1982: Packers Rally from 23-0 Halftime Deficit to Beat Rams

After seven years with Bart Starr as head coach, the Green Bay Packers had yet to make it to the postseason and fans and the team’s directors were getting frustrated. Starr, who as a Hall of Fame quarterback had been a part of five NFL titles during the Vince Lombardi coaching era, received a contract extension following an 8-8 tally in 1981 in which the Packers started poorly but finished strong and just missed being a Wild Card team. The offense featured a strong passing game with QB Lynn Dickey (pictured above) throwing to wide receivers James Lofton and John Jefferson, as well as TE Paul Coffman. There were questions with regard to the running game, however, due to talented RB Eddie Lee Ivery’s two knee surgeries in three years, and the defense lacked a strong pass rush as well as overall consistency. Starr’s future with the team rested on making it to the playoffs in ’82.

On September 12, 1982 the Packers opened at home against the Los Angeles Rams. After consistently contending throughout the 1970s and winning a NFC title in ’79, LA had dropped to 6-10 in 1981 – the team’s first losing record since 1972. The front office had made moves to bring in fresh veteran talent, most notably QB Bert Jones and TE Mike Barber. Jones had starred for the Colts before his career was derailed by injuries and, when he returned, the club was in decline. Barber was obtained from the Oilers, where he had shown promise but was pushed aside by ex-Raider Dave Casper.

There were 53,694 fans in attendance at Milwaukee’s County Stadium and they spent much of the first half venting their frustration. The Packers fumbled the ball away in their own territory on each of their first three possessions and five times overall in the first half. The Rams directly benefited in the first quarter as RB Wendell Tyler ran for a four-yard touchdown and Mike Lansford kicked a 32-yard field goal, both following turnovers.

In the second quarter, LA put together a 51-yard scoring drive that concluded with a 10-yard TD pass from Jones to Barber. Lansford added field goals of 29 and 28 yards and the Packers left the field to a loud chorus of boos and behind by a score of 23-0. To make matters worse, Green Bay had lost starting FB Gerry Ellis due to a twisted knee. Coach Starr considered pulling Dickey in favor of backup David Whitehurst for the second half, but decided against making a move.

When Green Bay’s defense stopped the Rams in their first possession of the second half, it was a sign of momentum about to shift. Dickey responded with a four-yard touchdown pass to Coffman to get the Packers on the board. Before the third quarter was over, Eddie Lee Ivery ran for a three-yard TD and LA’s lead was cut to 23-14. The Rams failed to get a first down in the third quarter as the first half roles now were reversed.

Heading into the fourth quarter, John Jefferson set up Green Bay’s third touchdown with a reception that covered 50 yards, although he suffered a hamstring pull and sat out the rest of the game. The Packers continued their 66-yard drive that concluded when Dickey threw to James Lofton for a 15-yard TD. Following Jan Stenerud’s successful extra point, the home team was just two points behind.

The Rams fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, a squib kick by Stenerud that RB Robert Alexander couldn’t handle, and Green Bay immediately scored again on the next play as Dickey tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Coffman.

Now down by five points, the Rams fought back as Jones completed three passes to move them to the Green Bay 31. But two runs gained just a yard and Jones was sacked for an eight-yard loss on third down, forcing a punt. With just over six minutes remaining in the game, the Rams had another shot but LB George Cumby intercepted a Jones pass at the Green Bay 30.

Ivery added an insurance score with a 27-yard run up the middle for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. LA’s last opportunity came with 2:58 to play. The Rams again drove to the Green Bay 32 but this time it was LB John Anderson picking off Jones and that was it as the Packers came away with a stunning 35-23 win.

Green Bay outgained the Rams (377 yards to 271) and had more first downs (22 to 12). The Packers turned the ball over a total of six times, which had put them in the early hole, while Los Angeles suffered three, including the two fourth quarter interceptions that snuffed out their comeback hopes. They also hurt themselves with 11 penalties that cost them 88 yards, to two flags thrown on Green Bay. The Packers sacked Jones four times while LA got to Dickey twice.

Lynn Dickey completed 17 of 27 passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns along with three interceptions. John Jefferson caught 6 passes for 116 yards before he had to leave the game while Paul Coffman (pictured at left) added 4 receptions for 66 yards and two TDs and James Lofton pulled in 4 passes for 59 yards and a score. Eddie Lee Ivery had a fine performance as he gained 109 yards on 17 carries that included two touchdowns.

For the Rams, Bert Jones was successful on 17 of 31 passes for 202 yards and a TD and the two late interceptions. FB Mike Guman and RB Jewerl Thomas each caught four passes, for 37 and 28 yards, respectively, and WR Willie Miller gained 78 yards on his three receptions. Wendell Tyler paced the running attack with 57 yards on 14 carries that included a TD and added three catches for 32 more yards.

