1986: Simms Rallies NFC to Pro Bowl Win

It was a calm, sunny day at Aloha Stadium with 50,101 fans in attendance for the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl on February 2, 1986, marking the seventh straight year that the NFL’s annual all-star game was held in Honolulu. The coaches were John Robinson of the Rams for the NFC and Miami’s Don Shula for the AFC.

The NFC had first possession and advanced to the AFC 37 but came up empty when Morten Andersen of the Saints missed a 54-yard field goal attempt. The AFC drove 63 yards in 11 plays as San Diego QB Dan Fouts completed five passes, three of them to WR Steve Largent of the Seahawks. RB Marcus Allen of the Raiders ran for a two-yard touchdown and Pittsburgh’s Gary Anderson added the extra point.

The teams exchanged punts but the NFC was on the move as the opening period ended thanks to three pass completions by QB Phil Simms of the Giants (pictured above), two of them for 16 yards apiece to Tampa Bay TE Jimmie Giles and WR James Lofton of the Packers. However, facing fourth-and-two at the AFC 31 early in the second quarter, a carry by Atlanta RB Gerald Riggs came up short. But the NFC got a break three plays later when a Fouts pass was intercepted by safety Joey Browner of the Vikings, who returned it 48 yards for a TD. Morten Andersen’s conversion tied the score at 7-7.

The AFC responded with a 78-yard drive in eight plays. Allen ran effectively and Fouts completed another two throws to Largent (pictured below), and it was Allen taking a pitchout and tossing an option pass to San Diego WR Wes Chandler for a 51-yard touchdown. Gary Anderson added the point after and the AFC was back in the lead by 14-7.

QB Jim McMahon of the recently-crowned champion Bears was behind center for the next NFC series, but he was hindered by a knee injury suffered in the Super Bowl. McMahon was sacked for an eight-yard loss by DE Howie Long of the Raiders on first down and, two plays later, was picked off by Denver CB Louis Wright, who returned it 12 yards to the NFC 19. The AFC picked up another three points when Gary Anderson booted a 34-yard field goal four plays later for a 17-7 advantage.

Another short series for the NFC ended with McMahon fumbling when sacked by DE Mark Gastineau of the Jets on third down and Denver DE Rulon Jones recovered for the AFC at the NFC 10. On the next play, QB Ken O’Brien of the Jets connected with Pittsburgh WR Louis Lipps for a touchdown. Gary Anderson added the extra point and, with four minutes remaining in the first half, the AFC held a 24-7 lead, which remained the score at halftime.

The AFC started off the third quarter by advancing to midfield, but O’Brien fumbled when attempting to hand off and Dallas DT Randy White recovered for the NFC at the AFC 49. After a running play lost a yard, Simms, back behind center for the NFC due to McMahon’s injury, completed three consecutive passes, the longest to TE Doug Cosbie of the Cowboys for 23 yards. Simms finished off the six-play possession with a pass to Washington WR Art Monk for a 15-yard TD, Morten Andersen converted, and the AFC lead was narrowed to 24-14.

The teams traded punts before the AFC put together a promising drive. Allen again ran the ball well and Fouts completed three passes, two to Largent for 20 yards and one to Chandler for 23. But after reaching the NFC 18, a Fouts throw into the end zone was intercepted by CB Leroy Irvin of the Rams to snuff out the opportunity.

The clubs again exchanged punts and, as the game entered the fourth quarter, Irvin’s 32-yard punt return put the NFC at the AFC 32. Simms threw to Cosbie for 19 yards and San Francisco RB Roger Craig ran twice for 11 yards. It was Simms to Cosbie for a two-yard touchdown and, with Morten Andersen adding the extra point, the AFC lead was whittled down to three points at 24-21.

The AFC went primarily to the air on the next series and O’Brien connected on five straight passes and a roughing-the-passer penalty on LB Otis Wilson of the Bears put the ball on the NFC 13. But once again the NFC came through with an interception in the end zone as O’Brien’s next toss was picked off by Chicago LB Mike Singletary.

