1985: Broncos Beat Chargers on Blocked FG in Overtime

The Denver Broncos were at 7-3 and on top of the AFC West as they hosted the San Diego Chargers on November 17, 1985 – a team they had lost badly to two weeks before. Coached by Dan Reeves, the Broncos featured third-year QB John Elway with a talented group of receivers led by Steve Watson while the ground game consisted of a running-backs-by-committee approach. The bend-but-don’t-break defense included SS Dennis Smith and CB Louis Wright (pictured above) – although their most notable accomplishments in this game would come on special teams.

The Chargers, coached by Don Coryell, featured a pass-oriented offense with QB Dan Fouts throwing to wide receivers Wes Chandler and Charlie Joiner. Star TE Kellen Winslow was returning from a major knee injury suffered during the previous season and RB Gary Anderson was now fully integrated into the offense after coming over from the USFL.

It was a sunny afternoon at Mile High Stadium with 74,376 fans in attendance.  The Chargers started off with a bang as Gary Anderson returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. Bob Thomas added the extra point for the early 7-0 lead.

The Broncos went three-and-out on their first series and, following the punt, San Diego accumulated three first downs on the way to the Denver 30. Dan Fouts completed three passes for 24 yards but the possession came to naught when Ralf Mojsiejenko’s 47-yard field goal attempt was blocked.

Following another short Denver series, Fouts again was moving the Chargers until a pass was intercepted by Louis Wright, who returned it 16 yards to give the Broncos good field position at the San Diego 44. The six-play drive, highlighted by John Elway throwing to RB Gene Lang for 24 yards, was capped by another Elway pass of four yards to WR Steve Watson for a TD. Rich Karlis tied the game with the extra point.

The next San Diego series featured Fouts throwing to TE Kellen Winslow for 26 yards and reached the Denver 31 before the veteran quarterback was again picked off, this time by DB Randy Robbins. However, two plays into the second quarter, it was Elway suffering an interception as FS Miles McPherson grabbed the long pass and returned it 30 yards to the Denver 12. Three plays later, Fouts threw to RB Lionel James for a 12-yard touchdown. The extra point was successfully added to again make it a seven-point contest.

The teams traded punts until, with just over two minutes remaining in the first half, the Chargers drove to the Denver 24, but a 41-yard field goal try by Thomas hit the right upright and was unsuccessful. The score remained 14-7 in favor of San Diego at the half.

After the teams exchanged punts to start the third quarter, the Broncos gained possession at their 13 and proceeded to methodically advance to the San Diego 10. Elway (pictured below) completed five passes, but they came up empty when Karlis was wide on a 28-yard field goal attempt. Two plays later, Denver got the ball back when Anderson fumbled. As the game moved into the fourth quarter, the home team concluded a four-play, 14-yard series with Lang running two yards up the middle for a TD. Karlis added the PAT and the game was tied once again.

Things went from bad to worse for the Chargers who no sooner got the ball back on offense when Fouts fumbled the snap and DE Andre Townsend recovered for Denver at the San Diego 19. Three plays later, it was Lang scoring again, this time from four yards out. Karlis converted and the Broncos had the lead for the first time.

Fouts went to the air five times on San Diego’s next series, hitting James three times for 32 yards. The drive finally stalled at the Denver 19 and Thomas kicked a 36-yard field goal to narrow the home team’s margin to four points.

Elway passed the Broncos down the field but was intercepted by LB Woodrow Lowe. The Chargers had to punt and, following the next Denver series, the Broncos lined up to do the same. However, Chris Norman’s kick was blocked by CB Wayne Davis. Starting at the Denver 24, the Chargers proceeded to score a touchdown in four plays, with RB Tim Spencer running the ball in from two yards out. Thomas made it a three-point lead game with the Chargers now back in front at 24-21.

There was just 1:09 remaining in regulation as the Broncos started their next series. Elway threw twice for 11 yards and then ran for five before tossing completions to RB Steve Sewell for six yards and WR Vance Johnson for 17 yards. A shovel pass by Elway to RB Sammy Winder was good for nine more yards and, with nine seconds left on the clock, Karlis booted a 34-yard field goal. The game went into overtime at 24-24.

The Chargers won the toss to receive the kickoff for the extra period and methodically moved down the field. James had a 16-yard run and Spencer converted on fourth-and-inches with a one-yard gain up the middle.  Fouts threw to Wes Chandler for 13 yards and Anderson gained six on the ground to reach the Denver 23. The drive stalled there but Thomas came on to attempt a 40-yard field goal to win the game. It appeared that the Chargers got a seemingly huge reprieve when the field goal try was blocked but they got the play back due to a timeout called by Denver right before the snap. However, on the re-try, Dennis Smith again blocked the kick and Wright picked up the loose ball, returning it 60 yards for a touchdown. There was no reprieve for the Chargers this time. In stunning fashion, the Broncos came away with a 30-24 win at 4:45 of overtime.

