (25) in ’48, when he was the AAFC co-MVP with San Francisco’s Frankie Albert. He was a consensus first-team All-AAFC selection both years. The Browns moved to the NFL in 1950 and won another championship. They lost title games in 1951 and ’52, but Graham was a consensus first-team All-Pro in ’51 and led the league in pass attempts (364), completions (181), yards (2816), and TD passes (20) as well as interceptions (24). Cleveland won the Championship games following the 1954 and ’55 seasons (the latter after Graham was coaxed out of retirement to play one more year) and he led the league in completion percentage in each of his last three years as well as yards (2722) and yards per attempt (10.6) in 1953, and TD percentage (8.1) and yards per attempt (9.3) in ’55. Altogether, over 10 seasons (four in the AAFC, 6 in the NFL) Graham averaged 9.0 yards per attempt (a record 8.6 in the NFL alone) while throwing for 23,584 yards (10,085 in AAFC, 13,499 in NFL) with 174 TDs (86 in AAFC, 88 in NFL). He also ran for 882 yards and scored 44 TDs, with a high of 8 in 1954. He was a first-team All-league selection three times in the AAFC as well as three more times in the NFL and was chosen for the first five Pro Bowls. Perhaps most significantly of all, he quarterbacked Cleveland to a championship game in all ten years, winning seven of them. The Browns retired his #14 and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1965.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

2006: Defense Carries Punchless Redskins to Win Over Bucs

2012-01-07T09:05:00.004-05:00

Since appearing in the playoffs following the 1999 season, the Washington Redskins had gone through five years of mediocrity. In 2005 they started off at 5-6 but then won five straight to close out the regular season at 10-6 and secure a wild card spot. In the second year of his second stint with the team, Hall of Fame Head Coach Joe Gibbs had made the most of a veteran quarterback operating a run-oriented offense and an aggressive defense. 35-year-old QB Mark Brunell passed for 3050 yards and a career-high 23 touchdowns. RB Clinton Portis rushed for 1516 yards and 11 TDs and backup RB Ladell Betts was a useful fill-in. WR Santana Moss (84 catches, 1483 yards) had a Pro Bowl year and H-back/TE Chris Cooley (71 receptions, 774 yards) was a valuable possession receiver.

Their opponents in the NFC Wild Card playoff on January 7, 2006 were the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had topped the NFC South at 11-5. A team better known for its defense, under Head Coach Jon Gruden the Bucs had prospered in ’05 with a ball-control offense. RB Carnell “Cadillac” Williams was the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year as he gained 1178 yards on the ground. Second-year QB Chris Simms, son of former Giants QB Phil Simms, took over when veteran Brian Griese went down with an injury and performed ably. The defense was aging but still had solid players in DE Simeon Rice, LB Derrick Brooks, and CB Ronde Barber.

There were 65,514 fans at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium as the teams traded punts to start the game. On their second possession, Simms went to the air on the first play and the pass was tipped by DT Joe Salave’a and intercepted by LB LaVar Arrington, who returned it 21 yards to give the Redskins the ball at the Tampa Bay six yard line. Portis (pictured at right) immediately ran off tackle for a touchdown and Washington had the early 7-0 lead.

The Bucs drove into Redskins territory, but Williams fumbled and safety Sean Taylor recovered at his own 49 and ran 51 yards for a TD. Instead of potentially narrowing or tying the score, Tampa Bay was behind by 14-0 which just over four minutes to play in the opening period – and Washington’s offense had barely been a factor.

The teams traded punts, but the Buccaneers then put together a 38-yard drive in 11 plays that stretched into the second quarter and culminated in a 43-yard field goal by Matt Bryant. Simms completed five passes along the way, but after penetrating to the Washington 17 he was sacked for a 13-yard loss by DE Phillip Daniels setting up the situation in which the Bucs had to settle for three points.

The Redskins responded with a 10-play, 40-yard drive that ended in a John Hall field goal from 47 yards that made it a 17-3 score, and that is how it remained at the conclusion of the first half.

Washington went three-and-out to begin the third quarter and Tampa Bay responded with a scoring drive. Helped by a 24-yard punt return by WR Mark Jones that gave them good starting field position at their 49, the Buccaneers got back-to-back pass completions by Simms to RB Michael Pittman for 22 yards and TE Anthony Becht for 14 to the Washington 10. FB Mike Alstott powered eight yards and two plays later Simms ran around end on a two-yard bootleg to make it a seven-point game.

The Redskins had to punt and Tampa Bay did likewise on a series in which Taylor was ejected for spitting in Pittman’s face. In the fourth quarter, following another Washington punt, the Bucs drove to the Redskins’ 19 yard line as Simms connected on five passes including one of 19 yards to WR Ike Hilliard and another to WR Joey Galloway that covered 24 yards to the 28 yard line. However, on a fourth-and-one play, Simms threw incomplete and the home team came up empty.

Punts followed short possessions by each club, but then Brunell was intercepted by CB Brian Kelly to once more give Tampa Bay possession in Washington territory at the 35. On a third-and-ten play, Simms fired a pass into the end zone that WR Edell Shepherd at first appeared to have caught for a potentially game-tying touchdown. Simms began celebrating and the grounds crew set off fireworks, but it was premature as Shepherd had failed to maintain control as he went down. Coach Gruden challenged the ruling, but the replay upheld the incomplete pass and, after another incompletion, Tampa Bay again had to turn the ball over on downs – and with no time outs remaining.

The Redskins punted and the Buccaneers had one more opportunity with 1:05 left on the clock, but a Simms pass intended for Galloway was intercepted by LB Marcus Washington (pictured at top, and who had earlier forced the fumble by Cadillac Williams that led directly to a TD) to nail down the 17-10 win for the Redskins.

In a game dominated by defense, Tampa Bay outgained the Redskins (243 yards to 120) and had more first downs (17 to 9). The 120 total yards were the fewest in NFL history for the winning team in a postseason game. The Buccaneers also turned the ball over three times, to once by the Redskins. The performance by Washington’s defense was especially impressive considering that there was attrition in the backfield during the course of the contest with CB Shawn Springs being sidelined with a groin injury and Sean Taylor’s ejection.

Mark Brunell completed just 7 of 15 passes for 41 yards and was intercepted once. Santana Moss and Chris Cooley each caught two passes, with Moss leading the club in receiving yards with a mere 18 (Cooley had 12). Clinton Portis ran for 53 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries and Ladell Betts added 25 yards on 10 attempts.

For the Buccaneers, Chris Simms (pictured at left) went to the air 38 times and completed 25 for 198 yards, but with no TDs and two intercepted. Joey Galloway caught 7 passes for 69 yards. Cadillac Williams was held to 49 rushing yards on 18 carries.

“This is great,” said Brunell. “We've played our best football in December, and to get a playoff win on the road, as you know, is very difficult to do. Our defense was incredible. You can't say enough about them. They won the game for us.”

“Our guys on offense were giving it everything we had,” added Coach Gibbs. “We tried a little bit of everything, and we couldn't get anything to work.”

Washington’s run ended the following week with a Divisional round loss at Seattle. The Redskins dropped to 5-11 in 2006. Tampa Bay fell even lower, to 4-12, although both teams returned to the postseason in ’07. However, the win over the Bucs remained the only one in the playoffs during the second, four-year stint of Joe Gibbs as head coach in Washington.

2002: Jets Beat Raiders with Late FG to Secure Playoff Spot

2012-01-06T08:08:00.004-05:00

Both teams meeting at Oakland’s Network Associates Coliseum on January 6, 2002 had something on the line in what was the final game of the 2001 NFL season. For the Oakland Raiders, under Head Coach Jon Gruden, it was to stop the slide after two tough losses and gain a first round bye in the playoffs. As for the visiting New York Jets, also coming off of a difficult loss to the Bills the week before, it meant making the playoffs altogether.

Under first-year Head Coach Herman Edwards, the Jets were 9-6 and had problems on offense. 38-year-old veteran QB Vinny Testaverde was talented if erratic and clashed with offensive coordinator Paul Hackett, in whose version of the West Coast offense he was not the best fit. The line protected him well, however, and RB Curtis Martin was one of the league’s best rushers. The defense was poor against the run but had a breakout season from second-year DE John Abraham, who accumulated 13 sacks and earned consensus first-team All-Pro honors. New York was behind the Dolphins and Patriots in the AFC East.

Oakland had gotten off to a 6-1 start but was now 10-5, assured of a division title but dropping on the postseason seeding chart. Gruden’s West Coast offense was well operated by QB Rich Gannon, a journeyman before coming to the Raiders. Tough but small (5’10”, 190) RB Charlie Garner was outstanding as both a runner from scrimmage and receiver, especially valuable with the power-running Tyrone Wheatley battling injuries. The wide receiving corps of 39-year-old Jerry Rice and 35-year-old Tim Brown was long on both experience and talent. The defense was tough against the pass but had difficulty defending the run. A further wrinkle coming into the contest against the Jets was that PK Sebastian Janikowski was out with a foot injury and the club had just picked up veteran Brad Daluiso, who had spent eight seasons with the Giants before being cut, to take his place.

The Jets scored in the opening minute of the game as Testaverde connected with WR Laveranues Coles on a screen pass that went for a 40-yard touchdown – New York’s longest pass play of the year. Oakland responded with a Daluiso field goal from 23 yards and it was 7-3 following one quarter of play.

Wheatley put the Raiders in front with a three-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, but Daluiso’s extra point attempt hit the upright and the score stayed at 9-7. Late in the first half, safety Chris Hayes blocked Shane Lechler’s punt at the goal line that was picked up by LB Jason Glenn for a touchdown.

The first half scoring wasn’t over yet. With 57 seconds to go in the second quarter, Gannon passed to TE Roland Williams for an 18-yard touchdown. The conversion was successful this time and Oakland led the back-and-forth contest by a score of 16-14 at the half.

It was 19-14 in the third quarter when Daluiso booted a 44-yard field goal, but the Jets retook the lead at 21-19 thanks to a 46-yard touchdown run by RB LaMont Jordan. Daluiso, who missed a field goal attempt during the game as well as the one extra point, kicked a 37-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. With 3:12 left to play, the Raiders had the ball and a one-point lead, but the offense couldn’t sustain a drive.

Getting one last chance, the Jets drove to the Oakland 35 thanks to four passes, including a 15-yard completion on a third down play to WR Kevin Swayne. From there, John Hall (pictured at top) kicked a season-high 53-yard field goal with just under a minute to play. The Raiders had one last opportunity but turned the ball over on downs and New York came away with a 24-22 win and a spot in the playoffs.

The Raiders outgained the Jets (337 yards to 302) and had more first downs (17 to 14). New York turned the ball over three times while Oakland suffered no turnovers. In virtually every statistical category, the Raiders had the advantage, but their inconsistency on offense and the ability of the Jets to make big plays (most notably on special teams) gave New York the win.

The game-winning field goal was particularly satisfying for John Hall as it made up for two misses in a contest against Detroit in 2000 that contributed to a loss and cost the Jets a playoff spot.

Vinny Testaverde completed 18 of 29 passes for 230 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Laveranues Coles (pictured below) had a big day with 5 catches for 111 yards and a TD. WR Wayne Chrebet also had 5 receptions that totaled 83 yards. Curtis Martin was held to 50 yards on 16 carries while LaMont Jordan carried the ball just once for the 46-yard score.

For the Raiders, Rich Gannon was successful on 23 of 38 throws for 224 yards and a TD without any intercepted. Charlie Garner ran the ball 19 times for 84 yards and caught 5 passes for 31 more. Tyrone Wheatley contributed 28 yards and a touchdown on 8 carries. Tim Brown had 6 pass receptions for 57 yards and Jerry Rice gained a team-high 58 yards on his three catches.

As it worked out, the two teams met again at the same venue in the Wild Card round of the playoffs the following week. The Raiders got their revenge with a 38-24 win, but lost to the upstart New England Patriots in a snowy overtime game the next week. The two clubs were in the postseason again following the 2002 season, both as division champs (although New York’s 9-7 record was actually less than their 10-6 wild card tally of ’01). Oakland once again defeated the Jets by a convincing score of 30-10 in the Divisional playoff on the way this time to an AFC title and loss in the Super Bowl.

The season-ending game against the Jets marked the end of the road for Brad Daluiso’s NFL career. Sebastian Janikowski was active for the playoffs and kicked three field goals – two from over forty yards – in the postseason rematch of the teams. John Hall played one more year with the Jets, putting together an identical 24-of-31 field goal tally as he had in ’01, before moving on to the Washington Redskins.

2008: Jaguars Survive Comeback to Beat Steelers in Wild Card Playoff Game

2012-01-05T06:12:00.006-05:00

The Pittsburgh Steelers were the hosts for the AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on January 5, 2008, yet they were widely considered to be underdogs. For one thing, the Steelers had won the AFC North in 2007 with a 10-6 record while Jacksonville placed second in the AFC South and secured a wild card slot at 11-5. Furthermore, the Jaguars had beaten the Steelers at Heinz Field during the regular season and seemed to have the momentum coming into the game – while Pittsburgh lost three of its last four contests, Jacksonville had won six of the final eight regular season games.

The Steelers, under first-year Head Coach Mike Tomlin, bounced back from a disappointing 8-8 record in 2006, a year after winning the Super Bowl. However, by the time they reached the playoffs, they were without five starters, including RB Willie Parker, who rushed for 1316 yards before suffering a broken leg. Star SS Troy Polamalu was playing, but had suffered through an injury-riddled year and was not in top form. Still, the offense featured QB Ben Roethlisberger, coming off his best year to date in his fourth season, and WR Hines Ward. The defense was as tough and seasoned as usual, and had benefited from the play of LB James Harrison in his breakout year.

Jacksonville was coached by Jack Del Rio and featured a ball-control running game on offense. The one-two running back punch of 31-year-old veteran Fred Taylor (1202 yards, five touchdowns) and 22-year-old Maurice Jones-Drew (768 yards, 9 TDs), in his second season, was potent. QB David Garrard was in his sixth year, but only second as the starter, and while his numbers weren’t overwhelming, he was intercepted only three times while tossing 18 touchdown passes. The defense was tough, especially at linebacker, but was also without tackles John Henderson and Marcus Stroud due to injury.

There was an enthusiastic crowd of 63,629 in attendance on a Saturday night at Heinz Field. They saw the Steelers start off well on the game’s initial series. Pittsburgh went 80 yards in 10 plays, highlighted by Roethlisberger (pictured at right) throwing to Ward for a 31-yard gain in a third-and-four situation and a 15-yard personal foul penalty on the Jaguars on a play in which the quarterback had been sacked. RB Najeh Davenport went up the middle for the final yard and a touchdown that put the Steelers ahead by 7-0.

The Pittsburgh fans were in a frenzy, but it didn’t take Jacksonville long to respond as Jones-Drew returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards down the middle of the field to the Steelers’ one yard line. Taylor scored on the next play and Josh Scobee’s extra point made it 7-7.

The teams traded punts until CB Rashean Mathis intercepted a Roethlisberger pass and returned it 63 yards for a touchdown. Three plays after the Steelers got the ball back, Mathis picked Roethlisberger off again, and while the return was only for a yard this time, it gave the Jaguars the ball at the Pittsburgh 46 and set up another score. It only took two plays as Jones-Drew caught a swing pass from Garrard and turned it into a 43-yard touchdown.

Following a three-and-out possession by the Steelers, Jacksonville again had good field position following a punt and drove to the Pittsburgh 28. However, Scobee’s 46-yard field goal attempt was wide to the right.

Getting the ball again just before the two-minute warning, the Steelers drove from their 36 to the Jacksonville 21. Roethlisberger completed five passes (one was taken away following a challenge) including 18 yards to Davenport on a third-and-four play. However, backup DT Derek Landri intercepted a pass – the third given up by Roethlisberger – to end the threat and the teams went into halftime with the Jaguars maintaining a 21-7 lead.

The Steelers got a break early in the third quarter when LB James Farrior intercepted a Garrard pass, giving them the ball at the Jacksonville 43. Pittsburgh advanced to the 10 yard line in seven plays and Jeff Reed booted a 28-yard field goal.

The Jaguars came right back with an eight-play, 82-yard drive of their own. Garrard scrambled for 12 yards and a first down in a third-and-two situation from his own 26 and a facemask penalty moved the ball past midfield. Garrard then completed back-to-back passes to WR Ernest Wilford for 20 and 19 yards to the Pittsburgh 10. From there, Jones-Drew ran 10 yards off tackle for a touchdown and Jacksonville led by a daunting 28-10 margin.

That was the score heading into the fourth quarter, but on the first play of the final period Roethlisberger threw to WR Santonio Holmes for a 37-yard touchdown that, with the successful PAT, made it an 11-point game. The Jaguars went three-and-out on their next possession and Pittsburgh, taking over at its 31 yard line following the punt, scored again in ten plays. Roethlisberger completed six passes, three of them to Ward and one for a 14-yard TD to TE Heath Miller. The Steelers went for a two-point conversion and initially appeared to have succeeded when Roethlisberger threw to Ward in the end zone, but it was nullified by a holding penalty and Roethlisberger’s attempt to then run the ball in failed. Still, Jacksonville’s lead was down to just five points at 28-23.

Three plays into the Jaguars’ next series, Garrard was again intercepted, this time by CB Ike Taylor, who returned it 31 yards to the Jacksonville 16. Roethlisberger threw to RB Carey Davis for eight yards and, two plays later, it was first-and-goal at the five. However, after a pass to Ward gained four yards to the one, Roethlisberger threw three straight incompletions. The last was on fourth down, but drew a pass interference penalty and Davenport ran in for the touchdown that put Pittsburgh in the lead by a point. Once more, the Steelers tried for a two-point conversion, and once again it failed as Roethlisberger’s pass intended for WR Nate Washington fell incomplete. Still, Pittsburgh had put together a 19-point run to go in front by 29-28 with 6:21 remaining on the clock.