Starting from their 20, the NFC drove 80 yards in 10 plays. Simms converted a third-and-six situation with a completion to Lofton for 19 yards and, after a fumble resulted in a nine-yard loss, he threw to Monk for 17 yards on a third-and-16 play. RB Joe Morris of the Giants gained 11 yards on a fake reverse and, two plays after that, it was Simms to Monk for 17 yards to the AFC 15. From there, Simms connected with Giles for a touchdown and Morten Andersen’s kick made it a four-point game. The AFC had one last shot and it ended when a Fouts pass was intercepted by Irvin to nail down the 28-24 win for the NFC.   

The AFC had the edge in total yards (382 to 272) and first downs (24 to 18). However, they also turned the ball over five times, to two suffered by the NFC.

Phil Simms, who was named the game’s MVP, completed 15 of 27 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns while giving up no interceptions. The hobbled Jim McMahon was a lackluster one-of-six for seven yards and gave up an interception and fumble. Joe Morris led the NFC rushers with 34 yards on 8 attempts and Roger Craig, who also carried 8 times, was second with 25. Art Monk and Doug Cosbie caught four passes apiece, for 61 and 55 yards, respectively. On defense, LeRoy Irvin accounted for two interceptions and Joey Browner had one that was returned for a score.

For the AFC, Dan Fouts was successful on 16 of 27 throws for 173 yards, but none were for TDs and he was intercepted three times. Ken O’Brien was 8-of-15 for 87 yards and a touchdown with an interception as well. Marcus Allen rushed for 58 yards on 16 carries that included a TD and also threw a scoring pass. Steve Largent caught a then-Pro Bowl-record 8 passes, for 82 yards, and Wes Chandler gained 114 yards on his four pass receptions that included a touchdown. 

“When Jim (McMahon) got hurt, I knew I was going to play the rest of the game,” said Phil Simms. “I can’t say I was real thrilled about Jim getting hurt…but it turned out well.”

The game marked a return to the victory column for the NFC, which lost the previous year’s contest after having won two straight. The NFC held a 10-6 advantage since the AFC vs. NFC format had been adopted following the 1970 merger.

1981: LeRoy Irvin’s Punt Returns Help Rams to Win Over Falcons

The Week 6 matchup at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium on October 11, 1981 featured two NFC West rivals, the host Falcons and the visiting Los Angeles Rams. The Rams, under Head Coach Ray Malavasi, had won their previous three games after losing the first two. Coming off an 11-5 season in ’80, they lost starting QB Vince Ferragamo to Montreal of the CFL and LB Jack “Hacksaw” Reynolds was released following a contract dispute and went to San Francisco. Still, they had veteran QB Pat Haden, who had plenty of experience and savvy, even if not as powerful an arm as the departed Ferragamo, and there was still plenty of experience remaining in the defense.

The Falcons, coached by Leeman Bennett, were coming off a 12-4 division-winning year and had won their first three games in ’81. However, they lost their last two, including a hard-fought 16-13 Monday night decision to the Eagles the previous week. With QB Steve Bartkowski throwing to WR Alfred Jenkins and TE Junior Miller, the passing game was still healthy, and running backs William Andrews and Lynn Cain were talented both at running the ball and catching it out of the backfield. However, the defense was proving to be vulnerable, in particular the inexperienced secondary.

The Rams got on the board first, and in exciting fashion, as second-year CB LeRoy Irvin returned a punt for a 75-yard touchdown at 3:32 into the first quarter. Turnovers by the Falcons allowed LA to extend the lead. First, CB Rod Perry intercepted a Bartkowski pass and the Rams capitalized when Haden threw to WR Preston Dennard for a 29-yard gain and Frank Corral kicked a 25-yard field goal. Shortly thereafter, DT Mike Fanning recovered a fumble that resulted in a 37-yard Corral field goal four plays later. The Rams led by 13-0 after one quarter.

However, following the poor beginning, the Falcons came back with three touchdowns in an eight-minute segment of the second quarter. The first was dramatic as William Andrews took the handoff on a sweep around end on a fourth-and-one play and ran 25 yards for a touchdown to finish off an 80-yard drive.

The second score came following a fumbled snap on a Rams punt that led to an incomplete pass, giving the Falcons good field position at the LA 21. It took just four plays for Atlanta to score again as Bartkowski passed to Miller from 11 yards out. Mick Luckhurst’s extra point put the Falcons in front at 14-13. Atlanta then went 46 yards in seven plays while Bartkowski completed passes covering 16 yards to Andrews, 12 to WR Alfred Jackson, and 23 to Jenkins for a TD.

