1989: Backup QB Reich Leads Bills to Last-Minute Win Against Rams

The Buffalo Bills were 3-2 and without their starting quarterback as they took on the undefeated Los Angeles Rams on October 16, 1989. QB Jim Kelly suffered a shoulder separation in a 37-14 loss to the Colts the previous week and the little-known backup quarterback, Frank Reich, was forced to step in. Under Head Coach Marv Levy, the Bills had won the AFC East in 1988 and featured a productive offense that included RB Thurman Thomas and WR Andre Reed while the defense was anchored by DE Bruce Smith and included a good linebacking corps.

The Rams, in their eighth season under Head Coach John Robinson, were 5-0 and a more pass-oriented team than they had been throughout most of Robinson’s tenure with the club. QB Jim Everett was the reason, and he had a reliable target for his passes in WR Henry Ellard while second-year WR Willie “Flipper” Anderson was emerging as a potent deep threat.

It was a rainy Monday night at Rich Stadium for the nationally-telecast contest. Things started well for the Rams when CB Jerry Gray intercepted Frank Reich’s second pass of the night, giving LA good field position at the Buffalo 46. The Bills defense held, but Dale Hatcher’s punt was muffed by CB Mickey Sutton and recovered by LA’s WR Ron Brown at the Buffalo 16. Five plays later Everett threw to RB Buford McGee in the end zone for a three-yard touchdown.

There was no further scoring in the first quarter as neither offense was able to get much going. Buffalo got a break with 5:23 to go in the half when Los Angeles RB Greg Bell (an ex-Bill) fumbled at his own 20 and NT Jeff Wright recovered. Scott Norwood kicked a 28-yard field goal four plays after that to cut LA’s lead to 7-3.

The Bills got the ball back at the Rams’ 49 following a punt with 2:16 left on the clock and advanced to the 29 in seven plays, from where Norwood was again successful on a 47-yard field goal try to make it 7-6 at the half.

The defenses continued to dominate in the third quarter. On their third series of the second half, the Rams drove into Bills territory as Everett completed passes to Henry Ellard for 24 and 19 yards. The drive stalled at the Buffalo 17 and Mike Lansford booted a 34-yard field goal to stretch the LA lead to 10-6.

The Bills responded with a late-period scoring drive that stretched into the fourth quarter. Reich completed a pass to Thurman Thomas for 13 yards in a third-and-10 situation and Buffalo advanced to the Los Angeles 23. The 12-play, 52-yard possession ended with another Norwood field goal, this time from 40 yards.

It was once again a one-point game, but the Rams came back with a long series that covered 60 yards in 12 plays. Everett completed four passes and Lansford capped the drive with a 36-yard field goal.

On Buffalo’s next play from scrimmage, Reich threw to Andre Reed for a 47-yard gain to the LA 39. A costly defensive holding penalty nullified a sack of Reich on third down and a 15-yard completion to Reed put the ball at the six. Reich’s one-yard TD pass to Thomas and Norwood’s extra point put the Bills in front for the first time at 16-13 with a little over two minutes remaining.

The Rams failed to convert a fourth-and-four play just after the two minute warning, but three plays later Thomas fumbled and safety Michael Stewart recovered. LA made the Bills pay in short order as Everett passed to the fleet Willie Anderson for a 78-yard touchdown. It was 20-16 and, with the Bills getting the ball back with 1:17 left on the clock, it seemed as though the Rams would remain undefeated.

Reich passed to Reed on first down, who fumbled but C Kent Hull saved the day for Buffalo by recovering. A short completion to Thomas was followed by a false start penalty that made it third-and-six. Reich threw to Thomas for 17 yards and a first down at the LA 43. Two more passes to Thomas gained another 21 yards and a toss to RB Ronnie Harmon picked up 14 yards. With 20 seconds left in the game, Reich threw to Reed for an eight-yard touchdown to finish off the seven-play, 64-yard drive. It finished off the Rams, too, as there was time left for only one Everett pass and Buffalo won by a score of 23-20.

Buffalo outgained the Rams (348 yards to 266) and had more first downs (17 to 15). Of LA’s yardage total, only 59 came on the ground. The Bills turned the ball over four times, to two suffered by Los Angeles.

Frank Reich, overcoming a slow start, completed 21 of 37 passes for 214 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Thurman Thomas (pictured below) rushed for 105 yards on 24 carries and caught 9 passes for 67 yards and a TD. Andre Reed gained 106 yards on 8 pass receptions that included the winning touchdown.

For the Rams, Jim Everett was successful on just 15 of 36 throws for 219 yards and two TDs with one picked off. With the long scoring reception Flipper Anderson had 87 yards on only two catches while Henry Ellard hauled in 4 passes for 70 yards. Greg Bell, the NFL’s second-ranking rusher coming into the game, ran for 44 yards on 21 attempts.

