1950: Ratterman Passes Yanks to Win Over Lions

The NFL had a new look in 1950, following the merger with the All-America Football Conference that brought three new clubs into the league. There were now 13 teams and there was realignment as the Eastern and Western Divisions were renamed American and National Conferences, respectively. Two National Conference teams that had showed promise in the early going met on September 29 in New York.

The host New York Yanks were owned by Ted Collins, who had operated the unsuccessful Boston Yanks from 1944 to ’48 and then started a new franchise called the New York Bulldogs in 1949. The Bulldogs, sharing the Polo Grounds with the Giants, went a dismal 1-10-1, but had undergone a significant transformation for ’50. Collins purchased the assets of the AAFC’s New York Yankees, and while the Giants were given first choice on the team’s best players, it still meant a significant improvement in personnel. Only three players from the ’49 Bulldogs remained on the roster of the team that was now called the Yanks, having moved into Yankee Stadium. The club also got a new head coach in Red Strader, who had guided the AAFC club to an 8-4 record in 1949.

The visiting Detroit Lions were far better established in the NFL, but were also undergoing a transformation. Under Head Coach Bo McMillan, the team had a new quarterback, Bobby Layne, who played for the Bulldogs the previous year. HB Bob “Hunchy” Hoernschemeyer was added from the AAFC and the rookie crop included HB Doak Walker, end Leon Hart, and linemen Lou Creekmur and Thurman McGraw.

The Lions had won their first two games while the Yanks split their first two contests on the road.

There were 12,482 fans at the Polo Grounds on a Friday night, where the game was shifted in order to not disturb the Yankee Stadium turf for the forthcoming World Series. In the first quarter, QB George Ratterman (pictured above), another ex-AAFC star, threw to end Dan Edwards for a 45-yard gain that set up a 21-yard touchdown pass to HB George Taliaferro. However, the Lions evened the score when DHB Bob Smith returned an intercepted pass 35 yards for a TD.


In the second quarter, Ratterman twice connected with FB Sherman Howard for scores of 36 and 31 yards to give New York a 21-7 halftime lead. The Yanks poured it on in the third quarter as Layne was tackled in his end zone by DB Duke Iverson for a safety and then Ratterman tossed his fourth touchdown pass, of six yards to end Jack Russell. It was 30-7 entering the final period.

In the fourth quarter, Detroit finally got on the board again when Walker went in from a yard out and added the extra point. However, Howard promptly returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for a TD and the Yanks maintained a commanding lead of 37-14.

New York’s last touchdown was set up when DHB Spec Sanders, yet another former AAFC star, intercepted a Layne pass at the Detroit 24 and returned it to the five. Taliaferro went the rest of the way on a pitch-out. The Lions scored one last, meaningless TD as HB Lindy Pearson ran in from two yards out, and the final tally was a convincing 44-21 win for the Yanks.

New York outgained the Lions (359 yards to 267) and had the edge in first downs (16 to 14). Both teams turned the ball over three times and were penalized on five occasions.

George Ratterman completed 15 of 29 passes for 264 yards and four touchdowns, with three intercepted. For Detroit, Bobby Layne was successful on just 10 of 30 throws for 118 yards.

The Yanks continued to put points on the board and win games, peaking at 6-1 before losing four straight. They ended up at 7-5 and in third place in the National Conference. The Lions were right behind in fourth with a 6-6 record.

George Ratterman led the NFL with 22 touchdown passes, but also 24 interceptions (tied with Jim Hardy of the Cardinals and Green Bay’s Tobin Rote). He finished second in passing yards (2251) to Bobby Layne (2323).

Sherman Howard, the second-year back who scored three touchdowns, ended up with 9 TDs for the year. He ran for 362 yards on 71 attempts (5.1 avg.) and three touchdowns, caught 12 passes for 278 yards (23.2 avg.) and five TDs, and had the score on the kickoff return (the only kick return for a touchdown by any of the Yanks).

While the Yanks were the better team on this day, and ended up with the better record (although the Lions won handily in the rematch in Detroit), the fate of the two franchises sharply diverged. By 1952, the Lions were on their way to the NFL Championship, while the Yanks no longer existed. Ratterman and several other players jumped to the Canadian League, and the team suffered on the field accordingly in ‘51. While Ratterman eventually rejoined the club, the final record was a dismal 1-9-2. Never a good draw even when the team played well, Ted Collins pulled the plug on the Yanks and sold the franchise back to the league.

1947: Eagles Outlast Redskins in Record-Setting Opening Game

The NFL opening-week matchup on September 28, 1947 between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins featured two clubs heading in different directions. The visiting Redskins had regularly contended in the Eastern Division between 1936 and ’45, making it to the postseason six times and winning two NFL titles. However, under Head Coach Turk Edwards, a former star tackle, the team had gone 5-5-1 in 1946, the first non-winning record since 1935. Still, the Redskins had a formidable weapon in 33-year-old QB Sammy Baugh, the best passer in the league, assuring that they could put points on the board.

