1963: Records Fall as Raiders Beat Oilers in High-Scoring Thriller

By the time the Oakland Raiders faced the Houston Oilers in their season finale on December 22, 1963, they had long ago become the talk of the American Football League. In the first three years of the AFL’s existence, the Raiders had been one of its poorest clubs – both on and off the field. They had gone a combined 9-33, including a dreadful 1-13 in ’62, under three head coaches. That all changed in 1963 as 34-year-old Al Davis, previously an assistant under Sid Gillman with the Chargers, took over as head coach and general manager. The team had a new look, in silver-and-black uniforms, and a new attitude summed up in the phrase “pride and poise”. Their record coming into the contest with Houston was 9-4, having won seven straight after a 2-4 start, and the Raiders were just a game behind division-leading San Diego.


The Oilers, under Head Coach Frank “Pop” Ivy, were going in the opposite direction. They had finished on top of the Eastern Division in each of the first three AFL seasons, and were overall champions after the first two. However, following six wins in the first ten games, Houston had lost three straight to fall out of contention at 6-7. With 36-year-old QB George Blanda (pictured at right) and an able group of receivers, the Oilers were still capable of putting points on the board – as they would prove against the Raiders.

There were 17,401 in attendance at Frank Youell Field, the temporary structure built by the city of Oakland while a new facility was awaiting construction. The crowd may have been small, but it was enthusiastic and on its feet for much of the game.

Still, the Raiders offense started slowly, not getting a first down during the first quarter, although they got a quick score when CB Claude “Hoot” Gibson returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown.

The Oilers came back with a four-yard scoring pass from Blanda to flanker Charley Hennigan that capped an 11-play series. Before the first quarter was over, Blanda’s passing set up another touchdown as he tossed a swing pass to FB Dave Smith for a 32-yard gain – Smith then followed up with a two-yard touchdown run.

Houston seemed to be getting the breaks as a Flores pass was deflected by LB Doug Cline and intercepted by FS Fred Glick, who returned it 14 yards to the Oakland 27. An unnecessary roughness penalty moved the ball to the 12 and Houston’s lead was 21-7 after Blanda immediately threw to end Willard Dewveall for a TD.

The Raiders fought back as Flores hit on three passes, to split end Art Powell (pictured at top) and flanker Bo Roberson, and connected with TE Ken Herock for a seven-yard touchdown that capped a six-play, 49-yard drive. A few minutes later, the score was tied when Flores took advantage of Powell and Roberson splitting the defenders to opposite sides and threw to star HB Clem Daniels, an outstanding receiver out of the backfield as well as runner from scrimmage, straight down the middle for a 56-yard touchdown.

The second quarter scoring was far from over and it was Houston again with Smith catching a pass from Blanda at the 10 and pulling away from LB Jackie Simpson for 25 yards and a TD. The possession had lasted for six plays and covered 64 yards.

The Raiders again tied the game at 28-28 as Flores, having been sacked for a nine-yard loss but seeing that the Oilers were continuing to go with single-coverage on Powell, connected with the star split end for an 81-yard touchdown - the ball traveling some 60 yards in the air.

Houston came right back in four plays, with Blanda throwing to Dewveall for 35 yards to the Oakland nine and was helped along by a pass interference penalty in the end zone. FB Charlie Tolar crashed over from the one to put the Oilers back in front at 35-28.

Getting the ball back with just over a minute left in the half, the Raiders scored in six plays, four of them Flores passes, the last of which was to Powell in the corner of the end zone for a 20-yard TD. Mercer tied the game once again with the extra point.

The tally was 35-35 at the half, with the teams having combined for 49 points in the second quarter alone and 21 inside the last two minutes. Each quarterback had completed 12 passes - Flores already had accumulated 277 yards and Blanda 222.

On the first play from scrimmage of the third quarter, Daniels ran for 11 yards, fumbled, and recovered when a Houston defender inadvertently kicked the ball back to him. Still, the Raiders, who had scored on their last four possessions, finally had to punt.

