1939: Champion Giants Win First Pro All-Star Game

While the Pro Bowl dates back to the 1950 season as the NFL’s annual postseason all-star game, there was an earlier version called the Pro All-Star Game. The first was held on January 15, 1939 at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, better known as a minor league baseball ballpark.

Referred to in the media as the first “professional bowl football game”, the format was different than that of the Pro Bowl. Instead of being a matchup of the top players from two different conferences, the Pro All-Star Game featured the winner of the NFL Championship game against a squad of stars from the rest of the league. In the case of the first contest, the New York Giants faced an All-Star roster that was filled by not only players from the other NFL teams, but from two local independent pro football clubs, the Los Angeles Bulldogs and Hollywood Stars. Game proceeds were donated to the Salvation Army.

There was a disappointing crowd estimated at around 20,000 on hand on a bleak and cold day, with fog covering much of the Los Angeles basin. The starting backfield for the All-Stars consisted of Washington tailback Sammy Baugh, FB Clarke Hinkle of the Packers, QB Ernie Pinckert of the Redskins, and Detroit HB Lloyd Cardwell. Starting linemen included ends Gaynell Tinsley of the Cardinals and Perry Schwartz of Brooklyn, tackles Bruiser Kinard of the Dodgers and Joe Stydahar of the Bears, guards Byron Gentry of Pittsburgh and Pete Mehringer of the LA Bulldogs, and Detroit center John Wiatrak. The team was coached by Washington’s Ray Flaherty and Gus Henderson of the Lions.

The Giants, coached by Steve Owen, had gone 8-2-1 during the 1938 season and defeated the Packers by a score of 23-17 for the NFL title. Center Mel Hein was the league’s MVP, QB Ed Danowski (pictured above) was an All-Pro and one of the better passers, and FB Tuffy Leemans was the second-leading rusher (463 yards). New York had a deep and talented club.

Despite the array of outstanding players, the first half was unexciting, and both sides were especially ragged during the first quarter. The Giants finally scored in the second quarter as Len “Feets” Barnum kicked an 18-yard field goal following an interception at midfield by LB/FB Johnny “Bull” Karcis. The All-Stars came back to tie the score with a 19-yard field goal by Green Bay’s Ernie Smith with 20 seconds left in the half after driving from their 35.


Following a missed 47-yard field goal attempt by New York’s Ward Cuff in the third quarter, the All-Stars took over at their 20. Baugh threw a 10-yard pass to Schwartz and then, on second and inches, a pass to Cardwell (pictured at left), who caught it at the New York 40 and ran the rest of the way for a 70-yard touchdown in the game’s most spectacular play. Joe Stydahar kicked the extra point to give the All-Stars a 10-3 lead.

Late in the same period, the Giants began a 73-yard drive that carried over into the fourth quarter. Danowski completed five straight passes with the last one being a 32-yard scoring throw to end Chuck Gelatka at the goal line. Cuff kicked the tying extra point.

The All-Stars moved deep into Giants territory on a drive that featured the running of FB Johnny Drake of the Rams and Green Bay tailback Cecil Isbell. However, they came up empty when a 21-yard field goal try was partially blocked.


With less than five minutes remaining in the game, Rams tailback Ed Goddard fumbled a punt inside his own 20 that G Orville Tuttle recovered for the Giants. Leemans ran three times for seven yards and then Cuff (pictured at right) kicked a 20-yard field goal. The Giants held on to win, 13-10.

New York had the edge in first downs over the All-Stars, 13 to 10. Ed Danowski completed 9 of 13 passes to overshadow Sammy Baugh, who was successful on 4 of 9.

There was much disappointment over the low turnout and comments in the newspapers to the effect that Los Angeles was not yet a major league pro football venue.

“They told me the game would turn the customers away,” Giants owner Tim Mara said, “and I believed 'em. So I brought the team out and the game cost me plenty of money, not to mention the tough afternoons I had at Santa Anita (a local racetrack).”

Despite the complaints, the next two Pro All-Star games were held in Los Angeles, although at Gilmore Stadium rather than Wrigley Field. The last two games of the series, following the 1941 and ’42 seasons, were held in New York and Philadelphia, respectively, due to World War II restrictions on crowd-drawing events in West Coast cities that might be vulnerable to attack. In all, the NFL champions won four of the games, the All-Stars one.

1968: Packers Beat Raiders in Super Bowl II

Head Coach Vince Lombardi had guided the Green Bay Packers to five NFL championships in nine seasons, including three straight from 1965-67. Having beaten the Dallas Cowboys in a dramatic NFL Championship game on a frigid day at Lambeau Field, he now looked to cap his tenure with a second Super Bowl win over the AFL champions, the Oakland Raiders.

The Packers were a solid and seasoned club, having overcome a slow start in '67 by QB Bart Starr (pictured above) due to injuries at the beginning of the season, and the loss of HB Elijah Pitts and FB Jim Grabowski along the way. But Lombardi filled in with players like fullbacks Ben Wilson and Chuck Mercein, and there were familiar names throughout the roster, including Pro Bowlers in split end Boyd Dowler, G Jerry Kramer, OT Forrest Gregg, DE Willie Davis, LB Dave Robinson, FS Willie Wood, and cornerbacks Herb Adderley and Bob Jeter.