The host Eagles, on the other hand, had been perennial losers since coming into the NFL in 1933 (a year after the Redskins). They didn’t have a winning record until 1943, the year they combined with the Pittsburgh Steelers due to the wartime manpower shortage and restrictions on travel, but under Head Coach Earle “Greasy” Neale, the Eagles had been adding outstanding talent and improving steadily. Philadelphia finished second in the Eastern Division in each of the next three seasons, including a 6-5 record in 1946.

There were 35,406 fans at Municipal Stadium, and they saw the home team score first when Joe Muha kicked a 40-yard field goal three minutes into the contest. Later in the opening period, Eagles QB “One-Eyed” Tommy Thompson (pictured above) connected with rookie end Pete Pihos, a former college fullback, for a 19-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 10-0.


The Redskins got on the board early in the second quarter as Baugh (pictured at left) connected with HB Bob Nussbaumer on a 37-yard touchdown pass. Shortly thereafter, Baugh’s 1000th career completion was good for a 62-yard TD to rookie end Hugh Taylor and Washington was in front at 14-10.

However, the lead didn’t last long when Eagles star HB Steve Van Buren returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. With time winding down in the first half, backup QB Allie Sherman scored on a one-yard sneak that was set up by Van Buren’s running and passes from Thompson to Pihos. Philadelphia held a 24-14 lead at halftime.

The Redskins started the second half off with a bang as HB Eddie Saenz returned the kickoff for a 94-yard touchdown. The Eagles came right back with a 70-yard drive. Thompson threw to end Jack Ferrante for a 33-yard gain to the Washington six yard line and shortly thereafter Van Buren ran in for a one-yard TD. Philadelphia’s lead was again ten points at 31-21.

Thompson connected with Pihos for a 21-yard touchdown a few minutes later to extend the margin, but Baugh threw a pass to HB Dick Poillon that resulted in a 57-yard TD and the score was 38-28 after three quarters.

Thompson threw to end Neill Armstrong, another rookie, for Philadelphia’s last touchdown on a play that covered 29 yards. Washington didn’t give up, and Baugh tossed two scoring passes to Taylor in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t quite enough as the Eagles held on to win by a score of 45-42.

The combined 87 points set a new NFL record, as did the 12 combined touchdowns (previously 79 points & 11 TDs by the Packers and Cardinals in 1942; both records fell a year later).


Pete Pihos (pictured at right) had an impressive debut as he caught 5 passes for 89 yards and two TDs. Steve Van Buren ran for 98 yards and added the kickoff return for a touchdown.

Oddly enough, the field goal by Joe Muha that proved to be crucial to the result was the only successful three-point attempt of his career (he was one-for-five in ’47, one-for-16 over his five years in the NFL). A fullback, Muha was far more effective as a punter (he led the league with a 47.3 average in 1948).

For the Redskins, Sammy Baugh completed 21 of 34 passes for 364 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions. Hugh Taylor (pictured below) also had a noteworthy first game as he caught 8 passes for 212 yards and three TDs.


The Eagles went on to post an 8-4 record, tying for first with Pittsburgh atop the Eastern Division. They won the resulting playoff but lost the NFL Championship game to the Chicago Cardinals. Washington won its next two games but then lost five straight to fall out of contention. The Redskins ended up at 4-8 and in fourth place.

Tommy Thompson, who had limited vision in one eye, firmly established himself as one of the better quarterbacks in the league as he threw for 1680 yards and 16 touchdowns. He benefited from having Steve Van Buren in the backfield, who set a NFL single-season rushing record (1008 yards) and also led the league in touchdowns (14) and yards from scrimmage (1087). Pete Pihos set the tone for his Hall of Fame career by catching 23 passes for 382 yards and seven TDs.

Although the Redskins were mired in mediocrity, Sammy Baugh led the league in pass attempts (354), completions (210), yards (2938), TD passes (25), completion percentage (59.3), and had the lowest percentage of interceptions (4.2). Hugh Taylor, who had such a spectacular debut in a losing cause against the Eagles, caught 26 passes for 511 yards (19.7 avg.) and six touchdowns. Bob Nussbaumer ranked second in the NFL in pass receptions (47) and ninth in receiving yards (597).

MVP Profile: John Riggins, 1983

Running Back, Washington Redskins


Age: 34
12th season in pro football, 7th with Redskins
College: Kansas
Height: 6’2” Weight: 235

Prelude:
Following a college career in which Riggins set a school rushing record, he was chosen in the first round of the 1971 NFL draft by the New York Jets. As a rookie, he led the team in rushing (769 yards) and pass receiving (36). In five seasons with the Jets, the power runner who occasionally missed time due to injuries and contract holdouts gained 3880 yards and became the franchise’s first thousand-yard rusher with 1005 in 1975, his only Pro Bowl season. A punishing runner between the tackles, he also showed a decidedly eccentric and anti-establishment streak, and after playing out his option signed with the Redskins in 1976. He had back-to-back thousand-yard seasons in 1978 and ’79, sat out all of 1980 in a contract dispute, and returned to run for 714 yards and 13 TDs in ’81. In the strike-shortened 1982 season, he gained more yards in the four postseason games (610) than in the eight regular season games he appeared in (553) and was MVP of Washington’s Super Bowl win over the Dolphins.