Jacksonville’s offense had been quiet, but showed signs of life. Taking over at their 22, the Jaguars were moved backward by a penalty but, on a third-and-13 play, Garrard completed a pass to WR Dennis Northcutt for 17 yards and a first down. The drive stalled thereafter, and LB LaMarr Woodley’s sack of Garrard forced a punt. A 53-yard kick by Adam Podlesh, combined with an eight-yard return by WR Cedrick Wilson, had the Steelers taking over at their 22.

Now it was the turn of Pittsburgh’s offense to go three-and-out, and Daniel Sepulveda’s punt and Northcutt’s 16-yard return gave the Jaguars good field position near midfield with 2:38 to go.

Facing a fourth-and-two situation at the Pittsburgh 43, Garrard made the pivotal play of the game as he ran for 32 yards on a quarterback draw to the eleven yard line (pictured at top). After running the clock down to 40 seconds, Scobee came on to kick a 20-yard field goal that put the Jaguars back in front. Following the kickoff, Roethlisberger fumbled when sacked, Jacksonville recovered, and that was it as the Jaguars held on for the 31-29 win.

The Steelers had more total yards (340 to 239) and first downs (24 to 14) than Jacksonville. However, Pittsburgh also turned the ball over four times, to two suffered by the Jaguars, and the quarterback known as “Big Ben” was sacked six times (Garrard was dumped on four occasions). Ultimately, the decision to try for two-point conversions following the last pair of Pittsburgh touchdowns had big consequences in what ended up being a two-point game when they failed. The Steelers were also hurt by the lack of a running attack, particularly after the first quarter, as they gained just 43 yards on 26 attempts (to 135 yards on 29 carries for Jacksonville).

Thanks to the long fourth-down run, David Garrard led the Jaguars in rushing with 58 yards on 5 attempts while completing 9 of 21 passes for 140 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Fred Taylor was held to 48 yards on 16 carries and Maurice Jones-Drew (pictured below) added 29 yards and a TD on 8 rushes. Jones-Drew also had 43 yards and a score on his lone pass reception while Ernest Wilford caught two passes for 39 yards.

Ben Roethlisberger went to the air 42 times and completed 29 for 337 yards with two TDs and the three first-half interceptions. Hines Ward caught 10 of those passes for 135 yards and Heath Miller contributed 8 receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown. Najeh Davenport led the anemic running game with 25 yards on 16 attempts, although two were good for scores.

“They kind of lost their gaps, they thought pass, I was able to get through there,” said Garrard of his key fourth down carry. “I just wanted to get a first down. I did enough to get into field-goal range and that was all I was thinking about.”

“It's very disappointing, everyone's fired up,” said Pittsburgh LB Clark Haggans. “We fought hard. We came up short. It was a play here, a play there.”

“We fell short,” summed up Mike Tomlin. “Nothing really soothes the feeling we have right now.”

Jacksonville lost the next week in the Divisional round to the undefeated New England Patriots. They dropped to a disappointing 5-11 in ’08. The Steelers, on the other hand, came back to go 12-4 and win the Super Bowl.

1998: Broncos Beat Chiefs in Hard-Fought Divisional Playoff

2012-01-04T08:32:00.003-05:00

The AFC Divisional playoff matchup on January 4, 1998 featured two AFC West rivals, the visiting Denver Broncos, a 12-4 wild card entrant, and the host Kansas City Chiefs, the top-seeded club in the conference at 13-3.

The Broncos, under Head Coach Mike Shanahan, were built around 37-year-old veteran QB John Elway and RB Terrell Davis (pictured above), the AFC’s top rusher with 1750 yards. Shannon Sharpe was a highly-productive receiver from the tight end position and unheralded wide receivers Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey benefited from his presence. Key defensive players included DE Neil Smith, who was picked for the Pro Bowl; LB John Mobley, who received All-Pro recognition; and seasoned veterans LB Bill Romanowski, CB Ray Crockett, and FS Steve Atwater.

Kansas City, coached by Marty Schottenheimer for the ninth year, was in the postseason for the seventh time during that period but had yet to make it to the Super Bowl. QB Elvis Grbac suffered a broken collarbone during the season but was back for the playoff game. 37-year-old RB Marcus Allen may have been past his prime, but he was still outstanding in short yardage situations, as attested to by his 11 rushing touchdowns. WR Andre Rison had revived his career in Kansas City, earning a Pro Bowl slot with 72 catches for 1092 yards. On defense, both of the starting cornerbacks, Dale Carter and James Hasty, were Pro Bowlers and the linebacker corps led by Derrick Thomas was outstanding.

The Broncos easily dispatched Jacksonville by a score of 42-17 in the Wild Card playoff round while Kansas City had a bye week. There were 76,965 in attendance at Arrowhead Stadium on an overcast day.

The first quarter was scoreless as the Broncos had two long possessions into Kansas City territory that resulted in punts and the Chiefs went three-and-out in between and had the ball on a series that extended into the second quarter and made it to the Denver 47 before also resulting in a punt. The Broncos again kicked and Tom Rouen’s second punt (following a penalty) went just 25 yards and gave Kansas City good field position at the Denver 30. But Pete Stoyanovich’s successful 34-yard field goal attempt was taken away by a ten-yard holding penalty, and his second try from 44 yards was no good when it bounced off the crossbar.

The Broncos proceeded to drive 65 yards in eight plays highlighted by Elway completions of 26 yards to TE Dwayne Carswell and 17 yards to Rod Smith on a third-and-seven play to the Kansas City four yard line. Just after the two-minute warning, Terrell Davis ran one yard for a touchdown and Denver took a 7-0 lead into halftime (it was the first rushing TD the Chiefs defense had allowed at home since the 1996 regular season, a string of 42 quarters).

The Chiefs received the second half kickoff and drove 67 yards in 11 plays. Grbac started off with a completion to Rison for 34 yards and there were two third-down conversions along the way. Two runs by Grbac got the ball down to the six and on third-and-goal from the three, a pass into the end zone was pulled down by rookie TE Tony Gonzalez, but he was unable to keep both feet inbounds. Stoyanovich kicked a 20-yard field goal to narrow the score to 7-3.

It appeared that the Broncos would add to their lead when, on the third play following the ensuing kickoff, Davis took off on a 41-yard run to the KC 11. However, RB Derek Loville fumbled two plays later and safety Reggie Tongue recovered for the Chiefs. The teams traded punts before Grbac threw to WR Joe Horn for a 50-yard gain to the Denver 15. A 12-yard scoring pass to Gonzalez put Kansas City in front by 10-7 going into the fourth quarter.

The Broncos wasted little time regaining the lead as, early in the final period, Elway connected with McCaffrey for a 43-yard completion to the Kansas City one. From there, and after being stopped twice for no gain, Davis scored his second short TD of the day. With Jason Elam’s successful point after, Denver led by four.

There were still over twelve minutes remaining in the game and the Chiefs responded with Grbac throwing to Rison for a 23-yard gain and Marcus Allen carrying for 14 to the Denver 35. The drive stalled and, on fourth-and-six they lined up for 48-yard field goal attempt. However, it was a fake as holder Louie Aguiar took off and ran, but he was stopped by CB Darrien Gordon after picking up only three yards. The teams traded punts, neither able to sustain a drive until Kansas City got the ball back at its 17 yard line with just over four minutes remaining.

A 29-yard pass interference penalty on the Broncos moved the ball to the KC 46, but a 10-yard call for tripping on the Chiefs took it back to the 36. An 11-yard completion to Gonzalez gained some of the yardage back, but after two incomplete passes, it was fourth-and-nine. Grbac kept the drive – and his team’s hopes – alive with a pass to WR Lake Dawson that gained 12 yards.

DE Alfred Williams sacked Grbac for a 10-yard loss, but a completion to Rison was good for 23 yards and another first down at the Denver 28. With no timeouts left, Grbac completed three passes that totaled eight yards. A fourth-and-two throw intended for Dawson in the end zone was deflected by Gordon and fell incomplete. That was the last gasp for the Chiefs as Denver held on for the 14-10 win.

Kansas City had the edge both in total yards (303 to 272) and first downs (18 to 16). The Chiefs suffered no turnovers while Denver gave up the ball twice on fumbles. However, Grbac was sacked four times (as opposed to Elway being dumped once). Untimely penalties (one of which took three points off the board), the failure on the fake field goal, and, ultimately, the inability to reach paydirt on the final drive made a difference in the closely-fought contest.

Terrell Davis rushed for 101 yards on 25 carries and had the two short touchdowns. John Elway completed just 10 of 19 passes for 170 yards with no TDs but also none intercepted. Ed McCaffrey led the team’s receivers with 3 catches for 56 yards.

For the Chiefs, Elvis Grbac was successful on 24 of 37 throws for 260 yards and a touchdown, also with none intercepted; he also ran the ball four times for 22 yards. While nine different receivers caught passes, Andre Rison (pictured below) stood out with his 8 for 110 yards. Marcus Allen, in the last game of his Hall of Fame career, ran for 37 yards on 12 carries.

“This was one of the best football games I've ever been involved in,” summed up Mike Shanahan. “It was hard hitting on both sides of the ball. I was really pleased with the way we hung in there and came up with big plays. I'm really pleased with the character of our team.”

“I'm disappointed,” said Marty Schottenheimer, after another failure to advance in the playoffs. “I told our football team that I have no words of wisdom that are meaningful to them at this point. Without a doubt, the men in that room gave everything to this organization that one could ever ask.”

The Broncos went on to defeat Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship game and the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. It was the first win for an AFC club at that level since the 1983 season and was the first of two straight for Denver. Kansas City collapsed to 7-9 in 1998, marking the end of Schottenheimer’s coaching tenure, and did not reappear in the postseason until 2003.

MVP Profile: Cookie Gilchrist, 1962

2012-01-03T07:13:00.003-05:00

Fullback, Buffalo Bills

Age: 27
7th season in pro football, 1st in AFL & with Bills
College: None
Height: 6’3” Weight: 246

Prelude:
Ever inclined to follow his own path, Gilchrist showed up at the Browns’ training camp directly out of high school. He failed to make the team and, foregoing college, went to Canada instead where he played for seven years with three teams in the CFL. Big, fast, and multitalented, Gilchrist excelled on both offense and defense, but also wore out his welcome with each team. He came to Buffalo for the ’62 season and moved directly into the starting lineup at fullback as well as handling the team’s placekicking.

1962 Season Summary
Appeared in all 14 games
(Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20)

Rushing
Attempts – 214 (3)
Most attempts, game - 25 (for 124 yds.) vs. San Diego 10/13
Yards – 1096 (1)
Most yards, game – 143 yards (on 19 carries) vs. Oakland 10/20, (on 17 carries) at NY Titans 12/8
Average gain – 5.1 (4)
TDs – 13 (1, tied)
100-yard rushing games – 6

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 24
Most receptions, game – 4 (for 48 yds.) vs. Denver 9/14, (for 42 yds.) at Boston 11/23, (for 69 yds.) vs. Dallas Texans 12/2
Yards – 319
Most yards, game – 76 (on 2 catches) at Denver 10/28
Average gain – 13.3
TDs – 2

Kickoff Returns
Returns – 7 (20, tied)
Yards – 150
Average per return – 21.4
TDs – 0
Longest return – 34 yards

All-Purpose Yards – 1565 (5)

Kicking
Field goals – 8 (7)
Most field goals, game - 2 at San Diego 11/11, at NY Titans 12/8
Field goal attempts – 20 (6, tied)
Most field goal attempts, game – 4 at Oakland 11/18
Field goal percentage – 40.0 (7)
PATs – 14 (8)
PAT attempts – 17
Longest field goal – 42 yards at NY Titans 12/8

Scoring
TDs – 15 (2)
Field Goals – 8
PATs – 14
Points – 128 (2, tied)

Awards & Honors:
AFL Player of the Year: AP, UPI
1st team All-AFL: League, AP, UPI
AFL All-Star Game

Bills went 7-6-1 to finish third in the AFL Eastern Division and led the league in rushing (2480 yards). It was the franchise’s first winning record.

Aftermath:
Gilchrist was slowed by injuries in 1963, but still set a single-game rushing record with 243 yards against the Jets, led the AFL in rushing attempts (232) and rushing TDs (12) and gained 979 yards. He led the AFL in rushing for a second time in ’64 (981 yards) in a title-winning year for the Bills, but became embroiled in conflict with Coach Lou Saban, was briefly suspended from the team, and in the offseason was dealt to the Denver Broncos. He again led the AFL in rushing attempts (252) as he ran for 954 yards in 1965. However, there was more turmoil and Gilchrist was traded to the expansion Miami Dolphins during the ’66 season where, playing on bad knees, he gained 262 yards in eight games. He returned to Denver in 1967 but saw scant action and retired. Altogether, he rushed for 9204 yards (4911 in the CFL, 4293 in the AFL), caught 178 passes for 1924 more yards (68 for 789 yards in the CFL, 110 for 1135 yards in the AFL), and scored 73 TDs (30 in the CFL, 43 in the AFL). He was also an outstanding blocker as well as runner from scrimmage.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

2005: Seahawks Stop 2-Point Conversion, Defeat Falcons to Win NFC West

2012-01-02T08:32:00.005-05:00

The 2004 season-ending game on January 2, 2005 between the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks at Qwest Field featured two teams assured of spots in the postseason, but it still held significance for the home team. The Seahawks, in their sixth year under Head Coach Mike Holmgren, were 8-7 and had clinched a playoff spot the week before. However, if they lost and the Rams won, they would end up as a wild card team rather than a division champion with a home playoff game to open the postseason.

Seattle’s offense featured star RB Shaun Alexander and included QB Matt Hasselbeck, still a work in progress at age 29 and in his fourth year as a starter, and WR Darrell Jackson. Anchoring the offensive line were OT Walter Jones and G Steve Hutchinson on the left side. The defense was a problem area, having been diluted by injuries.

Atlanta, under first-year Head Coach Jim Mora Jr., had far less riding on the game. The Falcons were 11-4 and had the AFC South title wrapped up. They also had injured players, such as athletic QB Michael Vick, who needed a rest prior to the postseason. Despite being a West Coast offense, Atlanta featured its ground game, led by running backs Warrick Dunn and T.J. Duckett – not to mention Vick, who could be quick to run with the ball. TE Alge Crumpler was his best receiver.

Following a short possession by the Seahawks to start the game, the Falcons showed that they took the contest seriously by blocking the ensuing punt. With Vick completing three passes and Dunn running for 12 yards, Atlanta went 48 yards in 12 plays and WR Peerless Price caught a two-yard touchdown pass to take an early 7-0 lead.

Seattle came right back as Alexander rushed for 24 yards in a six-play, 48-yard drive that ended with the star running back scoring from a yard out. Josh Brown’s conversion tied the contest at 7-7.

The teams traded punts as the game proceeded into the second quarter. The Falcons drove to the Seattle 10 yard line thanks to the running of Dunn (back-to-back carries of 14 and 26 yards to get the ball into Seahawks territory) and Vick’s throwing. Jay Feely kicked a 33-yard field goal to finish off the 10-play series and put the Falcons back in front at 10-7. The lead grew larger five plays later as Hasselbeck was intercepted by CB DeAngelo Hall, who returned it 48 yards for a TD.

Seattle bounced back as Hasselbeck immediately connected with WR Bobby Engram on the next play from scrimmage to get to midfield and capped a 66-yard drive with a three-yard scoring pass to Jackson.

When the Falcons returned on offense, Vick had been replaced by rookie backup QB Matt Schaub. While Coach Mora had vowed to treat the contest like a playoff game, Vick was nursing a hand injury and it made no sense to expose him any further. Still, Schaub gave notice of his ability by throwing for a 26-yard gain to WR Brian Finneran on his first pass. Atlanta came up empty on the series and there was no further scoring in the first half as the tally stood at 17-14 at the intermission.

The Falcons drove into Seattle territory to start the third quarter, but Schaub was intercepted by CB Marcus Trufant, who returned the pickoff 31 yards to the Atlanta 41 yard line. Hasselbeck completed six passes for 35 yards, including a scoring throw to TE Jerramy Stevens from three yards out. With the successful conversion, the Seahawks were back in front at 21-17.

It seemed as though Atlanta would narrow the score when T.J. Duckett dashed 35 yards up the middle to fuel an advance to the Seattle 21, but Feely missed a 39-yard field goal attempt. The Seahawks went three-and-out and the Falcons proceeded to put together a long, 15-play drive that stretched into the fourth quarter and covered 56 yards. Highlights included a six-yard Schaub completion to Price in a third-and-five situation and a 17-yard throw to the same receiver that moved the ball into Seattle territory. Feely ended the possession with another field goal attempt, and this time he was successful from 40 yards to make it a one-point game.

The Seahawks responded with a long drive of their own, going 60 yards in 10 plays. Hasselbeck had pass completions of eight yards to TE Ryan Hannam, 23 yards to Engram, and 11 to Stevens to get to the Atlanta 16, and Alexander ran for 15 yards on three carries to set up Hasselbeck’s one-yard scoring carry. It was 28-20 with 4:28 remaining on the clock.

