1964: Jurgensen’s 5 TD Passes Lead Redskins to Win Against Eagles

Two quarterbacks involved in a highly celebrated trade during the previous offseason met up with their new teams for the first time as the Washington Redskins hosted the Philadelphia Eagles on October 11, 1964. Coached by Bill McPeak, the Redskins, who had not compiled a winning record since 1955 and were 3-11 in ’63, had obtained QB Sonny Jurgensen (pictured at right) from the Eagles for QB Norm Snead. Jurgensen was 30 and an accomplished long passer, although injuries had hindered him the previous two years. There was an outstanding deep receiver available in flanker Bobby Mitchell and rookie HB Charley Taylor provided an able runner from scrimmage as well as receiver out of the backfield. Thus far, Washington had not profited, having gotten off to an 0-4 start.

The Eagles had gone from NFL Champions in 1960 to a last-place club in 1962 and ’63 and were in their first year under new Head Coach/GM Joe Kuharich, who had been quick to revamp the roster with multiple trades upon his arrival. Norm Snead was five years younger than Jurgensen and had endured a tough tenure in Washington after taking over the starting job immediately as a rookie in 1961. Other key players on Philadelphia’s offense included TE Pete Retzlaff and HB Timmy Brown, an all-purpose back who twice set NFL records for total yards the previous two seasons. The Eagles were 2-2 coming into the game at Washington.   

There were 49,219 fans in attendance at D.C. Stadium. The Redskins got the first break when, following a three-and-out possession, FB Israel “Izzy” Lang fumbled the resulting punt and Washington got the ball back at the Philadelphia 46. On the next play, Sonny Jurgensen threw to flanker Bobby Mitchell for a 29-yard gain. Two carries by Charley Taylor picked up another 15 yards, but the drive stalled at the four and the home team came up empty when Jim Martin’s 11-yard try for a field goal hit the goal post.

A short series by the Eagles ended with a punt and this time Washington didn’t fail to score, advancing 68 yards in seven plays. Jurgensen passed to Mitchell for a 29-yard touchdown and Martin added the extra point.

The home team regained possession shortly thereafter when Timmy Brown fumbled and SS Jim Steffen recovered at the Philadelphia 22. Two plays later, Jurgensen threw to FB J.W. Lockett for a 22-yard TD, Martin converted, and the Redskins were up by 14-0.

That remained the score throughout the second quarter as the Eagles were unable to move effectively on offense and two Jurgensen passes were intercepted. With time running out in the first half, Jurgensen connected with Mitchell (pictured at left) once again for a gain of 56 yards to the Philadelphia nine and followed up with another toss to the star flanker for a touchdown. Martin’s PAT gave the Redskins a 21-0 halftime lead.

The Eagles got a 43-yard kickoff return by HB Ollie Matson to start the third quarter and advanced 59 yards in three plays. Norm Snead threw to Pete Retzlaff for 11 yards and, after the Redskins were penalized 15 yards, Brown carried twice, for six yards and then a 27-yard TD. Sam Baker converted to make it a 21-7 tally.

A short Washington series ended with a punt, rookie FS Paul Krause intercepted a Snead pass, and the Redskins were forced to punt again. Starting from midfield, the Eagles got another big play from Brown, who carried for a gain of 36 yards. Three plays later, it was Brown catching a toss from Snead for a 14-yard touchdown. Baker’s extra point attempt was unsuccessful, but the visitors were now just eight points behind at 21-13.

The Eagles attempted an onside kick that LB Jimmy Carr, who had gone from Philadelphia to Washington as part of the Jurgensen for Snead trade, recovered for the Redskins at their 38. LB Maxie Baughan sacked Jurgensen for a loss of four yards, but Jurgensen then threw a short pass to Taylor who grabbed it at the line of scrimmage and made his way downfield in spectacular fashion for a 66-yard TD. Martin added the point after and Washington was up by 28-13.

Philadelphia responded with a ten-play drive that resulted in another Brown touchdown, this time on a five-yard run. Baker was successful on the extra point and the third quarter ended with the Redskins ahead by 28-20.

Washington had the ball as the final period commenced and drove 67 yards in seven plays for what proved to be the game-clinching score. Jurgensen completed four straight passes, the longest to Lockett for 18 yards, and after misfiring connected with Taylor for a 24-yard TD. Martin’s point after gave the Redskins a comfortable 15-point lead. The Eagles managed to threaten only once more, when a drive to the Washington 24 ended with an incomplete pass on a fourth-and-12 play and the Redskins won by a final score of 35-20.