1983 Season Summary
Appeared and started in 15 of 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 375 [2]
Most attempts, game - 30 (for 83 yds.) at Seattle 9/25, (for 122 yds.) vs. NY Giants 12/17
Yards – 1347 [5]
Most yards, game – 122 yards (on 30 carries) vs. NY Giants 12/17
Average gain – 3.6
TDs – 24 [1]
100-yard rushing games - 3

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 5
Most receptions, game – 2 (for 2 yds.) at Philadelphia 9/11, (for 18 yds.) vs. Kansas City 9/18
Yards – 29
Most yards, game - 18 (on 2 catches) vs. Kansas City 9/18
Average gain – 5.8
TDs – 0

Passing
Attempts – 1
Completions – 0
Yards – 0
TD passes – 0
Interceptions – 0

Scoring
TDs – 24 [1]
Points – 144 [2]

The 24 touchdowns set a then-NFL single-season record.

Postseason: 3 G
Rushing attempts – 87
Most rushing attempts, game - 36 vs. San Francisco, NFC Championship
Rushing yards – 306
Most rushing yards, game - 123 vs. San Francisco, NFC Championship
Average gain rushing – 3.5
Rushing TDs – 6
100-yard rushing games - 2

Pass receptions – 1
Most pass receptions, game - 1 vs. LA Raiders, Super Bowl
Pass receiving yards - 1
Most pass receiving yards, game - 1 vs. LA Raiders, Super Bowl
Average yards per reception – 1.0
Pass Receiving TDs – 0

Passing
Pass attempts – 1
Pass completions – 1
Passing yards – 36
TD passes – 0
Interceptions – 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL Player of the Year: Bert Bell Award
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Pro Football Weekly
2nd team All-NFL: NEA
1st team All-NFC: UPI, Pro Football Weekly

Redskins went 14-2 to win the NFC East with the league’s best record while leading the NFL in scoring (541 points) and touchdowns (63). Won NFC Divisional playoff over Los Angeles Rams (51-7) and NFC Championship over San Francisco 49ers (24-21). Lost Super Bowl to Los Angeles Raiders (38-9).

Aftermath:
Riggins again gained over a thousand yards (1239) and led the NFL in rushing touchdowns (14) in 1984, but by 1985, his final season at age 36, he was splitting time with George Rogers. Overall, Riggins ran for 11,352 yards, which ranked fourth all-time at his retirement, and 116 touchdowns (104 rushing, 12 as a pass receiver), which ranked second. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1992.

--

MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

[Updated 2/14/14]

1999: Favre’s Fourth-Down TD Pass Gives Packers Win Over Vikings

Some things had changed for the Green Bay Packers as they entered the 1999 NFL season. Most notably, Head Coach Mike Holmgren had departed for Seattle and was replaced by Ray Rhodes, once the team’s defensive coordinator and most recently the coach of the Eagles. All-time great DE Reggie White had retired following a 16-sack season at age 37. But 30-year-old QB Brett Favre (pictured at right), a three-time league MVP, was still behind center and the key to an offense that also included RB Dorsey Levens and WR Antonio Freeman.

The Packers had gone 11-5 in ’98 and split their first two games in 1999 before hosting the Minnesota Vikings on September 26 at Lambeau Field. The Vikings, coached by Dennis Green, were coming off of a brilliant 15-1 season in 1998 that ended up with an overtime loss to Atlanta in the NFC Championship game. QB Randall Cunningham made a spectacular comeback after a year of retirement followed by a season on the bench, and rookie WR Randy Moss was equally impressive in tandem with veteran Cris Carter. They had beaten the Falcons by three points in the opening game of ‘99 but had lost to Oakland the previous week.

Minnesota scored on its first possession of the game, driving 94 yards in 14 plays that ended with RB Leroy Hoard running for a two-yard touchdown. Along the way, Cunningham completed passes of 23 and 27 yards to Carter.

The Packers responded with an 11-play, 70-yard drive that was capped early in the second quarter by a 28-yard Ryan Longwell field goal. Favre, who accounted for 61 of those yards with five pass completions, connected with Freeman for 12 yards on a third-and-seven play and on a 37-yard pass play to WR Bill Schroeder that put the ball on the Minnesota four.

Midway through the period, Cunningham threw a pass intended for Moss, who was being triple-covered, and DB Antuan Edwards (the first of three rookie defensive backs drafted by the Packers with Minnesota’s passing game in mind) intercepted and returned it for a 26-yard touchdown, putting Green Bay ahead at 10-7. However, inside the last minute before halftime, Gary Anderson evened the score at 10-10 with a 34-yard field goal that was set up by a pass interference call on Edwards, a two-yard run by RB Moe Williams on a fourth-and-one play, and an 18-yard Cunningham completion to WR Jake Reed in a third-and-nine situation to the Packers’ 24.