That was enough time for the Falcons to put together a closing 15-play drive following CB Allen Rossum’s 23-yard kickoff return. Atlanta moved methodically down the field, converting two third downs, the first with Schaub carrying for eight yards on a third-and-one play. In a third-and-17 situation from the Seattle 28, Schaub completed a pass to Finneran for 16 yards and, following a timeout with 18 seconds left, the rookie quarterback out of Virginia completed a swing pass to FB Fred McCrary for a nine-yard gain on fourth-and-one. After a near-interception by CB Ken Lucas, Schaub was successful on a three-yard scoring toss to Finneran on a crossing pattern at the back of the end zone with no time remaining in regulation. That set up a two-point conversion attempt to try and tie the game and send it into overtime. However, the Seahawks held on for the 28-26 win when Schaub rolled to his left and gave the ball to Dunn on a counter play that barely came up short under a pile of Seattle defenders.

The Falcons had more total yards (354 to 253) and first downs (22 to 21), and of that yardage figure, 204 came on the ground (to 83 for the Seahawks). Atlanta drew far more penalties (8 for 53 yards to just one for five yards on Seattle). Each team turned the ball over once.

Matt Hasselbeck completed 21 of 27 passes for 191 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Shaun Alexander ran for 80 yards on 19 carries that included a TD. Bobby Engram (pictured below) was the team’s top receiver with 6 catches for 79 yards.

For Atlanta, Michael Vick was successful on 6 of 7 throws for 35 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game. Matt Schaub went to the air 22 times and completed 14 for 133 yards with a TD and one picked off. Warrick Dunn was outstanding with 132 yards on 25 carries and three receptions for 20 more. Peerless Price pulled in 7 passes for 46 yards and a TD and Brian Finneran gained 45 yards on his 3 catches that included a score. Of the seven sacks the teams combined for (four by the Falcons, three by Seattle), DT Roderick Coleman accounted for two.

“I knew I wasn't in,” Dunn said of his run on the two-point conversion attempt at the end. “It was just one of those plays that we thought was going to be there and it wasn't. They played it well. I was trying to squeeze myself into a small crack and get in.”

“To come up short like we did is not acceptable,” Coach Mora said in summing up. “But to run for 204 yards, to have drives with a rookie quarterback to win, and to stop the run? That was outstanding.”

The Seahawks faced their division rivals, the Rams, in the Wild Card playoff round. St. Louis had swept the season series and made it three-for-three with a 27-20 win at Seattle. The Falcons, who had a first-round bye, went deeper into the postseason as they then thrashed the Rams, 47-17, but lost the NFC Championship game at Philadelphia.

Thanks to the Falcons holding onto the ball so long at the end of the game, Shaun Alexander ended up losing the NFL rushing title by one yard to Curtis Martin of the Jets. Alexander ended up with 1696 yards on 353 carries (4.8 avg.) and scored 16 touchdowns. He led the league by scoring a total of 20 TDs and was selected for the Pro Bowl.

Warrick Dunn (pictured below) finished five spots behind Alexander among NFC rushers with 1106 yards on 265 attempts (4.2 avg.) and 9 touchdowns. Matt Schaub made a favorable impression in his rookie season and stayed for another two years as Vick’s backup before being dealt to the Houston Texans.

1978: Broncos Edge Raiders for AFC Championship

2012-01-01T09:49:00.005-05:00

For the first 17 years of their existence, the Denver Broncos had been perennial also-rans. It had taken them from 1960 until 1973 just to post a winning record, and they had not yet appeared in the postseason. That all ended in 1977 in their first year under Head Coach Red Miller. The team featured the “Orange Crush” defense that included DE Lyle Alzado, linebackers Randy Gradishar and Tom Jackson, CB Louis Wright, and SS Bill Thompson. The offense was conservative but took advantage of opportunities and kept mistakes to a minimum. QB Craig Morton (pictured at right), a 34-year-old veteran who had been obtained from the Giants, revived his career in Denver. The Broncos won the AFC West with a 12-2 record and defeated Pittsburgh in the Divisional playoff round.

On January 1, 1978 the upstart Broncos hosted the Oakland Raiders for the AFC Championship. The defending NFL Champions were used to winning under Head Coach John Madden and had finished atop the AFC West in all but one season since the AFL/NFL merger in 1970 and prior to ’77. Losing decisively to the Broncos at Oakland in Week 5 had been a key event in Denver’s ascent, but the Raiders had returned the favor two weeks later with a 24-14 win in the rematch (indeed, the Raiders had not lost in Denver since 1962, although the clubs tied twice). QB Ken “the Snake” Stabler was not as outstanding as in ’76, but could not be taken lightly in a big game and still had outstanding targets in wide receivers Fred Biletnikoff and Cliff Branch and TE Dave Casper. FB Mark van Eeghen paced the ground game with 1273 yards. The defense might also have lost a bit, especially with an early season-ending injury to LB Phil Villapiano, but it was still a tough and seasoned outfit. Oakland went 11-3 in securing a wild card slot in the postseason and beat the Colts the previous week in an overtime thriller at Baltimore.

Mile High Stadium was largely a sea of orange with 74,982 in attendance. The Raiders scored first with a 54-yard drive in the opening period that ended with Errol Mann kicking a 20-yard field goal. Denver responded quickly as Morton connected with WR Haven Moses for a 74-yard touchdown on a second-and-15 play. The fleet wide receiver eluded SS Skip Thomas on the way to the end zone.

There was no further scoring in the first half. Mann missed a 30-yard field goal attempt that hit the right upright and Jim Turner was wide to the left on a 40-yard attempt for the Broncos. In addition, the Raiders lost Biletnikoff to a dislocated shoulder. The score remained 7-3.

Early in the third quarter, the Broncos had another scoring opportunity as Moses caught a pass for a 41-yard gain, but Turner again missed a field goal attempt, from 31 yards after a bad snap.

However, on the next play Raiders HB Clarence Davis fumbled a handoff and Denver DE Brison Manor recovered at the Oakland 17. Following a short carry by FB Jon Keyworth and a 13-yard Morton pass to TE Riley Odoms, Denver was at the two yard line and on first-and-goal, HB Rob Lytle dove over the top and was hit by FS Jack Tatum, with the ball squirting loose. Raiders NT Mike McCoy recovered and the Oakland players began celebrating, but the officials (chiefly head linesman Ed Marion) ruled that Lytle’s forward progress had been stopped prior to the fumble and it was still Denver’s ball (moved to the one after a vehement protest by LB Floyd Rice resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty). FB Jon Keyworth took a pitchout on the next play and ran in for the touchdown and a 14-3 lead.

The Raiders were far from dead and, late in the third quarter, they drove 48 yards in a series that extended into the fourth quarter. Stabler threw to Casper who spun into the end zone in front of LB Joe Rizzo for a seven-yard TD.

Denver responded with a long drive, but Rice intercepted for the Raiders at the Oakland 11 and returned it to the 22. Possession changed again when Denver LB Bob Swenson picked Stabler off at the 31 and returned it to the Oakland 17. Two plays later, Morton threw to Moses, who made a sliding catch in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown. Although Turner missed the extra point, it was still a 20-10 lead for the Broncos.

Oakland moved the ball effectively once more, with Stabler throwing short passes. An eight-play, 74-yard drive ended with Casper catching another TD pass, leaping to pull it down in the back of the end zone.

It was a three-point game with 3:16 remaining, but the Broncos were able to run out the clock and win by a score of 20-17. The jubilant crowd tore down the goal posts and celebrated long afterward.

The statistics reflected the closeness of the score as Denver outgained the Raiders by ten yards (308 to 298) while Oakland had the edge in first downs (20 to 16). Both clubs had difficulty running the ball against the other (the Raiders gained 94 yards on 36 carries and Denver had 91 on 37 attempts). Oakland suffered three turnovers, to one by the Broncos, although Denver had more penalties (8, at a cost of 46 yards, to just two, for six yards, on the Raiders).

The Broncos typically capitalized on scoring opportunities during the season, but had difficulty against Oakland. 14th-year veteran Jim Turner missed three field goal attempts (from 40, 31, and 44 yards) and an extra point and Denver’s one turnover was a Morton interception in the red zone. Meanwhile, Oakland had won the previous meeting by running effectively behind OT Art Shell, but Denver’s swarming defense played aggressively and was able to neutralize the ground game.

Craig Morton was successful on 10 of 20 passes, compiling 224 yards with two touchdowns against the one interception. Haven Moses (pictured below) had a spectacular performance with 5 catches for 168 yards and two scores. FB Lonnie Perrin was the team’s leading rusher with 42 yards on 11 carries.

For Oakland, Ken Stabler completed 17 of 35 throws for 215 yards with two TDs and one picked off. Dave Casper pulled in 5 receptions for 71 yards and the two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Mark van Eeghen rushed for 71 yards on 20 attempts.

“It was especially nice to beat the defending world champions,” summed up Red Miller. “The game went just about the way we hoped. We didn't give up the ball in our end. We scored fast and played great defense. Our line did a terrific job, easily the best of the year.”

The Cinderella drive to the Super Bowl ended for the Broncos with a 27-10 beating at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys. Denver would come back to win the AFC West in 1978, but didn’t make it past the Divisional round in the postseason. Oakland missed the playoffs in 1978 and ’79 with back-to-back 9-7 records, but bounced back to win the Super Bowl in 1980.

(Denver's "Orange Crush" defensive unit pictured below, including #43 Steve Foley, #57 Tom Jackson, #36 Bill Thompson, #63 John Grant, #20 Louis Wright, #53 Randy Gradishar)

1972: Redskins Dominate Cowboys for NFC Title

2011-12-31T08:58:00.004-05:00

In 1971 the Washington Redskins made it to the postseason for the first time since 1945, and in ’72 they were looking to go farther. Head Coach George Allen had shown a preference for utilizing veteran players in his previous coaching stop with the Rams and if anything that inclination had become even more pronounced in Washington. “The Over the Hill Gang” was long on experience. Player for player, they might not have been the most talented team in the conference, but they had plenty of spirit and savvy. The key player on the conservative, ball-control offense was HB Larry Brown, the league’s consensus MVP and leading rusher with 1216 yards. When they passed, they had outstanding wide receivers in Charley Taylor and Roy Jefferson.

33-year-old Bill Kilmer (pictured above), in his second year in Washington after previous stints with the 49ers and Saints, started the season at quarterback over 38-year-old veteran Sonny Jurgensen. While Jurgensen was an all-time great passer, Allen favored Kilmer as being better suited to his ball-control offense, although he was repeatedly booed by the fans. Jurgensen had finally retaken the starting job four weeks into the year, but when the increasingly-brittle veteran suffered an injury three weeks later, Kilmer returned to the lineup and stayed there. He might not have passed often – or with great style – but he ended up leading the league in touchdown passes (19, tied with Joe Namath of the Jets).

Allen built his reputation as a defensive coach, and the defense was the club’s strength. Six of the starters were over 30, including DE Ron McDole; linebackers Myron Pottios, Jack Pardee, and Chris Hanburger; CB Pat Fischer; and FS Roosevelt Taylor, but they were talented and played aggressively. They also were the stingiest unit in the NFC, giving up 218 points.

The Redskins had topped the NFC East with an 11-3 record and won their Divisional playoff game over the Packers without allowing a touchdown. In the NFC Championship game on December 31, 1972 they would be facing their division rivals and defending NFL Champions, the Dallas Cowboys. The Redskins had used a five-man front to beat the Packers (a ground-oriented team with a miniscule passing attack) in the Divisional playoff but were back in their standard 4-3 to face Dallas.

Under Head Coach Tom Landry, the Cowboys had finished second in the division at 10-4 and made it into the postseason as a wild card entry. Player-for-player, they were more talented than the Redskins and were coming off of a thrilling come-from-behind win over the 49ers in the Divisional playoff at San Francisco. Roger Staubach, who became the starting quarterback in 1971 when Dallas won the Super Bowl, had been lost to injury for most of ’72 and replaced by Craig Morton. However, it was the fourth-year veteran out of Navy who relieved Morton and rallied the Cowboys in the dramatic win the previous week, and Landry went with him as the starter in the NFC title game.

There were 53,129 in attendance at RFK Stadium on a dark and misty New Year’s eve. The Redskins took the opening kickoff and Kilmer completed passes of 15 yards to Roy Jefferson and 13 to Charley Taylor to get to the Dallas 41. Three plays later, Kilmer connected with Larry Brown at the 31, but he fumbled and FS Cliff Harris recovered for the Cowboys to end the threat.

Dallas was unable to capitalize – in fact, the defending champs were able to run just six plays in the opening period. The Redskins regained possession and put together a 16-play drive that lasted over nine minutes and led to Curt Knight’s first field goal, from 18 yards in the second quarter for a 3-0 lead. Larry Brown ran for 31 yards in the series and caught a pass for nine. Later in the period, Kilmer connected with Taylor for a 51-yard gain on a fly pattern and then again on a post pattern for a 15-yard touchdown.

Before the half was over, and down 10-0, the Cowboys got off their only meaningful drive of the game, highlighted by Staubach’s 29-yard run on a quarterback draw to the Washington 39. Toni Fritsch kicked a 35-yard field goal. Fritsch had another chance at a field goal on the final play of the first half, but missed from 23 yards – his first failure all year from inside the 30. Washington held a 10-3 lead at halftime, but had been more dominant than the score indicated.

There was no scoring in the third quarter, with the Cowboys unable to move the ball beyond their own 30. An opportunity was missed when Kilmer fumbled at his own 32 and the ball rolled deeper into Washington territory. Two Dallas players had a chance to recover and missed, but the Redskins finally regained possession at their 18. The ensuing punt only traveled to the Dallas 44, and Charlie Waters, a starting cornerback as well as punt returner, fielded the kick and lost yardage to his 39; a clipping penalty took the ball even farther back, to the 24 yard line. In addition, Waters suffered a broken arm on the play.

Charley Taylor had repeatedly burned Waters and now a replacement, Mark Washington, would be entering the contest. On the first series after the new cornerback entered the game, Kilmer went right at him and completed four passes, including one for a 45-yard TD to Taylor two plays into the fourth quarter. That made the score 17-3 and essentially wrapped up the game for the Redskins.

Washington pulled away, scoring 16 points in the final period. Knight (pictured below) kicked three more field goals, from 39, 46, and 45 yards. After an erratic regular season in which he was successful on just 14 of 30 field goal attempts, the fourth-year placekicker had been good on all three of his three-point tries against the Packers and was a perfect four-for-four against Dallas. The final score was a convincing 26-3.

The Redskins held Dallas to just 194 total yards and 8 first downs while accumulating 316 yards and 16 first downs themselves. Each team turned the ball over once, but the Cowboys spent most of the game on their end of the field. The Redskins converted 10 of 18 third downs while Dallas was successful on just three of 12.

Bill Kilmer was highly efficient with his passing, completing 14 of 18 throws for 194 yards with two touchdowns and none intercepted. Charley Taylor (pictured below) was sensational as he caught 7 of those passes for 146 yards and the two big TDs. Larry Brown ran the ball 30 times for 88 yards and caught two passes for 16 more.

For the Cowboys, Roger Staubach was forced to scramble often against the tough Washington defense that kept his receivers well covered. He ended up being successful on just 9 of 20 throws for 98 yards and, while he was the team’s leading rusher with 59 yards on five carries, he was sacked three times. No Cowboy caught more than two passes, with WR Ron Sellers gaining the most yards (29) on his pair. Of the running backs, HB Calvin Hill accumulated the most yards with 22 on 9 attempts.

Said a jubilant George Allen afterward, “I’ve said all along, give me a bunch of older men who have taken care of themselves and I can go all the way.”

Asked why he didn't throw more often earlier, Kilmer said, “you can't go to the well too often. Dallas has a smart team and they'd pick one off if you did it too often.”

Added Kilmer, “I think they thought I was going to go to Roy Jefferson more and that could hurt them, so they covered him more. So I went to Taylor.”

“Washington deserved to win,” said a disappointed Tom Landry. “They were playing excellent football in every phase.”

While the Redskins were NFC Champions, they did not end up with the NFL title. They lost to the undefeated Miami Dolphins in the Super Bowl. In 1973, they reversed places with the Cowboys, who recovered to win the division title, and made it into the playoffs as a wild card. Washington lost in the Divisional round to Minnesota. Dallas again reached the NFC Championship game – and again lost, this time to the Vikings.

2001: Late Comeback Pulls Eagles Over Giants to Clinch NFC East Title

2011-12-30T08:24:00.005-05:00

Prior to the 2001 NFL season, the New York Giants had won nine straight games against their long-time rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, including three in 2000 as the teams met in a NFC Divisional playoff contest. The Eagles had finally broken the string with a dramatic 10-9 win in the last two minutes of a Monday Night Football matchup at Giants Stadium, and on December 30 they faced off at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium with the NFC East title on the line. The Eagles were 9-5 coming into the game and needed a win to clinch the division title while New York, at 7-7, had won its last two contests and needed to keep winning to stay alive.

The Eagles had not finished first in the division since 1988 and were only recently resurgent under third-year Head Coach Andy Reid. The pass-oriented club ran a West Coast offense directed by QB Donovan McNabb (pictured above), who could be a streaky passer but brought mobility and an ability to improvise to the position. TE Chad Lewis was his go-to receiver. The running backs were veteran Duce Staley, also a good receiver out of the backfield, and rookie Correll Buckhalter. The defense was stronger against the pass than the run but had been very effective overall.

New York, coached by Jim Fassel, was the defending NFC Champion but had difficulties in ’01. The offense, directed by offensive coordinator Sean Payton, was not as proficient as it had been in 2000. RB Tiki Barber was the top playmaker, splitting time with RB Ron Dayne. QB Kerry Collins, having a lesser season after his outstanding performance in 2000, had a savvy veteran tandem of wide receivers available in Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard. The defense had the league’s top pass rusher with DE Michael Strahan, who was equally able against the run.