Reich continued to perform well for the Bills, leading them to two more wins before Kelly returned to the lineup. It was a controversy-filled year in Buffalo as Kelly feuded with teammates, two assistant coaches engaged in a fist fight in the film room, and fingers were pointed at players who had fueled the ’88 surge but seemed less consistent in 1989. For all that, Buffalo topped the AFC East for the second straight year, but with a lesser 9-7 record. The Bills lost at Cleveland in the Divisional playoff round.

As for the Rams, the loss at Buffalo was the first of four in a row, but they recovered to finish with six wins in their last seven games to finish at 11-5 and second to San Francisco in the NFC West. They qualified for the postseason as a Wild Card and advanced to the conference title game where they lost to the arch-rival 49ers.

In his relief role, Frank Reich completed 53 of 87 passes (60.9 %) for 701 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. He went on to play five more years in Buffalo before moving on to the expansion Carolina Panthers, capably backing up Jim Kelly and engineering a memorable comeback in the 1992 postseason. 

1984: Eric Dickerson Breaks NFL Season Rushing Record

In his second season in the NFL, Eric Dickerson of the Los Angeles Rams had already established himself as one of the premier running backs in pro football. As a first draft choice out of Southern Methodist in 1983, he set a rookie ground-gaining record with 1808 yards on 390 carries with 18 touchdowns. Now in his second year he was within striking distance of O.J. Simpson’s single-season rushing record as the Rams prepared to host the Houston Oilers at Anaheim Stadium on December 9, 1984.

It was the next-to-last game of the season for the Rams, and with Dickerson 212 yards from surpassing Simpson’s 1973 total of 2003, it was anticipated that, if he was to break the record, it would most likely not happen until the season finale, which was to be a nationally-televised Friday night showdown with the 49ers. LA was 9-5 under Head Coach John Robinson and looking to secure a wild card playoff spot (San Francisco had lost only once and had the division title sewed up). The Rams had lost QB Vince Ferragamo to an injury three weeks into the year, but it hardly mattered as backup QB Jeff Kemp directed the ball-control offense and kept mistakes (and passes) to a minimum. The 6’3”, 218-pound Dickerson had an outstanding line to run behind and the stingy defense was as tough at defending against the run as the offense was at producing on the ground. However, coming into the game, LA was without 34-year-old star DE Jack Youngblood, who had an injured back that ended his consecutive game streak at 201.

The Oilers, coached by Hugh Campbell, were a good team to run against. They had lost their first ten games, and while they then won three of the last four contests, they were 3-11 overall and had the NFL’s worst run defense.

There were 49,092 fans in attendance at Anaheim Stadium. Less than two minutes into the game, the Rams scored when Kemp passed to WR Drew Hill, who had gotten past CB Willie Tullis, for a 57-yard touchdown to finish off a five-play, 77-yard drive. Houston cut the lead to 7-3 thanks to a 21-yard field goal by Joe Cooper to cap a 10-play series, but Los Angeles responded with a 71-yard drive in which Dickerson accounted for 46 of that total, including the last seven for a TD. Mike Lansford added a 35-yard field goal to make it 17-3 after a quarter of play.

The Oilers began to come back behind the passing of QB Warren Moon, the former CFL star in his first season in the NFL. Cooper booted a 42-yard field goal and then RB Larry Moriarty ran for a four-yard touchdown that narrowed the margin to 17-13 with 6:13 remaining in the half. Lansford kicked a 19-yard field goal for LA to make it 20-13 at halftime. Dickerson had gained 106 yards thus far – half of what he needed to catch Simpson.

The Rams started off the third quarter by moving into scoring position, but Kemp was sacked for a 10-yard loss and then Lansford missed a field goal attempt from 41 yards out. The feisty Oilers kept the game close as Cooper kicked his third field goal, this time from 18 yards, and LA’s lead was just 20-16 entering the final period.

On a series highlighted by a 34-yard pass from Kemp to WR Henry Ellard, Dickerson scored on a six-yard run. The Rams were up by 11 points, and the star running back was tantalizingly close to the record – the only question was whether he would get another chance at it in this game.

However, an interception by SS Vince Newsome with 3:30 to play gave Dickerson his final shot at the mark with the ball on the LA 36. Eight seconds later, and with the crowd cheering wildly, he took off on one of his signature plays, the 47 Gap, and running behind G Dennis Harrah, RT Bill Bain, and TE David Hill, cut outside for nine yards and the record. Dickerson finished the contest at 2007 yards after 15 games (one more than the 14-game schedule that was in effect when Simpson set the mark).

