1967: Broncos Score 26 Points in Second Quarter to Upset Jets

The New York Jets were hoping to maintain their position atop the American Football League’s Eastern Division as they hosted the Denver Broncos on December 3, 1967. Steadily built up over five seasons under the direction of Head Coach Weeb Ewbank, the Jets had a potent passing game led by QB Joe Namath throwing to an outstanding group of receivers, although the running game was hindered by an injury to HB Emerson Boozer. The pass defense was suspect, but the Jets had a 7-2-1 record and looked poised to win their first division title.

Denver was once again in rebuilding mode, this time under Head Coach Lou Saban, who had previously achieved success in Buffalo. There were 18 rookies on the roster, including HB Floyd Little (pictured above), the prize first round draft choice out of Syracuse. Al Denson, shifted from tight end to flanker, was having a fine season but QB Steve Tensi, who came to the club from the Chargers with great expectations, had not been impressive and now his status was uncertain due to a back injury. The Broncos had a 2-10 record and hardly seemed a threat to New York.

It was a rainy day at Shea Stadium with 32,903 fans in attendance. The field was muddy and the teams slogged through a scoreless opening period, but the game broke open in the second quarter. First, FS Jack Lentz of the Broncos intercepted a Joe Namath pass, returning it 25 yards. The result was a 43-yard Bob Humphreys field goal. Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Lentz again picked off a throw by Namath and returned it 47 yards to the New York three. From there, FB Bo Hickey ran for a touchdown. Humphreys was wide on the extra point attempt but, in rapid fashion, the visitors were ahead by 9-0.

It got worse for the Jets shortly thereafter when, forced to punt, Floyd Little returned the kick 72 yards, charging straight down the middle of the field for another Denver TD. With Humphreys successfully converting this time, the Denver lead was extended to 16-0.

Once again Namath went to the air with a long pass and once more he was intercepted, this time by CB Goldie Sellers, who ran it back 47 yards to the New York 30. Steve Tensi threw to split end Neal Sweeney for 15 yards and flanker Al Denson for a 10-yard touchdown. Humphreys once again added the point after.

On the next series, it was LB John Huard picking off another Namath pass, and Denver again took advantage when Humphreys booted a 47-yard field goal. With QB Mike Taliaferro in for Namath, the Jets were finally on the move with time running down in the first half. But on the last play, his pass was intercepted by LB Frank Richter at the goal line. It was the fifth Denver interception of the period, and the teams headed into the locker room with the visitors holding an astonishing 26-0 lead.

Namath was back behind center in the third quarter, and following a poor punt by the Broncos, the Jets finally got on the board when Jim Turner connected for a 39-yard field goal. However, the Broncos got a break on another miscue by the home team when DB Bill Baird fumbled a punt that was recovered by Denver center Larry Kaminski at the New York 12. Two plays later, HB Wendell Hayes ran five yards for a TD and Humphreys booted the extra point to make it a 33-3 game.

New York furiously fought back, and a drive was kept going following a roughing-the-kicker penalty. Namath completed passes to TE Pete Lammons for 11 yards, split end George Sauer for 27, and Lammons once again for an 18-yard touchdown. Turner tacked on the extra point and the score stood at 33-10 after three quarters.

The Jets continued to try and mount a comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring on two touchdown passes by Namath. He first connected with FB Mark Smolinski for an 18-yard TD, although a pass for a two-point conversion was unsuccessful. The second came when Namath fired a pass to HB Bill Mathis in the end zone and this time the Jets were able to add two points as Mathis took a pitchout and ran across the goal line. But it was all a case of too-little, too-late for the Jets. Denver held on to pull off the upset by a final score of 33-24.

New York dominated in total yards (345 to 142) and first downs (23 to 9). But the six turnovers proved devastating for the Jets, and while the Broncos didn’t generate much offense, they also didn’t turn the ball over. Denver was also penalized 9 times at a cost of 121 yards, to four flags thrown on the Jets.     

Steve Tensi completed just 7 of 16 passes for 59 yards and a touchdown, although with none intercepted. Bo Hickey topped the Denver runners with 48 yards on 16 carries that included a TD while Wendell Hayes picked up 43 yards on 18 attempts, also with a score. Floyd Little, whose sensational punt return was a significant part of the second quarter surge, suffered a broken collarbone and thus ran the ball only four times for 15 yards. Al Denson topped the receivers with two catches for 42 yards and a touchdown.