There were 65,885 fans jamming the Vet and it was apparent before the game even began that emotions were running high between the clubs when a scuffle broke out among some of the Eagles and Giants players during pregame warmups. The Giants had the first possession and went three-and-out. Philadelphia responded with a nine-play, 72-yard drive in which McNabb completed six of seven passes for 68 of those yards, including a 31-yard completion to Lewis to the New York 41. It was Lewis pulling in a five-yard TD pass that gave the Eagles an early 7-0 lead.

That was it for the first half scoring. While Philadelphia dominated during the first thirty minutes of play, the Eagles were unable to put any more points on the board. It seemed as though that failure might cost them dearly when, on New York’s first play of the third quarter, Collins connected with Toomer for a 60-yard touchdown on a flea-flicker play. Morten Andersen’s extra point tied the contest at 7-7 and, ten minutes later, he put the Giants in the lead with a 25-yard field goal that completed a 43-yard drive highlighted by RB Ron Dayne’s 30-yard run to the Philadelphia 20.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Eagles moved back in front at 14-10 when McNabb threw to WR James Thrash (pictured at right), who had won the earlier encounter between the two clubs with a scoring reception, for a 57-yard touchdown down the right sideline. The Giants responded with a 58-yard drive over 12 plays that included Collins completions to WR Joe Jurevicius for 18 yards and Barber, who also contributed a 10-yard run, for 15. The 41-year-old Andersen booted a 32-yard field goal to make it a one-point game.

The Giants again took the lead with an 81-yard drive over nine plays that consumed nearly five minutes. Collins had big completions, twice hitting TE Dan Campbell for gains totaling 31 yards and one to Barber for 10 yards. It seemed as though New York had ground the Eagles defense down when Barber ran for 23 yards to the Philadelphia 28 on a third-and-one play and Dayne finished the series with a 16-yard scoring carry. Barber successfully rushed for the two-point conversion and, with 2:43 left to play in the final period, the Giants were ahead by 21-14 and appeared to have regained mastery over the Eagles.

Following the kickoff, Philadelphia took 54 seconds to move the ball 67 yards in six plays. McNabb threw to WR Freddie Mitchell for 15 yards to get into New York territory and then connected with Thrash for a key 32-yard gain to the Giants’ seven yard line. From there, Lewis pulled in his second scoring catch of the day and David Akers successfully kicked the extra point to tie the contest at 21-21.

Philadelphia’s defense rose to the occasion, holding the Giants to a three-and-out possession. With the ball on their own 29, the Eagles took over with a scant 58 seconds on the clock. McNabb threw to WR Todd Pinkston for nine yards and then ran for four. When Strahan appeared to be trying to hold the quarterback down after the play, the Giants were penalized five yards for delay of game. The ball was now at the New York 28 and McNabb ran again, taking off up the middle for 11 yards. Akers, who had had a string of 17 consecutive successful field goal attempts snapped in the first half when his 43-yard kick into the wind fell short, had the wind at his back this time and was successful from 35 yards to put the Eagles in front.

There were still seven seconds left and Akers booted the kickoff through the end zone for a touchback rather than squibbing the kick. With time for one desperation play, Collins threw down the middle for Barber, who advanced to the New York 37 and lateraled to speedy backup WR Ron Dixon on a hook-and-ladder play. There was a long history between the Eagles and Giants of astounding finishes, and it seemed as though it might occur once again as Dixon headed to his left and blazed down the field. However, SS Damon Moore raced over to push Dixon out of bounds at the six yard line and, with time expired, the Eagles were division champs by a score of 24-21.

The Giants had the edge in total yards (420 to 361) although Philadelphia had more first downs (21 to 18). The Eagles also had more turnovers, with two to New York’s one.

Donovan McNabb completed 21 of 39 passes for 270 yards with three touchdowns and one interception – he also led the club in rushing with 48 yards on 7 carries. James Thrash caught 7 passes for 143 yards and a TD while Chad Lewis also had 7 catches that gained 74 yards and two touchdowns. Among the running backs, Correll Buckhalter rushed for 39 yards on 7 attempts while Duce Staley contributed 8 carries for 23 yards.

For the Giants, Tiki Barber (pictured below) ran for 71 yards on 16 carries and caught 10 passes for another 87 yards. Ron Dayne added 59 yards and a TD on 8 attempts. Kerry Collins threw 39 passes and completed 22 for 303 yards with a touchdown and none intercepted. Amani Toomer gained 69 yards and scored once on his three catches. Michael Strahan, having regularly done well against Eagles OT Jon Runyan and pursuing the single-season record for sacks, added 3.5 to his total.

“Donovan stepped up and did a great job in as much pressure as you can have,” said Andy Reid of McNabb’s performance afterward.

With their postseason status set, the Eagles won the season finale at Tampa Bay to end up with an 11-5 record and then beat the Buccaneers again at home in the Wild Card playoff round. They also defeated the Chicago Bears at the Divisional level but lost to the Rams in the NFC Championship game – their first of three consecutive losses in the conference title game before winning in their fourth attempt. The loss in Philadelphia eliminated the Giants from playoff contention and they fell again in their last game to end up third in the NFC East with a disappointing 7-9 tally.

Donovan McNabb ranked fourth in the NFC in passing (84.3 rating) and fifth in TD passes (25) while throwing for 3233 yards. He also rushed for 482 yards on 82 carries (5.9 avg.). McNabb was named to the Pro Bowl for the second of an eventual five straight seasons (six overall).

James Thrash, who performed so notably against the Giants in 2001, tied for the team lead with 63 catches and led the club with 833 yards and 8 touchdowns. It was his first, and most productive, year with the Eagles.

Michael Strahan did succeed in setting a league record with 22.5 sacks. Of that total, 5.5 came in the two contests against Philadelphia. He was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press.

MVP Profile: Joe Namath, 1968

2011-12-29T08:25:00.002-05:00

Quarterback, New York Jets

Age: 25
4th season in pro football & with Jets
College: Alabama
Height: 6’2” Weight: 195

Prelude:
Chosen by both the NFL Cardinals and AFL Jets in the first round of the respective 1965 drafts, Namath signed a then-huge $427,000 contract with New York. A college star under Head Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant at Alabama, he had torn ligaments in his right knee during his senior year that required surgery. Knee and mobility issues would thus be significant throughout Namath’s career, but he took over as the starting quarterback for the Jets early in his rookie season and didn’t miss a game to injury (he wouldn’t in his first five seasons) while gaining selection to the AFL All-Star game. Charismatic (he quickly became a celebrity off the field) and a good leader, he also had a quick release and strong arm. Namath led the league in pass attempts and completions, yards, and TD passes in 1966 and ’67 – in the latter season, he became the first 4000-yard passer in NFL/AFL history (4007). Prone to trying to force passes into coverage, however, he also led the AFL in passes intercepted in both years.

1968 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 14 games
(Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20)

Passing
Attempts – 380 (3)
Most pass attempts, game – 43 at Buffalo 9/29
Completions – 187 (3)
Most pass completions, game – 20 vs. Denver 10/13
Yards – 3147 (3)
Most passing yards, game – 381 at Oakland 11/17
Completion percentage – 49.2 (4)
Yards per attempt – 8.3 (2)
TD passes – 15 (5)
Most TD passes, game – 4 at Buffalo 9/29
Interceptions – 17 (2)
Most interceptions, game – 5 at Buffalo 9/29, vs. Denver 10/13
Passer rating – 72.1 (4)
300-yard passing games – 4
200-yard passing games – 6

Rushing
Attempts – 5
Most attempts, game – 5 on 5 occasions
Yards – 11
Most yards, game – 4 yards (on 1 carry) vs. Miami 12/1
Yards per attempt – 2.2
TDs – 2

Scoring
TDs – 2
Points - 12

Postseason: 2 G
Pass attempts – 77
Most attempts, game - 49 vs. Oakland, AFL Championship
Pass completions – 36
Most completions, game - 19 vs. Oakland, AFL Championship
Passing yardage – 472
Most yards, game - 266 vs. Oakland, AFL Championship
TD passes – 3
Most TD passes, game - 3 vs. Oakland, AFL Championship
Interceptions – 1
Most interceptions, game - 1 vs. Oakland, AFL Championship

Rushing attempts – 1
Most rushing attempts, game - 1 vs. Oakland, AFL Championship
Rushing yards – 14
Most rushing yards, game - 14 vs. Oakland, AFL Championship
Average gain rushing – 14.0
Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:
AFL Player of the Year: AP, UPI, Sporting News
1st team All-NFL/AFL: Pro Football Weekly
1st team All-AFL: AP, PFWA, NEA, UPI, NY Daily News, Pro Football Weekly
1st team All-AFL East: Sporting News
AFL All-Star Game

Jets went 11-3 to win the AFL Eastern Division while finishing second in scoring (417 points). Won AFL Championship over Oakland Raiders (27-23) and Super Bowl over Baltimore Colts (16-7).

Aftermath:
Namath passed for 2734 yards and 19 TDs as the Jets again topped the Eastern Division in 1969, but a broken wrist that sidelined him five games into the ’70 season became the first of a series of injuries that dogged the remainder of his career. After appearing in just nine games in 1970 and ’71, he came back in 1972 to lead the NFL in passing yards (2816), TD passes (19), and yards per attempt (8.7) and was named to the Pro Bowl. However, a separated shoulder limited him to six games in 1973 and, with the team deteriorating around him, he had only sporadic success while leading the league in interceptions in 1974 and ’75. Namath finished his career with the Rams in 1977 and ended up throwing for 27,663 yards with 173 TDs and 220 interceptions. His #12 was retired by the Jets and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, class of 1985.

--

MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

1947: Cards Beat Eagles for NFL Title in Game of Big Plays

2011-12-28T08:06:00.005-05:00

The NFL Championship game on December 28, 1947 featured two teams that were new to the contest. The Chicago Cardinals may have been the NFL’s oldest franchise, dating all the way back to 1899 as a club team, but they had not known much success (one title in 1925, prior to division play and a championship game) and had labored for most of the league’s history in the shadow of the other Chicago team, the Bears. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles were the first team to represent the Eastern Division in the title game other than the Giants or Redskins. Both clubs had built effectively through the draft and were well coached. Sadly, Cards owner Charles Bidwell, who had invested heavily in players (especially heralded rookie HB Charlie Trippi out of Georgia, signed to a then-record $100,000 contract for four years), died in April and didn’t live to see his club vie for the championship.

The Cardinals had gone 9-3 and beaten the second-place Bears in the finale to win the Western Division. Coached by Jimmy Conzelman, the Cards boasted an outstanding backfield that included, in addition to the all-purpose star Trippi, QB Paul Christman, HB Elmer Angsman (pictured above), and FB Pat Harder. Ends Mal Kutner and Bill Dewell were highly effective.

Philadelphia was coached by Earle “Greasy” Neale and had gone 8-4 to end up in a tie atop the division with another upstart team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Eagles won the resulting playoff convincingly by a 21-0 score. HB Steve Van Buren set a new league rushing record (1008 yards) and was the key to the offense that was efficiently run by QB Tommy Thompson. HB Bosh Pritchard provided an outstanding outside rushing counterpoint to Van Buren and the receivers, led by rookie end Pete Pihos, were very good. The line contained outstanding performers in tackles Al Wistert and Vic Sears, guards Bucko Kilroy and Cliff Patton, and center Vic Lindskog.

There were 30,759 fans in attendance on a bitterly cold day and the field at Comiskey Park was frozen. The Cardinals wore sneakers with cork cleats while the Eagles had attempted to sharpen their spikes for better traction. However, the officials declared the footwear illegal when the Cardinals complained and they instead wore flat-soled sneakers.

It proved to be a game liberally highlighted by big plays. The first came when Chicago scored six minutes into the first quarter. Trippi (pictured at right) broke free on a quick-opener for a 44-yard touchdown run, outmaneuvering the last defender, DHB Russ Craft, along the way.

The Eagles, concerned with Christman’s passing ability, crowded the line in an effort to disrupt the aerial attack. While they did so effectively, they also left themselves vulnerable to long gains by the halfbacks if they broke through. Early in the second quarter, Angsman got the ball on a delayed buck into the line and took off for a 70-yard TD. Philadelphia, better known for its running game, went to the air and responded with Thompson throwing to HB Pat McHugh for a 43-yard touchdown that made the score 14-7 at the half.

Of all the big plays in the game, Trippi made perhaps the most spectacular in the third quarter when he fielded a punt and returned it 75 yards for a TD, virtually running through the entire Eagles team and recovering after being tripped up at one point.

Philadelphia put together a 73-yard scoring drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown carry by Van Buren late in the third quarter, closing the margin to 21-14. Along the way, Thompson completed passes to end Jack Ferrante and FB Joe Muha that totaled 39 yards.

In the fourth quarter, Muha, normally a proficient punter who had difficulty with his kicks on this day, unleashed a 69-yard punt that went out of bounds at the Chicago 10. Christman threw to Trippi for 20 yards and then Angsman, breaking through the center of the line, took off on another 70-yard scoring run.

With time running out, Thompson passed the Eagles down the field. They drove 53 yards with “One-Eyed” Tommy completing four throws and Craft running over from inside the one yard line. But that was it for Philadelphia. The Cardinals hung on to win the exciting contest by a score of 28-21.

The Eagles outgained Chicago (357 yards to 336) and led in first downs (22 to 11). The teams went against type as the Cardinals rolled up 282 yards on the ground, to just 60 for Philadelphia, while the Eagles had far more net passing yards (297 to 54). Each team turned the ball over three times. The Cards also were penalized 10 times, at a cost of 97 yards, to 7 flags thrown on the Eagles, for 55 yards. Ultimately, Chicago’s big plays outnumbered those by Philadelphia.

Elmer Angsman ran for 159 yards and two long touchdowns on just 10 carries while Charlie Trippi added 84 on 11 attempts with one TD. Paul Christman was successful on just 3 of 14 passes for 54 yards and was intercepted twice. Angsman, Trippi, and Bill Dewell each caught one, with Dewell’s the longest at 38 yards.

Tommy Thompson (pictured at left) put on an exciting passing display for the Eagles. He set championship game records for attempts (44) and completions (27) while throwing for 297 yards with a touchdown, although he was picked off three times. Jack Ferrante caught 8 of those passes for 73 yards and the remainder was distributed among a total of eight other receivers. Between poor footing and the Cards’ defense, Steve Van Buren was held to 26 yards on 18 carries that included one short TD. Joe Muha led the club with 31 yards on 8 attempts.

“They’re a great team, and more power to them,” said Greasy Neale afterward of the Cardinals. “I hope they win the Western title next year, too, so that we can have the pleasure of knocking them off in Philadelphia.”

Neale’s wish came true as both teams repeated as division champions in 1948. In a Championship game played in blizzard conditions in Philadelphia, the Eagles won. They would go on to achieve one more title in 1949 while the Cardinals would begin to recede back into mediocrity.

1959: Colts Defeat Giants to Repeat as NFL Champions

2011-12-27T09:11:00.006-05:00

The Baltimore Colts had defeated the New York Giants in an overtime classic, one of the most celebrated games in NFL history, in 1958. The two teams were matched up again on December 27, 1959.

The Colts, coached by Weeb Ewbank, came out on top of the Western Conference at 9-3. Star QB Johnny Unitas (pictured behind center above) was, if anything, just getting better at age 26 as he set a league record with 32 touchdown passes while also pacing the NFL with 2899 yards. End Raymond Berry led in pass receptions (66), yards (959), and touchdowns (14) and HB Lenny Moore and end Jim Mutscheller were highly productive as well. FB Alan “the Horse” Ameche continued to provide power between the tackles. The defense might be showing some signs of age but was solid, especially on the line.

Head Coach Jim Lee Howell’s Giants was known for outstanding defense and a conservative offense ably directed by 38-year-old QB Charlie Conerly (pictured below), the NFL’s leading passer who averaged 8.8 yards per attempt. Multi-talented HB Frank Gifford led a good stable of running backs that included FB Mel Triplett, HB Alex Webster, and HB Phil King. 5 ½ -point underdogs, they anticipated a tough defensive battle and would seek to shut down the two Baltimore ends, Berry and Mutscheller.

It was good football weather - cool and crisp – with 57,545 fans at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium. The Giants came out passing on their first play as Conerly threw to end Kyle Rote for 20 yards. Gifford followed up with a 22-yard carry, but All-Pro DE Gene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb sacked Conerly for a 17-yard loss as the Colts defense held and New York was forced to punt.

Baltimore responded with Unitas, faking a handoff and then twice looking to throw short to Berry to his left, passing to Moore for a 60-yard touchdown and the Colts took the early advantage at 7-0.

Late in the first quarter, the Giants were on the move as Triplett gained 28 yards on a run up the middle. Triplett carried again for six more yards and Conerly threw to end Bob Schnelker. The drive made it to the three yard line but stalled when Lipscomb stopped Webster cold on a run into the line and a pass to Gifford behind the line of scrimmage turned into a six-yard loss. Conerly was sacked for the loss of another seven yards and the Giants were forced to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Pat Summerall.

Early in the second quarter, Steve Myhra was wide on a 43-yard field goal attempt for the Colts. New York’s defense was getting to Unitas, but the offense wasn’t able to move on Baltimore’s aroused defense. With time running out in the first half, Dave Sherer punted to the New York 17. It appeared that DHB Carl Taseff had intercepted a Conerly pass, but he bobbled the ball and Schnelker pulled it away for a 48-yard gain to the Baltimore 34. The Giants gained a few more yards before Summerall booted a 37-yard field goal with 11 seconds left to make it 7-6 at halftime, although the Colts thought the kick was wide and the home crowd booed loudly at the result.