Oakland got the ball back and advanced into Houston territory - it appeared that Daniels had run 62 yards for a TD but an official ruled that he had stepped out of bounds at the 35, cutting the gain to 27 yards. After the Raiders were pushed back by a holding penalty, Powell scored again, splitting two defenders and pulling in a Flores pass for a 46-yard TD. It gave Oakland the lead for the first time.

Down 42-35, the Oilers came back, taking four plays to get to the Oakland 26 from where Blanda fired to Dewveall, who made a tumbling catch for a touchdown to finish off the 69-yard drive. The score was tied at 42-42 with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter.

The Raiders had to punt and Houston scored again on a Blanda pass play to TE Bob McLeod, who outmaneuvered CB Fred “the Hammer” Williamson, that covered 21 yards for a TD with 2:22 to go in the period. The Oilers had gone 67 yards in seven plays.

At this point, the teams exchanged interceptions. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Flores was picked off in the Houston end zone by CB Bobby Jancik. A pass thrown under pressure by Blanda was then intercepted by LB Archie Matsos to give the Raiders the ball at the Houston 24.

Flores went to Powell for a 23-yard touchdown, with the receiver pulling in the ball at the ten, stumbling, and then leading three defenders into the end zone. Once again the score was tied at 49-49 and there were still nearly twelve minutes to play.

Houston again drove into scoring position but Gibson intercepted Blanda’s pass on the goal line. The Raiders proceeded to drive from their 20 to the Houston 32. Mike Mercer, attempting the only field goal of the game by either team, was successful from 39 yards with 4:37 remaining on the clock.

There was still plenty of time, but the Oakland defense rose to the occasion. DE Jon Jelacic hit Blanda and forced a fumble, which the Oilers recovered. Rushed hard again, Blanda’s poorly-thrown pass was incomplete intended for Dewveall. DE Dan Birdwell knocked down another pass that was intended for McLeod and Houston was forced to punt.


Taking over on their own four, the Raiders successfully maintained possession to run out the clock, giving the ball to Daniels (pictured at left) six times in eight plays. On the final play of the game, and with the home crowd chanting his name, Daniels ran for three yards to break the AFL season rushing record. Oakland won the offensive scoring fest by a final score of 52-49.

The 101 points broke the previous record of 93 by the Chargers and Titans in 1960 and would remain the highest-scoring game in the AFL’s 10-year history. Records were also set for combined passing yards (749), combined TD passes (11), total yards (1063), and combined TDs (14).

The Raiders gained the most yards (540 to 468) while Houston led in first downs (27 to 21). Each team turned the ball over two times, but the Oilers sacked Tom Flores seven times and the Raiders were penalized on 9 occasions, for a loss of 88 yards, as opposed to 6 flags thrown on Houston.

Art Powell had an especially noteworthy performance as he caught 10 passes for a club-record 247 yards and four touchdowns. Tom Flores threw for 407 yards and 6 touchdowns as he completed 17 of 29 passes and had two intercepted. Clem Daniels rushed for 158 yards on 22 carries and gained 76 more yards on his two pass receptions that included the one long TD.

For the Oilers, George Blanda was successful on 20 of 32 throws for 342 yards with 5 touchdowns and two picked off. Willard Dewveall hauled in 7 of those passes for 137 yards and two scores. Dave Smith gained 94 yards out of the backfield on 4 catches that included a touchdown and also ran for 43 yards on 8 carries and a TD. Charlie Tolar was the team’s leading rusher as he gained 65 yards on 12 attempts and scored once.

It was the eighth straight win to close out the year for the resurgent Raiders, but San Diego walloped Denver to clinch the Western Division title. Still, the 10-4 tally marked a huge turnaround for the franchise as well as a second place finish. Houston came in third in the Eastern Division at 6-8.

“I’m not crying,” said Al Davis. “We’ve had a fantastic year. The only problem was, no one else could knock off the Chargers, so they’re the champs. But these guys are my champs. They’ve given more than a football team should be asked to give, and they deserve every bit of praise and honor that comes their way.” It was the beginning of what would be a long association between Davis and the Raiders – although he was head coach for only the first three years of that association.

