Two teams vying for division titles, the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, met up for a Monday night game on December 6, 1971. Head Coach Hank Stram’s Chiefs had won the Super Bowl two years earlier but missed the postseason in 1970 and were 7-3-1 and trying to get ahead of the Raiders in the AFC West. 36-year-old QB Len Dawson (pictured at right) was still a quality passer and had an outstanding target in WR Otis Taylor. HB Ed Podolak was a fine all-purpose back and paired well with FB Wendell Hayes. The defense was a good, solid unit.
The 49ers, coached by Dick Nolan, had advanced to the NFC
Championship game in ’70 and were 7-4 and trying to stave off the Rams in the
NFC West. They also had an established 36-year-old quarterback in John Brodie,
who was prone to being erratic, and a fine running tandem in FB Ken Willard and
rookie HB Vic Washington. WR Gene Washington was an excellent deep threat and
TE Ted Kwalick among the NFL leaders in pass receptions. DE Cedrick Hardman, LB
Dave Wilcox, and CB Jimmy Johnson were the biggest stars on an effective
defense.
There were 45,306 fans in attendance at Candlestick Park
for the nationally televised game. The Chiefs had the first possession and
punted. San Francisco drove from its 20 to the KC 11 as Vic Washington had runs
of 10 and 12 yards, John Brodie threw a screen pass to Ken Willard that picked
up 16 yards, and a face mask penalty against the Chiefs converted a third down.
The drive stalled and Bruce Gossett kicked an 18-yard field goal.
On a series highlighted by a throw from Len Dawson to WR
Elmo Wright that was good for 31 yards, the Chiefs reached the San Francisco
26, but Jan Stenerud’s 33-yard field goal attempt was blocked by DB Johnny
Fuller. Two plays later, Brodie fired a pass to Gene Washington that gained 53
yards to the KC 26, but the 49ers gained just two more yards and Gossett’s try
for a field goal from 31 yards was close but no good.
As the game moved into the second quarter, the Chiefs
moved effectively. A throw to TE Morris Stroud at the sideline gained 54 yards
to the San Francisco four, but they lost four yards from there and settled for
a 15-yard Stenerud field goal that tied the score at 3-3.
The 49ers punted following their next possession and,
after passing to Stroud for 13 yards, Dawson went long for Otis Taylor (pictured at left), who
went the distance for a 46-yard touchdown. Stenerud added the extra point and
the visitors were up by 10-3.
Stuck deep in their own territory, the Niners again had
to punt and gave Kansas City good field position at the San Francisco 40.
However, the Chiefs lost six yards when Dave Wilcox tackled Ed Podolak behind
the line of scrimmage, and two passes fell incompleted. They didn’t come up
empty, though, as Stenerud booted a 54-yard field goal that put KC further
ahead by 13-3.
The 49ers again had to punt but got the ball back when
Podolak fumbled after being hit by Cedrick Hardman and LB Frank Nunley
recovered at the Kansas City 45. It took five plays for the Niners to score as
Brodie completed two passes to Ted Kwalick, the second for a 35-yard TD.
Gossett converted and the home team was behind by just three points.
With a minute remaining in the first half, the Chiefs
regained possession but were forced to punt. Jerrel Wilson avoided a strong
rush to get away a 50-yard kick that CB Bruce Taylor returned 19 yards. On the
next play, CB Emmitt Thomas intercepted Brodie’s pass and ran it back 36 yards
to the San Francisco 17. The clock was down to 12 seconds as the Chiefs lined
up for a field goal, but Dawson instead passed to OT Sid Smith, an eligible
receiver, and on the last play of the half Stenerud kicked a field goal for
real from 12 yards out to make the halftime score 16-10. Len Dawson had already
passed for 198 yards.
The 49ers had the ball first in the third quarter and
punted. Podolak picked up 27 yards on three straight carries for the Chiefs and
Dawson passed to Taylor for 10 yards. Runs by Wendell Hayes and Podolak
advanced the ball to the San Francisco 16, but Stenerud missed a 23-yard field
goal attempt.