The team they would be facing on January 14, 1968 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, the Raiders, was in the postseason for the first time. Coached by John Rauch and operated by managing general partner Al Davis, Oakland profited from an offseason trade with Buffalo that brought QB Daryle Lamonica to the team. Lamonica, a highly-regarded backup with the Bills for four years, was outstanding as he led the league in passing and touchdown passes (30) while throwing for 3228 yards, and was named AFL Player of the Year by the Associated Press and UPI. He was not the only newcomer who made good – CB Willie Brown was obtained from the Broncos and had an All-AFL season, and 40-year-old George Blanda provided depth at quarterback and reliable placekicking. Rookie G Gene Upshaw joined young veterans having breakout years like flanker Fred Biletnikoff and FB Hewritt Dixon, and stalwarts such as center Jim Otto and G Wayne Hawkins.

The Raiders won the Western Division with a 13-1 record and decimated the Oilers in the league title game. The Packers were nevertheless 14-point favorites.

Attendance at the first Super Bowl in Los Angeles had been disappointing, but there were 75,546 fans filling the Orange Bowl for the second contest (still not officially called the Super Bowl). Oakland received the opening kickoff and proceeded to go three-and-out. The Packers responded by driving 34 yards in 11 plays on their first possession, capped by a 39-yard field goal by Don Chandler.

The Raiders nearly made it to midfield on their next possession, and Mike Eischeid’s punt traveled 45 yards before going out of bounds at the Green Bay three yard line. The Packers proceeded to methodically drive 84 yards in 16 plays, running 8:40 off the clock and highlighted by Starr’s 16-yard pass completion to flanker Carroll Dale and 14-yard run on a broken play. The long possession was capped in the second quarter by another Chandler field goal, this time from 20 yards, for a 6-0 lead.

Following another short Oakland possession, Starr fired a pass to Dowler who blew past CB Kent McCloughan and ran unencumbered the rest of the way for a 62-yard touchdown (pictured below). With the score now 13-0, Lamonica directed the Raiders on a nine-play drive that covered 78 yards and ended with a 23-yard touchdown pass to split end Bill Miller.


Green Bay took over at its own 15 yard line following the ensuing kickoff and DT Tom Keating’s sack of Starr drove the Packers backward. Donny Anderson’s 45-yard punt was returned 12 yards by safety Rodger Bird to give Oakland good field position at the Green Bay 40. However, the Raiders offense went three-and-out and George Blanda’s 47-yard field goal attempt was short.

Following another short Green Bay possession, Anderson punted again but this time Bird fumbled after signaling a fair catch and TE/LB Dick Capp recovered for the Packers at the Oakland 45. Chandler kicked a 43-yard field goal in the final seconds of the half and the Packers took a 16-7 lead into the intermission.

The Packers pulled away in the third quarter, much as they had done against the Chiefs in the first Super Bowl. Following a trade of punts to start the half, Green Bay drove 82 yards in 11 plays, highlighted by Ben Wilson’s 13-yard opening run on a draw play, a pass from Starr to split end Max McGee that covered 35 yards, an 11-yard Starr completion to Dale on a third-and-nine play, and a 12-yard pass completion to HB Donny Anderson. Anderson capped it all with a two-yard touchdown run and the Packers held a 23-7 lead.

Following another three-and-out possession by the Raiders, Green Bay put together another long drive that ended in Chandler’s fourth field goal, from 31 yards, with two seconds remaining in the period. The Packers now had a commanding lead of 26-7 with just a quarter to play.

The fourth quarter began with HB Pete Banaszak fumbling after catching a pass from Lamonica and Dave Robinson recovering for Green Bay. After a short possession by the Packers, the Raiders got the ball back and this time another turnover added the final nail to Oakland’s coffin as Lamonica was intercepted by Adderley (pictured below), who returned it 60 yards for a touchdown.


The Raiders came back to score on the next possession, again on a Lamonica pass to Miller that covered 23 yards, but it was too little, too late. Starr had to leave the game due to a jammed thumb, with veteran backup QB Zeke Bratkowski taking over to mop up, but the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Green Bay won its second Super Bowl by a score of 33-14.

The Packers outgained Oakland (322 yards to 293), including 160 yards on the ground, and led in first downs by 19 to 16. The efficient NFL champions didn’t beat themselves, suffering no turnovers and being penalized just once. The Raiders turned the ball over three times.

Bart Starr completed 13 of 24 passes for 202 yards with a touchdown and was again named MVP of the game. Ben Wilson ran for 62 yards on 17 carries, followed by Donny Anderson with 48 yards on 14 attempts and HB Travis Williams, who contributed 36 yards on 8 runs. Carroll Dale caught four passes for 43 yards and TE Marv Fleming also caught four, for 35 yards, while Boyd Dowler led the Packers in receiving yards, thanks to his long touchdown reception, with 71 on two catches.