For the Jets, Joe Namath was successful on 24 of 60 throws for 292 yards and three TDs, but also gave up four interceptions. Pete Lammons (pictured at left) caught 9 passes for 106 yards and a touchdown and George Sauer added 5 pass receptions for 83 yards. Bill Mathis was the club’s top rusher with only 21 yards on five attempts although he contributed three catches for 54 yards and a score.

“You just can’t give away the ball six times and still win,” summed up New York’s Weeb Ewbank.

The loss dropped the Jets into a tie for first in the Eastern Division with Houston at 7-3-1 and they lost their next two games before winning the season finale, which caused them to end up a disappointing second with an 8-5-1 record. Denver finished at the bottom of the Western Division with a 3-11 tally.

Floyd Little had the distinction of scoring the only touchdown on a punt return in the AFL in 1967. While his rushing numbers were modest, with 381 yards on 130 carries (2.9 avg.), he led the league with a 16.9 average on 16 punt returns and also averaged 26.9 yards on 35 kickoff returns on the way to topping the circuit with 1626 all-purpose yards.

1973: Broncos Rally to Upset Battered Steelers

The Denver Broncos were fighting to stay in the AFC West playoff hunt as they faced the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 18, 1973. Coached by John Ralston, the Broncos had overcome a slow start to compile a 4-3-2 record thus far. Veteran QB Charley Johnson effectively directed the offense that included HB Floyd Little (pictured at right) and TE Riley Odoms, who was breaking out in his third season.

The Steelers, under Head Coach Chuck Noll, were at 8-1 and had won four straight games and 13 in a row at home. However, they were also having injury problems and were without QB Terry Bradshaw and HB John “French” Fuqua, while DT “Mean Joe” Greene was suffering from a back injury and would not be in the starting lineup for the first time in his career (he did enter the game in the fourth quarter to spell his replacement, DT Tom Keating).

There were 48,580 fans in attendance at Three Rivers Stadium and they saw the home team run into trouble at the very start. HB Rocky Bleier fumbled while returning the opening kickoff and DB Maurice Tyler recovered to give the Broncos possession at the Pittsburgh 15. They weren’t able to move the ball, but Jim Turner kicked a 32-yard field goal to give Denver the early 3-0 advantage.

The Steelers responded with a series in which QB Terry Hanratty completed passes of nine yards to HB Preston Pearson and 22 yards to WR Ron Shanklin, but after reaching the Denver 16 they came up empty when Roy Gerela was wide on a 23-yard field goal try. Later in the period, Pittsburgh again advanced deep into Denver territory, the key plays being a Hanratty completion to TE John McMakin for 44 yards and a 17-yard run by FB Franco Harris on a sweep. This time Gerala tied the score with a 15-yard field goal.

Turner attempted a long field goal for the Broncos from 52 yards early in the second quarter, but it was short. The Steelers were on the move again when Hanratty threw to WR Frank Lewis for a 40-yard gain. Again having to try for a field goal, Gerela was successful from 18 yards but DE Lyle Alzado was penalized for roughing-the-kicker and Pittsburgh chose to take the points off the board and keep the ball. Shortly thereafter they ended up having to call on Gerela again, and he was again good from 13 yards. Late in the period, the Broncos threatened, reaching the Pittsburgh four with a 69-yard advance before having to settle for a Turner field goal from 11 yards and the teams were tied at 6-6 going into halftime.

Denver HB Otis Armstrong returned the second half kickoff 32 yards and that spurred the Broncos to a 10-play, 67-yard drive, helped along by a 25-yard pass interference penalty on CB Mel Blount. Floyd Little ran the last ten yards for a touchdown and Turner converted to put the visitors up by 13-6.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Steelers finished off an 80-yard advance in just four plays. Hanratty (pictured at left) threw to Lewis for 19 yards, Harris ran for four yards around end, and it was then Hanratty to McMakin for 15 yards and to Shanklin for a 42-yard TD. Gerela added the game-tying point after.

A 41-yard drive in ten plays by the Broncos that featured Little’s running and short completions by Charley Johnson ended when Turner kicked a field goal from 46 yards that hit the cross bar but bounced over, putting them ahead by 16-13.