With the score now at 21-13 in favor of Atlanta, the next possession for LA started off with a 50-yard kickoff return by WR Drew Hill. Haden suffered a leg injury when hit by DE Wilson Faumuina after scrambling and completing a pass to Dennard for a 35-yard gain to the Atlanta 15, and backup QB Jeff Rutledge came into the game and completed the drive with a one-yard scoring pass to TE Henry Childs. Atlanta’s lead was narrowed to 21-20 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Rutledge connected with Hill for a 36-yard TD that put the Rams back in front at 27-21. The 63-yard drive was kept alive when RB Cullen Bryant ran for three yards in a fourth-and-one situation.

Atlanta came back on a possession that started with a 38-yard punt return by DB Scott Woerner. Andrews ran for a 26-yard gain and Bartkowski threw to Jackson for an eight-yard touchdown with 5:37 remaining in the third quarter. With the successful PAT, it was again a one-point game.

The Falcons extended their lead as they drove 65 yards, highlighted by a 19-yard Andrews run to set up his two-yard scoring carry early in the fourth quarter, making the tally 35-27. Irvin struck again with 8:23 to play by taking a punt and racing 84 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown that pulled the Rams to a point behind Atlanta at 35-34.

Getting the ball back, the Rams started their climactic drive at their 20 with 4:35 on the clock. Rutledge completed five passes, including 12 and 6 yards to Childs and 20 and 9 yards to Dennard to move the team down the field. After Bryant ran to the Falcons’ eight yard line and positioned the ball directly in front of the goal post, Corral’s 25-yard field goal with 24 seconds left put the Rams over the top. There was still time for the Falcons to come back, but FS Nolan Cromwell intercepted a Bartkowski pass to nail down the 37-35 win for the Rams.

Atlanta outgained the Rams (349 yards to 252), with 152 of those yards coming on the ground, and also had the edge in first downs (19 to 14). However, the Falcons turned the ball over three times, twice leading to LA field goals in the first quarter and once at the end of the game to finish off their hopes, while the Rams suffered two turnovers.

In relief of Pat Haden, Jeff Rutledge completed 11 of 20 passes for 130 yards with two touchdowns and one intercepted. Preston Dennard caught 4 passes for 84 yards and Henry Childs added 4 receptions for 26 yards and a TD. RB Wendell Tyler led the ground game with 48 yards on 14 carries and Cullen Bryant contributed 31 yards on his 10 attempts.

The return game was significant for the Rams, and while Drew Hill averaged 30 yards per return on his five kickoffs, it was LeRoy Irvin who starred, scoring two touchdowns while also setting a league record with 207 yards on his six punt returns.

For the Falcons, Steve Bartkowski was successful on 17 of his 38 throws for 214 yards that included three touchdowns as well as two interceptions. William Andrews (pictured below) rushed for 119 yards on 21 carries and scored twice and also caught 4 passes for another 35 yards. Alfred Jackson had 4 receptions as well, for 47 yards, while Wallace Francis gained 59 yards on his three catches.


Initially, Pat Haden’s leg was thought to be broken, but it proved to be strained ankle ligaments. Still, many on the LA side were angry about the play that knocked Haden out of the game.

“That play incited our team. It looked like the hit was late and low,” GM Don Klosterman said.

“It was a late hit. The whistle was late all day,” Coach Ray Malavasi added. “It is the officials’ responsibility to keep the game under control and they did a poor job of it.”

Haden suffered from injury problems the rest of the year (his last), as did many of the Rams, and the team’s performance suffered accordingly. While the win moved LA ahead of the Falcons in the NFC West, the Rams lost their next two games and won just twice more to finish a disappointing 6-10 and third in the division – their first losing record since 1972, which was also the last time they missed the playoffs. Just ahead of them was Atlanta at 7-9; the Falcons were in contention with three games left in the season, but lost them all, including one at Los Angeles.

The two touchdown returns against the Falcons gave LeRoy Irvin three on the season. He ended up running back 46 punts for a NFL-leading 615 yards and 13.4 average and was a consensus first-team All-Pro selection. Irvin developed into a star cornerback during his 11-year career, intercepting a total of 35 passes and gaining consensus first-team All-Pro consideration once more at that position as well as earning two Pro Bowl selections.