For the Raiders, Daryle Lamonica completed 15 of 34 passes for 208 yards with two TDs and one picked off. Bill Miller (pictured below) caught 5 passes for 84 yards and scored both of the club’s touchdowns. Hewritt Dixon was the leading ground gainer with 54 yards on 12 carries.


“We're a young team,” John Rauch said. “I was happy with the fact that at no point in the game did we give up. It's characteristic of our team. We hope to continue with our program and get better.”

The game was the last for Max McGee, hero of the first Super Bowl and 12-year veteran who caught one 35-yard pass against the Raiders, and Don Chandler, who booted the four field goals to end his 12-season career as a placekicker/punter (with the Giants as well as Green Bay) on a high note. But another departure for the Packers was the most significant of all.

A few days after the game, Vince Lombardi confirmed what was widely rumored and stepped down as head coach, although he remained the general manager for another year. It marked the end of a remarkable coaching tenure for the man whose name became attached to the trophy presented each season to the Super Bowl-winning team.

List of the Day: Progression of Individual Season TD Pass Record

Tom Brady

NOTE: While the NFL adopted AFL (1960-69) records retroactively at the time of the 1970 merger, I have chosen to treat the AFL as a separate entity. The NFL list reflects that distinction.

NFL
7- Elmer Oliphant, Buffalo All-Americans, 1921

9- Hoge Workman, Cleveland Bulldogs, 1924
9- Red Dunn, Chicago Cardinals, 1925

11- Benny Friedman, Cleveland Bulldogs, 1927

20- Benny Friedman, New York Giants, 1929

24- Cecil Isbell, Green Bay Packers, 1942

28- Sid Luckman, Chicago Bears, 1943

32- Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts, 1959
32- Sonny Jurgensen, Philadelphia Eagles, 1961

33- Y.A. Tittle, New York Giants, 1962

36- Y.A. Tittle, New York Giants, 1963

48- Dan Marino, Miami Dolphins, 1984

49- Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts, 2004

50- Tom Brady, New England Patriots, 2007


Benny Friedman



Dan Marino



Peyton Manning

AFL (1926)
9- George Pease, New York Yankees


AFL (1936-37)
9- Hank Soar, Boston Shamrocks, 1936


AFL (1940-41)
5- Bill Hutchinson, New York Yankees, 1940
5- Al Novakofski, Milwaukee Chiefs, 1940
5- Andy Karpus, New York/Buffalo, 1941


AAFC (1946-49)
17- Otto Graham, Cleveland Browns, 1946

25- Otto Graham, Cleveland Browns, 1947

29- Frankie Albert, San Francisco 49ers, 1948


Frankie Albert

AFL (1960-69)
26- Al Dorow, New York Titans, 1960

36- George Blanda, Houston Oilers, 1961


George Blanda

WFL (1974-75)
31- Jim Corcoran, Philadelphia Bell, 1974


USFL (1983-85)
27- Bobby Hebert, Michigan Panthers, 1983

44- Jim Kelly, Houston Gamblers, 1984


XFL (2001)
18- Tommy Maddox, Los Angeles Xtreme


Jim "King" Corcoran



Jim Kelly

1975: Steelers Beat Vikings in Super Bowl IX for First Title

From the time they joined the NFL in 1933 through the 1973 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers had not won a championship or even played in a title game. They had been in the postseason on three occasions in 39 years, and two of those were in 1972 and ’73. But in 1974, the Steelers went 10-3-1 to top the AFC Central, triumphed easily in the Divisional playoff round over Buffalo, and then defeated the Raiders in the AFC Championship game to advance to Super Bowl IX at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans on January 12, 1975.

The heart of the Steelers, coached by Chuck Noll, was the strong defense. The “Steel Curtain” line of ends L.C. Greenwood and Dwight White and tackles Joe Greene and Ernie Holmes was outstanding. Outside linebackers Andy Russell and Jack Ham were joined by rookie MLB Jack Lambert, and the backfield led by FS Glen Edwards was talented as well. The ground-oriented offense featured FB Franco Harris (pictured above), who was paired with HB Rocky Bleier. Fifth-year QB Terry Bradshaw was still a work in progress, lost the starting job at the beginning of the season to Joe Gilliam, but regained it halfway through the schedule and showed improvement.

Facing Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl were the Minnesota Vikings, coached by Bud Grant. They had been participants the previous year, losing to the Miami Dolphins, and finished the ’74 season with a 10-4 record to again top the NFC Central. From there, the Vikings had soundly beaten the Cardinals in the Divisional playoff game and then just got past the Rams for the conference title. 34-year-old QB Fran Tarkenton was the key to the offense that also included Pro Bowl WR John Gilliam and multitalented FB Chuck Foreman, who ran for 777 yards and caught 53 passes for 586 more. The veteran defense was sound and featured DE Carl Eller, DT Alan Page, and FS Paul Krause.

There were 80,997 fans in attendance on a chilly and windy day in New Orleans, and they saw a game that featured defense and ball control – especially by the Steelers. The Pittsburgh defense kept the Vikings in poor field position, particularly in the first half. However, the Steelers offense controlled the ball well but couldn’t score points. A possession midway through the first quarter resulted in a missed 37-yard field goal attempt by Roy Gerela, and the next time the Steelers had the ball they put together an eight-play drive to the Minnesota 16 that came up empty when, on another field goal attempt, holder Bobby Walden fumbled a bad snap and had to fall on the ball.