The Vikings started off the second half with a 13-play possession that went 61 yards. Cunningham completed a six-yard pass to RB David Palmer on a third-and-five play and converted a fourth-and-one situation with a five-yard run to the Green Bay 40. The drive ended with a 22-yard Anderson field goal that put Minnesota back in front at 13-10. The Packers responded with a long drive of their own. Favre completed four of his eight passes, including two that converted third downs, along the way as Green Bay’s offense went 66 yards in 14 plays for a game-tying 35-yard field goal by Longwell.

Less than five minutes into the fourth quarter, Longwell put the Packers in the lead with a 34-yard field goal to cap a 13-play possession. The Minnesota passing game, which had devastated Green Bay in both meetings in ’98, had been well-defensed this time. Randy Moss had caught just one pass for three yards thus far.

But as the game edged down to the final two minutes, the Vikings went 80 yards in just five plays. Cunningham completed a 50-yard pass to Reed to the Green Bay 28. RB Robert Smith ran for 11 yards, and then Moss caught a pass between FS Darren Sharper and CB Tyrone Williams in the middle of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown. With the successful extra point, Minnesota was up by 20-16 and it appeared that the Cunningham-to-Moss combination had once again done in the Packers.

Taking possession at the Green Bay 23 yard line, Favre fired a pass down the middle to WR Corey Bradford for a 22-yard gain and followed with short throws to Levens that got the ball to the Minnesota 32. An incompletion was followed by a six-yard pass to Schroeder with the clock now down to 43 seconds. The Packers took their last timeout and Favre again threw to Levens, who gained just three yards – not only was it too short for a first down, but he failed to get out of bounds.

Moving quickly up to the line without time to huddle on a fourth-and-one play, Favre took the snap, pump-faked to his right, and instead of looking for a short sideline pass to get a first down and stop the clock, went to Bradford down the middle. The wide receiver caught the pass, ran past CB Jimmy Hitchcock, and scored a 23-yard touchdown that sent the home crowd into delirium.

With the exhausted Favre getting oxygen on the sideline, the Vikings had time for just one play, which was a long “Hail Mary” pass by Cunningham that was intercepted by Edwards at the Green Bay five yard line to nail down the stunning 23-20 win for the Packers.

Green Bay outgained the Vikings (360 yards to 328) but Minnesota had the edge in first downs (21 to 20). Neither team was particularly effective on the ground, with the Vikings rushing for 97 yards on 29 attempts and the Packers running the ball 22 times for 71 yards. Green Bay also didn’t turn the ball over at all, while the Vikings did so twice.


Brett Favre completed 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards and the one touchdown. Dorsey Levens gained just 49 yards on 18 carries but also caught a team-leading 9 passes that gained another 84 yards. Bill Schroeder (pictured at left) accumulated 85 yards on his 5 catches and Corey Bradford had four receptions for 72 yards and the game-winning TD.

For the Vikings, Randall Cunningham went to the air 32 times and completed 18 of those passes for 244 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Jake Reed caught 6 passes for 108 yards while Cris Carter contributed 4 receptions for 85 yards. Randy Moss ended up with just two catches for 13 yards and the one TD. Robert Smith was the leading rusher with 85 yards on 21 carries.

“That was close to a miracle, if not a miracle,” said Ray Rhodes afterward.

Despite the thrilling win over the Vikings, the Packers remained an inconsistent team, finishing at 8-8 and in fourth place in the NFC Central, although still nearly qualifying for a wild card spot in the playoffs (two other .500 teams, the Cowboys and Lions, beat them out based on tiebreakers). Minnesota did go to the playoffs, ending up in second place in the division with a 10-6 record and the top wild card slot. The Vikings defeated Dallas in the Wild Card round and lost to the eventual-champion Rams at the Divisional level.

Brett Favre’s statistics reflected his team’s struggles and his own as he dealt with an injured thumb on his passing hand. He led the NFL in pass attempts (595), ranked second in completions (341) as well as interceptions (23), which outnumbered his TD passes (22). While his 4091 yards through the air placed fourth, his completion percentage of 57.3 was his lowest since becoming a starting quarterback in 1992.

Randall Cunningham (pictured below) had a far more disappointing season. Coming off an MVP year in 1998, he lost his starting job to Jeff George and threw for just 1475 yards with eight touchdowns and nine interceptions. It marked the end of his three-year tenure in Minnesota.

Cris Carter and Randy Moss were still top receivers, however. Carter caught 90 passes for 1241 yards (13.8 avg.) and 13 touchdowns and was a consensus first-team All-Pro selection as well as Pro Bowl choice. Moss, in his second year, had 80 catches for 1413 yards (17.7 avg.) and 11 TDs and also was chosen for the Pro Bowl.