Art Powell, in his first year with the Raiders following three with the New York Titans, led the league with 1304 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns on his second-ranked 73 catches. He averaged 17.9 yards per reception, was a consensus first-team all-league selection and chosen for the AFL All-Star Game.

In addition to accumulating his record 1099 rushing yards on 215 carries, Clem Daniels also led the league in yards per reception (22.8) as he gained 685 yards on 30 catches. He, too, was a consensus first-team All-AFL choice and was named to the league All-Star Game. He also received MVP honors from The Sporting News.


Tom Flores (pictured at right) led the league in yards per completion (18.6) and percentage of TD passes (8.1) as he threw for 2101 yards with 20 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. It was a great comeback for a player who had missed all of the 1962 season due to a bout with tuberculosis.

1968: Browns Upset Cowboys for Eastern Conference Title

The Dallas Cowboys had represented the Eastern Conference in two straight NFL Championship games and were anticipating a third appearance as they faced the Cleveland Browns on December 21, 1968. Head Coach Tom Landry’s team had won the Capitol Division with a 12-2 record while scoring a league-high 431 points. The passing game, with QB Don Meredith throwing to wide receivers Bob Hayes and Lance Rentzel, was formidable and the running game produced even when HB Dan Reeves went down with a knee injury; along with veteran FB Don Perkins, HB Craig Baynham and FB Walt Garrison performed well in his absence. The defense was also strong and featured DT Bob Lilly, DE George Andrie, FS Mel Renfro, and linebackers Lee Roy Jordan and Chuck Howley.

The Cowboys had embarrassed Cleveland in the Eastern Conference playoff the year before by a score of 52-14 at the Cotton Bowl, one of four straight defeats that the Browns had suffered against them, including a 28-7 loss during the regular season. Under Head Coach Blanton Collier, Cleveland topped the Century Division with a 10-4 tally. One change since the teams met in ’67 was at quarterback, where Bill Nelsen (pictured below), obtained in the offseason from Pittsburgh, replaced fading 32-year-old veteran Frank Ryan after the club started slowly. They still had outstanding players on offense in HB Leroy Kelly (pictured above), the NFL’s top rusher and scorer, and WR Paul Warfield. The defensive backfield was talented, as the Browns led the league with 32 interceptions.


There was a big crowd of 81,497 on hand at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium with temperatures in the mid-30s. Cleveland scored first following FS Mike Howell’s interception of a Meredith pass at the Dallas 39 that he returned to the 19. Following a penalty for an illegal receiver down field on a pass play, the Browns settled for a 38-yard field goal by Don Cockroft.

Late in the first quarter, the Cowboys got a break when Nelsen was hit by three Dallas linemen and fumbled. Howley recovered and ran 44 yards for a touchdown to give the visitors a 7-3 lead.

In a first half dominated by the defenses, the Cowboys extended their margin following an interception of a Nelsen pass by LB Dave Edwards that gave them the ball at the Cleveland 33. The resulting series ended with Mike Clark kicking an 18-yard field goal that made it 10-3.

The Browns came through on offense late in the second quarter, driving 85 yards in six plays. With the Cowboys double-covering Warfield, Leroy Kelly drifted out of the backfield and was left all alone. He caught a well-thrown pass from Nelsen on the 15 and scored a touchdown on a play that covered 45 yards overall. Cockroft’s extra point tied the game up at 10-10 heading into halftime.

Cleveland broke the game open with two interceptions in the first 2:30 of the second half. The first came on the initial play from scrimmage in the third quarter as LB Dale Lindsey returned it 27 yards for a touchdown. Shortly thereafter, Meredith was picked off again, this time by CB Ben Davis, which set up a 35-yard scoring run by Kelly two plays later. It was the end for Meredith, who completed just 3 of 9 passes for 42 yards and gave up three interceptions. When the Cowboys returned on offense, backup QB Craig Morton was behind center.

Late in the third quarter, Clark kicked a 47-yard field goal that narrowed Cleveland’s lead to 24-13. However, in the fourth quarter, the Browns drove 77 yards for the touchdown that clinched the game. With just over 12 minutes remaining on the clock, and following an interception of a Morton pass by veteran CB Erich Barnes, Nelsen threw to Warfield for a 32-yard gain and then for 13 yards to TE Milt Morin to set up a two-yard scoring run by FB Ernie Green.