The Giants took the lead in the third quarter on Summerall’s third field goal, from 22 yards. It was now 9-7 and New York’s defense had been successful at stopping Unitas, particularly in third down situations, but as the period wound down the tide began to turn.

The turning point came when the Giants advanced to the Baltimore 28 thanks to a 19-yard pass play to Gifford and a 10-yard throw to Schnelker. With fourth-and-inches, Coach Howell decided to forego another field goal attempt and try for the first down. A run by Webster came up short, and the Colts took over.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Colts drove 75 yards in 10 plays. Unitas ran it in himself on a sweep around end behind Moore’s block of LB Cliff Livingston to put Baltimore back in front. Key plays in the drive were a 17-yard pass to Berry in a third-and-eight situation and completion to Moore (pictured below) that gained 36 to the New York 13.

Safety Andy Nelson intercepted a Conerly pass and returned it 15 yards to the New York 15. Two plays later, Unitas threw to rookie flanker Jerry Richardson for a 12-yard TD, and the Colts were in control.

Conerly, who was intercepted just four times during the regular season, was picked off again, by safety Johnny Sample, who returned it 42 yards down the sideline for a touchdown. Sample intercepted another pass, this time by Gifford on an option play, that gave the Colts the ball at the New York 27. Myhra kicked a 25-yard field goal to cap Baltimore’s 24-point final period.

The Giants got their only touchdown late in the fourth quarter as Conerly connected with Schnelker from 32 yards out, but by then it didn’t matter. The Colts were the champions for the second straight year by a score of 31-16.

New York outgained the Colts (323 yards to 280) and had more first downs (16 to 13). While Conerly was sacked five times, the Giants got to Unitas on six occasions and the Colts were held to just 73 rushing yards on 25 carries (to 118 for New York on the same number of running plays). However, the inability of the Giants to score touchdowns in the red zone, combined with three turnovers (to none by the Colts), had a significant effect on the outcome.

Johnny Unitas completed 18 of 29 passes for 264 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions; he also scored on the short running play. Lenny Moore gained just eight yards on four carries but caught three passes for 126 yards and a TD. Raymond Berry added 5 receptions for 68 yards and Jim Mutscheller also had five catches, for 40 yards. Alan Ameche was the team’s leading rusher with 31 yards on 9 carries.

For the Giants, Charlie Conerly went to the air 37 times and completed 17 for 226 yards with a TD and the two interceptions. Bob Schnelker (pictured below) had a big day catching the ball with 9 receptions for 175 yards and a score. Frank Gifford ran 8 times for 56 yards and added another 13 on his two catches; he also passed twice, completing one for 18 yards but was picked off on the other.

Baltimore GM Don Kellett summed it up by saying, “We didn’t win it easily, but we won it convincingly.”

Both teams missed the postseason in 1960. The Colts started off well at 6-2 in a bid for a third consecutive title, but lost their last four games to finish at 6-6 and in a disappointing fourth place. They would not return to the postseason until 1964. The Giants contended but ended up in third at 6-4-2 in their last year under Jim Lee Howell. Under his successor, Allie Sherman, they won the Eastern Conference for the next three seasons but failed to win a championship.

1964: Bills Shut Down Chargers to Win AFL Championship

2011-12-26T08:29:00.004-05:00

On December 26, 1964 the Buffalo Bills, champions of the American Football League’s Eastern Division, hosted the defending AFL champions, the San Diego Chargers. It was truly a study in contrasts between the Bills, a ball-control team with an outstanding defense, and San Diego, with its potent offense.

Coached by Lou Saban, the Bills had gone 12-2 and defeated the Chargers twice during the season, but didn’t clinch the division until a win over the Patriots in the final contest. The offense was conservative but effective, leading the league in ground-gaining and scoring. Hard-hitting 250-pound FB Cookie Gilchrist (pictured above) was the AFL’s leading rusher (981 yards). QB Jack Kemp, formerly of the Chargers, was a good field general and if a change of pace was necessary, backup QB Daryle Lamonica was capable of effective relief. An additional weapon was rookie PK Pete Gogolak out of Cornell who brought his then-unique soccer-style placekicking to pro football and was successful on 65.5 % of his field goal attempts (19 of 29), making the ball-control offense all the more effective. The rugged defense that allowed the fewest points in the AFL had an outstanding line that included ends Ron McDole and Tom Day and tackles Tom Sestak and Jim Dunaway, and had other stars in LB Mike Stratton and FS George Saimes.

Head Coach Sid Gillman’s Chargers were not as dominant as they had been in ’63. They got off to a 1-2-1 start but then ran off six straight wins to take control of the Western Division. While the streaky club lost three of its last four contests, it was good enough for an 8-5-1 record. The Chargers still had an outstanding offense that was transitioning from 36-year-old Tobin Rote to 24-year-old John Hadl at quarterback. They also had the exciting flanker Lance Alworth to pass to and the running game featured all-purpose FB Keith Lincoln, the hero of the 1963 title game with 329 yards from scrimmage, and HB Paul Lowe. And while defense may have been an afterthought, there were outstanding players in DT Ernie Ladd, DE Earl Faison, linebackers Chuck Allen and Frank Buncom, and CB Dick Westmoreland. Injuries were an issue, however, and San Diego would be going into the title game without Alworth, who had injured his left knee.

There were 40,242 in attendance at War Memorial Stadium and it didn’t look promising for the home team as the Chargers quickly drove to a score. Lincoln took off for a 38-yard gain on San Diego’s first play from scrimmage and he accumulated four more running and 11 on a pass reception before Rote threw to TE Dave Kocurek for a 26-yard touchdown that put the Chargers ahead 7-0 at just 2:11 into the first quarter (for good measure Lincoln, also the club’s placekicker, added the extra point).

However, on San Diego’s next series, a play occurred that changed the complexion of the contest. In a second down situation, Rote threw a flare pass toward Lincoln and as the ball arrived Mike Stratton delivered a jarring hit to the star running back that knocked him out of the game with a broken rib (he did kick off to start the second half, but that was the extent of his action for the rest of the day). Once Lincoln was gone, the Chargers offense was unable to sustain a long drive the remainder of the game. (Stratton pictured below just a moment before hitting Lincoln)

The Bills scored on a 12-yard field goal by Pete Gogolak and the score was 7-3 after one quarter of play. DB Speedy Duncan returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to the Buffalo 35, where he was brought down by LB Paul Maguire, but Rote was intercepted by DB Charley Warner to end the threat.

The Bills began to move the ball again as Gilchrist carried for a 31-yard gain and Kemp threw to TE Ernie Warlick for 27 yards to the San Diego eight yard line. The Chargers held, however, and on fourth-and-four the Bills lined up for a Gogolak field goal attempt. However, holder Daryle Lamonica bootlegged instead and was stopped just short of a first down.

The Chargers were again unable to generate offense and punted. Kemp threw to flanker Elbert Dubenion for 18 yards, runs by HB Wray Carlton and Gilchrist gained another 11, Dubenion ran for 8 on an end-around, and Kemp threw to Gilchrist for 15 yards. Carlton finished off the drive with a four-yard touchdown run (pictured below) that put the Bills ahead, 10-7.

Later in the period, Buffalo added a 17-yard field goal by Gogolak following a 39-yard carry by Gilchrist. With time running out in the half, the Chargers threatened with the aid of a pass interference penalty. However, once more the Bills ended the threat with an interception as Stratton picked off a Rote pass at his 20.

Gillman had started Rote due to his greater experience, but late in the third quarter, John Hadl replaced the ineffective veteran at quarterback for the Chargers. There was no further scoring until 5:28 into the fourth quarter. Kemp connected with end Glenn Bass for a 51-yard gain to the San Diego one yard line. Two plays later, Kemp carried the ball in for the TD that effectively sealed the win for Buffalo.

Gilchrist was finally forced out of the game with bruised ribs in the fourth quarter, once the result was assured. With 26 seconds left, the celebrating Buffalo fans broke through the police line and began tearing down the goal posts while the Chargers were attempting their last play. Buffalo had won the AFL title for the first time by a score of 20-7.

The Bills outgained San Diego (387 yards to 259) and had more first downs (21 to 15). They played outstanding ball-control football, rushing for 219 of those yards and not turning the ball over. Meanwhile, the vaunted Chargers passing game was held to 135 net yards and they suffered three turnovers, all on interceptions.

Cookie Gilchrist ran for 122 yards on 16 carries and caught two passes for 22 more. Wray Carlton added 70 yards and a touchdown on his 18 rushing attempts. Jack Kemp completed 10 of 20 passes for 188 yards and, while he didn’t complete any for TDs, he didn’t give up any interceptions. Elbert Dubenion had three pass receptions for 56 yards and Glenn Bass gained 70 yards on his two catches.

It was telling that, even though he was gone before the game was midway through the first quarter, Keith Lincoln still ended up leading the Chargers in rushing with 47 yards on just three carries. Paul Lowe ran 7 times for 34 yards and Lincoln’s replacement, FB Keith Kinderman, gained 14 yards on four carries. Kinderman also caught 4 passes for 52 yards while Dave Kocurek gained 52 yards as well on his two receptions that included the one TD. Tobin Rote was successful on just 10 of 26 passes for 118 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. John Hadl went to the air 10 times and completed three for 31 yards with one picked off. Lost in the defeat were Speedy Duncan’s three kickoff returns for 147 yards – a 49.0 average.

Afterward, a jubilant Lou Saban said he was glad the Chargers had scored first. “It jarred us quick. It jarred us to our senses – woke us up.”

The teams went on to win their respective divisions in 1965 and met for the AFL title in San Diego. In perhaps a more stunning result, the Bills dominated the Chargers even more thoroughly by a 23-0 score. By that point, Gilchrist was gone, having been dealt to Denver in the offseason. But despite a lesser running game, the defense was still strong enough to carry the club. And while Keith Lincoln was back in the San Diego backfield in ’65, and still capable when healthy, injuries would diminish his effectiveness for the remainder of his career.

MVP Profile: Jim Nance, 1966

2011-12-25T09:04:00.003-05:00

Fullback, Boston Patriots

Age: 24 (Dec. 30)
2nd season in pro football & with Patriots
College: Syracuse
Height: 6’1” Weight: 245

Prelude:
More successful as a heavyweight wrestler than a football player in college, Nance was chosen in the 19th round of the 1965 AFL draft by the Patriots (he was a fourth-round choice of the Bears in the NFL as well). His weight was up to 258 pounds (from 235 in college) when he joined Boston as a rookie (prompting Head Coach Mike Holovak to threaten to convert him into a guard) and he had a disappointing first year, rushing for 321 yards while averaging just 2.9 yards per carry in ‘65. However, he lost weight and gained the starting fullback job for 1966, and behind an improved offensive line.

1966 Season Summary
Appeared in all 14 games
(Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20)

Rushing
Attempts – 299 (1)
Most attempts, game - 38 (for 208 yds.) vs. Oakland 10/30
Yards – 1458 (1)
Most yards, game – 208 yards (on 38 carries) vs. Oakland 10/30
Average gain – 4.9 (3)
TDs – 11 (1)
200-yard rushing games – 1
100-yard rushing games – 8

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 8
Most receptions, game – 4 (for 67 yds.) at San Diego 9/10
Yards – 103
Most yards, game – 67 (on 4 catches) at San Diego 9/10
Average gain – 12.9
TDs – 0

All-Purpose Yards – 1561 (1)

Scoring
TDs – 11 (3, tied)
Points – 66 (10, tied)

Awards & Honors:
AFL Player of the Year: AP, UPI, Sporting News
1st team All-AFL: League, AP, NEA, NY Daily News, UPI
AFL All-Star Game

Patriots went 8-4-2 and finished a close second in the AFL Eastern Division while placing second in the league in rushing (1963 yards).

Aftermath:
Nance again led the AFL with 1216 yards rushing in 1967 and was a consensus first-team All-AFL selection as well as selectee to the AFL All-Star game, but the team’s record dropped to 3-10-1. Slowed by an injury, his production was less in ’68, but he rebounded somewhat with a league-leading 193 carries in 1969, for 750 yards. He lasted two more steadily-declining years with the Patriots in 1970 and ’71, sat out 1972, and was a reserve with the Jets in ’73. Nance moved on to the WFL, playing for the Houston Gamblers/Shreveport Steamer franchise in 1974 and ’75, and ranked third in the league in rushing with 1240 yards in ’74. Overall, he gained 5401 yards rushing in the AFL/NFL and 2007 in the WFL.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

1950: Browns Edge Rams for NFL Championship

2011-12-24T09:48:00.005-05:00

It was a momentous occasion on December 24, 1950 as the Cleveland Browns hosted the Los Angeles Rams for the NFL Championship. The Browns were in their first season in the National Football League, having dominated the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in all four years of its existence. They were one of three AAFC teams to join the older league, along with the 49ers and Colts, and many of the staid leaders of the NFL had anticipated that the upstart Browns would be put in their place.

Head Coach Paul Brown’s team had thrashed the Philadelphia Eagles, league champions in 1948 and ’49, in the opening game of the season and finished up with a 10-2 record. That still left them tied atop the American Conference with the New York Giants – the one team that had managed to beat them, and twice at that. Cleveland managed to get past the Giants in the playoff, however, in a tight 8-3 contest and now was poised to vie for yet another title in their new league. The innovative passing offense was directed by QB Otto Graham (pictured above), throwing to ends Mac Speedie and Dante Lavelli. FB Marion Motley was the league’s top rusher and Lou Groza the most proficient placekicker (as well as an outstanding tackle).

The team representing the National Conference was the Los Angeles Rams, who had gone 9-3 and also had to win a tiebreaking playoff against the Bears to advance. The Rams, coached by Joe Stydahar, were the league’s highest-scoring team with a record-setting total of 466 points and 64 touchdowns and were especially noted for their passing attack that was paced by the quarterback tandem of Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin. End Tom Fears led a talented group of receivers that included end Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch and HB Glenn Davis as he set a single-season record with 84 catches. Although Van Brocklin had suffered broken ribs in the playoff game against Chicago (a fact that they kept hidden), LA was explosive and a worthy test for the Browns.

The turf at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium was frozen on a 25-degree day with a heavy wind blowing off of Lake Erie, thus causing many of the players to wear sneakers for better traction, and attendance was only 29,751. The Rams started off fast on the first play from scrimmage as Davis, at first faking as though he would block, went deep and Waterfield connected with him for an 82-yard touchdown. It was a shock to the Browns and their fans as LA held a 7-0 lead after just 27 seconds. The Browns came right back, however, going 70 yards in six plays. Graham ran for 21 of those yards and threw to HB Dub Jones for 31 yards and a touchdown. With Lou Groza’s extra point, it was all tied up at 7-7 at three minutes into the contest.

The offensive show kept going with the Rams now driving 80 yards in eight plays. Waterfield threw to Fears for a 44-yard gain and fleet HB Verda “Vitamin T” Smith took off for a 15-yard carry to the Cleveland four. FB Dick Hoerner pounded the last three yards for a TD that put Los Angeles back in front at 14-7. There had been three touchdowns in the first 15 plays from scrimmage as both clubs fired off their offensive arsenals.

Cleveland again fought back on a drive that continued into the second quarter. The kickoff following LA’s score was returned to the Browns’ 35 yard line and a pass interference call on DHB Woodley Lewis, combined with a completion to Speedie, set up a 37-yard TD pass from Graham to Lavelli (Lavelli pictured below). However, the snap on the extra point attempt was high, possibly caught by a gust of wind, and holder Tommy James was unable to spot it for Groza to kick. His pass into the end zone fell incomplete and the Rams remained in front by 14-13.

LA again drove deep into Cleveland territory, but after reaching the seven yard line they were moved back by a penalty and Waterfield was intercepted by safety Ken Gorgal to end the threat. The Browns were unable to penetrate midfield and the Rams regained possession with good field position. Again they moved the ball well and reached inside the Cleveland 10, but the Browns defense stiffened and Waterfield missed on a 15-yard field goal attempt. The Rams led by the one-point margin at halftime.

The Browns went in front early in the third quarter, capping a 77-yard drive with another Graham-to-Lavelli touchdown pass, this one covering 39 yards. The extra point was successful this time and Cleveland was ahead by 20-14. However, the Rams scored two TDs in a matter of 21 seconds to seemingly take control of the game.

First, LA drove 71 yards and, following a Waterfield pass to Smith that covered 38 yards, relied on their power-running game as Hoerner carried the ball seven straight times, starting from the Cleveland 17 and ending with a one-yard scoring blast on fourth down. On the next play from scrimmage by the Browns, Motley fumbled and DE Larry Brink picked up the ball and ran six yards for a touchdown. It was 28-20 heading into the fourth quarter – and the failed extra point attempt seemed especially significant.

Cleveland’s comeback began with a big defensive play as DB Warren Lahr picked off a Waterfield pass five minutes into the final period. The Browns converted two fourth downs, with Graham passing for seven yards on fourth-and-four and running for a first down on fourth-and-three until, on the eighth play of the series, HB Rex Bumgardner made a diving catch that landed him just inside the end zone for a 14-yard TD. With another successful PAT, it was now a one-point game at 28-27.

Following a short possession by the Rams, Cleveland had the ball once more with three minutes left on the clock. It seemed as though the Browns would score again as they advanced inside the LA 30. But as Graham took off out of the pocket, he was blindsided by LB Milan Lazetich and fumbled. Lazetich recovered and it appeared that Los Angeles would prevail – if they could run out the clock.