On the ensuing kickoff, HB Steve Davis fumbled and the Broncos recovered at the Pittsburgh 27. Little was stopped for a three-yard loss on first down, but FB Joe Dawkins ran for 25 and, three plays later, Denver capitalized when Johnson tossed a two-yard touchdown pass to TE Riley Odoms. Turner converted to put the visitors ahead by ten. It was too much for the Steelers to recover from and the Broncos held on to win by a final score of 23-13.

Pittsburgh led in total yards (300 to 257) while the Broncos had more first downs (20 to 12). Denver outrushed the Steelers (184 to 83) while the home team compiled far more net passing yards (217 to 73). Pittsburgh turned the ball over three times, to none by the Broncos.

Charley Johnson (pictured at right) completed 13 of 20 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Floyd Little rushed for 88 yards on 27 carries that included a TD and also had four catches for 23 yards. Riley Odoms topped the Denver receivers with 6 pass receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown.

For the Steelers, Terry Hanratty was successful on 10 of 19 throws for 217 yards and a TD while also not being picked off. Franco Harris gained 53 yards on 11 rushing attempts. John McMakin caught three passes for 64 yards and Ron Shanklin also accumulated 64 yards on his two receptions that included a touchdown.

“In all fairness to Pittsburgh, I think we were fortunate to be in the right spot on their schedule,” said Denver’s Coach Ralston. “They’d just had three hard wins over Cincinnati, Washington, and Oakland, and games like that take something out of you.”

The Broncos split their last four games and, while they failed to make it to the playoffs, the resulting 7-5-2 record placed second in the AFC West and was the first winning season in franchise history. The hobbled Steelers lost their next two contests but won the last two to end up at 10-4 and second in the AFC Central, although still good enough for a Wild Card playoff berth. Pittsburgh lost to Oakland in the Divisional round.

1967: Denson & Defense Star as Revamped Broncos Beat Patriots

The Denver Broncos had made several notable changes as they opened their AFL season against the Boston Patriots on September 3, 1967. The perennially losing franchise was coming off a second straight 4-10 record in ’66 and had hired a new head coach/GM, Lou Saban, who had won back-to-back AFL titles in Buffalo. HB Floyd Little was drafted in the first round out of Syracuse and became the first top draft pick in the team’s short history to sign with the club (no doubt helped by 1967 being the first year that the AFL wasn’t competing with the NFL for draft picks). Quarterback had been a major issue for the Broncos in recent seasons, and a trade was swung with San Diego to obtain the strong-armed Steve Tensi to take over the position for ’67.

The visiting Patriots were coached by Mike Holovak (who had replaced Saban when he was fired from that job during the 1961 season) and were coming off an 8-4-2 year in ’66. FB Jim Nance had blossomed into a star, setting an AFL record with 1458 rushing yards. 37-year-old QB Babe Parilli was coming off of a good season and OE/PK Gino Cappelletti was the league’s top scorer.

There was a record crowd of 35,488 in attendance at Bears Stadium ready to get a look at the refurbished club that had won its last three preseason games. The Broncos got the first break of the game when a deflected pass by Parilli was intercepted by DB Gene Sykes and returned 29 yards to the Boston 13. Two plays later Steve Tensi completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to flanker Al Denson and Gary Kroner added the extra point.

The teams traded punts until the Patriots came through with a big play. Parilli threw to split end Art Graham on a play that covered 79 yards for a TD. Gino Cappelletti’s PAT evened the score at 7-7.

Neither team was able to move the ball effectively for the remainder of the opening quarter. On the last play of the period Jim Nance fumbled and DT Dave Costa recovered for the Broncos at the Patriots’ 28. However, after advancing to the seven yard line Denver came up empty when FB Cookie Gilchrist, returning to the team after a sojourn with the expansion Dolphins in 1966, was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-one play.

The teams again traded punts until Sykes again picked off a Parilli pass to give Denver the ball at the Boston 29. Floyd Little ran four straight times to pick up a total of 16 yards and the series ended with Kroner kicking a 20-yard field goal. The Broncos were back in front by 10-7, which remained the score at the half.