The highest-scoring team in the league didn’t get an offensive touchdown until late in the fourth quarter when Morton threw to Garrison from two yards out. It didn’t matter at that point – the Browns won handily by a score of 31-20. The fans swarmed the field at the end and the officials called the game with 40 seconds remaining on the clock.

The Cowboys actually led narrowly in total yards (286 to 280) and first downs (13 to 12). However, they also turned the ball over four times – all on interceptions – and that proved to be the difference.


Bill Nelsen completed 13 of 25 passes for 203 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Leroy Kelly rushed for 87 yards on 20 carries that included a TD and also caught two passes for 46 more yards and the long touchdown. Paul Warfield (pictured at right) had 4 receptions for 86 yards and Milt Morin added 4 catches as well, for 47 yards.

In relief of Don Meredith, Craig Morton was successful on 9 of 23 throws for 163 yards with a TD and one picked off. Bob Hayes pulled in 5 passes for 83 yards and Lance Rentzel contributed 3 receptions for 75 yards. Don Perkins was the top rusher for the Cowboys as he gained 51 yards on 15 attempts.

Blanton Collier had nothing but praise for his defense afterward, saying “It’s a young defensive club, but they came of age today.”

“I can’t say enough about that defense,” added Bill Nelsen. “When the defense gives us the ball that many times, we’re going to score some points.”

“We had a chance to go all the way…but we couldn’t get the spark,” summed up a disappointed Tom Landry.

The high hopes expressed by the exuberant Browns came crashing down the next week as they were dominated in the NFL Championship game by the Baltimore Colts, who won by a 34-0 score. Cleveland and Dallas repeated once again as division champs in 1969 – the final year before the merger would restructure the league and move the Browns to the AFC – and the Browns again came out on top for the Eastern Conference title (and again lost decisively in the league championship contest).

It wasn’t known at the time, but Don Meredith would not be back with the Cowboys in 1969. While the poor performance against the Browns wasn’t his last pro appearance (he played for Dallas in the Playoff Bowl against the Vikings as well as the Pro Bowl), he announced his retirement just prior to training camp the following summer. It was a disappointing conclusion to a good run as quarterback in Dallas that ended with three straight division titles for the team as well as three consecutive Pro Bowl selections for the quarterback out of SMU.

MVP Profile: Frank Gifford, 1956

Halfback, New York Giants


Age: 26
5th season in pro football & with Giants
College: Southern California
Height: 6’1” Weight: 205

Prelude:
Chosen by the Giants in the first round of the 1952 NFL draft, the versatile Gifford was used primarily on defense and was selected to the Pro Bowl following the ’53 season as a defensive halfback (modern cornerback). Under new Head Coach Jim Lee Howell (and offensive assistant Vince Lombardi), he was shifted to offense full-time in 1954 and again was named to the Pro Bowl. With his outside speed as a runner and pass receiver and option passing ability, Gifford proved to be a formidable weapon. In 1955, he gained 902 all-purpose yards (351 rushing, 437 on 33 receptions, 114 on kickoff returns) and not only was picked to a third Pro Bowl but was a consensus first-team All-Pro selection.

1956 Season Summary
Appeared in all 12 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 159 [7]
Most attempts, game - 19 (for 43 yds.) vs.  Chi.Bears 11/25, (for 108 yds.) vs. Washington 12/2
Yards – 819 [5]
Most yards, game - 108 yds. (on 19 att.) vs. Washington 12/2
Average gain – 5.2 [5]
TDs – 5 [9, tied with five others]
100-yard rushing games - 1

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 51 [3]
Most receptions, game - 8 (for 85 yds.) at Chi. Cardinals 10/7
Yards – 603 [7, tied with Elroy Hirsch]
Most yards, game 116 (on 6 catches) vs.  Chi. Cardinals 11/11
Average gain – 11.8
TDs – 4 [12, tied with six others]
100-yard receiving games - 2