Washington easily led in total yards (434 to 221), especially in terms of net passing yards (361 to 95), and also had the edge in first downs (17 to 16). Both teams recorded three quarterback sacks apiece while the Eagles turned the ball over three times, to two by the Redskins. Washington was penalized 10 times, at a cost of 96 yards, to two flags for 20 yards thrown on Philadelphia.

Sonny Jurgensen was impressive against his former team as he completed 22 of 33 passes for 385 yards and five touchdowns while being intercepted twice. Bobby Mitchell was the chief recipient of those throws with 12 catches for 183 yards and two TDs. Charley Taylor rushed for 61 yards on 22 attempts and gained 92 yards on three pass receptions, two of which went for touchdowns.

For the Eagles, Norm Snead was far less successful than Jurgensen in his return to Washington, connecting on only 12 of 35 throws for 126 yards and a TD while giving up one interception. Timmy Brown (pictured at right) ran for 101 yards on 14 rushing attempts, two of which scored touchdowns, and scored a third TD on one of his two catches for 12 yards. Pete Retzlaff caught 5 passes for 38 yards.

The win against Philadelphia marked something of a turnaround for the Redskins. While they lost to the Cardinals the next week, they then won five of their next six games, including the rematch with the Eagles, on the way to a 6-8 record. That tied them for third place in the Eastern Conference with Philadelphia, which won its next two contests but then faded during the season’s second half.

Sonny Jurgensen ranked second in the NFL with 207 pass completions, 2934 yards, and 24 TD passes. He was chosen to the Pro Bowl. So were Bobby Mitchell, who had 60 catches for 904 yards (15.1 avg.) and 10 TDs (tying for the league lead with Johnny Morris of the Bears and LA’s Bucky Pope) and Charley Taylor, who placed third with 1589 all-purpose yards and received Rookie of the Year recognition as well.

Timmy Brown missed four games due to injury but still scored 10 touchdowns as he rushed for 356 yards and five TDs and caught 15 passes for 244 yards and another five scores. Adding in kick returns, he gained 1388 all-purpose yards.

Norm Snead had a typically uneven year, completing 48.8 percent of his passes for 1906 yards and 14 touchdowns while giving up 12 interceptions, and two of the team’s wins came with other quarterbacks behind center. He and Jurgensen would always be linked by the trade between the Eagles and Redskins and this first post-deal matchup between the two yielded a typical result. Washington went 9-2-2 in games between the teams in which Jurgensen and Snead went head-to-head.

1964: Late Scores Propel Cards to Win Over Redskins

The St. Louis Cardinals were 3-1-1 and battling to stay even with the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Eastern Conference race as they hosted the Washington Redskins on October 18, 1964. Coached by Wally Lemm, the Cardinals had a well-balanced offense with occasionally-erratic but typically effective QB Charley Johnson (pictured at right) throwing to outstanding receivers in split end Sonny Randle and flanker Bobby Joe Conrad or handing off to a good group of running backs led by HB John David Crow. The defense featured linebackers Dale Meinert and Bill Koman plus CB Pat Fischer and FS Larry Wilson. PK Jim Bakken was one of the league’s best.

The Redskins, coached by Bill McPeak for the fourth year, were 1-4, having lost to the Cards two weeks earlier at home and won for the first time the previous week. Washington had not put together a winning record since 1955 but had made key acquisitions in the previous offseason, most notably QB Sonny Jurgensen, obtained from the Eagles, and MLB Sam Huff, formerly of the Giants. In addition, rookie HB Charley Taylor had been drafted in the first round out of Arizona State and was proving to be an excellent outside runner as well as pass receiver.

There were 23,748 in attendance on a 60-degree day at Busch Stadium. They saw Washington start fast, scoring two touchdowns in the first six minutes of the first quarter. Jurgensen threw to Taylor for a 77-yard gain that set up a one-yard sneak by the quarterback for a TD.

On the first play following the ensuing kickoff, Charley Johnson fumbled while rolling out and DT Joe Rutgens recovered for the Redskins. Jurgensen threw to split end Angelo Coia, who beat CB Jimmy Hill for a 32-yard touchdown. Including two successful extra points, it was 14-0 in favor of the visitors.