The Broncos extended their lead on the first series of the third quarter that was helped along when, initially forced to punt, the Patriots were penalized for roughing the kicker. Two plays later Tensi connected with Denson for a 55-yard touchdown. Kroner’s extra point try was blocked, however, and the score remained 16-7.

The Patriots wasted no time in coming back, driving 64 yards in five plays. After Boston ran the ball twice, Parilli threw to TE Jim Whalen for a 27-yard gain to the Denver 24. A pass interference call gained another 14 yards before Parilli threw to Nance for a 10-yard touchdown. Cappelletti added the extra point to make it a two-point game.

The Patriots got the ball back on the next series when DT Jim Hunt stripped Tensi at the Denver 37. Five plays later, Parilli passed to HB Larry Garron for a 20-yard touchdown and, with the successful conversion, Boston was in front by 21-16.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Broncos got a big play on offense when Tensi connected with Denson for a 58-yard gain to the Boston 9. Little and Gilchrist were unable to pound the ball into the end zone but Denver came away with a 9-yard Kroner field goal to narrow the tally to 21-19.

Now midway through the fourth quarter the Patriots had the ball back after the ensuing kickoff but, on the second play, CB Goldie Sellers (pictured at left) intercepted a Parilli throw and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown. Kroner’s extra point gave the Broncos a five-point lead, but there were still over eight minutes to play.

Parilli immediately went to the air and connected with Cappelletti for a 30-yard gain to midfield, but his next pass was intercepted, this time by CB Nemiah Wilson. The Broncos couldn’t move the ball and, on a third-and-14 play, Tensi was sacked by LB Doug Satcher for an 11-yard loss to his own 10 yard line. HB Joe Bellino returned Bob Scarpitto’s punt 17 yards to the Denver 37 to give the Patriots excellent starting field position.

Garron took off for 15 yards on the first play of the series but Parilli was picked off for the sixth time, once again by Sellers. The Broncos had possession at their five yard line, went three-and-out, and Scarpitto boomed a punt that gave the Patriots the ball at their own 20 with less than two minutes remaining on the clock. They managed to reach the Denver 43 before Costa sacked Parilli for a 13-yard loss and a long desperation pass fell incomplete. The Broncos were winners by a score of 26-21.

Boston had more total yards (302 to 209) and first downs (14 to 11) than the Broncos, but the Patriots also turned the ball over seven times, to one suffered by Denver.

Al Denson was the offensive star for the Broncos as he caught four passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns. Steve Tensi completed 8 of 19 passes for 145 yards and the two TDs with none intercepted. Floyd Little, playing in his first regular season game, rushed for 66 yards on 25 carries, while Cookie Gilchrist, appearing in his last, gained 21 yards on 10 attempts (the talented and mercurial Gilchrist underwent knee surgery the next week and ultimately retired). Gene Sykes, Goldie Sellers, and Nemiah Wilson each intercepted two passes apiece.

For the Patriots, Babe Parilli was successful on 16 of 30 throws for 234 yards and three TDs but also gave up the six costly interceptions. Gino Cappelletti had 6 catches for 54 yards and, thanks to the long scoring reception, Art Graham gained 84 yards on his two receptions. Jim Nance ran the ball 15 times for 53 yards and Larry Garron contributed 37 yards on 6 carries while also gaining 53 yards on four catches that included a touchdown.

Tragedy dimmed Al Denson’s fine performance. He left immediately after the game for his home in Jacksonville, Florida due to the untimely death of his three-year-old son.

The exciting win did not herald a winning season in Denver. The Broncos lost their next nine games and finished at the bottom of the Western Division with a 3-11 record. The Patriots ended up at the bottom of the Eastern Division at 3-10-1.

Al Denson, a converted tight end, went on to catch 46 passes for 899 yards (19.5 avg.) and 11 touchdowns, received consensus second-team All-AFL honors (and was a first-team choice of the NEA), and was chosen to the AFL All-Star Game.

Steve Tensi had a decidedly uneven year, completing just 40.3 percent of his passes for 1915 yards and 16 touchdowns as well as 17 interceptions. Floyd Little led the club in rushing as a rookie, but with only 381 yards and averaging 2.9 yards per carry as opposing defenses focused on stopping him. However, he did lead the AFL in punt returning with a 16.9-yard average. While Tensi would ultimately not pan out as a starting quarterback, Little went on to an outstanding career worthy of his high draft status.