Passing
Pass attempts – 5
Pass completions – 2
Passing yards – 35
TD passes – 2
Interceptions – 1

Kicking
Field goals – 1 [14, tied with Sid Watson & Bud McFadin]
Field goal attempts – 2 [16]
Percentage – 50.0
PATs – 8 [14, tied with Bert Rechichar]
PAT attempts – 9 [15]
Longest field goal – 17 yards at San Francisco 9/30

All-Purpose yards – 1422 [5]

Scoring
TDs – 9 [6, tied with Lenny Moore]
FG – 1
PATs – 8
Points – 65 [10]

Postseason: 1 G (NFL Championship vs. Chicago Bears)
Rushing attempts – 5
Rushing yards – 30
Average gain rushing – 6.0
Rushing TDs – 0

Pass receptions – 4
Pass receiving yards - 131
Average yards per reception – 32.8
Pass Receiving TDs - 1

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: UPI, NEA, Sporting News
1st team All-NFL: AP, NEA, UPI, NY Daily News, Sporting News
Pro Bowl

Giants went 8-3-1 to finish first in the Eastern Conference and also led the conference in team rushing (2129 yards). Defeated Chicago Bears for NFL Championship (47-7).

Aftermath:
Gifford continued to excel at halfback, gaining 1116 yards from scrimmage in 1957 and 1308 in ’59. Along the way, he was again a consensus first-team All-Pro in both of those seasons and a Pro Bowl selectee in ’58 as well. A severe concussion suffered due to a tackle by Eagles LB Chuck Bednarik ended his career as a running halfback eight games into the 1960 season, but after taking a year off he returned as a flanker in ’62 and averaged 20.4 yards per catch on 39 receptions for 796 yards. He followed up with a 42-catch, 657-yard performance in 1963 when he returned to the Pro Bowl, but retired to move into a long broadcasting career after a 1964 season in which the team as a whole declined. Overall, Gifford rushed for 3609 yards on 840 carries with 34 TDs and caught 367 passes for another 5434 yards and 43 TDs, was named to 8 Pro Bowls and was a consensus first-team All-Pro four times. He also threw 14 TD passes and, on defense, had two interceptions, one that he returned for a score. The Giants retired his #16 and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1977.

--

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 2/11/14]
[Updated 2/21/17]

1971: Falcons Beat Saints to Cap First Winning Season

The Atlanta Falcons had not posted a winning record in their first five years since joining the NFL as an expansion team in 1966. However, as they faced the New Orleans Saints in the 1971 season finale on December 19, their record was 6-6-1 and the prospect of ending up over .500 a distinct possibility. In their third full year under Head Coach Norm Van Brocklin, the Falcons were better on defense than offense, despite the loss of star MLB Tommy Nobis to a knee injury. OLB Don Hansen was a solid player, and the defensive line had outstanding talent in ends Claude Humphrey and John Zook. The secondary, led by CB Ken Reaves, was tough against the pass. Van Brocklin emphasized toughness, and that was most apparent in the nondescript offense directed by small-but-accurate QB Bob Berry and featuring a group of running backs that were pluggers and lacked outside speed.

New Orleans, which had joined the NFL a year after the Falcons, was also seeking a franchise-best record under Head Coach J.D. Roberts, but at a more modest level. The Saints were 4-7-2 and trying to outdo their 5-9 record of 1969 – they were already assured of besting 1970’s 2-11-1 tally. Moreover, three of their wins had come against contending teams (the Rams, 49ers, and eventual-champion Cowboys), thus providing encouragement that the club might be heading in the right direction. The offense was led by rookie first draft pick QB Archie Manning, who had suffered through an injury-plagued campaign, but there was too little talent surrounding him and the defense was a liability.

There were 75,554 in attendance at Tulane Stadium, and they saw the Falcons score first on a six-yard run by FB Art Malone that was set up by the recovery of a New Orleans fumble at the Saints’ 15. The home team responded with a six-yard touchdown run of its own, by HB Bob Gresham, to make it a 7-7 game after one quarter.