The Vikings got a break in the second quarter when Bleier fumbled the ball away at the Pittsburgh 24 yard line. But they went nowhere in three plays and Fred Cox was wide to the right on a 39-yard field goal attempt.

Late in the second quarter, a pitchout to HB Dave Osborn was fumbled and rolled into the end zone. Tarkenton recovered and was pounced upon by the Pittsburgh defense for a safety (pictured below) - the first in Super Bowl history, and the first points of the game.


After a short possession by the Steelers, the Vikings responded with a good drive, but a pass from Tarkenton intended for Gilliam was batted away from the receiver by Edwards and intercepted by CB Mel Blount. The score remained 2-0 in favor of Pittsburgh at the half.

The first touchdown for the Steelers came four plays after FB Bill Brown fumbled the squibbed second half kickoff, which was recovered by LB Marv Kellum at the Minnesota 30. Bleier was stopped for no gain, but then Harris ran for 24 yards. After being thrown for a loss on his next carry, Harris ran nine yards around end for a touchdown.

On the ensuing series, the Vikings picked up nine yards, six on a pass to Foreman, and faced a fourth-and-one situation at their own 37. The offense stayed on the field and Tarkenton went into a long count to try and draw the defense offside. There were indeed flags thrown, but both teams were ruled offside, resulting in offsetting penalties; Bud Grant elected to take no further chances and punted.

On the next series, Tarkenton threw a pass that was batted back to him. Startled, he then tossed to Gilliam for what would have been a 41-yard gain, but drew a penalty for an illegal second forward pass on the play. While Tarkenton later connected with TE Stu Voigt for 28 yards, the drive ended at midfield when another batted pass was intercepted by Greene. The tally remained 9-0 after three periods.

Early in the fourth quarter, after Krause recovered a fumble by Pittsburgh’s Harris near midfield, an interference call on SS Mike Wagner gave the Vikings a first down and goal at the Pittsburgh five. However, on the next play Foreman fumbled and Greene recovered for the Steelers.

The Steelers were unable to get a first down and had to punt from their own end zone. The resulting kick by Walden was blocked by LB Matt Blair and recovered by DB Terry Brown for a Vikings touchdown, although Cox missed the extra point when it struck the left upright. Still, Pittsburgh’s lead was narrowed to 9-6.

With ten minutes to play, the Steelers launched a 12-play, 66-yard drive that resulted in a four-yard TD pass from Bradshaw to TE Larry Brown. The key play along the way was a pass to Brown for 30 yards to the Pittsburgh 42 in which it appeared that the receiver fumbled the ball away to the Vikings when hit, but the officials ruled that he was down before losing the ball.

Tarkenton was immediately intercepted by Wagner, and the Steelers were able to run the clock down to 37 seconds before Minnesota’s offense got the ball back, by which time it was too late. The Steelers had won their first championship by a score of 16-6.

Pittsburgh dominated the Vikings statistically, outgaining them by 333 yards to 119. In particular, the Steelers gained 249 yards on the ground to a mere 17, on 21 carries, for Minnesota.

While Pittsburgh’s front four didn’t sack Tarkenton, they harassed him all game, forcing him to throw on the run and blocking four passes as well as intercepting three. Dwight White played despite being down with viral pneumonia during the week preceding the game.

Franco Harris was the game’s MVP, keying Pittsburgh’s strong running game with 158 yards on 34 carries with one TD. Rocky Bleier added another 65 yards on 17 attempts, and even Terry Bradshaw outrushed the Vikings with 33 yards on five runs. Bradshaw (pictured below) didn’t throw often but was effective when he did, completing 9 of 14 passes for 96 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Larry Brown caught three passes for 49 yards and a TD and WR John Stallworth also caught three, gaining 24 yards.


For Minnesota, Fran Tarkenton was successful on only 11 of 26 passes for 102 yards with three picked off. Chuck Foreman caught 5 passes for 50 yards and led the club’s anemic running game with 18 yards on 12 attempts. Only one completion was made to a wide receiver, and that was to John Gilliam for 16 yards.

It was an especially sweet win for the long-time owner of the Steelers, Art Rooney, on the cusp of his 74th birthday. “I'm grateful to the players, to Chuck Noll and all the coaches, and to our entire organization,” said an emotional Rooney afterward. “It is great for me and for Pittsburgh. Our players are a great bunch of fellows. I'm not surprised they won.”

“I'm really proud of this football team,” said Chuck Noll. “We came in with the idea of getting the job done and let nothing stand in our way. It's especially fitting that in a championship game our defense shut out the champions of the National Football Conference. I can't think of anything more fitting.”

“It wasn't a very good football game,” summed up Bud Grant from the Minnesota perspective. “There were enough chances for both teams to win a number of times with all the penalties, interceptions and official fumbles.”

“We lost to a better team,” admitted Tarkenton. “We had our chances. Pittsburgh has a super defensive team. They controlled the game. We're not frustrated or dejected. We came to win and we couldn't do it.”