In a game in which plays by the special teams were so significant, San Diego held a slight edge in total yards (340 to 331) and first downs (22 to 21). The Chargers turned the ball over four times, to two suffered by Denver.

John Elway completed 28 of 50 passes for 261 yards and a touchdown while giving up two interceptions. Gene Lang rushed for 51 yards on 15 carries that included two TDs and also led the Broncos with 5 pass receptions, for 45 yards.  Vance Johnson compiled 48 yards on his four pass receptions.

For the Chargers, Dan Fouts was successful on 23 of 45 throws for 245 yards, with a TD and two interceptions. The versatile Lionel James (pictured at left) gained 64 yards on the ground in 15 carries and also caught 11 passes 93 more yards and a TD.

Don Coryell couldn’t believe how events transpired at the end: “The snap was a little high on the last field goal, but we got it down. It’s kind of ironic the way things turned out. We got the big break when they called the timeout, and it ends up working in their favor.”

The Broncos lost two of their next three games, both to the Raiders, and as a result finished second to that club in the AFC West with an 11-5 record and barely missed the postseason. San Diego came in fourth in the division at 8-8.

John Elway led the NFL with 605 pass attempts and ranked second in completions (327) and yards (3891), but also interceptions (23). Dan Fouts, heading in the opposite direction of Elway at age 34, led the league in yards per attempt (8.5) and was tied for second in touchdown passes (27). He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the sixth (and last) time.

Lionel James was a productive all-purpose performer throughout the season. Undersized at 5’6” and 170 pounds, he was nicknamed “Little Train” and set a new NFL record with 2535 total yards. That figure consisted of 515 on 105 rushing attempts, 1027 on 86 pass receptions, 213 on 25 punt returns, and 779 on 36 kickoff returns. It broke the previous record of 2462 set by Terry Metcalf of the Cardinals in 1974 and remained the standard until 2000, when Tennessee’s Derrick Mason accumulated 2690 yards.

1985: Krieg to Turner TDs Lead Seahawks Past Chargers

In two seasons under Head Coach Chuck Knox, the Seattle Seahawks had made it into the playoffs for the first time in the young club’s history. They had put together a 12-4 record in 1984, which was all the remarkable since they lost star RB Curt Warner to a season-ending injury in the opening week. Unheralded QB Dave Krieg (pictured at right) developed into a star in his first full year as the starter and had Pro Bowl WR Steve Largent to pass to while the defense was opportunistic, leading the league in interceptions and fumble recoveries. For the ’85 season, they had Warner back in the lineup and won their opening game against Cincinnati.

For Week 2 on September 15, 1985 the Seahawks traveled to San Diego to take on the Chargers. The Chargers, under Head Coach Don Coryell, were coming off a disappointing 7-9 record in ’84. However, they still had a potent passing offense directed by QB Dan Fouts and including wide receivers Charlie Joiner and Wes Chandler, plus all-purpose RB/WR Lionel James. They were still without star TE Kellen Winslow, who had suffered a major knee injury in 1984 (he would return at midseason), and the defense was suspect, but San Diego could not be taken lightly and had won its opening game as well.

It was a clear day at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium with 54,420 in attendance. Midway through the first quarter, the Chargers erupted with a 64-yard scoring drive in four plays. Fouts threw completions on every down, including 25 yards to Chandler and 19 yards to Lionel James, who then hauled in a seven-yard touchdown pass.

Following a three-and-out possession by the Seahawks, San Diego put together another series that put points on the board. Fouts again had a hot hand as he completed his first five passes, with Chandler pulling in three of them for 48 yards. But after getting to the Seattle four yard line, the drive stalled and Bob Thomas kicked a 21-yard field goal to make it 10-0.

Before the opening period was over, the Seahawks finally put together a scoring drive of six plays that covered 74 yards. Dave Krieg was successful on four passes, the last a 34-yard completion to WR Daryl Turner for a touchdown.

After the Chargers punted early in the second quarter, Seattle, with good field position, scored quickly thanks to three straight carries by Curt Warner (pictured at left), the last for three yards and the go-ahead TD. With the successful extra point, it was 14-10 in favor of the Seahawks.

The teams traded punts before San Diego came back with an 11-play, 80-yard drive. Fouts completed a pass to James for a 22-yard gain in a third-and-22 situation along the way and the series ended with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Joiner. NT Joe Nash blocked the extra point try, but the Chargers were back in front at 16-14.

