1964: Third Quarter Surge Lifts Colts to Win Against Rams

The Baltimore Colts had a 2-1 record and were nine-point favorites as they hosted the Los Angeles Rams on October 4, 1964. The Colts were a revitalized team in their second season under Head Coach Don Shula. The key to the offense was 31-year-old QB Johnny Unitas (pictured above), generally recognized as the best in the league. Versatile HB Lenny Moore, trade bait during the previous offseason after a disappointing year in ’63, was again making big plays as a runner and receiver out of the backfield, and there were capable receivers in split end Raymond Berry and flanker Jimmy Orr, although Orr was nursing a muscle pull and was nearly pulled from the lineup for the LA game. The defense was showing signs of age but was still formidable. Baltimore was coming off of a 52-0 pounding of the Bears the previous week.

The Rams had not enjoyed a winning season since 1958 but were at 2-0-1 coming up against the Colts. They were coached by Harland Svare and had lots of young talent on the roster, including QB Bill Munson, the first round pick out of Utah State who was starting in place of the injured Roman Gabriel. FB Dick Bass, their top runner, was suffering the effects of a shoulder injury and while available against the Colts was not nearly up to form. The defensive line was impressive but the Rams were still very much in rebuilding mode.

There were 56,537 fans in attendance on an overcast day at Memorial Stadium. Baltimore struck first when, on its second play from scrimmage, Johnny Unitas ran out of the pocket to avoid DT Merlin Olsen and threw long to Jimmy Orr (pictured at right), who was covered by rookie CB Jerry Richardson, for a 46-yard touchdown. Lou Michaels added the extra point for the early 7-0 lead.

The Rams came right back following a 56-yard kickoff return by DB Bobby Smith that had them starting at the Baltimore 44. Bill Munson converted two third downs, one with an 18-yard pass to flanker Jim Phillips in a third-and-nine situation. FB Ben Wilson plunged the last yard for a touchdown and Bruce Gossett added the game-tying extra point.

The Colts again reached LA territory, but a 31-yard field goal attempt by Michaels was blocked by LB Jack Pardee. The game settled into a defensive battle from that point, with the Colts running only six plays in the second quarter. Los Angeles had a 53-yard drive that ended with Gossett kicking a 35-yard field goal and, with time running out just before the end of the first half, Munson threw to split end Carroll Dale to set up another Gossett field goal, this time from 32 yards. The visitors took a 13-7 lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, the Rams hurt themselves with a clipping penalty on a punt return and, forced to punt in return, gave the Colts favorable field position at their 44. Baltimore took advantage, scoring four plays later when Unitas again connected with Orr, who had gotten open along the sideline for a 43-yard touchdown. Michaels converted and Baltimore was ahead by 14-13.

Down by a point, it got worse for the Rams when a Munson pass was intercepted by CB Bob Boyd, who returned it 47 yards to the LA 12. The result, on the next play, was Lenny Moore running for a 12-yard TD and, with the successful Michaels point after, a 21-13 lead.

Baltimore’s defense shut the Rams down on their next series and, getting the ball back, Unitas went long to Orr deep in the end zone for a third touchdown, this time covering 35 yards. Michaels converted and, after being held largely in check in the first half, the Colts were ahead by 28-13 after three quarters.

In the fourth quarter, the Colts helped themselves by keeping the ball away from LA with a long drive that ran more than six minutes off of the clock. With less than five minutes remaining, the Rams finally scored again when Munson connected with Phillips for a 14-yard TD. Gossett’s point after narrowed the Baltimore lead to 28-20. But the Colts responded with a 66-yard series that concluded with Moore breaking away for a 32-yard touchdown, and that sealed the win by a final score of 35-20.

Baltimore led in total yards (389 to 257) and first downs (18 to 17). While the most spectacular plays were made through the air, the Colts also were far more successful at running the ball, outgaining Los Angeles by 160 yards to 52 on the ground. The Baltimore defense also recorded six sacks, while the Rams got to Unitas only once. LA gave up the game’s only turnover and it set up a score by the Colts during the crucial third quarter.