Eric Dickerson achieved the new standard in fine style, rushing for 215 yards on 27 carries with two TDs. It was his 12th hundred-yard performance and second over 200 yards in ’84.

The Rams outgained Houston by 453 yards to 338, although the Oilers had more first downs (23 to 21). Unsurprisingly, 276 of LA’s total came on the ground. The Rams didn’t turn the ball over at all, while Houston gave it up twice.

In addition to Dickerson, RB Dwayne Crutchfield ran the ball seven times for 61 yards for the Rams. Jeff Kemp completed 12 of 23 passes for 199 yards and a TD. With 57 yards on his one scoring catch, Drew Hill led the club in pass receiving yardage. Henry Ellard had three receptions for 49 yards and David Hill caught three for 43.

For Houston, Warren Moon was successful on 19 of 29 throws for an even 200 yards with one intercepted. WR Tim Smith grabbed 6 of those passes for 69 yards. Larry Moriarty gained 102 yards on 24 carries that included a TD.

Afterward, Dickerson expressed relief that the chase was over. “Now I can focus in on the playoffs and not worry about 2,000 yards.”

John Robinson praised him as “the greatest football player I've ever been around or seen. He's really pretty good.”

The Rams were defeated in the season finale to end up at 10-6, but in the playoffs. They went on to lose a close 16-13 game to the Giants in the Wild Card round. The Oilers finished at the bottom of the AFC Central with a 3-13 record.

Eric Dickerson topped out at 2105 yards on 379 carries for a 5.6-yard average gain and 14 touchdowns. With his upright running style and wearing his signature goggles, he continued to be one of the league’s most productive runners throughout the decade. He led the NFL twice more in ground-gaining on his way to a career total of 13,259 yards (second all-time in 1993, his last year) and a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

1989: Anderson Gains 336 Receiving Yards as Rams Beat Saints

The Los Angeles Rams had started off the 1989 NFL season with five wins, lost four straight, but were back on track with two consecutive wins for a 7-4 overall record as they faced the New Orleans Saints on November 26. The Rams had been known as more of a running team in six prior seasons under Head Coach John Robinson, and while they still could run the ball with RB Greg Bell, the passing game was especially effective. QB Jim Everett had the solid veteran WR Henry Ellard to throw to, although he was not available for the game in New Orleans due to a strained calf muscle. However, he also had fleet second-year WR Willie “Flipper” Anderson (pictured above), who had the ability to stretch the field – and would do so in record fashion against the Saints.

New Orleans, coached by Jim Mora, had gotten off to a slow start at 1-4 due to cracks in the outstanding defense – most notably the absence of linebackers Pat Swilling (holdout) and Rickey Jackson (auto accident) at the beginning of the season. However, they then won five of their next six, including a big 40-21 win at LA, and were 6-5 as they hosted the Rams. RB Dalton Hilliard was the featured player on offense, while QB Bobby Hebert was suffering through a difficult season.

There were 64,274 fans in attendance for the Sunday night game at the Louisiana Superdome. The Rams had the first possession and immediately came out throwing as Everett connected with Anderson for gains of 14 and 11 yards. But after penetrating to the New Orleans 26 yard line, a holding penalty backed them up to the 36 and the drive stalled, forcing a punt.

Starting at their nine, it was the turn of the Saints to move the ball down the field, and it yielded results. Hilliard ran the ball six times in the 13-play, 91-yard drive and gained 26 yards while Hebert scrambled for a first down in a third-and-three situation and completed four passes, the last for a 19-yard touchdown to WR Eric Martin. The score stood at 7-0 after one quarter of play.

New Orleans started off the second quarter with Hebert passing to TE Greg Scales for a 17-yard gain and an eight-play possession ended up with Morten Andersen kicking a 36-yard field goal to extend the Saints’ lead to 10-0. The Rams responded with a scoring drive as Everett threw to Willie Anderson for a 43-yard gain on a third-and-13 play from their own 17 yard line and then converted another third down on another Everett-to-Anderson pass that gained 17 yards. Mike Lansford kicked a 32-yard field goal and it was a 10-3 game.

There was no further scoring during the remainder of the half as neither offense was able to effectively move the ball. Los Angeles had been held to 10 net rushing yards, but Anderson had already gained 85 yards on his four catches. There was much more to come.

On the first play following the second half kickoff, Hebert’s deflected pass was intercepted by DT Shawn Miller, giving the Rams the ball at the New Orleans 16. However, after driving down to the five, Lansford’s 22-yard field goal attempt was partially blocked by NT Jim Wilks and was no good.