1968: Bengals Defeat Broncos in First Home Game

On September 15, 1968, Commissioner Pete Rozelle and Ohio Governor James Rhodes were among 25,049 fans in attendance at Nippert Stadium to see the first regular season home game of the second (and last) American Football League expansion franchise, the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals had opened the season a week earlier on a Friday night in San Diego and lost to the Chargers, 29-13.

60-year-old Paul Brown was returning to pro football as a part-owner of the new franchise, as well as head coach and general manager, following a five-year hiatus after being summarily fired from the Cleveland Browns, the team he had coached with much success from 1946 through ’62. He chose to build the new team with younger players. QB John Stofa, a raw talent obtained from the Miami Dolphins and center Bob Johnson, the first draft choice out of Tennessee, were joined by other rookies on offense that included Arizona HB Paul Robinson and TE Bob Trumpy out of Utah (pictured above). More experienced help had been acquired for the defense, including LB Frank Buncom from the Chargers and two ex-Chiefs, LB Sherrill Headrick and safety Bobby Hunt.

The team they were hosting, the Denver Broncos, was opening the regular season after coming off a 3-11 year in 1967, the first under Head Coach/GM Lou Saban. The Broncos were in transition, with the most recognizable name on the roster being HB Floyd Little, in his second year out of Syracuse.

The first half was scoreless, with neither team able to get inside the opponent’s 19 yard line. Denver’s deepest penetration came to nothing when safety Jess Phillips intercepted QB John McCormick’s pass at the Bengals’ eight yard line. Bob Humphreys missed two field goal attempts for the Broncos and Dale Livingston failed on one for Cincinnati.


Livingston (pictured at left), who handled the punting as well as placekicking for the Bengals, was more effective punting the ball and kept the Broncos from gaining good field position while the offense sputtered. He had three straight 52 yard kicks in the second quarter that the Broncos returned for a total of 12 yards.

The Broncos outgained the Bengals in the first half, 118 yards to 64. John Stofa completed just 6 of 13 passes, but was victimized by well-thrown balls that were dropped.

Following the second half kickoff, the Bengals drove 38 yards in seven plays and Livingston kicked a 49-yard field goal for the first points of the contest. Three minutes later, and on the second play of Cincinnati’s next possession, Stofa threw to a leaping Bob Trumpy, who gathered in the slightly-underthrown ball at the 20, outmaneuvered DB Harold Lewis, and proceeded to the end zone to complete the 58-yard scoring play. But with the Bengals ahead by 10-0, the momentum swung back to the visitors.

The Broncos replaced starting quarterback John McCormick with Jim LeClair in the second half, and LeClair was effective, moving the team into position for a 33-yard field goal by Humphreys.

LeClair led the Broncos on another drive that commenced late in the third quarter and led to a score three minutes into the final period. Denver went 57 yards, helped by LeClair’s passing and the running of Little, capped by the second-year quarterback tossing a five-yard pass to WR Eric Crabtree for a touchdown.

The key series came with the score tied at 10-10 in the fourth quarter. On a second-and-ten play, Stofa threw a screen pass to Paul Robinson that was inches short of a first down. On the next play, FB Tom Smiley ran off tackle and was brought down still short of a first down. With the ball on the Cincinnati 46, it was fourth-and-inches and the crowd was chanting for the home team to go for it. Paul Brown gave the go-ahead, and Smiley hit the line and appeared to be stopped short once more but, following a measurement, the officials signaled first down. On the next play, Stofa threw long to rookie split end Warren McVea for a 54-yard touchdown.

Backup HB Essex Johnson clinched the game at just under three minutes to go with a 34-yard run down the middle and the Bengals came away winners of their inaugural home game by a 24-10 tally.

Cincinnati outgained the Broncos (289 yards to 199) although Denver led in first downs (15 to 11). The Bengals didn’t turn the ball over at all, while the Broncos suffered an interception.


John Stofa (pictured at right) completed 12 of 22 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns with, of course, none intercepted. Bob Trumpy caught 4 passes for 114 yards and the one long TD while Warren McVea hauled in three receptions for 84 yards and a score. With the long touchdown run, Essex Johnson was the team’s leading rusher, gaining 49 yards on five carries. Tom Smiley ran the ball 12 times for 28 yards and Paul Robinson gained 27 yards on his 10 attempts.