Johnny Unitas completed only 10 of 18 passes, but they were good for 232 yards and three touchdowns with none intercepted. Jimmy Orr, despite playing hurt, had 5 catches for 145 yards and all three TDs. Lenny Moore had one 46-yard pass reception and led the Colts in rushing with 86 yards on 13 carries that included two touchdowns.

For the Rams, Bill Munson (pictured at left) was successful on 18 of 32 throws for 256 yards and a TD as well as an interception. Jim Phillips caught 6 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown and TE Marlin McKeever gained 103 yards on his four pass receptions. Ben Wilson led what there was of a ground game with 25 yards on 16 attempts that included a short TD.

“Unitas killed us with the bomb,” summed up Coach Harland Svare for the Rams. “He always takes advantage of the breaks and that’s what makes him a great quarterback.”

The win put the Colts in first place in the Western Conference, and that is where they stayed. Baltimore reeled off eleven straight wins on the way to a 12-2 record. However, they were upset by the Cleveland Browns for the NFL Championship. The Rams slumped during the second half of the season and ended up at 5-7-2 for a fifth place finish in the conference.

Johnny Unitas passed for 2824 yards and 19 touchdowns with just six interceptions and led the NFL by averaging 9.3 yards per attempt. He was the consensus league MVP as well as a first-team All-NFL selection and was named to the Pro Bowl for the eighth straight year. Lenny Moore made good on his comeback by setting a NFL record with 20 touchdowns scored, 16 of them among his 157 carries for 584 yards, three while catching 21 passes for 472 yards (22.5 avg.), and one more on a fumble recovery. He also was a consensus first-team All-NFL choice and Pro Bowl selection.  Jimmy Orr caught 40 passes for 867 yards (21.7 avg.) and scored six TDs.

Bill Munson started eight games and threw for 1533 yards and 9 TDs while giving up 15 interceptions. He spent four seasons with the Rams but the last two were strictly as a backup to the more talented Roman Gabriel. Munson did have a long NFL career, spending significant time with the Lions as well as the Seahawks, Chargers, and Bills over the course of 16 seasons.

1972: Browns Overcome Chargers on Late Pitts Touchdown

The Cleveland Browns had a 5-3 record and were trying to keep pace with the division-leading Steelers as they faced the San Diego Chargers on November 13, 1972. Head Coach Nick Skorich’s team had started off slowly, losing three of its first five contests, but had a three-game winning streak going coming into San Diego. Third-year QB Mike Phipps had been handed the starting duties in the second week of the season and displayed poise. HB Leroy Kelly and FB Bo Scott were aging but still dependable runners. The defense had problems against the run but, with young CB Clarence Scott and FS Thom Darden in the backfield, was sound against the pass.

The Chargers, under Head Coach Harland Svare, were heading in the opposite direction. They had lost four straight games and were a dismal 2-5-1. QB John Hadl had been effective in the team’s former pass-oriented offense, but bridled with the switch to a ground-based attack that featured HB Mike Garrett and FB Cid Edwards. San Diego had invested heavily in aging players, and it was not proving to be a sound strategy.

There were 54,205 fans on hand for the Monday night game at San Diego Stadium. The Chargers drove methodically down the field on their opening possession. They kept the ball on the ground with Garrett and Edwards carrying the load and John Hadl throwing to Garrett for a 13-yard gain on a third-and-three play. However, after going 73 yards to reach the Cleveland four yard line, Hadl fumbled and DE Bob Briggs recovered for the Browns. The teams traded punts for the remainder of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Chargers put together another long drive of 49 yards that ended with Dennis Partee kicking a 26-yard field goal. After another exchange of punts, the Browns started off at their 33 and moved the ball effectively themselves. WR Frank Pitts gained 13 yards on a reverse and Leroy Kelly ran for 11 yards and caught a pass from Mike Phipps for a 27-yard gain. Phipps threw to Bo Scott for 24 yards and, after a pass interference penalty moved the ball to the San Diego one, Phipps gained the last yard for a touchdown on a quarterback sneak. Don Cockroft added the extra point and Cleveland was ahead by 7-3, which remained the score at halftime.