The Saints moved the ball to their 44, largely due to a 29-yard gain on a Hebert throw to Martin, but New Orleans again had to punt. Anderson caught a six-yard pass on LA’s possession, but the Rams had to punt from midfield. Once again starting deep in their own territory, the Saints got a big gain when Hilliard broke through the line for a 40-yard pickup to the Los Angeles 47. Two plays later, Hilliard reached the hundred-yard rushing mark with a seven-yard carry and two plays after that he took a handoff, headed to his right, and then threw an option pass that Martin gathered in at the three yard line for a 35-yard touchdown. With less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter, New Orleans was up by 17-3.

The Rams took possession at their 20 after the resulting kickoff was downed in the end zone, and needing a big play, they got it when Everett connected with Anderson for a 50-yard gain. The period ended two plays later with the ball on the New Orleans 29, but on a third-and-nine play, Everett was sacked by LB Vaughan Johnson for a 10-yard loss and once again the Rams had to punt. The ensuing kick was muffed by WR Rod Harris and LA recovered at the New Orleans 8. But still the Rams’ offense failed to take advantage of an opportunity and found itself with a fourth-and-goal situation at the 11. Everett suffered his fifth sack of the game, this time by Swilling, and the Saints took over on downs.

Following a short possession that resulted in a punt, the Rams got the ball back at their 40. Anderson caught a pass for a 16-yard gain and Everett completed two more short throws before he was intercepted by CB Robert Massey. The play withstood a review and the Saints again had the ball, only to punt it back shortly thereafter. Again Everett came out throwing, hitting WR Aaron Cox for 23 yards down the middle and then Anderson for 14 and RB Robert Delpino for six to the New Orleans 20. However, a pass to Anderson in the end zone fell incomplete and on the next play RB Greg Bell fumbled and DE James Geathers recovered for the Saints.

With time running out for the Rams, the two-touchdown New Orleans lead looked increasingly safe, but the Saints couldn’t get out from deep inside their own territory and had to punt once more. Los Angeles took over at its 39 yard line and Everett, following an incompletion, threw to RB Buford McGee for 11 yards. He went to the air again on the next play, and it resulted in a completion to Anderson for a 46-yard gain to the New Orleans four. Despite two penalties, the Rams were not denied this time as McGee ran for a five-yard touchdown and, with the successful extra point, it was now a 17-10 score.

The Saints took possession with 2:36 left in regulation, but once more the offense moved backward rather than forward and they had to punt from their 11 yard line. Tommy Barnhardt’s kick went 32 yards and, following a three-yard return, LA had the ball at the New Orleans 40.

It appeared that the Rams were still snake bitten, however, as Everett was sacked for the sixth time and then had a completion wiped out by a holding penalty. With second-and-32 at his own 38, Everett completed a pass to Anderson for 26 yards and followed up with a seven-yard completion to TE Pete Holohan for a first down at the New Orleans 29. The next two passes went to Anderson, for 14 yards and then a 15-yard touchdown. The clock was now down to a minute and Lansford tied the game at 17-17 with the successful conversion.

The Saints went three-and-out and punted, and Everett fired a pass down the middle to Anderson for a 24-yard gain to the New Orleans 35. However, Lansford missed a 52-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the fourth quarter and the game went into overtime.

New Orleans won the toss to receive the kickoff for the OT period, but once more the offense couldn’t move the ball and punted. The Rams took over at their 15 and, as had been their pattern, were penalized half the distance on their first play. However, they got a break when a long pass by Everett that was nearly intercepted drew an interference call for a gain of 35 yards. Everett had to throw the ball away under pressure on the next play and Bell ran for four yards, setting up a third-and-six situation at the LA 47. Not surprisingly, Everett looked to Anderson and connected for a 14-yard pickup and first down in Saints territory. Again a holding penalty backed the Rams up, but Everett threw to Holohan for eight yards and, for the climactic time, to Anderson for a 26-yard gain to the New Orleans 14. At 6:38 into the extra period, Lansford kicked a 31-yard field goal and the Rams came away with a hard-fought 20-17 win.

Los Angeles outgained the Saints (472 yards to 301), although only 57 of those yards came on the ground, and had more first downs (23 to 14). They also turned the ball over three times, to two turnovers by New Orleans, suffered six sacks while getting to Hebert four times, and repeatedly hurt themselves with penalties, accumulating a total of 10 (the Saints were flagged nearly as often, with 8).


Willie Anderson set a single-game NFL record with 336 yards on his 15 pass receptions and scored a touchdown (the previous record of 309 had been set by Kansas City’s Stephone Paige in 1985). Jim Everett (pictured at right) completed 29 of 51 passes for 454 yards with a TD and two intercepted. Robert Delpino led what there was of a running game as he gained 28 yards on 7 carries; he also accumulated 33 yards on his 5 pass receptions.