2005: Brady & Patriots Beat Roethlisberger & Steelers with Late Field Goal

The Week 3 NFL matchup on September 25, 2005 between the host Pittsburgh Steelers and visiting New England Patriots at Heinz Field promised to be a good one. The Steelers, under Head Coach Bill Cowher, were coming off a 15-1 season in ’04 and were 2-0 thus far in ’05, having won by a combined score of 61-14. The big addition to the team in 2004 had been rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger, the 6’5” and 241-pound first draft choice out of Miami of Ohio, who replaced Tommy Maddox as the starting quarterback in the third week and, although the offense had been simplified, had been nothing short of sensational. The club went 13-0 with “Big Ben” as the starting quarterback (he sat out the season finale), although defenses began to catch up to him as the year wore on. And while his regular season winning streak was now up to 15 games, Roethlisberger had suffered a defeat in the postseason – to the Patriots in the AFC Championship game.

New England, under Head Coach Bill Belichick, went on to win the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year following a 14-2 regular season. The Patriots had won three championships in four years, and among the key players in that period were QB Tom Brady (pictured above), the unknown backup who became a star in 2001, as well as DE Richard Seymour and linebackers Willie McGinest, Mike Vrabel, and Tedy Bruschi (sidelined initially in ’05 due to a minor offseason stroke). Other players came and went, yet personnel changes more often than not worked out for the well-coached club that kept on winning.

There were 64,868 fans in attendance on a 70-degree day in Pittsburgh. Following a three-and-out possession by the Steelers to start the game, WR Tim Dwight’s 19-yard return of the resulting punt gave New England good field position at the Pittsburgh 46 yard line. The Patriots proceeded to score on their first drive, starting off with three straight carries for 14 yards by RB Corey Dillon and including two passes by Brady for 25 yards, and capped by Dillon’s four-yard touchdown run. However, on the first play of Pittsburgh’s next possession, Roethlisberger threw to WR Hines Ward for an 85-yard touchdown that made the score 7-7.

On their next series, the Steelers scored again on a 33-yard field goal by Jeff Reed to move ahead by three. That was the situation at the end of the opening period as the Patriots mounted a long drive that started at their 17 and stretched into the second quarter. However, on a third-down play at the Pittsburgh 16, Brady passed to RB Kevin Faulk, who fumbled; LB Larry Foote recovered for the Steelers and returned it 27 yards.

Pittsburgh turned the ball over two plays later when Roethlisberger threw to WR Antwaan Randle El, who then attempted to lateral to Ward, resulting in a fumble that New England safety Eugene Wilson recovered. The teams traded punts at that point, and Reed missed a 52-yard field goal attempt for the Steelers with 2:37 left in the half.

Inside of two minutes, the Patriots again looked poised to score as Brady completed five passes, including one to Faulk for a 23-yard gain to the Pittsburgh three. However, an interception by safety Chris Hope on a tipped pass ended the threat and the score remained 10-7 in favor of the Steelers at halftime.

The Patriots made it to the Pittsburgh 35 in the first possession of the second half, but Adam Vinatieri’s 53-yard field goal attempt was unsuccessful. The Steelers went three-and-out and punted, but then got a break when Faulk again fumbled and DE Travis Kirschke recovered for Pittsburgh at the New England 28. Six plays later, Reed kicked a 24-yard field goal that extended the Steelers lead to 13-7. Near the end of the third quarter, and following a 28-yard punt return by Dwight, Vinatieri kicked a 48-yard field goal to make it a three-point game heading into the final period.

Early in the fourth quarter the Patriots caught fire as Brady completed five straight passes and Dillon ran around right end for a seven-yard touchdown that put New England in the lead at 17-13. Following a Pittsburgh punt, Brady again passed the Patriots down the field as he hit on all five of his throws and Vinatieri added another three points with a 35-yard field goal.

With 3:10 remaining to play, and helped by a 44-yard kickoff return by CB Ricardo Colclough, it was Roethlisberger’s turn to move his team through the air. The Steelers went 51 yards in nine plays as “Big Ben” was successful on five passes and a pass interference call gained 23 yards to the New England four yard line. Roethlisberger completed a four-yard TD pass to Ward and, with the successful extra point, the game was tied at 20-20.

The clock was down to 1:21 as the Patriots took over at their 38 following a 34-yard kickoff return by CB Ellis Hobbs. Brady threw to Faulk for a 17-yard gain and then to FB Patrick Pass for another 14. After a running play gained nothing, Brady completed one last pass to WR David Givens for six yards down to the Pittsburgh 31, and with five seconds Vinatieri, at his best in clutch situations, booted a 43-yard field goal. New England came away with a 23-20 win.

The Patriots significantly outgained the Steelers (426 yards to 269) and had more first downs (24 to 14). However, New England turned the ball over three times, to one suffered by Pittsburgh, and was penalized 10 times, at a loss of 118 yards, to 5 times for 35 yards for the Steelers.

Still, it was a particularly impressive performance on the part of the Patriots defense because of injuries in the secondary that forced them to continually juggle personnel. CB Tyrone Poole missed the game entirely and CB Duane Starks and safety Rodney Harrison both missed at least part of the contest.