“That’s the greatest comeback I’ve ever witnessed,” said an elated Bart Starr.

“We were very dull in the third quarter,” said Coach Ray Malavasi of the Rams. “That’s my observation.”

After beating the Giants the next week, a players’ strike wiped out the next two months of the season. With the divisions eliminated in an abbreviated nine-game regular season when play resumed, the Packers qualified for the playoffs by finishing third in the NFC with a 5-3-1 record. They won their first postseason game over the Cardinals but lost to Dallas in the next round. The Rams suffered through a dismal 2-7 campaign, ending up at the bottom of the conference and costing Coach Malavasi his job.

Over the course of the short season, Lynn Dickey passed for 1790 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging a league-leading 14.4 yards per completion and ranking third with 8.2 yards per attempt. James Lofton (35 catches, 696 yards, 19.9 avg.), John Jefferson (27 receptions, 452 yards, 16.7 avg.), and Paul Coffman (23 catches, 287 yards, 12.5 avg.) all were selected to the Pro Bowl. Eddie Lee Ivery stayed healthy and rushed for 453 yards and 9 TDs.

Bert Jones had a disappointing year with Los Angeles, playing in just four games before being sidelined by a neck injury that proved to be career-ending. He threw for just 527 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions in what was the bitter end to a once-impressive career that was done in by injuries. 

1980: Third Quarter Surge Keys Dallas Win Over Chargers

The Dallas Cowboys were 5-2 and a game behind the Eagles in the NFC East (a team they had lost a closely-fought contest to the week before) as they took on the San Diego Chargers (also 5-2) at Texas Stadium on October 26, 1980.

The Cowboys, in their 21st season under Head Coach Tom Landry, were a club that had regularly contended since the mid-60s. Star QB Roger Staubach retired following the 1979 season, however, and 28-year-old Danny White (pictured at right), who had been the backup for the previous four years after coming to Dallas from the World Football League, was now the starting quarterback. He was also still the team’s punter, which would be a factor in the game against San Diego.

The Chargers, coached by Don Coryell, featured an explosive offense directed by QB Dan Fouts and included wide receivers John Jefferson and Charlie Joiner and tight end Kellen Winslow. RB Chuck Muncie had been obtained from the Saints in September to bolster the suspect running game. The underrated defense featured an outstanding pass rush.

There were 60,639 fans in attendance as Muncie returned the opening kickoff to the San Diego 41. Fouts threw two completions to Jefferson, of 9 and 17 yards, and Rolf Benirschke kicked a 45-yard field goal to give the Chargers the early 3-0 lead. The Cowboys responded by advancing to the San Diego 23, with White connecting with WR Butch Johnson for a 19-yard gain along the way. However, Rafael Septien was wide to the left on a 45-yard field goal attempt.

Late in the first quarter, Fouts was intercepted by CB Steve Wilson, who returned it 35 yards. The Cowboys went the remaining 35 yards in four plays, with White throwing to TE Billy Joe DuPree for a 15-yard gain and RB Ron Springs, in place of the injured Tony Dorsett, running in for a four-yard touchdown.

In the second quarter, Jefferson scored on an odd play when a pass from Fouts intended for Joiner bounced off the receiver’s hands, hit the defender Wilson in the helmet, and was caught on the carom by Jefferson at the Dallas 47. Jefferson continued on untouched to complete the 58-yard scoring play and San Diego regained the lead at 10-7.

Shortly thereafter, White lobbed a pass toward RB James Jones that was intercepted by San Diego LB Woodrow Lowe, who returned it 15 yards for a touchdown. The Chargers were up by ten points at 17-7. The Cowboys responded with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a White scoring pass covering 17 yards to Johnson with just under three minutes left in the half.

San Diego came right back with a five-play possession that included a Fouts pass to Joiner for 33 yards to the Dallas nine and a TD pass to Winslow. The Chargers got one last scoring opportunity before halftime when SS Pete Shaw recovered a fumble by DuPree at the Dallas 40. But on the last play of the half, Benirschke missed a 46-yard field goal attempt. San Diego held a 24-14 lead at the intermission.

The Cowboys came back decisively, scoring three touchdowns in an 8:15 span of the third quarter. Jones returned the second half kickoff 38 yards and Springs had two ten-yard runs and a 12-yard pass reception. White’s 13-yard pass to TE Jay Saldi got the ball to the ten, and rookie FB Tim Newsome finished off the drive with a one-yard scoring plunge.

Dallas regained the ball and White, who had run for a first down on a fake punt during the first half, did so again following a high snap to gain 12 yards and keep another drive going – with a further 15 yards tacked on for good measure thanks to a penalty on the Chargers for a late hit. White proceeded to throw to WR Tony Hill for a 24-yard gain and the revived possession ended once again with a one-yard run by Newsome. Dallas now had the lead at 28-24.