Hoerner was twice stopped for no gain and then Davis ran for six yards off tackle, forcing the Rams to punt. Waterfield launched a 51-yard kick that DB Cliff Lewis returned to the Cleveland 32. Graham and the offense returned to the field with about 1:50 to work with. Forced out of the pocket on the first play, Graham ran 14 yards for another first down. Throwing sideline passes, he hit Bumgardner for 15 yards and Jones for 16 to the LA 23. Another throw to Bumgardner put the ball at the 11 yard line – easy field goal range for Groza.

Graham called time out and, with the ball on the left hashmark, the quarterback carried for a yard toward the center of the field to better line up the three-point attempt. Groza’s kick was perfect from 16 yards, and for only the second time in the game Cleveland was ahead.

There were still 20 seconds left as the Browns kicked off one last time. HB Jerry Williams returned it to the LA 47. With time for one last desperation play, Coach Stydahar sent Van Brocklin out on the field, with his stronger throwing arm. The second-year quarterback threw the ball as far as he could, but Lahr intercepted at the Cleveland five yard line. The Browns, four-time champions of the AAFC, were now NFL champs by a score of 30-28.

While both teams generated 22 first downs apiece, the Rams outgained Cleveland by 407 yards to 373. However, LA also turned the ball over five times (all on interceptions), to four by the Browns (three fumbles and an interception).

Otto Graham completed 22 of 33 passes for 298 yards with four touchdowns and an interception and also ran for 99 yards on 12 carries. Dante Lavelli caught 11 passes for 128 yards and two TDs. Marion Motley was held to just nine yards on six attempts, however – in fact, aside from Graham, the Browns gained a mere 15 yards on 13 rushing attempts. Halfbacks like Dub Jones (4 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD) and Rex Bumgardner (4 catches, 46 yards, 1 TD) were more effective as receivers out of the backfield.

For the Rams, Bob Waterfield went to the air 31 times and completed 18 for 312 yards but with four picked off as opposed to one for a touchdown. Tom Fears had 9 receptions for 136 yards while the ex-Heisman Trophy winner from Army, Glenn Davis, gained 82 yards on just two catches thanks to the long scoring reception to start the game. Dick Hoerner (pictured below) ran for 86 yards on 24 carries that included two scores.

Both Paul Brown and NFL Commissioner Bert Bell pronounced that it was the greatest game they had ever seen, and indeed it was an intensely played contest between two outstanding clubs that featured the passing game – in particular, the precision aerial attack of the Browns based on short throws to the sidelines.

The Browns appeared in the next five title games, although their winning streak in such contests ended in 1951 when they lost a rematch with the Rams.

1972: Steelers Stun Raiders with “Immaculate Reception”

2011-12-23T09:07:00.004-05:00

Since entering the NFL in 1933, the Pittsburgh Steelers had appeared in just one postseason game prior to December 23, 1972, and had lost. There had been a great deal of underachieving and disappointment over the years. But in ’72, their 38th year in the NFL and fourth season under Head Coach Chuck Noll, they won the AFC Central with an 11-3 record and were to face the Oakland Raiders in the Divisional playoff round. The team’s strength was its defense, anchored by All-Pro DT “Mean Joe” Greene and including ends Dwight White and L.C. Greenwood, linebackers Andy Russell and Jack Ham, and CB Mel Blount. The offense was directed by third-year QB Terry Bradshaw and had gained a star at running back in rookie Franco Harris, who rushed for 1055 yards and had an enthusiastic group of backers called “Franco’s Italian Army”. Even PK Roy Gerela had his fan club, known as “Gerela’s Gorillas”.

The Raiders, coached by John Madden, went 10-3-1 in winning the AFC West. They were a sound club on both sides of the ball, with QB Daryle Lamonica throwing primarily to WR Fred Biletnikoff and TE Raymond Chester or handing off to FB Marv Hubbard, who ran for 1100 yards, or HB Charlie Smith, who came back from an injury to contribute 686. While the defense was in transition, it was still highly effective.

There were 50,237 fans in attendance at Three Rivers Stadium on a relatively warm, mid-40s December Saturday in Pittsburgh. They witnessed a defensive struggle with the punters having outstanding days in the battle for field position (each club ended up punting seven times). The tone was set on Oakland’s first possession when Lamonica was intercepted by Russell at the Pittsburgh 36. Another series by the Raiders that made it to midfield ended when Hubbard fumbled and FS Glen Edwards recovered for the Steelers.

The first half was scoreless, with Pittsburgh coming closest to putting points on the board. The Steelers advanced to the Oakland 31 yard line, but instead of attempting a field goal on fourth-and-two, Coach Noll decided to go for the first down and Harris was stopped for no gain by hard-hitting FS Jack Tatum.

On the first possession of the third quarter, the Steelers finally scored as Bradshaw completed five passes for 55 yards to get to the Oakland 11, where the drive stalled. Gerela kicked an 18-yard field goal to make it 3-0.

That was still the score in the fourth quarter. By then, the flu-weakened Lamonica had been replaced by his young backup, Ken Stabler, but he fumbled when hit by Greenwood and that led to Gerela’s second field goal, from 29 yards, that made it 6-0 with under four minutes left on the clock.

With time running out, Stabler threw two incomplete passes but then connected with TE Raymond Chester for nine yards. On a fourth-and-one play, he handed off to Charlie Smith for a crucial four-yard gain then went to the air and hit RB Pete Banaszak for 12 yards on a screen pass, Fred Biletnikoff for 12 more, and WR Mike Siani for a seven-yard gain to the Pittsburgh 30. With the Steelers blitzing, Stabler took off and ran the remaining 30 yards for a touchdown. George Blanda kicked the extra point and the Raiders, who had gone 80 yards in 12 plays, were ahead at 7-6 with 1:13 to play.

There was no return on the kickoff and Pittsburgh took possession at its 20 yard line. Two Bradshaw passes got the Steelers to the 40, but the next three were incomplete - two of them knocked down by Tatum - and, with the time down to 22 seconds, it was a fourth-and-10 situation. Noll called for a pass over the middle to WR Barry Pearson, but both of Oakland’s defensive ends (Tony Cline and Horace Jones) quickly penetrated into the backfield and Bradshaw was forced to scramble. Seeing HB John “Frenchy” Fuqua near the Oakland 35, he fired a pass, but Tatum was there to defend. Fuqua, Tatum, and the ball all came together, with the football ricocheting back to the Pittsburgh 40. Catching it at his shoetops on a dead run was Harris, who took off toward the goal line without breaking stride (pictured below). A block by TE John McMakin helped clear the way and only Raiders DB Jimmy Warren came close to stopping Harris as he raced 60 yards for the game-winning touchdown (pictured at top).

But was the play legal? At that time, the rule was that two offensive players could not touch a pass in succession – it would have had to have come into contact with a defensive player in between or it was incomplete (the rule was changed in 1978). John Madden and Raiders players screamed that the ball had hit Fuqua and caromed directly to Harris without being touched by Tatum, making the catch illegal. The referee, Fred Swearingen, held off on signaling a touchdown and checked with the league’s supervisor of officials, Art McNally, who was seated in the press box. Of the officials on the field, only umpire Pat Harder and field judge Adrian Burk (both former players) had seen the catch and indicated that both Fuqua and Tatum had touched the ball. McNally, viewing the replay on television screens in the press box, came to the same conclusion. Swearingen finally signaled touchdown, the home crowd erupted into bedlam, Gerela added the extra point, the last five seconds were run off, and the play that Pittsburgh radio announcer Myron Cope dubbed “the immaculate reception” became a part of pro football lore. In as improbable a manner as has ever decided a NFL playoff game, the Steelers came away with a 13-7 win.

“I can’t believe it,” said Terry Bradshaw of the game’s ending. “I’ve been playing football since second grade and haven’t seen anything like this before.”

As Franco Harris explained, “I was supposed to block on the play. When I saw Terry throw the ball, I headed downfield. All of a sudden, I saw the ball in front of me. I put my hands out and caught it. I was in the right place at the right time and that’s luck.”

“I felt we had it won,” summed up a disappointed John Madden. “I won’t forget it for a long, long time.”

The statistics reflected the closeness of the game, and the domination of the two defenses. The Steelers outgained Oakland by 252 yards to 216 while both teams generated 13 first downs apiece. Bradshaw was sacked three times by the Raiders, for a loss of 31 yards, but the Steelers got to Oakland’s quarterbacks on four occasions for 24 yards in losses. The Raiders also suffered four turnovers, to one by Pittsburgh.

Franco Harris rushed for 64 yards on 18 carries and was also the top receiver with 5 catches for 96 yards and the decisive touchdown. Terry Bradshaw completed just 11 of 25 passes for 175 yards with a TD and an interception.

For the Raiders, Daryle Lamonica was successful on 6 of 18 throws for only 45 yards and was picked off twice. For his part, Ken Stabler also completed 6 passes, out of 12 attempted, and gained 57 yards. Charlie Smith was the leading ground-gainer with 57 yards on 14 carries and Marv Hubbard was held to 44 yards on his 14 attempts. Raymond Chester had 40 yards on three receptions and Fred Biletnikoff also caught three, for 28 yards.

There were no miracles for the Steelers the next week, although they gave the undefeated Miami Dolphins a good battle in the AFC Championship game before succumbing 21-17. The ’72 season marked a major turning point in the franchise’s fortunes – the Steelers became fixtures in the postseason in the 1970s and won four NFL titles. However, in 1973 the Raiders exacted some measure of revenge when they again met Pittsburgh in the Divisional playoff round and won convincingly by a 33-14 score.

1963: Records Fall as Raiders Beat Oilers in High-Scoring Thriller

2011-12-22T06:21:00.005-05:00

By the time the Oakland Raiders faced the Houston Oilers in their season finale on December 22, 1963, they had long ago become the talk of the American Football League. In the first three years of the AFL’s existence, the Raiders had been one of its poorest clubs – both on and off the field. They had gone a combined 9-33, including a dreadful 1-13 in ’62, under three head coaches. That all changed in 1963 as 34-year-old Al Davis, previously an assistant under Sid Gillman with the Chargers, took over as head coach and general manager. The team had a new look, in silver-and-black uniforms, and a new attitude summed up in the phrase “pride and poise”. Their record coming into the contest with Houston was 9-4, having won seven straight after a 2-4 start, and the Raiders were just a game behind division-leading San Diego.

The Oilers, under Head Coach Frank “Pop” Ivy, were going in the opposite direction. They had finished on top of the Eastern Division in each of the first three AFL seasons, and were overall champions after the first two. However, following six wins in the first ten games, Houston had lost three straight to fall out of contention at 6-7. With 36-year-old QB George Blanda (pictured at right) and an able group of receivers, the Oilers were still capable of putting points on the board – as they would prove against the Raiders.

There were 17,401 in attendance at Frank Youell Field, the temporary structure built by the city of Oakland while a new facility was awaiting construction. The crowd may have been small, but it was enthusiastic and on its feet for much of the game.

Still, the Raiders offense started slowly, not getting a first down during the first quarter, although they got a quick score when CB Claude “Hoot” Gibson returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown.

The Oilers came back with a four-yard scoring pass from Blanda to flanker Charley Hennigan that capped an 11-play series. Before the first quarter was over, Blanda’s passing set up another touchdown as he tossed a swing pass to FB Dave Smith for a 32-yard gain – Smith then followed up with a two-yard touchdown run.

Houston seemed to be getting the breaks as a Flores pass was deflected by LB Doug Cline and intercepted by FS Fred Glick, who returned it 14 yards to the Oakland 27. An unnecessary roughness penalty moved the ball to the 12 and Houston’s lead was 21-7 after Blanda immediately threw to end Willard Dewveall for a TD.

The Raiders fought back as Flores hit on three passes, to split end Art Powell (pictured at top) and flanker Bo Roberson, and connected with TE Ken Herock for a seven-yard touchdown that capped a six-play, 49-yard drive. A few minutes later, the score was tied when Flores took advantage of Powell and Roberson splitting the defenders to opposite sides and threw to star HB Clem Daniels, an outstanding receiver out of the backfield as well as runner from scrimmage, straight down the middle for a 56-yard touchdown.

The second quarter scoring was far from over and it was Houston again with Smith catching a pass from Blanda at the 10 and pulling away from LB Jackie Simpson for 25 yards and a TD. The possession had lasted for six plays and covered 64 yards.

The Raiders again tied the game at 28-28 as Flores, having been sacked for a nine-yard loss but seeing that the Oilers were continuing to go with single-coverage on Powell, connected with the star split end for an 81-yard touchdown - the ball traveling some 60 yards in the air.

Houston came right back in four plays, with Blanda throwing to Dewveall for 35 yards to the Oakland nine and was helped along by a pass interference penalty in the end zone. FB Charlie Tolar crashed over from the one to put the Oilers back in front at 35-28.

Getting the ball back with just over a minute left in the half, the Raiders scored in six plays, four of them Flores passes, the last of which was to Powell in the corner of the end zone for a 20-yard TD. Mercer tied the game once again with the extra point.

The tally was 35-35 at the half, with the teams having combined for 49 points in the second quarter alone and 21 inside the last two minutes. Each quarterback had completed 12 passes - Flores already had accumulated 277 yards and Blanda 222.

On the first play from scrimmage of the third quarter, Daniels ran for 11 yards, fumbled, and recovered when a Houston defender inadvertently kicked the ball back to him. Still, the Raiders, who had scored on their last four possessions, finally had to punt.

Oakland got the ball back and advanced into Houston territory - it appeared that Daniels had run 62 yards for a TD but an official ruled that he had stepped out of bounds at the 35, cutting the gain to 27 yards. After the Raiders were pushed back by a holding penalty, Powell scored again, splitting two defenders and pulling in a Flores pass for a 46-yard TD. It gave Oakland the lead for the first time.

Down 42-35, the Oilers came back, taking four plays to get to the Oakland 26 from where Blanda fired to Dewveall, who made a tumbling catch for a touchdown to finish off the 69-yard drive. The score was tied at 42-42 with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter.

The Raiders had to punt and Houston scored again on a Blanda pass play to TE Bob McLeod, who outmaneuvered CB Fred “the Hammer” Williamson, that covered 21 yards for a TD with 2:22 to go in the period. The Oilers had gone 67 yards in seven plays.

At this point, the teams exchanged interceptions. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Flores was picked off in the Houston end zone by CB Bobby Jancik. A pass thrown under pressure by Blanda was then intercepted by LB Archie Matsos to give the Raiders the ball at the Houston 24.

Flores went to Powell for a 23-yard touchdown, with the receiver pulling in the ball at the ten, stumbling, and then leading three defenders into the end zone. Once again the score was tied at 49-49 and there were still nearly twelve minutes to play.

Houston again drove into scoring position but Gibson intercepted Blanda’s pass on the goal line. The Raiders proceeded to drive from their 20 to the Houston 32. Mike Mercer, attempting the only field goal of the game by either team, was successful from 39 yards with 4:37 remaining on the clock.

There was still plenty of time, but the Oakland defense rose to the occasion. DE Jon Jelacic hit Blanda and forced a fumble, which the Oilers recovered. Rushed hard again, Blanda’s poorly-thrown pass was incomplete intended for Dewveall. DE Dan Birdwell knocked down another pass that was intended for McLeod and Houston was forced to punt.

Taking over on their own four, the Raiders successfully maintained possession to run out the clock, giving the ball to Daniels (pictured at left) six times in eight plays. On the final play of the game, and with the home crowd chanting his name, Daniels ran for three yards to break the AFL season rushing record. Oakland won the offensive scoring fest by a final score of 52-49.

The 101 points broke the previous record of 93 by the Chargers and Titans in 1960 and would remain the highest-scoring game in the AFL’s 10-year history. Records were also set for combined passing yards (749), combined TD passes (11), total yards (1063), and combined TDs (14).

The Raiders gained the most yards (540 to 468) while Houston led in first downs (27 to 21). Each team turned the ball over two times, but the Oilers sacked Tom Flores seven times and the Raiders were penalized on 9 occasions, for a loss of 88 yards, as opposed to 6 flags thrown on Houston.

Art Powell had an especially noteworthy performance as he caught 10 passes for a club-record 247 yards and four touchdowns. Tom Flores threw for 407 yards and 6 touchdowns as he completed 17 of 29 passes and had two intercepted. Clem Daniels rushed for 158 yards on 22 carries and gained 76 more yards on his two pass receptions that included the one long TD.

For the Oilers, George Blanda was successful on 20 of 32 throws for 342 yards with 5 touchdowns and two picked off. Willard Dewveall hauled in 7 of those passes for 137 yards and two scores. Dave Smith gained 94 yards out of the backfield on 4 catches that included a touchdown and also ran for 43 yards on 8 carries and a TD. Charlie Tolar was the team’s leading rusher as he gained 65 yards on 12 attempts and scored once.

It was the eighth straight win to close out the year for the resurgent Raiders, but San Diego walloped Denver to clinch the Western Division title. Still, the 10-4 tally marked a huge turnaround for the franchise as well as a second place finish. Houston came in third in the Eastern Division at 6-8.

“I’m not crying,” said Al Davis. “We’ve had a fantastic year. The only problem was, no one else could knock off the Chargers, so they’re the champs. But these guys are my champs. They’ve given more than a football team should be asked to give, and they deserve every bit of praise and honor that comes their way.” It was the beginning of what would be a long association between Davis and the Raiders – although he was head coach for only the first three years of that association.

Art Powell, in his first year with the Raiders following three with the New York Titans, led the league with 1304 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns on his second-ranked 73 catches. He averaged 17.9 yards per reception, was a consensus first-team all-league selection and chosen for the AFL All-Star Game.