Dalton Hilliard was the star for New Orleans as he rushed for 112 yards on 24 carries. Bobby Hebert, continuing to have difficulties, completed 12 of his 26 throws for 155 yards with a TD and an interception. Eric Martin caught 5 passes for 107 yards and two TDs while, defensively, Robert Massey accounted for two of the team’s interceptions and Frank Warren was credited with two sacks.

“It was the most exciting and the happiest, yet also the most frustrating football game, I've ever been in,” said John Robinson afterward. “I don't know how many times we had the ball inside the 40 and came away with nothing repeatedly. I wasn't sure we'd score another touchdown as long as I lived. Willie Anderson put on the greatest performance I've ever seen by a wide receiver.”

The Rams went on to win three of their last four games to finish at 11-5, good enough for second place in the NFC West and a wild card berth in the playoffs. They easily defeated the Eagles in the first round and beat the Giants in the second, but lost decisively to their powerful division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, in the NFC Championship game. New Orleans, with John Fourcade eventually supplanting Bobby Hebert at quarterback, finished third in the division at 9-7.

“Flipper” Anderson led the NFL in yards per catch with a gaudy 26.0 figure (over six yards higher than his teammate and league runner-up, Henry Ellard, at 19.7). He had 44 receptions for 1146 yards and five touchdowns. Anderson again led the league with 21.5 yards per catch in ’90, but his productivity dropped off after that.

Jim Everett ranked third in the league in passing (90.6 rating) while leading in touchdown passes (29) and placed second (by just eight yards) in passing yardage with 4310. While he went to the Pro Bowl following the 1990 season, like Anderson, his early promise would give way to declining performance as his career moved forward.

1990: Quick-Striking Rams Beat Giants in OT of Divisional Playoff Game

The NFC Divisional playoff game on January 7, 1990 at Giants Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands featured the host Giants, champions of the NFC East with a 12-4 record, against the visiting Los Angeles Rams, second place finishers in the NFC West at 11-5. It was truly a contrast in styles.

New York, coached by Bill Parcells, was a conservative club and most of its games in 1989 were close. The Giants had a sturdy defense that featured linebackers Lawrence Taylor and Carl Banks, DE Leonard Marshall, and CB Mark Collins. Injury-plagued QB Phil Simms guided the offense that benefited from the play of RB Ottis Anderson (1023 yards), who was 32 and hadn’t been anywhere near 1000 yards in a season in five years. But the loss of star TE Mark Bavaro to a midseason injury had been detrimental. Moreover, New York, after winning the Super Bowl following the ’86 season, had missed the playoffs in 1987 and ’88 and had trouble against playoff teams during the regular season, despite their impressive record.

The Rams were coached by John Robinson and were as exciting and pass-oriented offensively as the Giants weren’t. QB Jim Everett set a new team record with 4310 passing yards and had outstanding receivers to throw to in Henry Ellard (70 catches, 1382 yards) and Willie “Flipper” Anderson (44 catches, 1146 yards, a 26.0 average per reception). Los Angeles could run the ball, too, as RB Greg Bell gained 1137 yards and scored 15 touchdowns. However, while the defense boasted some stellar performers such as pass rushing LB Kevin Greene and CB Jerry Gray, it tended to give up far too many points. LA, after finishing behind the 49ers in the division, easily defeated the Eagles in wintry weather at Philadelphia in the Wild Card playoff game.

There were 76,325 fans at Giants Stadium, and the home team largely dominated the first half. On the first LA possession, Lawrence Taylor, sacking Everett for the first of two times, forced a fumble at the New York 11 that LB Gary Reasons recovered. Placekicker Raul Allegre, who had just been activated after six games following an injury, kicked two field goals in the first quarter, of 35 and 41 yards. The Rams had trouble moving the ball on offense and defensively had difficulty containing Ottis Anderson (pictured below). However, the Giants couldn’t get into the end zone, allowing Los Angeles to stay in the game.


Late in the second quarter, the second turnover of the game occurred when LA’s Jerry Gray tipped a Simms pass that was intercepted by safety Michael Stewart, who grabbed the ball near midfield and returned it 29 yards. On the next play, Everett threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Willie Anderson that made the score 7-6 with 17 seconds left in the half.

On the first drive of the second half, Everett was intercepted in the end zone by Collins. The ensuing New York drive ended in a punt, but Sean Landeta’s 49-yard kick was fielded by CB Darryl Henley for the Rams, who lost 11 yards trying to return it. LA had to punt it back, and the Giants proceeded to drive 82 yards in 14 plays capped by Ottis Anderson’s two-yard run for a TD with just under two minutes remaining in the third quarter. Anderson had six rushes for 28 yards on the drive while Simms completed passes of 11 yards to rookie RB Dave Meggett to the Rams’ 40 and to TE Zeke Mowatt for 23 yards to the nine yard line. New York was back in front by 13-7.