Tom Brady completed 31 of 41 passes, including his last 12 of the game, for 372 yards, with no TDs and the one interception. David Givens led the receivers with 9 catches for 130 yards. Kevin Faulk had 7 receptions for 71 yards to go along with his seven rushing attempts for 14 yards. Corey Dillon ran for 61 yards in 22 attempts, including two for touchdowns.


For Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger, a loser for the first time in the regular season as a starting quarterback, was successful on just 12 of 28 throws for 216 yards and two TDs with none intercepted. Hines Ward (pictured above) caught four of those passes for 110 yards and two scores. RB Willie Parker, who had run for over a hundred yards in each of the preceding two games, gained just 55 yards on 17 carries to pace the running attack.

“They showed us today why they're the champs,” Steelers linebacker Larry Foote said of the Patriots afterward.

New England lost two of its next three games, but went on to win the AFC East for the third straight year with a 10-6 record. However, there would be no return to the Super Bowl – after defeating Jacksonville handily in the Wild Card playoff, the Patriots lost to Denver in the Divisional round.

Instead, it was the Steelers going the distance, even though they finished second to Cincinnati in the AFC North (due to a tiebreaker) with an 11-5 tally. They won the Wild Card playoff over the Bengals, Divisional playoff against the Colts, and AFC Championship over the Broncos – all road games – before defeating Seattle in the Super Bowl.

Tom Brady led the NFL in passing yards (4110) and was third in TD passes (26) and sixth in passing (92.3 rating). He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the third time.

Ben Roethlisberger (pictured below) was limited to 12 games due to injury, but still led the league in yards per attempt (8.9), yards per completion (14.2), and percentage of TD passes (6.3, tied with Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer) and ranked third in passing (98.6) as he threw for 2385 yards with 17 touchdowns against 9 interceptions. He ended up becoming the youngest Super Bowl-winning starting quarterback at age 23.

1967: Bakken Kicks 7 Field Goals as Cardinals Defeat Steelers

Jim Bakken of the St. Louis Cardinals was already well-established as a top placekicker prior to the 1967 NFL season, having kicked 80 field goals over the previous four years and been selected to the Pro Bowl in 1965. He had kicked two three-pointers in the team’s opening-game loss to the Giants to give him field goals in 12 consecutive games. But on September 24 against the Steelers, the 26-year-old straight-ahead kicker of the old school put his name prominently in the record book.

The Cardinals, coached by Charley Winner, came into the game as ten-point underdogs. While St. Louis was coming off an 8-5-1 season in ’66, veteran QB Charley Johnson had been called up to active military duty, leaving untested second-year QB Jim Hart to direct the offense. To be sure, there was still plenty of talent on offense, including a good group of running backs in HB Johnny Roland, HB Prentice Gautt, and FB Willis Crenshaw, as well as TE Jackie Smith and flanker Bobby Joe Conrad. Still, the Steelers, under Head Coach Bill Austin, had beaten the Bears in their Week 1 game by the convincing score of 41-13 while the Cards were losing to the Giants, 37-20.

There were 45,579 fans at Pitt Stadium, and any hopes that the Steelers would cruise to a second win were quickly dashed. In the first 20 minutes of action, the Cardinals took advantage of three interceptions and a fumble recovery to put 16 points on the board while having great success at keeping Pittsburgh’s offense off-balance with blitzes.

CB Pat Fischer intercepted two passes and DT Chuck Walker recovered a fumble, keeping the action almost exclusively in Pittsburgh territory as a result. Still, the St. Louis offense had difficulty getting into the end zone. Bakken kicked first quarter field goals of 18 and 24 yards before Hart scored a touchdown near the end of the period on a 23-yard run on a broken play due to a mixup in the backfield.

Bakken kicked a 33-yard field goal in the second quarter, making the score 16-0, before the Steelers finally got on the board. Pittsburgh QB Bill Nelsen didn’t complete a pass until there were just over five minutes to go in the first half, but once he found the range he was successful on three straight throws, one of 48 yards to TE Chet Anderson and the last a five-yard scoring pass, again to Anderson. Bakken booted his fourth field goal, from 29 yards, before the first half was over and the Cardinals took a 19-7 lead into the intermission.

In the third quarter, and following an interception by DB Marv Woodson, the Steelers scored again after driving 33 yards, highlighted by a 19-yard Nelsen completion to split end Roy Jefferson, with FB Willie Asbury plunging in for a one-yard TD. That reduced the Cardinals’ margin to five points at 19-14.

However, that was it for Pittsburgh. Nelsen left the game with five minutes to go due to a knee injury after taking a pounding from the Cardinals defense, getting sacked five times and hit on several other occasions after having just gotten rid of the ball. Meanwhile, Bakken kicked three field goals, of 24, 32, and 23 yards, in the fourth quarter to nail down the 28-14 win for St. Louis as well as set a new single-game record both for field goals made and attempted in a game.

The seven field goals made broke the previous NFL mark of six set just the year before by Detroit’s Garo Yepremian (Gino Cappelletti had already kicked six in an AFL game in 1964). Bakken’s nine attempts (he missed from 50 and 45 yards) exceeded the record of eight that had been held by Yepremian, from his six-field goal game in ‘66, and Lou Michaels of the Steelers in 1962.