For the Broncos, John McCormick was successful on just 8 of 19 passes for 89 yards with one intercepted; Jim LeClair threw 6 completions in 12 attempts for 82 yards and one TD. Split end Al Denson caught 8 passes for 115 yards but suffered a broken collar bone in the fourth quarter and was lost for nearly half of the season. Floyd Little ran for 30 yards on 13 carries and gained 32 more yards on two catches out of the backfield.

Toasting the win afterward, Paul Brown said, “Here’s to one in a row.” As he was handed the game ball, he added, “this is going right up there on the top shelf.”

Cincinnati made it two in a row with a win over Buffalo the next week, but had only one more victory the rest of the way to finish at the bottom of the Western Division with a 3-11 record. Denver was just ahead of the Bengals at 5-9.

While John Stofa proved to be something of a disappointment at quarterback, the running game ranked second in the league in yards per carry (4.3). Paul Robinson topped the AFL with 1023 rushing yards. Bob Trumpy was the team’s leading receiver, with 37 catches for 639 yards and three TDs.

1972: Johnson & Little Lead Broncos to First Win Over Raiders in 10 Years

The Denver Broncos had posted losing records since the early days as an original American Football League franchise in 1960. Lou Saban, who led Buffalo to back-to-back AFL titles in 1964 and ’65, had been the latest coaching casualty after he arrived amid high hopes in 1967 - he left Denver with a 20-42-3 overall record and failed to make it through the ’71 season.

John Ralston, who had led Stanford to back-to-back Rose Bowl wins, took over the head coaching duties in 1972. While he had an outstanding running back on hand in Floyd Little, the NFL’s leading rusher in ’71, the situation at quarterback was far less settled. Holdover Steve Ramsey started the first five games, and the Broncos were 1-4.

For the Week 6 contest on October 22 against the Raiders at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Ralston decided to start Charley Johnson at quarterback. The 33-year-old Johnson (pictured above), in his 12th season out of New Mexico State, had once been a highly regarded signal caller. A smart (he had a doctorate in chemical engineering) and accurate passer, he had been considered a rising star with the St. Louis Cardinals in the mid-60s. But injuries and then a military commitment put him in competition with the younger Jim Hart, and Johnson was dealt to the Houston Oilers following the ’69 season.

Johnson spent two injury-plagued years in Houston before being dealt to the quarterback-desperate Broncos on the eve of the 1972 season. After some appearances in relief of Ramsey, he was getting a chance – and he made the most of it.

Oakland, under Head Coach John Madden, was as strong over the past few years as the Broncos had been weak, and entered the game with a 3-1-1 record. Moreover, the Raiders had not lost to the Broncos since 1962 – a string of 18 straight games (there was one tie, back in 1964).

Denver scored on its first possession as Johnson tossed a 21-yard touchdown pass to TE Billy Masters, who beat star safety George Atkinson. The play was set up by a 40-yard completion to Little out of the backfield.

Early in the second quarter, George Blanda got the Raiders on the board with a 32-yard field goal. Denver’s lead was now cut to 7-3, but Johnson again passed effectively to widen the margin. Following completions of 21 and 8 yards to WR Jerry Simmons, Johnson threw to Little, who had lined up in the slot and beat Oakland LB Phil Villapiano to score a 37-yard TD.

On the next Denver possession, the Broncos surprised the Raiders as Little took a handoff from Johnson and fired a pass to Simmons that resulted in a 35-yard TD. It was the first pass completion of Little’s pro career, in his sixth season.


As had been the case in most of Oakland’s games thus far, they had gotten off to a slow start. The situation appeared grave when QB Daryle Lamonica was forced to leave the game in the second quarter due to back spasms. Lamonica had just thrown a pass intended for rookie WR Cliff Branch that was broken up by CB Randy Montgomery when, on the next play, he was hit in the back by DE Lyle Alzado’s helmet. Backup George Blanda came in initially and delivered a first down, but then fumbled at the Denver 28 when hit by DT Paul Smith. Alzado recovered for Denver (Alzado pictured at left; he would go on to play for the Raiders ten years later).