The Rams responded with a 69-yard drive that led to a 31-yard Lansford field goal less than three minutes into the fourth quarter. Everett threw to Ellard for gains of 23 and 16 yards along the way, and Bell ran for 16 yards on a draw play. The Giants’ lead was narrowed to 13-10.

The Rams drove to the tying field goal on a 75-yard possession in which Everett was successful on six of seven passes for 44 yards. The quarterback also had a 13-yard run to the New York 12. Lansford kicked a 22-yard field goal to tie the game with 3:01 left on the clock and send it into overtime.

LA won the toss to gain first possession in the sudden death period. The Rams advanced from their 23 to the 48 on a 12-yard pass to TE Pete Holohan and 13-yard completion to Ellard. Giants CB Sheldon White then drew an interference call on Willie Anderson that resulted in a 27-yard advance into New York territory. On the next play, following a five-yard penalty for a false start, Anderson beat Collins for a 30-yard touchdown in the right corner of the end zone (pictured at top) and kept right on running into the tunnel leading to the locker rooms as the home crowd sat stunned. The contest went just 1:06 into overtime and was won by the Rams, 19-13.

While the Giants had dominated the first half, overall Los Angeles ended up with more total yards (448 to 344) and first downs (26 to 20). The Rams gave up two turnovers, but after the two early sacks by Lawrence Taylor, Everett wasn’t thrown for a loss again.


Jim Everett threw 44 passes and completed 25 of them for 315 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Henry Ellard (pictured at left) caught 8 passes for 125 yards while “Flipper” Anderson scored on both of his two receptions that covered 50 yards. Greg Bell ran for 87 yards on 19 attempts.

For the Giants, Ottis Anderson was the star with 120 rushing yards on 24 carries, including a TD. Phil Simms completed 14 of 29 passes for 180 yards and had one picked off. Dave Meggett caught four passes out of the backfield for 52 yards and Zeke Mowatt also gained 52 yards, on three receptions.

“We were being outplayed most of the half and we went in with a lead,” Jim Everett (pictured below) said regarding the impact of the late first half touchdown. “That kind of told us we might have some breaks.”

The Giants were unhappy with the interference call on Sheldon White, claiming the ball was not catchable. Field judge Bernie Kukar explained his call by saying, “The defensive man did not play the ball, he played the man. He wrapped the receiver while the ball was still catchable.”

“This game is more than one play,” concluded Bill Parcells. “I'm proud of my guys, they played their hearts out."

It was the third straight win on the east coast for the Rams, who won at New England in the season finale to clinch the wild card slot and then won at Philadelphia in the first round before coming to Giants Stadium.

But while the Rams were glad to get another shot at the division-rival 49ers in the NFC Championship game, a club they had split with in the season series, it was San Francisco handily winning the conference title by a 30-3 score.

1990: Division Rivals Knock Giants & 49ers From Ranks of Unbeaten

Ten games into the 1990 NFL season, both the defending-champion San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants were sporting perfect 10-0 records. With the teams scheduled to meet in San Francisco the next week, speculation was rampant that it could be a showdown of unbeaten teams for supremacy in the NFC. But first they each had to face fierce division rivals on November 25.

In the case of the Giants, coached by Bill Parcells, it meant traveling to Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium to take on Buddy Ryan’s Eagles. The Giants had been successful with a conservative offense that rarely turned the ball over, in combination with a solid defense. The Eagles played in the style of the brash Ryan, aggressive on defense while dependent upon the flashy skills of QB Randall Cunningham (pictured above) on offense. They had gotten off to a slow start in ’90, going 1-3 to begin the season (including an opening-game loss to New York at Giants Stadium), but had won their last four games prior to hosting the Giants and were 6-4 overall.

The first half was closely fought. New York scored initially on a 15-yard pass from QB Phil Simms to WR Mark Ingram and the Eagles responded as Cunningham connected with WR Fred Barnett for a 49-yard TD. In the second quarter, Cunningham capped a drive of over nine minutes by leaping into the end zone for a touchdown from a yard out. TE Mark Bavaro caught a four-yard scoring pass from Simms, but the extra point was missed and the Eagles led by the slender margin of 14-13 at halftime.

Roger Ruzek kicked a 39-yard field goal to extend Philadelphia’s lead to 17-13 in the third quarter, but in a span of 22 seconds in the fourth quarter the Eagles essentially put the game away. First, Cunningham passed to WR Calvin Williams for a six-yard touchdown. Then, LB Seth Joyner deflected a Simms pass that was intercepted by MLB Byron Evans, who ran untouched for a 23-yard TD. That provided the final score of 31-13 as the Eagles toppled the Giants.