The Browns took the second half kickoff and drove to midfield before LB Rick Redman intercepted a Phipps pass. They got the ball back two plays later when Garrett fumbled for the Chargers, but ended up having to punt. San Diego proceeded to go 86 yards in 12 plays. Hadl completed three passes, a key one of which was to WR Gary Garrison for 15 yards in a third-and-12 situation, and the last for a four-yard touchdown to Edwards. Partee added the PAT and the Chargers took a 10-7 lead into the fourth quarter.

Cleveland was on the move as the third quarter ended, with Phipps tossing an 18-yard completion to TE Milt Morin on third down to close out the period and then starting off the final quarter with a 19-yard pass to Pitts that reached the San Diego 33. Seven plays later, FB Ken Brown went two yards up the middle for a touchdown and, with Cockroft’s extra point, the visitors were back in front at 14-10.

The teams traded punts before the Chargers came back with another score. Starting off at their 39, they primarily stayed on the ground as Garrett and Edwards ran well and Hadl threw to Garrison for a 15-yard gain. Garrett capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run. Partee added the PAT and, with 1:21 remaining to play, San Diego appeared to be in control and set for an upset with a three-point edge.

After HB Bill LeFear ran the kickoff back 24 yards, the Browns started off from their own 36. Phipps tossed a screen pass to Brown for seven yards and then connected with the fullback again for a 19-yard gain. On the next play, Phipps went long for Pitts in the end zone, and he pulled it down for a 38-yard touchdown. With Cockroft’s extra point, Cleveland was suddenly ahead by four.

There were still 33 seconds left on the clock as the Chargers took possession at their 13 following a clipping penalty on the kickoff return. Hadl completed a pass to TE Pettis Norman for 24 yards to the Cleveland 45, but two more passes fell incomplete to end the game. The Browns came away with a 21-17 win.

The Chargers had the edge in total yards (327 to 299) and first downs (24 to 18), and were especially effective on the ground, where they generated 191 yards of their total. However, San Diego also turned the ball over three times, to one suffered by Cleveland.

Frank Pitts was the star on offense for the Browns as he caught 5 passes for 96 yards, including the game-winning touchdown, and despite suffering from a back injury. Mike Phipps completed 13 of 21 throws for 186 yards and a TD with one intercepted and also ran for 17 yards and a score on four carries. Leroy Kelly rushed for 67 yards on 17 attempts.

For the Chargers, Cid Edwards (pictured at left) gained 91 yards on 17 rushes and had three pass receptions for 34 more yards and a TD. Mike Garrett contributed 89 yards on 24 attempts and also scored a touchdown in addition to catching a team-high four passes for 29 yards. John Hadl was successful on 12 of 21 tosses for 140 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Pettis Norman led the club with 47 yards on his three catches. 

“Everybody wasn’t playing the same defense, particularly on that last series,” said a frustrated Coach Harland Svare. “It’s downright silly to let them go that long, that fast for a score.”

The win kept the Browns a game behind the Steelers, who they defeated the next week. The winning streak reached six games and the loss in the return engagement at Pittsburgh was the only one the team suffered for the remainder of the regular season. Cleveland ended up with a 10-4 record, good enough for second in the AFC Central and a Wild Card spot in the playoffs. The Browns gave the undefeated Dolphins a good scare in the Divisional round of the postseason before falling. The Chargers, meanwhile, continued to struggle and finished at 4-9-1 and at the bottom of the AFC West.

Mike Phipps (pictured below) went through his ups and downs, completing just 47.2 percent of his passes for 1994 yards with 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Still, the team did well, although Phipps would never develop into the star that Cleveland had hoped he would be when they traded up for him (and gave up Hall of Fame WR Paul Warfield in doing so) in the first round of the 1970 NFL draft.

Frank Pitts continued to be Cleveland’s most reliable receiver, leading the club with 36 catches for 620 yards (17.2 avg.) and eight touchdowns.

The running back tandem of Mike Garrett and Cid Edwards remained a bright spot in an otherwise dreadful year for the Chargers. Garrett rushed for 1031 yards on 272 carries (3.8 avg.) and caught 31 passes for 245 more yards, ending up with a total of seven touchdowns. Cid Edwards ran for 679 yards on 157 attempts (4.3 avg.) and had 40 pass receptions for 557 yards, with an impressive 13.9 average per catch out of the backfield. He also scored a total of seven TDs and was named team MVP.