Five of the successful kicks were into the 14 mph wind at Pitt Stadium. Bakken also had a substitute holder for the last three, when his regular holder, FS Larry Wilson, suffered a hand injury and Bobby Joe Conrad took over.

It was also the 13th straight game in which Bakken kicked a field goal, putting him one short of the existing NFL record (he surpassed that mark and topped out at 19).

“I knew about the record, and it almost cost me,” Bakken said afterward. “When I kicked the seventh one, I wanted to see if it was any good almost before I kicked it. So I looked up and almost dubbed it. I just made it.”

Beyond Bakken’s heroics, the Cardinals outgained Pittsburgh by 283 yards to 237 while the Steelers had more first downs (17 to 12). The big difference in the game was Pittsburgh’s six turnovers, to just one suffered by the Cards.

The inexperienced Jim Hart continued to struggle, as he completed just 8 of 25 passes for 137 yards with one intercepted. In the last 2:30 of the game, Charley Johnson, on leave from military duty, made his first appearance of the season for the Cardinals but threw no passes. Prentice Gautt ran for 77 yards on 14 carries to lead the club, while split end Bill Gambrell was the top receiver with three catches for 55 yards.

For the Steelers, Bill Nelsen also was successful on just 8 of his 25 throws for 130 yards with a TD and three interceptions. His replacement, Kent Nix, was good on three of five passes for 46 yards. Chet Anderson and split end Dick Compton both caught four passes, with Anderson gaining 84 yards and scoring a touchdown (Compton had 51 yards). HB Jim “Cannonball” Butler led the club with 51 yards on 10 rushing attempts.

The Cardinals won their next two games but then tailed off to finish at 6-7-1 and in third place in the Century Division. Jim Hart showed poise and potential as the starting quarterback, although he also tossed 30 interceptions, but an undercurrent of racial discord led to dissension on the club. Pittsburgh lost four more games in a row before beating the expansion Saints and ended up at the bottom of the division with a 4-9-1 record.

Jim Bakken led the NFL in field goals (27), field goal percentage (69.2), and scoring (117) and was named to the Pro Bowl for the second time. As was the case with most kickers of that era (not to mention earlier in football history), Bakken had not started out as a specialist but had been a high school quarterback and college defensive back who also handled the placekicking. He was originally drafted out of Wisconsin by the Rams as a safety in 1962 and was waived and picked up by the Cardinals. While Bakken saw some action in the defensive backfield that first year, he became the team’s full-time placekicker in ’63 and remained in the job until 1978, a total of 16 seasons.

At the time of his retirement, Bakken ranked third in career field goals in NFL history (282, tied with Fred Cox), extra points (534), and second in scoring (1380 points). He had a respectable 63.1 percent success rate on his field goal attempts and was a consensus first-team All-Pro twice later in his career (1975 and ’76) and was selected to a total of four Pro Bowls. Soccer-style kickers, who had not yet entered the pro ranks when Bakken first started out, were dominant by the end of his career, which even spanned the move of the goal posts from the goal line to the back of the end zone in 1974. But the player who had learned to placekick as an afterthought while playing other positions before he was a pro ended up being one of the best of the old-style kickers.

The record of seven field goals in a game was equaled by Rich Karlis of the Vikings in 1989, as well as two Dallas placekickers, Chris Boniol in 1996 and Billy Cundiff in 2003, before being broken by Tennessee’s Rob Bironas with eight in a contest against the Texans in 2007 (Shayne Graham of the Bengals kicked seven in a game later in the ’07 season). The record of nine attempts in a game still stands as of this writing, and Bakken of course remains the only straight-ahead kicker with as many as seven.

1974: Defense & Dempsey Key Eagles Upset of Cowboys

The Monday Night Football game on September 23, 1974 featured two NFC East rivals, the Dallas Cowboys against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys, under Head Coach Tom Landry, had been the far more successful of the two clubs, having been to the postseason in each of the preceding eight seasons. They were coming off of a 10-4 record in ’73 and had won their season-opening game over the Falcons handily by a score of 24-0. Moreover, they had won 12 of the last 13 matchups with the Eagles dating back to 1967.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, was once again in rebuilding mode under second-year Head Coach Mike McCormack. The Eagles had been over .500 just twice since last winning a league championship in 1960 and were on their fifth head coach since that time. McCormack replaced Ed Khayat after a dreadful 2-11-1 season in 1972 in which the team produced a total of just 145 points and 12 touchdowns. A major deal was swung to bring veteran QB Roman Gabriel from the Rams, and the offense improved significantly in ’73, although the overall record was still only 5-8-1. For 1974, another major trade was made to upgrade the defense as Philadelphia obtained star MLB Bill Bergey from Cincinnati. In the Week 1 game at St. Louis against the Cardinals, the Eagles gave up just seven points – but scored only three.

There were 64,088 fans at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium, and for most of the game they saw both offenses struggle. The Eagles couldn’t move the ball, but star QB Roger Staubach of the Cowboys missed on his first six pass attempts.