The Eagles controlled the ball for over 38 minutes and rolled up the most yards against the Giants thus far with 405. The Giants, who typically ran the ball 60 percent of the time, were forced to throw 40 passes. Phil Simms, who had only been intercepted twice in the previous ten games, was picked off twice by the Eagles and completed only 17 of his passes.

Randall Cunningham passed for 229 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions, and ran for 66 yards on 9 carries with a TD. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts. RB Keith Byars caught 8 passes for 128 yards.

It was the first regular season loss for the Giants in 14 games dating back to December 1989, and the Eagles had beaten them then. It also delayed the Giants from clinching the NFC East title.

Meanwhile, at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park, the 49ers ran into trouble against the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams, under Head Coach John Robinson, were having a poor season and came into the game at 3-7 and hardly seemed a match for the two-time defending league champions that had won a record-tying 18 straight games. Under Head Coach George Seifert, the 49ers were known for their passing offense, led by QB Joe Montana and WR Jerry Rice.

However, in the wind and rain at Candlestick Park, the Rams forced four turnovers in the first half and took a 21-7 lead. RB Cleveland Gary accounted for the first two TDs of the game, first on a 22-yard option pass from FB Buford McGee and then on a 10-yard run in the second quarter. The 49ers scored on a five-yard pass from Montana to WR John Taylor, but McGee ran for a six-yard touchdown to provide the 14-point margin at the half.

It appeared that the 49ers might pull off a successful comeback in the third quarter. Montana threw a screen pass to RB Harry Sydney that was good for a 23-yard touchdown. Mike Cofer booted a 42-yard field goal before the period was over that pulled the Niners to within 21-17.

But on San Francisco’s next possession, Montana was intercepted by Rams SS Vince Newsome and LA went 90 yards in 17 plays to score a game-clinching touchdown as Gary ran in from a yard out. The final score was 28-17.

The Rams outgained the 49ers, 350 yards to 291, and turned the ball over twice, as compared to a total of six times by the Niners. Joe Montana threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted three times. Jerry Rice caught 7 passes for 72 yards, but gave up one of the fumbles.


Meanwhile, WR Willie “Flipper” Anderson caught 8 passes for 149 yards and Cleveland Gary (pictured at left) ran for 68 yards on 24 carries and caught three passes for 27 yards while scoring three touchdowns. QB Jim Everett was successful on 16 of 27 passes for 224 yards with one picked off.

The 49ers won the showdown against the Giants the next week, stripped of the glamour of being a battle of unbeatens, by a low score of 7-3. San Francisco lost once more in the regular season to finish atop the NFC West at 14-2. New York ended up winning the NFC East at 13-3. The two teams met in the NFC Championship game, where the Giants prevailed and went on to win the Super Bowl over Buffalo.

The Eagles lost their next two games after upsetting the Giants, and ended up in second place in the NFC East at 10-6. They qualified for the playoffs as a wild card team, but lost to the Redskins in the first round, costing Ryan his job. For the Rams, the upset of the 49ers was the high point of an otherwise dismal year. They defeated the Browns the next week, but lost their last four games to finish at 5-11 for third place in the NFC West.

1993: Rubley Rallies Rams, But Lions Prevail in Final Seconds

(NOTE TO READERS: Today's post marks the first anniversary of the launch of Today in Pro Football History. For regular readers, thank you, I hope you have enjoyed it and will continue to do so. For newcomers, I encourage you to take a look at the archived material. Feedback and suggestions are always welcome - there is an e-mail link on my profile page. And now, back to the game...)


The Los Angeles Rams were off to a 2-4 start as they hosted the Detroit Lions (4-2) at Anaheim Stadium on October 24, 1993. The Rams had fallen on hard times since going 11-5 in 1989 and making it to the NFC Championship game. In the intervening three seasons they were a combined 14-34. Nine-year Head Coach John Robinson had been replaced by Chuck Knox in ’92 – it was a second stint in LA for the coach who had led the club to a 57-20-1 mark and five division titles from 1973-77. A 6-10 tally in 1992 had been considered progress.

Los Angeles added quality with first round draft choices DT Sean Gilbert in 1992 and RB Jerome Bettis in ’93. But while Gilbert was putting together a Pro Bowl season and Bettis had gained 187 yards in the previous two games, eighth-year veteran QB Jim Everett was still in a prolonged slump and had thrown 9 interceptions as opposed to 7 touchdowns.

The Lions, under Head Coach Wayne Fontes, relied most heavily on star RB Barry Sanders. With an improved defense under the guidance of defensive coordinator Hank Bullough, Detroit had held its opponents to 20 or fewer points in five of the six games thus far.