The Steelers went on to repeat as NFL champions in 1975, and won twice more before the decade was over. Minnesota continued to dominate the NFC Central, returning to the Super Bowl following the ’76 season but losing once again.

2004: Eagles Convert 4th-and-26, Force Overtime, and Beat Packers

The NFC Divisional playoff game on January 11, 2004 was the first to be played at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field as the host Eagles, NFC East champions in 2003 with a 12-4 record, took on the 10-6 Green Bay Packers, who had finished atop the NFC North.

The Eagles, under fifth-year Head Coach Andy Reid (a former Green Bay assistant), had won the division title and made it to the conference title game in each of the previous two seasons, but had struggled early in ’03. They were badly beaten in their first two contests and had a 2-3 record before reeling off nine straight wins. QB Donovan McNabb (pictured below right) suffered from a bruised thumb to start the year and was ineffective through the first six games, but came on strong in the second half along with the rest of the club. The three-headed running attack of Duce Staley, Brian Westbrook (who would be out for the playoffs due to an arm injury suffered in the season finale), and Correll Buckhalter was effective, combining for 1618 yards rushing and 83 pass receptions, although the wide receivers were average, at best. Defensively, star FS Brian Dawkins had missed nine games with a foot injury, but was healthy for the playoffs, while DT Corey Simon and CB Troy Vincent turned in Pro Bowl seasons.

Green Bay was coached for the fourth year by Mike Sherman and, as had been the case since 1992, featured 34-year-old QB Brett Favre, who passed for 3361 yards and a league-leading 32 touchdowns, but also 21 interceptions. WR Donald Driver and Pro Bowl TE Bubba Franks led the receiving corps, while RB Ahman Green ran for an NFC-leading 1883 yards.


It was a cold night in the teens with 67,707 fans in attendance at the new stadium. Neither club was able to generate much offense initially, with the Eagles failing to get a first down on any of their first three possessions. The Packers got a break when McNabb fumbled and LB Nick Barnett recovered. On the next play, Favre threw to WR Robert Ferguson for a 40-yard touchdown.

Eagles WR James Thrash returned the ensuing kickoff 36 yards and McNabb took off on a 41-yard run down to the Green Bay 15 on Philadelphia’s first play. However, the drive stalled and David Akers missed on a 33-yard field goal attempt. The Packers responded with an eight-play, 86-yard drive that included a 26-yard run by Green. Favre again hit Ferguson with a scoring pass, this time of 17 yards, and Green Bay had a 14-0 lead after one quarter of play.

The teams traded punts as the game moved into the second quarter. McNabb hit on five passes in a six-play drive that covered 77 yards and included a 45-yard completion to WR Todd Pinkston that in turn set up a seven-yard TD pass to Staley.

Green Bay came back with a drive deep into Eagles territory, but after getting a first-and-goal at the four yard line, the defense held and, when Green was stopped for no gain on a fourth down play at the one, Philadelphia regained possession. The first half ended with the Packers leading by 14-7.

Both offenses bogged down again in the third quarter, but as the period was winding down the Eagles, starting at their 11 yard line, began to drive. McNabb was successful on passes of 23 yards to TE L.J. Smith, 10 yards to Pinkston, and 15 to Staley. The fifth-year quarterback had started the drive with a 13-yard carry and he ran again, for 24 yards down to the Green Bay 36, as the period came to an end. On the first play of the fourth quarter, McNabb, barely scrambling out of trouble, threw to Pinkston for a 12-yard touchdown and, with the successful PAT by Akers, the game was tied at 14-14.

The teams traded punts before Favre completed a pass to WR Javon Walker for a 44-yard gain to the Philadelphia seven. The Packers had to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell, but had regained the lead at 17-14. The Eagles punted again following their next possession, and Green Bay put together a drive that burned over six minutes off the clock. But with fourth-and-one at the Philadelphia 41, Coach Sherman elected to punt rather than risk another failure to convert a fourth down.

Following Josh Bidwell’s kick, the Eagles got the ball on their own 20 with 2:21 remaining in regulation. Staley took off on a 22-yard run, but then McNabb threw an incomplete pass, was sacked for a 16-yard loss, and tossed another incompletion. With the ball on the Philadelphia 26 and facing a fourth-and-26 situation, it appeared that the Eagles’ season was practically over. However, McNabb completed a pass to WR Freddie Mitchell, in the midst of two defenders, for a 28-yard gain and an improbable first down (pictured at top).

The Eagles continued their drive to the Green Bay 19, and with five seconds remaining Akers booted a 37-yard field goal to tie the contest at 17-17 and send it into overtime.

Philadelphia received the kickoff in the sudden death period and went three-and-out. But Favre threw a long, high pass that was intercepted by Dawkins and returned 35 yards to the Green Bay 34. Six plays later, Akers kicked a 31-yard field goal and the Eagles came away with a 20-17 win.

For the most part, the team statistics reflected the closeness of the outcome. The Packers had the most yards (381 to 363) while Philadelphia had the edge in first downs (19 to 16). Both teams turned the ball over once. But the Packers sacked McNabb eight times, while the Eagles got to Favre only once.