However, in the second quarter, Dallas put together a 90-yard drive with three Staubach completions along the way and RB Doug Dennison scored from three yards out. That was it for the first half scoring as the Cowboys led by 7-0 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Dallas was driving deep into Eagles territory again after a Gabriel pass was intercepted by CB Charlie Waters. Once more at the three yard line Dennison took the handoff, but this time he fumbled when hit by Bergey just short of the goal line. CB Joe “Big Bird” Lavender picked the loose ball up on the bounce and ran 96 yards up the sideline for a touchdown. Instead of the Cowboys being ahead by two touchdowns, in stunning fashion the score was tied at 7-7.


Such was the situation as the game entered the fourth quarter. A poor 26-yard punt by the Cowboys gave Philadelphia good field position, and with just under 12 minutes to play, Tom Dempsey gave the Eagles the lead with a 34-yard field goal.

On the ensuing kickoff, Dallas RB Dennis Morgan returned the kick 36 yards and might have broken free but was tackled by the 265-pound Dempsey, who had played defensive end in junior college. As it was, with 8:34 left, Mac Percival kicked a 26-yard field goal to again tie the score at 10-10.

Coach McCormack considered replacing the ineffective Roman Gabriel with backup John Reaves, as the 34-year-old veteran had completed only four passes and the offense had just one first down. Leaving the ex-Ram in, Gabriel proceeded to throw to RB Po James for a 34-yard gain and WR Harold Carmichael for 13. He gained six yards on a quarterback draw, giving Philadelphia three first downs in the series. However, with the clock down to 3:13, RB Tom Sullivan fumbled and Dallas LB Dave Edwards recovered at his own 11.

Three plays later, the Eagles got the ball back when SS Randy Logan intercepted a Staubach pass intended for WR Drew Pearson at the sideline with 1:49 left. Typical of how most of the game had gone for the Eagles offense, they ran the ball twice for negligible yardage and Gabriel threw an incompletion, necessitating a 45-yard field goal attempt.

Dempsey was again successful and his kick put Philadelphia in front with 25 seconds to play. However, the Cowboys still had a shot and drove from their 18 to the Philadelphia 31 thanks to two Staubach passes to Pearson. But with two seconds left on the clock, Percival missed a 48-yard field goal attempt into the wind that fell short and to the left. The Eagles came away with a hard-fought 13-10 upset win.

Dallas dominated statistically, outgaining Philadelphia (385 yards to 165) and accumulating far more first downs (20 to 5). The Cowboys both outran the Eagles (168 yards to 98) and outpassed them (217 yards to 67) while both teams turned the ball over three times.

Roman Gabriel completed only 6 of 14 passes for 92 yards with one intercepted. Tom Sullivan was the leading rusher with 57 yards on 16 carries and Harold Carmichael the top receiver with two catches for 45 yards. Tom Dempsey, with the two clutch field goals, and Bill Bergey, who was credited with 18 tackles, were the stars of the game, along with Joe Lavender and his team-record fumble return (a record that lasted until 2006).

For the Cowboys, Roger Staubach was successful on 19 of 33 passes for 217 yards, but none were good for scores while two were intercepted. Drew Pearson was the primary offensive weapon as he caught 10 passes for 161 yards. RB Robert Newhouse rushed for 97 yards on 22 attempts.

“The defense and Tom Dempsey won the game,” said Coach McCormack afterward. Each member of the defense and Dempsey received game balls.

The big concern for the Eagles was that, for the second straight week, the offense had not gotten the ball into the end zone. Still, they got off to a 4-1 start before losing six straight games (starting with a 31-24 defeat at the hands of the Cowboys in Dallas). They won their last three (with rookie Mike Boryla starting at quarterback for the benched Gabriel) to salvage a 7-7 record that put them in fourth place in the NFC East.

Dallas went on to have an off-year, losing their next three games before recovering to win 7 of the last 9. The Cowboys finished third in the division with an 8-6 tally and missed the postseason for the first time since 1965.

With his job reportedly on the line coming into the Monday night game against Dallas, Tom Dempsey’s two field goals earned him a reprieve and he finished out the season (the first since 1932 in which the goal posts were at the back of the end zone rather than the goal line) with 10 field goals in 16 attempts. The hefty placekicker born without toes on his right foot, and who had booted a record 63-yard field goal for the Saints in 1970 before coming over to the Eagles in ’71, had been the team’s player representative during the ’74 preseason strike and acrimony had risen between him and owner Leonard Tose. He was traded to the Rams after the season.

Bill Bergey’s dominating performance against the Cowboys was the first of many and he had an outstanding year, garnering consensus first-team All-Pro honors for the first of two consecutive seasons. He was also selected to the Pro Bowl, an honor he would achieve four times while with the Eagles. The leader of the defense (as well as its best player) inspired chants of “Ber-gey, Ber-gey” from the Philadelphia fans that would become a regular feature of games at the Vet during his heyday. (Bergey pictured below)