A short San Francisco series that ended with a punt was
followed by the Chiefs driving 61 yards in six plays, and this time not coming
up empty. Podolak ran for 12 yards and Hayes for 22 and it was Taylor covering
the final 25 yards on an end-around play. Stenerud converted and Kansas City’s
lead was up to 13 points at 23-10.
San Francisco responded with an end-around of its own on
the first play after the ensuing kickoff, and Kwalick (pictured below) raced 28 yards to the KC
43. Brodie passed the 49ers down to the eight as the period came to an end and,
on the first play of the fourth quarter, Vic Washington ran three yards for a
touchdown to conclude the seven-play, 71-yard drive. Gossett added the point
after to narrow Kansas City’s lead to 23-17.
The Chiefs moved methodically down the field on their
next series. Dawson threw to Taylor for 10 yards in a third-and-eight situation
and Wright grabbed another pass that had been deflected to pick up 29 yards and
convert another third down. Hayes rushed for 14 yards and Podolak for 12 to
reach the San Francisco three, but three carries by Hayes picked up two yards
and Stenerud kicked an eight-yard field goal that put Kansas City up by nine.
The teams traded punts and the 49ers started off from
their 31 with under two minutes to play. Brodie connected with Vic Washington
for 16 yards and Kwalick for 14, HB Larry Schreiber ran for six yards on a draw
play, and Brodie threw to Vic Washington for nine to get to the KC 24. But that
was as far as the Niners could get. Four passes fell incomplete, the last two
into the end zone, and the Chiefs came away with a 26-17 win.
Kansas City had the edge in total yards (427 to 331) and
first downs (20 to 18), with both teams well balanced between running and
passing yards. Each team turned the ball over once and recorded one sack apiece.
Len Dawson completed 16 of 28 passes for 263 yards and a
touchdown with no interceptions. Otis Taylor had 5 catches for 81 yards and a
TD and added another score on a 25-yard run. Elmo Wright gained 76 yards on
four pass receptions and Morris Stroud 67 yards on just two. Ed Podolak led the
KC ground game with 75 yards on 17 carries and Wendell Hayes also ran the ball
17 times, for 66 yards. Jan Stenerud kicked four field goals, although he also
had two misses.
For the 49ers, John Brodie was successful on 20 of 32
throws for 229 yards and a TD while giving up one interception. Vic Washington (pictured below) rushed for 43 yards on 12 attempts that included a touchdown and also led the
club with 7 catches, for 62 yards. Gene Washington gained 73 yards on three
receptions and Ted Kwalick contributed 58 yards on 5 catches and had a 28-yard
run.
“I thought we played a good game,” said John Brodie. “We
didn’t play poorly. They’re just a good team…as good as any team we’ve played.”
The win put the Chiefs on top in the AFC West for the
first time all season and that is where they finished, with a 10-3-1 record.
Hopes of returning to the Super Bowl were dashed when they lost an overtime
thriller to Miami in the Divisional playoff round. For San Francisco, the loss
put them a half game behind the Rams in the NFC West, but the 49ers won their
final two games and placed first at 9-5. They again made it to the NFC
Championship game, and again lost to the Cowboys at that point.
Len Dawson led the AFC in passing yards per attempt (8.3)
and yards per completion (15.0) and was second in the conference in passing
yards (2504). He was a second-team All-AFC selection by UPI and was named to
the Pro Bowl. Otis Taylor led the NFL with 1110 pass receiving yards while his
57 catches ranked third. He averaged 19.5 yards per reception, scored seven
touchdowns, and was a consensus first-team All-NFL choice as well as Pro Bowl
selection.
John Brodie led the NFC in passing yards (2642) and TD
passes (18) but also interceptions (24). Vic Washington topped the NFL with
1986 all-purpose yards that included 811 rushing, 317 pass receiving, and 858
on kickoff returns. He was chosen to the Pro Bowl, as was Ted Kwalick, who
ranked second in the conference in pass receiving (52 catches) while gaining
664 yards and scoring five TDs.