In addition to accumulating his record 1099 rushing yards on 215 carries, Clem Daniels also led the league in yards per reception (22.8) as he gained 685 yards on 30 catches. He, too, was a consensus first-team All-AFL choice and was named to the league All-Star Game. He also received MVP honors from The Sporting News.

Tom Flores (pictured at right) led the league in yards per completion (18.6) and percentage of TD passes (8.1) as he threw for 2101 yards with 20 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. It was a great comeback for a player who had missed all of the 1962 season due to a bout with tuberculosis.

1968: Browns Upset Cowboys for Eastern Conference Title

2011-12-21T08:17:00.004-05:00

The Dallas Cowboys had represented the Eastern Conference in two straight NFL Championship games and were anticipating a third appearance as they faced the Cleveland Browns on December 21, 1968. Head Coach Tom Landry’s team had won the Capitol Division with a 12-2 record while scoring a league-high 431 points. The passing game, with QB Don Meredith throwing to wide receivers Bob Hayes and Lance Rentzel, was formidable and the running game produced even when HB Dan Reeves went down with a knee injury; along with veteran FB Don Perkins, HB Craig Baynham and FB Walt Garrison performed well in his absence. The defense was also strong and featured DT Bob Lilly, DE George Andrie, FS Mel Renfro, and linebackers Lee Roy Jordan and Chuck Howley.

The Cowboys had embarrassed Cleveland in the Eastern Conference playoff the year before by a score of 52-14 at the Cotton Bowl, one of four straight defeats that the Browns had suffered against them, including a 28-7 loss during the regular season. Under Head Coach Blanton Collier, Cleveland topped the Century Division with a 10-4 tally. One change since the teams met in ’67 was at quarterback, where Bill Nelsen (pictured below), obtained in the offseason from Pittsburgh, replaced fading 32-year-old veteran Frank Ryan after the club started slowly. They still had outstanding players on offense in HB Leroy Kelly (pictured above), the NFL’s top rusher and scorer, and WR Paul Warfield. The defensive backfield was talented, as the Browns led the league with 32 interceptions.

There was a big crowd of 81,497 on hand at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium with temperatures in the mid-30s. Cleveland scored first following FS Mike Howell’s interception of a Meredith pass at the Dallas 39 that he returned to the 19. Following a penalty for an illegal receiver down field on a pass play, the Browns settled for a 38-yard field goal by Don Cockroft.

Late in the first quarter, the Cowboys got a break when Nelsen was hit by three Dallas linemen and fumbled. Howley recovered and ran 44 yards for a touchdown to give the visitors a 7-3 lead.

In a first half dominated by the defenses, the Cowboys extended their margin following an interception of a Nelsen pass by LB Dave Edwards that gave them the ball at the Cleveland 33. The resulting series ended with Mike Clark kicking an 18-yard field goal that made it 10-3.

The Browns came through on offense late in the second quarter, driving 85 yards in six plays. With the Cowboys double-covering Warfield, Leroy Kelly drifted out of the backfield and was left all alone. He caught a well-thrown pass from Nelsen on the 15 and scored a touchdown on a play that covered 45 yards overall. Cockroft’s extra point tied the game up at 10-10 heading into halftime.

Cleveland broke the game open with two interceptions in the first 2:30 of the second half. The first came on the initial play from scrimmage in the third quarter as LB Dale Lindsey returned it 27 yards for a touchdown. Shortly thereafter, Meredith was picked off again, this time by CB Ben Davis, which set up a 35-yard scoring run by Kelly two plays later. It was the end for Meredith, who completed just 3 of 9 passes for 42 yards and gave up three interceptions. When the Cowboys returned on offense, backup QB Craig Morton was behind center.

Late in the third quarter, Clark kicked a 47-yard field goal that narrowed Cleveland’s lead to 24-13. However, in the fourth quarter, the Browns drove 77 yards for the touchdown that clinched the game. With just over 12 minutes remaining on the clock, and following an interception of a Morton pass by veteran CB Erich Barnes, Nelsen threw to Warfield for a 32-yard gain and then for 13 yards to TE Milt Morin to set up a two-yard scoring run by FB Ernie Green.

The highest-scoring team in the league didn’t get an offensive touchdown until late in the fourth quarter when Morton threw to Garrison from two yards out. It didn’t matter at that point – the Browns won handily by a score of 31-20. The fans swarmed the field at the end and the officials called the game with 40 seconds remaining on the clock.

The Cowboys actually led narrowly in total yards (286 to 280) and first downs (13 to 12). However, they also turned the ball over four times – all on interceptions – and that proved to be the difference.

Bill Nelsen completed 13 of 25 passes for 203 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Leroy Kelly rushed for 87 yards on 20 carries that included a TD and also caught two passes for 46 more yards and the long touchdown. Paul Warfield (pictured at right) had 4 receptions for 86 yards and Milt Morin added 4 catches as well, for 47 yards.

In relief of Don Meredith, Craig Morton was successful on 9 of 23 throws for 163 yards with a TD and one picked off. Bob Hayes pulled in 5 passes for 83 yards and Lance Rentzel contributed 3 receptions for 75 yards. Don Perkins was the top rusher for the Cowboys as he gained 51 yards on 15 attempts.

Blanton Collier had nothing but praise for his defense afterward, saying “It’s a young defensive club, but they came of age today.”

“I can’t say enough about that defense,” added Bill Nelsen. “When the defense gives us the ball that many times, we’re going to score some points.”

“We had a chance to go all the way…but we couldn’t get the spark,” summed up a disappointed Tom Landry.

The high hopes expressed by the exuberant Browns came crashing down the next week as they were dominated in the NFL Championship game by the Baltimore Colts, who won by a 34-0 score. Cleveland and Dallas repeated once again as division champs in 1969 – the final year before the merger would restructure the league and move the Browns to the AFC – and the Browns again came out on top for the Eastern Conference title (and again lost decisively in the league championship contest).

It wasn’t known at the time, but Don Meredith would not be back with the Cowboys in 1969. While the poor performance against the Browns wasn’t his last pro appearance (he played for Dallas in the Playoff Bowl against the Vikings as well as the Pro Bowl), he announced his retirement just prior to training camp the following summer. It was a disappointing conclusion to a good run as quarterback in Dallas that ended with three straight division titles for the team as well as three consecutive Pro Bowl selections for the quarterback out of SMU.

MVP Profile: Frank Gifford, 1956

2011-12-20T07:05:00.002-05:00

Halfback, New York Giants

Age: 26
5th season in pro football & with Giants
College: Southern California
Height: 6’1” Weight: 205

Prelude:
Chosen by the Giants in the first round of the 1952 NFL draft, the versatile Gifford was used primarily on defense and was selected to the Pro Bowl following the ’53 season as a defensive halfback (modern cornerback). Under new Head Coach Jim Lee Howell (and offensive assistant Vince Lombardi), he was shifted to offense full-time in 1954 and again was named to the Pro Bowl. With his outside speed as a runner and pass receiver and option passing ability, Gifford proved to be a formidable weapon. In 1955, he gained 902 all-purpose yards (351 rushing, 437 on 33 receptions, 114 on kickoff returns) and not only was picked to a third Pro Bowl but was a consensus first-team All-Pro selection.

1956 Season Summary
Appeared in all 12 games
(Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20)

Rushing
Attempts – 159 (7)
Yards – 819 (5)
Average gain – 5.2 (3)
TDs – 5 (9, tied)

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 51 (3)
Yards – 603 (7, tied)
Average gain – 11.8
TDs – 4 (12, tied)

Passing
Pass attempts – 5
Pass completions – 2
Passing yards – 35
TD passes – 2
Interceptions – 1

Kicking
Field goals – 1 (14, tied)
Field goal attempts – 2 (16)
Percentage – 50.0
PATs – 8 (14, tied)
PAT attempts – 9 (15)
Longest field goal – 17 yards at San Francisco 9/30

All-Purpose yards – 1422 (5)

Scoring
TDs – 9 (6, tied)
FG – 1
PATs – 8
Points – 65 (10)

Postseason: 1 G (NFL Championship vs. Chicago Bears)
Rushing attempts – 5
Rushing yards – 30
Average gain rushing – 6.0
Rushing TDs – 0

Pass receptions – 4
Pass receiving yards - 131
Average yards per reception – 32.8
Pass Receiving TDs - 1

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: UPI, NEA, Sporting News
1st team All-NFL: AP, NEA, UPI, NY Daily News, Sporting News
Pro Bowl

Giants went 8-3-1 to finish first in the Eastern Conference and also led the conference in team rushing (2129 yards). Defeated Chicago Bears for NFL Championship (47-7).

Aftermath:
Gifford continued to excel at halfback, gaining 1116 yards from scrimmage in 1957 and 1308 in ’59. Along the way, he was again a consensus first-team All-Pro in both of those seasons and a Pro Bowl selectee in ’58 as well. A severe concussion suffered due to a tackle by Eagles LB Chuck Bednarik ended his career as a running halfback eight games into the 1960 season, but after taking a year off he returned as a flanker in ’62 and averaged 20.4 yards per catch on 39 receptions for 796 yards. He followed up with a 42-catch, 657-yard performance in 1963 when he returned to the Pro Bowl, but retired to move into a long broadcasting career after a 1964 season in which the team as a whole declined. Overall, Gifford rushed for 3609 yards on 840 carries with 34 TDs and caught 367 passes for another 5434 yards and 43 TDs, was named to 8 Pro Bowls and was a consensus first-team All-Pro four times. He also threw 14 TD passes and, on defense, had two interceptions, one that he returned for a score. The Giants retired his #16 and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1977.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

1971: Falcons Beat Saints to Cap First Winning Season

2011-12-19T09:00:00.003-05:00

The Atlanta Falcons had not posted a winning record in their first five years since joining the NFL as an expansion team in 1966. However, as they faced the New Orleans Saints in the 1971 season finale on December 19, their record was 6-6-1 and the prospect of ending up over .500 a distinct possibility. In their third full year under Head Coach Norm Van Brocklin, the Falcons were better on defense than offense, despite the loss of star MLB Tommy Nobis to a knee injury. OLB Don Hansen was a solid player, and the defensive line had outstanding talent in ends Claude Humphrey and John Zook. The secondary, led by CB Ken Reaves, was tough against the pass. Van Brocklin emphasized toughness, and that was most apparent in the nondescript offense directed by small-but-accurate QB Bob Berry and featuring a group of running backs that were pluggers and lacked outside speed.

New Orleans, which had joined the NFL a year after the Falcons, was also seeking a franchise-best record under Head Coach J.D. Roberts, but at a more modest level. The Saints were 4-7-2 and trying to outdo their 5-9 record of 1969 – they were already assured of besting 1970’s 2-11-1 tally. Moreover, three of their wins had come against contending teams (the Rams, 49ers, and eventual-champion Cowboys), thus providing encouragement that the club might be heading in the right direction. The offense was led by rookie first draft pick QB Archie Manning, who had suffered through an injury-plagued campaign, but there was too little talent surrounding him and the defense was a liability.

There were 75,554 in attendance at Tulane Stadium, and they saw the Falcons score first on a six-yard run by FB Art Malone that was set up by the recovery of a New Orleans fumble at the Saints’ 15. The home team responded with a six-yard touchdown run of its own, by HB Bob Gresham, to make it a 7-7 game after one quarter.

The Saints moved ahead with just over four minutes to play in the first half, capping a six-minute drive with Charlie Durkee’s 30-yard field goal. Atlanta put together a 10-play, 76-yard series in response that was highlighted by a 35-yard gain on a pass from Berry to rookie WR Ken Burrow and finished off with a 12-yard field goal by Bill Bell. The score was tied at 10-10 at halftime.

The Saints got a break midway through the third quarter after a punt hit Atlanta HB Willie Belton and was recovered by LB Ray Hester at the Falcons’ 12. Manning ran for a six-yard touchdown and New Orleans held a 17-10 edge going into the final period.

Atlanta’s struggling offense finally came alive in the last six minutes of the game, sparked by a big play. Berry threw to Burrow for an 84-yard gain to the New Orleans three yard line, and Malone capped the series with a one-yard scoring run. With Bell’s extra point, the game was tied once more at 17-17.

The Saints came right back, however, as HB Virgil Robinson returned the ensuing kickoff 51 yards to set up a 36-yard field goal by Durkee that put them back in front with 3:14 to play.

HB Jim “Cannonball” Butler came up with a good kickoff return of his own, running it back 36 yards to his own 49. Nine plays later, on a series highlighted by a Berry throw to his other rookie starting wide receiver, Wes Chesson, for a 19-yard gain on a third-and-18 play to the New Orleans 26, the Falcons scored when Berry tossed a 22-yard touchdown pass to Burrow with just 34 seconds left to play. Atlanta held on to win by a final score of 24-20.

The Falcons outgained the Saints (319 yards to 300) although New Orleans had more first downs (20 to 14). Atlanta gained only 57 yards on 22 running plays but the defensive line came through with five sacks. Each team turned the ball over once.

Ken Burrow had a huge performance as he caught 8 passes for 190 yards and a TD. Bob Berry completed 18 of 27 passes for 269 yards with a touchdown and had none intercepted. Art Malone was the team’s leading rusher with 24 yards on 8 carries that nevertheless included two TDs. “Cannonball” Butler was right behind with 22 yards, also on eight attempts.

For the Saints, Archie Manning went to the air 26 times and completed 17 for 174 yards with none for scores, but also no interceptions – in addition, he ran the ball three times for 28 yards and a TD. Bob Gresham was the top receiver with 6 catches for 60 yards while also rushing 18 times for 52 yards and a score. FB Jim Strong was the leading ground-gainer as he accumulated 73 yards on 17 carries.

“The Saints played the run a lot tougher this time and we just couldn't get our hands on the ball much because they controlled it,” said Coach Norm Van Brocklin. “I think the Saints are the most improved team in football.”

Atlanta concluded the schedule with a 7-6-1 record that placed the Falcons third in the NFC West. They would break even in 1972 at 7-7 and contend for a time in ’73 while ending up at 9-5, but the Falcons would not reach the postseason until 1978. The Saints, who finished behind Atlanta at 4-8-2, would find their hopes dashed with a 2-11-1 mark in 1972. It would take far longer – until 1987 – for New Orleans to finally put together a winning mark and make it into the playoffs.

Bob Berry, who had the best years of his 11-season career under Van Brocklin’s tutelage, ranked second in the NFL in yards per attempt (8.87, to 8.92 for Roger Staubach of the Cowboys) and completion percentage (60.2) and fourth overall in the conference in passing under the system in use at the time (third by today’s system at 75.9).

Ken Burrow caught 33 passes for 741 yards (22.5 avg.) and six touchdowns. Over the course of a five-year career, all with the Falcons, he never exceeded the yardage total and had a high of 34 catches in 1974. Overall, he ended up with 152 receptions for 2668 yards (17.6 avg.) and 21 TDs. The 84-yard catch against the Saints was his longest and the eight pass receptions his most in a single game, and the 190 receiving yards tied his career high.

1976: Raiders Come From Behind to Beat Patriots in Penalty-Filled Playoff Game

2011-12-18T09:44:00.005-05:00

The AFC Divisional playoff game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 18, 1976 featured a team that had regularly contended but not yet reached the top against a club that had risen from 3-11 to 11-3 in one year.

The Raiders, coached by John Madden, were the regular contenders. They won the AFC West for the fifth straight time and sixth in seven years since the NFL/AFL merger with a league-best 13-1 record. However, for all of their success, they had consistently come up short in the postseason. QB Ken “The Snake” Stabler had an outstanding season in ’76 and had excellent wide receivers in Cliff Branch and Fred Biletnikoff (pictured above), as well as talented TE Dave Casper. Running behind a superb offensive line, FB Mark van Eeghen rushed for 1012 yards. The defense had been switched to a 3-4 alignment with good results.

New England was the 11-3 Cinderella team, having posted their first winning record since they were still the Boston Patriots of the AFL in 1966. Coached by Chuck Fairbanks for the fourth year, they had benefited from the fine play of QB Steve Grogan in his first full season as the starter, a good group of running backs led by FB Sam “Bam” Cunningham, and the performance of second-year TE Russ Francis. The opportunistic defense that featured the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, CB Mike Haynes, and another first-year star in FS Tim Fox led the league in takeaways with 50. Moreover, the Patriots had inflicted the only defeat on Oakland during the regular season – a 48-17 thrashing in Week 4 – on the way to a second place finish in the AFC East and wild card spot in the playoffs.

New England started off the scoring with an 87-yard drive highlighted by a spectacular one-handed catch by Francis for a 48-yard gain on a third-and-seven play from the Patriots’ 33 yard line. Grogan threw to WR Darryl Stingley for 24 yards on a third-down play to the Oakland one and HB Andy Johnson capped the series with a one-yard scoring run at 3:41 into the first quarter.

The Raiders responded with a scoring drive of their own as Stabler completed his first two passes of the day, of 22 yards to Biletnikoff and 18 to Branch, to set up a 40-yard field goal by Errol Mann just before the end of the opening period.

There were no more points during the first half until just before halftime when CB Skip Thomas intercepted a pass to give the Raiders the ball on their 24. Oakland moved into New England territory and Stabler threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Biletnikoff. So while the Patriots had dominated the first thirty minutes of play, holding the ball for 42 plays to 25 by Oakland, the Raiders led by 10-7.

New England, playing ball-control football, scored twice in the third quarter to nearly take control of the game. The first score came on a drive helped along by a questionable holding call on the Raiders on the punt return that opened the series. New England went 80 yards and QB Steve Grogan finished it off with a 26-yard TD pass to Francis.