Before the opening period was over, however, Jim Bakken kicked a 17-yard field goal for the Cards and then Dale Meinert recovered a fumble by Washington HB Tom Tracy at the Redskins’ 27. St. Louis quickly capitalized when Johnson passed to Sonny Randle for an 11-yard TD. The score was 14-10 after a quarter of play.

Midway through the second quarter St. Louis took the lead when a 35-yard drive ended with John David Crow running for a nine-yard touchdown. With time running out in the first half the Cardinals went 52 yards on a possession that ended when Johnson fooled the Redskins defense by passing to a wide-open TE Jackie Smith for a one-yard TD pass. The Cards were up by 24-14 at the half.

Neither team was able to move the ball during the third quarter, but two interceptions set up Washington scores as the Redskins defense proved effective against the St. Louis offense for most of the second half. Johnson had difficulty completing passes until midway through the final period.

Early in the fourth quarter, CB Johnny Sample intercepted a Johnson pass at the Washington 28 and returned it to the 44. The Redskins took advantage as Taylor ran for a 37-yard gain and Jurgensen completed an 18-yard pass to star flanker Bobby Mitchell for a touchdown to make it a three-point game.

LB Jim Carr intercepted another pass by Johnson that gave the Redskins good field position at the St. Louis 49. The ensuing drive stalled at the 15 and a well-thrown Jurgensen pass was dropped by Coia in the end zone. Washington had to settle for a field goal by 40-year-old Jim Martin from 24 yards out to tie the game at 24-24 with just under two minutes left to play.

The Cardinals took possession at their 27 to start the ensuing drive. Johnson, who had been ineffective for much of the second half, threw to FB Joe Childress (pictured at left) for a 30-yard gain. Following two runs by Childress that added another 13 yards, Johnson then connected with split end Bill Gambrell for 11 yards to the Washington 19 with the clock down to 48 seconds. A five-yard completion to Conrad was followed by a short run by Crow and then Johnson’s pass to Conrad, who broke two tackles, for a 12-yard touchdown.

Now down by seven points, a desperate Jurgensen threw a desperation pass that was intercepted by Pat Fischer and returned 39 yards for a TD to seal the 38-24 win for St. Louis.

The Cardinals had more total yards (366 to 264) and far more first downs (26 to 9). But four turnovers, including the two damaging interceptions that led directly to Washington scores, hurt St. Louis while the Redskins turned the ball over three times. In addition, Johnson was sacked five times while the St. Louis defense failed to register any sacks at all.

Charley Johnson completed 17 of 30 passes for 226 yards with three touchdowns but also three interceptions. He also gained 32 yards on four rushes. Joe Childress ran for 86 yards on 15 carries and caught two passes for 48 more yards while John David Crow contributed 53 yards on 16 attempts that included a TD. Bobby Joe Conrad (pictured below) was the top receiver for St. Louis with 5 catches for 52 yards and the game-winning touchdown.

For the Redskins, Charley Taylor had a big day with 62 yards rushing on 9 carries and three pass receptions for 81 yards. Sonny Jurgensen was successful on 11 of 25 throws for 159 yards and two TDs with one intercepted. Bobby Mitchell and Angelo Coia each had three catches for 35 yards and scored a touchdown.

The win kept the Cardinals even with the Browns atop the Eastern Conference, but a midseason slump hurt their chances and while they finished up with four straight wins, it gave them a 9-3-2 record that placed second to Cleveland’s 10-3-1. The Redskins won five of their next six contests and ended up tied for third in the conference with Philadelphia at 6-8.

Charley Johnson led the NFL in pass attempts (420), completions (223), yards (3045), and, more unfortunately, interceptions (24) while ranking fourth in touchdown passes with 21. Bobby Joe Conrad was the fourth-ranked pass receiver in the league with 61 catches, good for 780 yards (12.8 avg.) and six TDs. He was selected to the Pro Bowl.

Sonny Jurgensen had a good first year in Washington, ranking second to Johnson in pass completions (207) and yards (2934) while ranking ahead in touchdown passes (24) and with far fewer interceptions (13). Like Conrad, he was chosen for the Pro Bowl.

Charley Taylor (pictured below) had an outstanding first year, garnering Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl honors as he rushed for 755 yards on 199 carries (3.8 avg.) and caught 53 passes for 814 yards (15.4 avg.) and totaled 10 touchdowns. Two years later, he was shifted to split end as he went on to a 13-season Hall of Fame career.