The third touchdown of the period for Dallas came on a 12-yard pass play from White to Saldi, and the Cowboys were up by a 35-24 margin going into the final quarter.

Any comeback hopes for San Diego were ruined by sloppy play as Fouts was intercepted three times in the fourth quarter and also fumbled the ball away. The Chargers scored just one touchdown in the second half, and it was inconsequential with 1:41 to play as Fouts threw to Winslow from three yards out. Dallas had already scored once again, on a nine-yard touchdown pass from White to DuPree, and the Cowboys won handily, 42-31.

The Chargers outgained Dallas by 449 yards to 425, most of that coming on passes while the Cowboys, even without Dorsett, ran for 198 yards. Dallas also led in first downs, 29 to 21. But San Diego was undone by seven turnovers, to just two given up by the Cowboys. Dallas also had a huge advantage in time of possession (41:52 to 18:08), effectively keeping the ball away from San Diego’s high-powered offense.

Danny White, in addition to completing 22 of 34 passes for 260 yards with three touchdowns against one interception, also twice ran for first downs from punt formation, with a 19-yard gain in the first half and the 12-yard carry in the third quarter that led to the go-ahead TD. He ended up running for 39 yards on six attempts. Billy Joe DuPree (pictured below) caught 5 passes for 45 yards and a TD, although White’s passes were well distributed to nine different receivers. Ron Springs gained 61 yards on 13 carries that included a score.


For the Chargers, Dan Fouts went to the air 44 times and completed 21 of those passes for 371 yards with three TDs but also four interceptions. John Jefferson caught 8 of those throws for 160 yards and a touchdown and Kellen Winslow added 110 yards on 5 receptions with two TDs. Chuck Muncie ran for 71 yards on 11 carries but also fumbled the ball away twice.

“Danny White is just super,” said San Diego’s Coach Coryell. “His scrambling and his making the big plays were the difference. Then on those two runs he made off the punts, well, they were great plays.”

“Neither of White's running plays on punting downs was called,” explained Tom Landry. “Whenever he runs with it, it is his own doing.”

“The runs from punt formation are never planned,” said White. “I did it the first time because their contain men turned their backs. The second time the snap was a little high. I thought it might be blocked and took a few steps to punt, then saw an opening. I know that had to be discouraging to their defense.”

The win allowed the Cowboys to keep pace with Philadelphia in the division race and they finished with the same record as the Eagles at 12-4, but placed second due to the net points tiebreaker. Dallas defeated the Rams handily in the Wild Card playoff and then came from behind to beat Atlanta in the Divisional round, but lost to the Eagles in the NFC Championship game. San Diego went 6-2 the rest of the way to win the AFC West with an 11-5 record, beating Buffalo in the Divisional playoff but losing to Oakland in the AFC title game.

Danny White threw for 3287 yards and ranked fifth in the league with 28 touchdown passes, although he also tied for third (with Green Bay’s Lynn Dickey) with 25 interceptions.

Dan Fouts led the NFL in pass attempts (589), completions (348), and yards (4715). He was one behind the leader in touchdown passes with 30, as opposed to 24 interceptions, and was also second with 8.0 yards per attempt. John Jefferson and Kellen Winslow placed first and second in pass receiving yards, with 1340 and 1290, respectively (Charlie Joiner was fourth with 1132 yards on 71 catches). Winslow led the league with 89 receptions while Jefferson caught 82. All three receivers were consensus first-team All-NFL selections and were named to the Pro Bowl, along with Fouts.

1983: Dickey Throws 5 TD Passes as Packers Defeat Oilers in Overtime

On the morning of September 4, 1983 it seemed doubtful that Lynn Dickey would start at quarterback for the Green Bay Packers later that day in the season-opening game against the Houston Oilers. During the preseason, he had suffered from back spasms and, more recently, missed practice the preceding Friday due to severe headaches as well as the effects of a virus.

“He looked terrible at breakfast,” said seventeenth-year veteran PK Jan Stenerud. “I didn't think there was any way he could play.”

But when the game started before 44,073 at the Astrodome, the eleventh-year veteran and ex-Oiler was behind center for the Packers. Dickey not only played, but excelled as he completed 18 straight passes to start the game. His first incompletion came on an overthrown pass intended for WR John Jefferson with 1:12 left in the half, but by then he had tossed four touchdown passes.

The first had been a 25-yard completion to TE Paul Coffman in the first quarter. Houston responded with a 49-yard field goal by Florian Kempf and then took the lead with a 47-yard TD pass from QB Archie Manning to WR Tim Smith.