Despite the punishing pass rush, Donovan McNabb completed 21 of 39 passes for 248 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and also ran for 107 yards on 11 carries, a NFL playoff-record rushing performance for a quarterback. Todd Pinkston caught 7 passes for 95 yards and a TD. Duce Staley led the running backs with 45 yards on five attempts and also caught three passes for 26 yards and a score.


Brett Favre was successful on 15 of 28 passes for 180 yards and two TDs against the one big interception. Ahman Green (pictured at left) ran for 156 yards on 25 carries, although the yard he failed to get on the fourth down play at the goal line in the second quarter had a profound effect on the outcome. Robert Ferguson led Green Bay’s receivers with 4 catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns.

“I tried to beat my man across from me and just go deep, and I went deep,” Mitchell said of the fourth-and-26 pass play. “I didn't see the guy on top of me but Donovan read that and threw a back shoulder to me and I saw it in the air and I made a play.”

“That shouldn't have happened,” Green Bay DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila said. “But it did.”

The dramatic win didn’t translate into success the following week for the Eagles, however, as they lost their third consecutive NFC Championship game, this time to the Carolina Panthers.

For Freddie Mitchell, the big catch against the Packers was the highlight of an otherwise-disappointing career in Philadelphia. The Eagles’ first round draft pick in 2001 out of UCLA, he ended up with a total of 90 receptions for 1263 yards and five touchdowns, and was released following the 2004 season, effectively ending his NFL career. But for one play, he reached the heights that had been expected of him.

1982: 49ers Defeat Cowboys for NFC Title on Montana to Clark TD

The NFC Championship game at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park on January 10, 1982 brought together two franchises with different histories – and heading in divergent directions. The visiting Dallas Cowboys were no stranger to the upper echelons of the postseason - since the restructuring due to the AFL/NFL merger in 1970, they had appeared in eight NFC title games, winning five of them, and had prevailed in two of the ensuing Super Bowls. The host 49ers had never won a championship, dating all the way back to the team’s origins in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) of 1946-49. San Francisco had five postseason appearances in the preceding 35 years, losing the AAFC title to the Browns in 1949 and NFC title games to the Cowboys following the 1970 and ’71 seasons.

The Cowboys, under venerable Head Coach Tom Landry, won the NFC East with a 12-4 record. While they lost to the 49ers along the way, they had won four of their last five regular season games and decimated the Buccaneers in the Divisional playoff round. QB Danny White had a solid season, ranking second in the league in passing, and RB Tony Dorsett ran for 1646 yards. Two rookies in the defensive backfield paid dividends as CB Everson Walls led the NFL with 11 interceptions and FS Michael Downs contributed seven pickoffs. Dallas was a strong, consistently solid club, and was expected to contend.


San Francisco had not been expected to jump so high after four straight losing seasons. However, in the third year under innovative Head Coach Bill Walsh, the 49ers broke out in a big way, going 13-3 to win the NFC West. The emergence of third-year QB Joe Montana (pictured at right) had been the key as he led the NFL in passing and ran the complex West Coast offense with a cool precision. The running game was ordinary, but WR Dwight Clark was a dependable, if not speedy, target and the offensive line, led by G Randy Cross, stepped up. Two veterans, LB Jack “Hacksaw” Reynolds and DE Fred Dean, contributed significantly to the defense, as did the backfield that contained three rookie starters – most notably CB Ronnie Lott, who achieved All-Pro recognition in his first year. The Niners had easily beaten the Giants in the Divisional round to advance to the conference title game.

The 49ers drove to the first score of the day, an eight-yard touchdown pass from Montana to WR Freddie Solomon in the first quarter. Dallas came back with a 44-yard field goal by Rafael Septien and then, following a fumble by San Francisco RB Bill Ring, the Cowboys struck again as White connected with WR Tony Hill for a 26-yard TD. The score was 10-7 in favor of Dallas after one quarter.

The Niners regained the lead in the second quarter when Montana, throwing while falling down, hit Clark for a 20-yard touchdown. But as the game settled into a back-and-forth affair, the Cowboys again came back on an 80-yard drive, including a pass interference call on Lott that gained 34 yards, and was capped by a five-yard scoring run by Dorsett. Dallas took a 17-14 lead into halftime.

The teams exchanged turnovers in the third quarter. Following San Francisco LB Bobby Leopold’s interception of a tipped pass, the 49ers went back ahead when RB Johnny Davis ran for a two-yard TD.

Early in the fourth quarter, Septien cut the San Francisco margin to 21-20 with a 22-yard field goal. Another fumble by the Niners, this time RB Walt Easley, gave Dallas the ball at midfield. Four plays later, a 21-yard scoring pass from White to TE Doug Cosbie made the score 27-21 and put the Cowboys in a commanding position with time running down.

Walls intercepted a Montana pass on the next possession, but the Cowboys were unable to move the ball and punted. With 4:54 left on the clock, San Francisco took over at its 11 yard line. Using short passes and runs by RB Lenvil Elliott, the 49ers moved methodically down the field. Coming out of the two-minute warning, they ran Solomon on a reverse, and he picked up 14 yards to the Dallas 35. Despite a heavy Dallas pass rush, Montana completed passes of 10 yards to Clark and 12 to Solomon. Elliott took off around end for a seven-yard gain.