Johnson completed three passes, including a 22-yard completion to ex-Raiders WR Rod Sherman, to set up a 44-yard field goal by Jim Turner on the last play of the half. The Broncos held a 24-3 lead at the intermission.

On the first play of the second half, Denver FB Bobby Anderson fumbled and LB Dan Conners recovered for Oakland at the Denver 20, setting up a 35-yard field goal by Blanda. The Raiders’ inexperienced third quarterback, Ken Stabler, had come into the game for Lamonica and showed over-anxiousness as he misfired on three passes.

However, Stabler began to find the range on his passes as the game progressed, although an apparent scoring pass to WR Fred Biletnikoff was nullified by a clipping call on Branch. But HB Charlie Smith ran 20 yards on a sweep to the Denver two and he scored three plays later to narrow the Broncos’ lead to 24-13.

Denver responded with a drive highlighted by Johnson connecting with Simmons for 28 yards on a third-and-15 play that culminated in an eight-yard Turner field goal early in the fourth quarter.

On Oakland’s next series, Stabler was sacked twice and the Raiders were penalized for holding twice as the young quarterback completed 8 of 10 passes and Oakland drove 67 yards. WR Mike Siani scored on a four-yard pass play in which he pulled the ball away from Montgomery in the left corner of the end zone.

However, Montgomery responded with an 88-yard kickoff return to the Oakland 15 yard line before being caught by Atkinson. Turner kicked a 27-yard field goal to extend Denver’s lead to 30-20 with 3:28 left to play.

The Raiders made it into scoring position once more, and Blanda kicked a 40-yard field goal with 1:36 remaining. They got one last chance, but in the final seconds, a pass to TE Raymond Chester on a fly pattern was deflected and he couldn’t pull it in. Denver came away with the 30-23 upset win.

There was a wild celebration in the Denver locker room afterward, in what Little referred to as the franchise’s “greatest victory ever.”

All the more astonishing, the Broncos managed only 13 yards rushing on 24 attempts, for an average of less than a yard per carry. But they made up for it with 396 passing yards as they gained 409 total yards to Oakland’s 316. It was a stunning performance against what was considered to be the best pass defense in the AFC. Charley Johnson completed 20 of 28 passes for 361 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions; Little, of course, added a 35-yard TD completion.


Jerry Simmons led the Denver receivers with 6 catches for 118 yards and a TD. Tight ends Billy Masters (6’5”, 240) and Riley Odoms (6’4”, 230) matched up well size-wise against safety George Atkinson (5’10”, 180) and were effective (Masters caught three passes for 66 yards and a touchdown and the rookie Odoms had two for 46 yards). Floyd Little (pictured at right) had three catches for 92 yards and a touchdown, although he missed the second half due to a foot injury and was held to just 15 yards rushing on nine carries.

Ken Stabler had a notable performance in relief of Daryle Lamonica, completing 13 of 22 passes for 165 yards with a TD and no interceptions and nearly pulling off a major comeback. Fred Biletnikoff and Raymond Chester both caught five passes apiece, with Biletnikoff gaining the most yards (74, to Chester’s 56). RB Marv Hubbard led the Raiders in rushing with 61 yards on 15 carries.

Coach Ralston said afterward, “Johnson’s accuracy was just incredible. Charley did a magnificent job of putting the ball on the money.”

Said Charley Johnson, “It was just one of those days when the timing between the
passer and the receivers was there.” He added, “I had real good vision - I could see all the coverages. But there are days when you can't see anything.”

The loss to the Broncos was only a speed bump on the way to the AFC West title for Oakland. They recovered to win seven of their remaining eight games to finish at 10-3-1, but lost in the Divisional playoff in stunning fashion to the Pittsburgh Steelers as a result of RB Franco Harris and the “Immaculate Reception”. Denver ended up in third place in the division with yet another losing record, 5-9. But with Johnson at the helm, they would post winning records in each of the following two seasons.

Charley Johnson continued to play well in his comeback year, throwing for 1783 yards with 14 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He ranked third among the AFC’s passers (74.6 rating) as well as in completion percentage (55.5) and second in yards per attempt (7.5) and percentage of TD passes (5.9, tied with Joe Namath of the Jets).

Floyd Little ran for 859 yards on 216 carries (4.0 avg.) and nine touchdowns and caught 28 passes for 367 yards and four more TDs. He also completed another pass.