The Seahawks moved back into San Diego territory on their next series when Krieg connected with Steve Largent for a 40-yard gain, but they were forced to punt three plays later when Krieg was sacked for an 11-yard loss on third down. The Chargers took just four plays to respond with another 80-yard possession that included James running for 17 yards on an end-around play, Fouts throwing to TE Eric Sievers for 29 yards, and Fouts then completing a 20-yard TD throw to Chandler. That was it for the first half scoring – San Diego had one last shot after a short Seattle series, but a 53-yard field goal attempt by Thomas on the final play before halftime was blocked following a bad snap.

Down 23-14, the Seahawks started off the third quarter with a 75-yard drive in 11 plays, ending with Largent catching a pass from Krieg for a six-yard touchdown. San Diego came right back as Fouts threw to Chandler for a 45-yard gain and, two plays later, to Sievers for 23 yards. He passed again to Sievers for a five-yard touchdown. Thomas missed the extra point attempt, but the Chargers were up by 29-21.

Seattle responded with another scoring drive, this time going 78 yards in six plays. Krieg threw to Largent for 17 yards and WR Byron Franklin for 28 before he connected with Turner for a 15-yard touchdown. With a successful PAT, San Diego’s lead was narrowed to one point at 29-28.

The Chargers were forced to punt on their next possession and the Seahawks scored more points. It took them five plays to cover 80 yards with Warner gaining 21 yards on a third-and-one carry and Krieg throwing to Largent for 20 yards and Turner once again for 30 yards and a touchdown. With the successful extra point, the Seahawks were ahead by the score of 35-29.

Things got worse for San Diego when safety John Harris intercepted a tipped Fouts pass. Helped along by a pass interference penalty, the Seahawks scored in five plays. Warner ran in from a yard out for the TD and it was 42-29 heading into the final period. Seattle had taken control of the game by putting 28 points on the board in the eventful third quarter.

The fourth quarter started off with another turnover by the Chargers as Fouts fumbled while being sacked by DE Jacob Green and LB Greg Gaines recovered. Warner ran the ball three straight times for 35 yards and Krieg threw once more to Turner for a seven-yard touchdown.

That, for all intents, finished off the Chargers. They scored a touchdown on a pass from backup QB Mark Herrmann to Charlie Joiner from a yard out and just 15 seconds remaining. Seattle, thanks to its second half barrage, won by a score of 49-35.

San Diego outgained the Seahawks (557 yards to 489) and had the edge in first downs (32 to 30). However, the Chargers also turned the ball over four times, while Seattle suffered no turnovers.

Dave Krieg completed 22 of 32 passes for 307 yards and five touchdowns with none intercepted – in the big third quarter alone, he was 12 of 14 for 192 yards. Daryl Turner (pictured below) was the receiving star with 7 catches for 121 yards and four of the TDs while Steve Largent contributed 6 receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown. Curt Warner also had a noteworthy day, rushing for 169 yards and two TDs on 28 carries and pulling in 5 passes for another 34 yards.

For the Chargers, a great day by Dan Fouts went for naught as he was successful on 29 of 43 throws for 440 yards and four touchdowns with one intercepted. Wes Chandler accounted for 243 of those yards on 13 catches that included a TD. Lionel James led the club in rushing with 41 yards on 8 carries, caught 6 passes for 96 yards and a TD, and added 153 combined kick return yards to end up with 290 all-purpose yards.

“Dan Fouts was as hot as a pistol,” said Chuck Knox afterward. “He’s one of the greatest passers, in my opinion, in the history of the game. We just tried to put more pressure on him in the second half.”

Despite the promising beginning, the Seahawks lost their next two games, and that was precisely the pattern they followed for the remainder of their disappointing 8-8 season – the same record that San Diego finished with.

Dave Krieg passed for 3602 yards with 27 touchdown passes. Both he and Dan Fouts, who missed two games due to injury but still threw for 3638 yards, tossed 27 TD passes and 20 interceptions and, tellingly, were each sacked 52 times, which ranked third in the league.

Steve Largent had another Pro Bowl season (his fifth) with 79 catches for 1287 yards (16.3 avg.) and six touchdowns. Daryl Turner caught 34 passes for 670 yards (19.7 avg.) and remained a potent scoring threat, tallying 13 TDs. Curt Warner made a successful comeback as he rushed for 1094 yards and caught 47 passes for 307 more.

Wes Chandler was a Pro Bowl selection (for the fourth time) after catching 67 passes for 1199 yards (17.9 avg.) and 10 touchdowns. Lionel James continued to have big overall yardage totals as he set a new NFL record with 2535 all-purpose yards (516 rushing, 1027 receiving, 213 returning punts, 779 returning kickoffs).