The first quarter was scoreless. Detroit’s offense drove to the LA 28 yard line on its second possession, with QB Rodney Peete connecting with WR Herman Moore on passes that covered 15 and 18 yards, but Jason Hanson missed a 45-yard field goal attempt.

The Rams got a break in the second quarter when CB Todd Lyght intercepted a Peete pass at midfield. But a drive to the Detroit 23 ended with Everett being intercepted by CB Tim McKyer. In the last two minutes of the half, another Rams drive ended when Everett fumbled at the Detroit 44 and NT Lawrence Pete recovered for the Lions. Eight plays later, Hanson was successful on a 25-yard field goal attempt as time ran out and the Lions went into halftime with a 3-0 lead.

Bettis had run well for the Rams, gaining 85 yards on 16 carries, but Everett was a dismal two of nine for 12 yards passing. Sanders gained 50 yards on 15 attempts for the Lions.

The third quarter promised more futility for the Rams as they went three-and-out on their first possession, which ended with Everett being sacked. But following a 12-play drive by the Lions that resulted in another Hanson field goal, this time from 24 yards, Knox benched the ineffective veteran quarterback and replaced him with second-year backup T.J. Rubley (pictured at top).

Rubley had been selected by the Rams in the ninth round of the 1992 draft out of Tulsa. He had played well in the preseason but saw no action during his rookie year and was making his regular season NFL debut against the Lions.

In his first series, Rubley largely kept the ball on the ground, handing off to Bettis five times for 25 yards. He took off on a six-yard run himself and completed one of three passes before the Rams were forced to punt.

Taking over on the last play of the third quarter, Detroit’s offense methodically drove down the field. The big play was a 40-yard pass completion from Peete to WR Aubrey Matthews to get to the LA 25 yard line. Six plays later, Sanders ran around end for a five-yard touchdown and the Lions had what appeared to be a safe 13-0 lead.

However, Rubley completed five of six passes on the next possession, took off on an 11-yard run along the way, and with the last completion hit WR Ernie Jones for a four-yard touchdown.

The Lions went three-and-out on their next possession and Rubley and the Rams took over at their own 32 with 3:39 left to play. The young quarterback tossed two completions to veteran WR Henry Ellard that totaled 17 yards and then found WR Todd Kinchen for 24 to the Detroit 21 yard line. Two plays later, and just after the two-minute warning, Rubley connected with Jones once again for a 21-yard touchdown. While Tony Zendejas missed the extra point attempt, the score was now tied at 13-13.

There would be no storybook ending for LA on this day, however. Peete completed two passes, including a key 25-yard completion to TE Rodney Holman that set up an 18-yard field goal by Hanson and the Lions prevailed, 16-13.


In relief of Everett, T.J. Rubley completed 12 of 17 passes for 151 yards with two touchdowns and none intercepted. Jerome Bettis had another outstanding day as he gained 113 yards on 23 carries. Todd Kinchen was the leading receiver with four catches for 60 yards (Henry Ellard also caught four passes, for 32 yards).

For Detroit, Barry Sanders ran for 91 yards on 26 carries, including the one TD. Rodney Peete was successful on 15 of 25 pass attempts for 249 yards and an interception. Herman Moore gained 120 yards on 6 pass receptions.

Rubley’s magic wore off over the remainder of the season. While he led Los Angeles to two wins, overall the team went 5-11 to finish at the bottom of the NFC West. Rubley completed 57.1 % of his passes for 1338 yards with eight touchdowns and six interceptions. In the offseason, Everett was dealt to New Orleans but Chris Miller was obtained from Atlanta to take over the starting role, and another veteran, Chris Chandler, arrived to be the backup. Rubley became an afterthought.

More lasting success came to Jerome Bettis, who ranked second in the NFL with 1429 yards rushing on 294 carries. He outrushed Barry Sanders, who gained 1115 yards on 243 carries for the Lions. Detroit went 10-6 and won the NFC Central but fell to the Packers in the Wild Card playoff round.

As a footnote, T.J. Rubley’s NFL career came to a bad – and abrupt – end. After seeing no action with the Rams in 1994, he moved on to become the number three quarterback in Green Bay in ’95. In a game against Minnesota, both starter Brett Favre and primary backup Ty Detmer were injured and Rubley entered with the score tied at 38-38. On a third-and-one play, Head Coach Mike Holmgren called for a quarterback sneak, but Rubley audibled and passed instead. The throw was bad and the Vikings intercepted and drove to the winning score. Holmgren cut Rubley the following week, and while he saw action with the World League of American Football and Canadian Football League, he was done in the NFL.