San Francisco faced a third-and-three situation at the Dallas six with time down to 58 seconds. Montana took the snap and rolled to his right. With DE Larry Bethea about to hit him and his primary receiver (Solomon) covered, he fired an off-balance pass that was high and to the outside of Clark, coming across the back of the end zone. The 6’4” receiver leaped and grabbed the ball for a touchdown (pictured at top). With the successful extra point by Ray Wersching, the 49ers clung to a one-point lead.

The Cowboys got the ball back with 51 seconds still to go, and it seemed as though they might yet pull off a comeback of their own. White fired a pass to WR Drew Pearson that covered 31 yards to the San Francisco 44, where he was pulled down by CB Eric Wright. However, on the next play DT Lawrence Pillers caused White to fumble, and DE Jim Stuckey recovered for the Niners. San Francisco was on the way to its first Super Bowl appearance by a score of 28-27.

The 49ers outgained Dallas (393 yards to 250) and had more first downs (26 to 16). However, they also turned the ball over six times, to three by the Cowboys, which nearly proved fatal.

Joe Montana completed 22 of 35 passes for 286 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions (two by Everson Walls). Dwight Clark caught 8 passes for 120 yards and the two big TDs while Freddie Solomon contributed 6 receptions for 75 yards and a score. Lenvil Elliott led the Niners with 48 yards on 10 carries.

For the Cowboys, Danny White (pictured below) was successful on 16 of 24 passes for 173 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Tony Dorsett, who had to sit out three series in the first half due to an eye injury, gained 91 yards on 22 rushing attempts. RB James Jones, RB Ron Springs, and TE Billy Joe DuPree each caught three passes, while Tony Hill’s 43 yards on two receptions, including a TD, led the club.


“I was split out right,” Clark said in recounting the decisive touchdown pass. “Both Freddie (Solomon) and I go down into the end zone and slide back on the end line. The two defensive backs who were on me were watching Joe and when he scrambled out I just slid down the end line and got a step on them. When the ball went up it was just a matter of me going up and getting it. Joe put it in a place where it was either going to be caught by me or be incomplete. There was no chance of an interception.”

“The 49ers aren't a better team than us, but the game ended at the right time for them,” summed up Tom Landry.

“It's kind of like driving a car off the end of a cliff,” said Dallas safety Charlie
Waters, following what was the final game of his eleven-year career. “All I will remember is that they drove 89 yards on us.”

San Francisco went on to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals, another upstart team, in the Super Bowl. It would be the first of four during the decade of the ‘80s, all with Montana at quarterback and three with Walsh as head coach. While Dallas would return to the postseason in three of the next four years, they would not make it back to a Super Bowl until the game following the 1992 season.

1977: Raiders Dominate Vikings in Super Bowl XI

Super Bowl XI on January 9, 1977 featured two teams that had a history of contending but coming up short in the postseason. The Oakland Raiders had been to the Super Bowl once before, as champions of the AFL following the 1967 season, and had made it to the playoffs in seven of the eight years following without winning a title. The Minnesota Vikings had also been in the postseason in seven of the previous eight campaigns, but had made it to the Super Bowl on three occasions - once having won the NFL title in 1969 and twice after the merger as representatives of the NFC. However, they had come up empty each time.

Oakland, coached by John Madden, easily won the AFC West for the fifth straight year with an NFL-best 13-1 record. QB Ken “The Snake” Stabler (pictured above) had an outstanding season, leading the league in passing (103.4 rating), touchdown passes (27), completion percentage (66.7), and yards per attempt (9.4). Deep-threat WR Cliff Branch caught 46 passes and ranked second in the league in yards (1111) and first in TD receptions (12). 33-year-old WR Fred Biletnikoff contributed 43 catches, while All-Pro TE Dave Casper led the team with 53 receptions, 10 of which were for scores. FB Mark van Eeghen ran for 1012 yards. Defensively, the team successfully converted to a 3-4 alignment and had a key acquisition in DE John Matuszak to go along with veteran linebackers Phil Villapiano and Ted Hendricks, CB Willie Brown, and safeties Jack Tatum and George Atkinson.

The Vikings were coached for the tenth season by Bud Grant and compiled an 11-2-1 tally to top the NFC Central. 36-year-old QB Fran Tarkenton put together a typically strong showing, throwing for an NFC-leading 2961 yards and 17 touchdowns while posting the league’s lowest interception percentage (1.9). He was helped by the performance of two new wide receivers, veteran Ahmad Rashad and rookie Sammy White. RB Chuck Foreman ran for 1155 yards and pulled in 55 passes for 567 more. The aging defense was still effective and contained such stalwarts as ends Carl Eller and Jim Marshall, DT Alan Page, MLB Jeff Siemon, and FS Paul Krause.

The Raiders defeated the Patriots in the Divisional round and Pittsburgh for the AFC title while Minnesota handily beat the Redskins and Rams, respectively, for the NFC Championship.