Five minutes later, the Patriots punted but retained possession following another penalty on Oakland (an offside call on LB Ted Hendricks). Keeping the ball on the ground, New England drove 55 yards with ex-Raider FB Jess Phillips running in for the touchdown from three yards out. At the end of three quarters, the Patriots held a 21-10 lead and it seemed as though the Raiders might once again fall short of reaching the Super Bowl.

Oakland came right back, however, as Stabler (pictured at left), who had been having problems with his passing, hit on five straight throws in a 70-yard possession into the fourth quarter that ended with van Eeghen running in over left tackle for a TD. With just over 11 minutes to play, New England’s margin was narrowed to 21-17.

The Raiders were stopped the next time they had the ball and then a potential New England scoring drive faltered due to a penalty. Grogan appeared to have successfully sneaked for a crucial first down at the Oakland 28, but the play was nullified by an offside call and Cunningham was then stopped on a draw play. Forced to try for a long field goal, John Smith was short on a 50-yard attempt. With 4:12 left on the clock, the Raiders took over at their 32.

Stabler threw to Biletnikoff for 12 yards and 21 yards to Casper, but “The Snake” was then sacked by DE Mel Lunsford. With the ball at the New England 28, Stabler threw two incompletions, but on the second NT Ray Hamilton was flagged for roughing the passer, giving the Raiders a first down at the 13 with 57 seconds remaining.

Stabler threw to Casper for five yards, and the tight end got out of bounds to stop the clock. HB Clarence Davis ran for four yards on a draw play. The Patriots were penalized for a personal foul on SS Prentice McCray, who kept moving the ball back after it had been spotted.

With a first down and over a yard to go, Coach Madden called for Stabler to run a bootleg option. He chose to send RB Pete Banaszak into the line with 37 seconds left, and the Patriots stopped him short. Stabler, not known for his running ability, went with the rollout on the next play. Scrambling to his left and following G Gene Upshaw, he dove into the end zone with 10 seconds left for the winning touchdown as the Raiders advanced by a final score of 24-21.

New England outgained the Raiders (331 yards to 282) and had more first downs (23 to 20). The Patriots were more effective on the ground, outgaining Oakland by 164 yards to 81, and sacked Stabler four times while Grogan was not sacked at all. However, they turned the ball over three times, to one by the Raiders.

Ken Stabler had problems with his passing accuracy during the first three quarters, not helped by the New England secondary’s success at shutting down the speedy Cliff Branch (3 catches for 32 yards), although it opened up opportunities to throw to Fred Biletnikoff. The result was that Biletnikoff had a big day, pulling in 9 passes for 137 yards and a TD. Stabler was successful on 19 of 32 throws for 233 yards with a touchdown and none intercepted. Mark van Eeghen led Oakland in rushing with 39 yards on 11 carries that included a touchdown.

For the Patriots, Steve Grogan completed 12 of 23 passes for 167 yards with a TD and one picked off. Russ Francis (pictured at right) caught 4 of those throws for 96 yards and a score. Sam Cunningham gained 68 yards on 20 rushing attempts.

Penalties had played a big role throughout the game, especially in some key situations. The Raiders were flagged 11 times at a cost of 93 yards while the Patriots were penalized 10 times for 83 yards. While it seemed that both teams had benefited from the calls, New England’s players and coaches were more vociferous as they complained about the officiating – not to mention alleged dirty play by the Raiders – throughout the contest, and there was plenty of bitterness expressed afterward.

“That was one of the worst-called games I have ever seen in my life,” said an angry Patriots DE Julius Adams.

Chuck Fairbanks kept quiet regarding the officiating in general, but with regard to the controversial call on Ray Hamilton said, “I just hope they were right. It looked to me like Ray Hamilton hit the ball first. If he did deflect the ball, it was an incorrect call.”

More composed later, Fairbanks added, “I’m proud of my team and the way we played today. We’re going home knowing we played our hearts out.”

“That's what YOU say,” said Coach John Madden when the Pats' complaints were brought to his attention by a writer. “If you could sit there for 60 minutes and say the officials turned that game around with penalties at the end, you were wasting your time. You were eating a hot dog somewhere instead of watching what was going on. There was some great football out there.”

For the Raiders, the close call against New England proved to be the biggest scare they suffered on the way to a championship. They defeated the Steelers more easily in the AFC Championship game and dominated the Minnesota Vikings in the Super Bowl. As for the Patriots, they started slowly in 1977 and, while posting a respectable 9-5 record, missed the playoffs in what was ultimately a disappointing campaign.

1933: Bears Edge Giants in First NFL Championship Game

2011-12-17T08:33:00.006-05:00

For the first thirteen years of its existence, the National Football League (American Professional Football Association originally) had no designated game to determine the annual champion. While season record was the determining factor, this occasionally led to controversy, especially when the teams didn’t play fixed schedules. In 1932, the clubs tied with the top winning percentage, the Chicago Bears and Portsmouth Spartans, arranged a game to determine the league champion – while this is sometimes referred to as the first NFL title game, it was not in fact a postseason contest, since the result figured in the season won-lost records (the Bears won).

Several innovations were put into effect for the 1933 season, including rules changes to promote scoring such as using hashmarks, allowing forward passes to be thrown from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage (as opposed to five yards behind), and moving the goal posts up to the goal line (where they would remain until moved back in 1974). There were also structural innovations that included breaking the league up into Eastern and Western divisions and creating a designated postseason championship game to be held between the division winners.

On December 17, 1933 the first official NFL Championship game occurred between the New York Giants, champions of the Eastern Division, and their hosts, the Western Division-champion Chicago Bears.

The Bears, defending league champs, were once again coached by team owner George Halas, who had stepped away from the sideline after the 1929 season for three years in favor of Ralph Jones. They won their first six games, briefly slumped during a midseason road trip to the East with two losses and a tie, and then finished up with four more victories to easily top the Western Division with a 10-2-1 record. Chicago was strong in all facets of the game, with FB Bronko Nagurski (pictured at right) providing the power running, QB Keith Molesworth leading the league by averaging 8.7 yards per pass, and end Bill Hewitt playing well both offensively and defensively.

New York was coached by Steve Owen and had dominated the Eastern Division with an 11-3 tally. Rookie tailback Harry Newman proved to be a top passer and FB Ken Strong, obtained after the Staten Island Stapletons folded, was a good runner and placekicker. Ends Red Badgro and Ray Flaherty and wingback Dale Burnett made for a capable receiving corps. The line was anchored by center Mel Hein and the Giants had proven their defensive prowess already in a shutout win over the Bears during the season.

There were some 26,000 fans in attendance at Wrigley Field on a foggy day with some light rain during the first half. The Giants drove to the Chicago 15 yard line and came up empty. With Nagurski running effectively, the Bears responded by driving into New York territory and scored the first points of the game on a 16-yard field goal by their outstanding placekicker, Jack Manders. Early in the second quarter, Manders booted a second field goal, from 40 yards, and the hosts were ahead by 6-0.

Late in the first half, FB Kink Richards broke off a 30-yard gain for the Giants and Newman threw to Badgro for a 29-yard touchdown. Strong was successful on the extra point attempt, and New York took a narrow 7-6 lead into halftime.

Manders put the Bears back in front in the third quarter with a 28-yard field goal, but the Giants came right back behind Newman’s passing on a 73-yard drive that ended with blocking back Max Krause plowing over from a yard out for a touchdown.

With the score 14-9, it was the turn of Chicago to make a big play. Facing a third-and-long situation, the Bears were set to punt but passed instead of kicking. HB George Corbett threw to QB Carl Brumbaugh for a 67-yard gain to the New York eight yard line (Brumbaugh shown running at top during the title game). From there, Nagurski took the handoff and headed for the line but held up and tossed a jump pass into the end zone. End Bill Karr hauled it in and Chicago regained the lead at 16-14.

Moving into the fourth quarter, once more Newman moved the Giants as he completed all four of his passes. At the Chicago eight, Strong took a handoff on a reverse and, seeing no running room, he lateraled back to Newman. Running to his right and hemmed in for a possible loss of yardage, the tailback saw that Strong had kept on going uncovered into the end zone and completed a TD pass to him. In the back-and-forth rhythm that the contest had settled into, New York was once more on top by a 21-16 tally.

It seemed as though that would be enough, but with time running down a shanked punt by the Giants that traveled only eight yards gave Chicago the ball in good field position at the New York 47. Molesworth passed to Brumbaugh for nine yards and then Nagurski ran for four. The Bears once again resorted to Nagurski on a jump pass (one of their most effective plays). This time the throw was to Hewitt for 14 yards, but when Dale Burnett closed in to make the tackle, he tossed the ball to Karr who ran the rest of the way for a 33-yard touchdown.

The outcome was still in doubt right down to the final play as Newman threw to Burnett in the open field, but DHB Red Grange, once a great running halfback but now better as a defensive back, was able to hold him up (and prevent a possible lateral) and the Bears won the NFL Championship by a score of 23-21.

The first postseason title game had been exciting, containing six lead changes, and highlighted the greater emphasis on passing in the pro game as opposed to college football at the time. As the report by the Associated Press put it, “The struggle was a revelation to college coaches who advocate no changes in the rules. It was strictly an offensive battle and the professional rule of allowing passes to be thrown from any point behind the line of scrimmage was responsible for most of the thrills.”

Total yards were almost even, with the Bears holding a slight edge of 311 to 307. Chicago gained most of its yardage on the ground (161 to 99) while the Giants went more often to the air (208 to 150). New York had the edge in first downs, 13 to 12. Notable individual performances were turned in by Bronko Nagurski, who ran for 65 yards on 14 carries, and Harry Newman (pictured below), who completed 12 of 17 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bears and Giants were still the best clubs in their respective divisions in 1934 and met again for the NFL title, this time at the Polo Grounds in New York and with a decidedly different result.

MVP Profile: Merlin Olsen, 1974

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Defensive Tackle, Los Angeles Rams

Age: 34 (Sept. 15)
13th season in pro football & with Rams
College: Utah State
Height: 6’5” Weight: 270

Prelude:
Winner of the Outland Trophy as the best college lineman, Olsen was chosen in the first round of the 1962 NFL draft by the Rams (third overall) and moved into the starting lineup by the third game of his rookie season. With his size complemented by speed, agility, and intelligence, he became an immediate impact player and was named to the first of a record 14 consecutive Pro Bowls. He was a consensus first-team All-Pro selection as well for five consecutive years (1966 to ’70) and was particularly dominant during the George Allen head coaching era as part of the “Fearsome Foursome” that included ends Deacon Jones and Lamar Lundy and, first, Rosey Grier and then Roger Brown at tackle.

1974 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 14 games
(Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20)

Sacks – N/A
Interceptions – 0
Fumble recoveries – 0

Postseason: 2 G
Sacks – 0.5 (unofficial)
Most sacks, game – 0.5 vs. Washington, NFC Divisional playoff
Interceptions – 0
TD – 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL Player of the Year: Bert Bell Award
2nd team All-NFL: PFWA
2nd team All-NFC: UPI
Pro Bowl

Rams went 10-4 to finish first in the NFC West while leading the NFL in defense against the run (1302 yards / 93.0 per game / 4 TDs) and giving up the fewest points (181) and the NFC in sacks (44). Won NFC Divisional playoff over Washington Redskins (19-10). Lost NFC Championship to Minnesota Vikings (14-10).

Aftermath:
Olsen played another two years, for a total of 15, and only missed the Pro Bowl in his final season of 1976 before retiring to a career as a broadcaster and actor. His #74 was retired by the Rams and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1982.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

1963: Giants Beat Steelers to Win Eastern Conference Title

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First place in the NFL Eastern Conference and a spot in the league title game were on the line as the Pittsburgh Steelers faced the New York Giants at Yankee Stadium on December 15, 1963. The Giants came into the contest with a 10-3 record while Pittsburgh was 7-3-3. At that time, ties did not figure into a team’s won-lost percentage, so a win by the Steelers would give them the conference title by .727 to .714 despite having fewer victories than the Giants (the method for determining won-lost percentage was changed in 1972, so that a tie counts as half of a win and half of a loss).

Head Coach Allie Sherman’s Giants had won the conference the previous two seasons but started off slowly in ’63, losing two of the first five games before putting together seven wins in the next eight contests. The veteran club featured the passing of QB Y.A. Tittle (pictured above) on offense and a sound defense.

The Steelers, coached by Buddy Parker, were a franchise that had never won a division title since coming into the NFL thirty years earlier. The ball-control offense was directed by QB Ed Brown and centered on the running of FB John Henry Johnson. Flanker Gary Ballman and split end Buddy Dial were capable receivers, and DE Lou Michaels was also one of the league’s better placekickers. The Steelers had stunned the Giants by a score of 31-0 when the clubs met in Week 2 at Pitt Stadium, and they were a confident and emotionally-charged team coming into the season finale.

There was a big crowd of 63,240 on hand for the showdown on a bitterly cold day. HB Theron Sapp fumbled on Pittsburgh’s first play from scrimmage and safety Jim Patton recovered for the Giants. It led to a 34-yard field goal by Don Chandler for the first points of the game.

Shortly thereafter, it seemed as though the Steelers would score in turn. Ballman returned the kickoff 57 yards but, after Brown overthrew his receiver on a third-and-four play, Michaels missed a field goal attempt. Pittsburgh quickly regained possession on a fumble recovery and Brown went deep right away, completing a pass to Ballman, but the receiver fumbled into the end zone when hit by CB Dick Lynch just a stride short of the goal line. CB Erich Barnes, coming across the field, picked up the loose ball and returned it to the New York 34. Tittle threw to end Aaron Thomas for a first down and then went deep to split end Del Shofner for a 41-yard touchdown. While Chandler’s extra point attempt hit the goal post and was no good, the Giants were ahead by 9-0 and had blunted Pittsburgh’s early momentum.

Brown continued to have trouble hitting his receivers, throwing a pass that was intercepted by Lynch and then, on the next series, overthrowing Ballman on a potential scoring play. Facing third-and-one, Johnson was stopped cold by the Giants defense, and going for it on fourth down, Sapp was held to no gain as well. New York made the most of it as Tittle once again threw long to Shoftner for a 44-yard gain and, now into the second quarter, the Giants extended their lead when Joe Morrison, a versatile player who was covering for injured FB Alex Webster, scored on a three-yard pass from Tittle. This time the PAT was good and New York was up by 16-0. Pittsburgh finally put points on the board when Michaels kicked a 27-yard field goal, although it was after Brown had again misfired on a pass to Ballman, having beaten Lynch on a post pattern.

The star receiver Shofner suffered bruised ribs in the second quarter and left the game. Still, the Giants held a 16-3 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Steelers battled back as Johnson took off on a 48-yard run and Brown connected with Ballman for a 21-yard TD that, with the extra point, put the Steelers just six points behind at 16-10. With the momentum seeming to shift, the next series proved crucial for the Giants. On a third-and-eight play from his own territory, Tittle threw a pass that, due to the onrushing Michaels, lacked the usual accuracy, but flanker Frank Gifford made a spectacular one-handed catch for a 30-yard gain to the Pittsburgh 47. Tittle hit Gifford again for 25 more yards and then found Morrison for a 22-yard touchdown that broke the game open.

On New York’s next series, now up 23-10, Tittle connected with Thomas for 31 yards and 14 yards to Gifford to set up a short scoring run of one yard by Morrison. While Brown threw to Dial for a 40-yard TD with 29 seconds remaining in the third quarter, that was it for Pittsburgh. Chandler kicked a 41-yard field goal in the final period and the Giants came away with a convincing 33-17 win.

New York outgained the Steelers (423 yards to 400) and had more first downs (21 to 17). And while the Giants turned the ball over four times, the Steelers missed five scoring opportunities as they turned the ball over five times, three on interceptions and twice on fumbles.

Y.A. Tittle completed 17 of 26 passes for 308 yards with three touchdowns and one intercepted. Joe Morrison had an outstanding performance as he rushed for 68 yards and a TD on 15 carries and caught 6 passes for 40 yards and two scores. HB Phil King also gained 68 rushing yards, on 18 attempts. Frank Gifford (pictured at left) had 5 receptions for 94 yards and Del Shofner gained 110 yards on his three catches with the one long TD before he had to leave the game.

For the Steelers, QB Ed Brown went to the air 33 times and completed just 13 for 217 yards with two TDs and three interceptions. Gary Ballman had 6 catches for 104 yards and a touchdown and Buddy Dial pulled in 5 passes for 92 yards and a score. John Henry Johnson, thanks to the one long gain, accumulated 104 yards on 14 carries.

The Giants finished at 11-3 but lost their third straight NFL Championship game, falling 14-10 to the Bears. The defeat in the season finale dropped Pittsburgh all the way to fourth place with a 7-4-3 record. The Steelers would not win a division title until 1972.

Y.A. Tittle set a new NFL record with 36 touchdown passes (Houston’s George Blanda had already done so in the AFL in 1961) while also leading the league in passing (104.8 rating by the current standard), completion percentage (60.2), and yards per attempt (8.6). In addition to receiving first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl recognition, the 37-year-old veteran was also named MVP by the Associated Press and Newspaper Enterprise Association.

Frank Gifford, formerly an outstanding running halfback, was named to the Pro Bowl as a flanker after catching 42 passes for 657 yards (15.6 avg.) and seven touchdowns. Joe Morrison (pictured at right) rushed for 568 yards with a 4.8 average while also catching 31 passes for 284 more and a total of 10 touchdowns. It was all part of a 14-year career in which the multitalented player out of Cincinnati would often be called upon in a reserve role to fill in at halfback, flanker, and defensive back as well as fullback.