Green Bay dominated the second quarter, though, as Dickey connected with Jefferson twice on scoring passes of five and 13 yards and then with RB Gerry Ellis for an 11-yard touchdown. The Packers were ahead by 28-10, but the lead would prove to not be secure in the second half.

Star RB Earl Campbell scored three touchdowns of his own for the Oilers in the third and fourth quarters. The first came in the third period from seven yards out and was countered by a 46-yard Stenerud field goal. Campbell ran for an eight-yard TD in the fourth quarter, and the home team was now only a touchdown behind at 31-24.

After Dickey threw his only interception of the game, in which LB Robert Abraham gave Houston possession at its own 36, the Oilers tied the score at 31-31 when Campbell scored his third touchdown, from one yard out. Green Bay responded with a 74-yard scoring bomb from Dickey to WR James Lofton to go ahead 38-31 with 3:13 to go in regulation.

With 48 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, RB Larry Moriarty dove into the end zone from two yards away to cap an 81-yard drive and, with the successful extra point, the contest was again tied at 38-38 and remained so at the end of regulation.

Green Bay’s backup QB David Whitehurst took over for the first overtime possession as Dickey was again suffering from headaches so severe that he needed to leave the field. Starting at the 17, Whitehurst completed a key 10-yard pass to WR Phillip Epps in a third down situation, RB Eddie Lee Ivery had runs of 9, 12, and 8 yards, and the Packers drove to the Houston 24, from where the 40-year-old Stenerud booted the game-winning 42-yard field goal at just under six minutes into the extra period. The high-scoring contest ended with Green Bay on top, 41-38.

The Oilers, playing catchup throughout the second half, outgained the Packers (498 yards to 479) and led in first downs (28 to 22). Overall, the statistics were as close as the final score, with Houston holding a 15-yard edge in rushing (150 to 135) and gaining just four more passing yards (348 to 344). Each team turned the ball over twice.

Lynn Dickey was successful on 27 of 31 passes for 333 yards with five touchdowns and the one interception – the TD passes tied the club record, while the consecutive completions streak of 18 broke the existing standard. James Lofton caught 8 passes for 154 yards and the one long TD, while John Jefferson contributed 6 receptions for 60 yards and two scores. Eddie Lee Ivery paced the running attack with 71 yards on 12 carries.

For the Oilers, Archie Manning went to the air 34 times and completed 22 for 348 yards with a TD and two picked off. Lost in the defeat was Tim Smith’s 8 catches for 197 yards and a touchdown, as well as Earl Campbell’s 123 yards on 27 attempts that included three TDs before he had to leave the game late in the fourth quarter with a bruised knee.

“I'm glad it's over. In the first quarter I was wishing it was over,” said Dickey. “I really don't remember half of it. I never knew anything about a streak. When your line gives you time and your receivers don't drop the ball, you are going to have a good day.”

“It was a great game, gentlemen,” Oilers Coach Ed Biles said to his defeated team. “It's unfortunate we didn't win it but we can't give a better effort. We grew up in the second half.”

For the Packers, it was an encouraging beginning to a season of great expectations following a 5-3-1 record in the strike-shortened ’82 campaign that had the team in the postseason for the first time under Head Coach Bart Starr. Dickey and the passing game had been a big part of that, especially following the arrival of John Jefferson, disgruntled in San Diego, in ’81 to combine with fleet James Lofton and the productive tight end, Paul Coffman.

Alas, any visions of a return to the glory years of the Lombardi era were dashed in what ended up being a disappointing 8-8 season in 1983. Dickey was certainly productive, throwing for a league-leading 4458 yards and 32 touchdowns - however, he also led the NFL with 29 interceptions. Lofton (58 receptions, 1300 yards) and Coffman (54 catches, 814 yards, 11 TDs) were again highly successful, and so was Jefferson (57 receptions, 830 yards) who chafed at being used more as a possession receiver. The defense played poorly, however, and overall the club was as inconsistent as the record indicated. It spelled the end for Starr as head coach after nine years at the helm.

For Houston, the opening-game loss was the team’s eighth consecutive regular season defeat. The Oilers, one of the AFC’s strongest teams under Head Coach Bum Phillips in the late 70s, suffered through a dreadful 1-8 year in 1982 under Biles. With poor play by the offensive line combined with the effects of wear-and-tear from carrying a heavy workload since his rookie season in 1978, Earl Campbell’s production dropped off significantly. His performance against the Packers was heartening, and he went on to rush for 1301 yards and 12 touchdowns in ‘83. But 34-year-old Archie Manning, obtained from New Orleans during the ’82 season, started just three games for the Oilers as the club lost another nine straight contests and finished at a miserable 2-14. By that point, Ed Biles was gone as head coach and Chuck Studley guided the club the rest of the way in the interim.