There were 100,421 fans present at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Oakland’s opening drive covered 55 yards to the Minnesota 11, but the Raiders came up empty when Errol Mann’s 29-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright and was no good.

With about five minutes left in the first period, Minnesota LB Fred McNeill blocked a punt by Ray Guy (the first time in Guy’s pro career that he had a kick blocked) and recovered the ball at the Oakland three yard line. Following a one-yard run by Foreman, RB Brent McClanahan fumbled when hit by LB Phil Villapiano and NT Dave Rowe; LB Willie Hall recovered for the Raiders.


The Vikings defense seemed to have Oakland contained, but on third-and-seven at the six yard line HB Clarence Davis (pictured at left) took off around left end on a 35-yard run. Stabler threw to HB Carl Garrett for 11 yards and then to Casper for 25. The possession culminated in a 24-yard field goal by Mann early in the second quarter. From a situation in which it appeared Minnesota would score the game’s first points, the advantage instead shifted to the Raiders.

The Vikings had to punt on their next possession, and Oakland took over at its 36. After a couple of short passes and runs by van Eeghen and Davis, Stabler threw to Casper for 19 yards. Garrett ran for 13 yards and Biletnikoff caught a pass at the one. Stabler then threw to a wide-open Casper in the end zone for a touchdown. Oakland was ahead by 10-0.

With seven minutes left in the half, the Vikings got the ball back but once more had to punt and DB Neil Colzie returned it 25 yards to the Minnesota 35. Two running plays gained 17 yards and then Stabler passed to Biletnikoff for 17, again to the one yard line. The Raiders kept it on the ground this time as RB Pete Banaszak plunged over right tackle for a touchdown. Mann missed the extra point attempt that nicked the right upright, but the score was 16-0 at halftime.

Oakland had clearly dominated, controlling the ball for 21 minutes during the first half and outgaining the Vikings by 288 yards to 86 while leading in first downs by 16 to 4. By contrast, Tarkenton completed just 5 of 12 passes for 59 yards.

Ten minutes into the third quarter, Mann kicked a 40-yard field goal to extend the Oakland lead to 19-0. It appeared that the Minnesota offense would remain stymied, especially when they had to punt following the next possession. However, Oakland’s Hendricks roughed punter Neil Clabo and the Vikings kept the ball. Reinvigorated, Minnesota finally began to move as Tarkenton completed passes of 15 yards to TE Stu Voigt, 21 yards to Rashad, 10 to Foreman, and eight to Sammy White for a touchdown. The Vikings were finally on the board with 47 seconds left in the third quarter.

On the next Minnesota possession, Tarkenton threw while being pressured by Hendricks and was intercepted by Willie Hall, who returned it 16 yards to the Oakland 46. Three plays later, Stabler threw to Biletnikoff, who caught the pass at the Minnesota 35 and took it all the way down to the two yard line for a 48-yard gain. On the next play, Banaszak ran for the two-yard TD. For all intents and purposes, at 26-7 midway through the fourth quarter, the game was over.

A desperation pass by Tarkenton was intercepted by CB Willie Brown, who returned it 75 yards for a touchdown and 32-7 lead (the erratic Mann missed another PAT). That was all for Tarkenton, who was replaced by Bob Lee. Lee led the Vikings on a meaningless 86-yard drive that ended with his 13-yard touchdown pass to Voigt and provided the final score of 32-14.

The Raiders rolled up 429 yards, setting a then-Super Bowl record, to 353 for Minnesota. They also outrushed the Vikings by a whopping 266 yards to 71, which was as much a tribute to OT Art Shell and G Gene Upshaw as it was to the running backs. Minnesota turned the ball over three times, to none suffered by the Raiders.


Clarence Davis rushed for 137 yards on 16 carries and Mark van Eeghen added 73 more yards on 18 attempts. Ken Stabler had a solid performance, completing 12 of 19 passes for 180 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Fred Biletnikoff (pictured at right) caught 4 passes for 79 yards and was voted the game’s MVP while Dave Casper was right behind with 4 receptions for 70 yards and a TD.

As for the Vikings, Fran Tarkenton was successful on just 17 of 35 passes for 205 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. In relief, Bob Lee completed 7 of 9 for 81 yards and a TD. Sammy White caught 5 passes for 77 yards with a score. Chuck Foreman had 5 receptions for 62 yards and led the club in rushing with 44 yards on 17 attempts.

“I had my own personal drive out there because of that stuff about us not winning the big ones,” said Oakland’s John Madden. “This was a pretty big one, wasn't it?”

“We have the best offensive line in the league,” said Ken Stabler. “When you have All-Pros like Upshaw and Shell, you use them. When you have the horses, you ride them.”

“They totally dominated us,” said a disappointed Fran Tarkenton. “They played extremely well, and we played badly. That was it.”

It was a fourth loss for the Vikings in the Super Bowl – and last under Bud Grant. They made it to the postseason four more times under the Hall of Fame coach, but didn’t advance beyond the conference title game. As for the Raiders, they just missed returning to the Super Bowl following the ’77 season with a loss to the division-rival Broncos in the AFC Championship game – they would next make it to the playoffs, and win another championship, in 1980 with Tom Flores at the helm.