The Saints moved ahead with just over four minutes to play in the first half, capping a six-minute drive with Charlie Durkee’s 30-yard field goal. Atlanta put together a 10-play, 76-yard series in response that was highlighted by a 35-yard gain on a pass from Berry to rookie WR Ken Burrow and finished off with a 12-yard field goal by Bill Bell. The score was tied at 10-10 at halftime.

The Saints got a break midway through the third quarter after a punt hit Atlanta HB Willie Belton and was recovered by LB Ray Hester at the Falcons’ 12. Manning ran for a six-yard touchdown and New Orleans held a 17-10 edge going into the final period.

Atlanta’s struggling offense finally came alive in the last six minutes of the game, sparked by a big play. Berry threw to Burrow for an 84-yard gain to the New Orleans three yard line, and Malone capped the series with a one-yard scoring run. With Bell’s extra point, the game was tied once more at 17-17.

The Saints came right back, however, as HB Virgil Robinson returned the ensuing kickoff 51 yards to set up a 36-yard field goal by Durkee that put them back in front with 3:14 to play.

HB Jim “Cannonball” Butler came up with a good kickoff return of his own, running it back 36 yards to his own 49. Nine plays later, on a series highlighted by a Berry throw to his other rookie starting wide receiver, Wes Chesson, for a 19-yard gain on a third-and-18 play to the New Orleans 26, the Falcons scored when Berry tossed a 22-yard touchdown pass to Burrow with just 34 seconds left to play. Atlanta held on to win by a final score of 24-20.

The Falcons outgained the Saints (319 yards to 300) although New Orleans had more first downs (20 to 14). Atlanta gained only 57 yards on 22 running plays but the defensive line came through with five sacks. Each team turned the ball over once.

Ken Burrow had a huge performance as he caught 8 passes for 190 yards and a TD. Bob Berry completed 18 of 27 passes for 269 yards with a touchdown and had none intercepted. Art Malone was the team’s leading rusher with 24 yards on 8 carries that nevertheless included two TDs. “Cannonball” Butler was right behind with 22 yards, also on eight attempts.


For the Saints, Archie Manning went to the air 26 times and completed 17 for 174 yards with none for scores, but also no interceptions – in addition, he ran the ball three times for 28 yards and a TD. Bob Gresham was the top receiver with 6 catches for 60 yards while also rushing 18 times for 52 yards and a score. FB Jim Strong was the leading ground-gainer as he accumulated 73 yards on 17 carries.

“The Saints played the run a lot tougher this time and we just couldn't get our hands on the ball much because they controlled it,” said Coach Norm Van Brocklin. “I think the Saints are the most improved team in football.”

Atlanta concluded the schedule with a 7-6-1 record that placed the Falcons third in the NFC West. They would break even in 1972 at 7-7 and contend for a time in ’73 while ending up at 9-5, but the Falcons would not reach the postseason until 1978. The Saints, who finished behind Atlanta at 4-8-2, would find their hopes dashed with a 2-11-1 mark in 1972. It would take far longer – until 1987 – for New Orleans to finally put together a winning mark and make it into the playoffs.

Bob Berry, who had the best years of his 11-season career under Van Brocklin’s tutelage, ranked second in the NFL in yards per attempt (8.87, to 8.92 for Roger Staubach of the Cowboys) and completion percentage (60.2) and fourth overall in the conference in passing under the system in use at the time (third by today’s system at 75.9).

Ken Burrow caught 33 passes for 741 yards (22.5 avg.) and six touchdowns. Over the course of a five-year career, all with the Falcons, he never exceeded the yardage total and had a high of 34 catches in 1974. Overall, he ended up with 152 receptions for 2668 yards (17.6 avg.) and 21 TDs. The 84-yard catch against the Saints was his longest and the eight pass receptions his most in a single game, and the 190 receiving yards tied his career high.

1976: Raiders Come From Behind to Beat Patriots in Penalty-Filled Playoff Game

The AFC Divisional playoff game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 18, 1976 featured a team that had regularly contended but not yet reached the top against a club that had risen from 3-11 to 11-3 in one year.

The Raiders, coached by John Madden, were the regular contenders. They won the AFC West for the fifth straight time and sixth in seven years since the NFL/AFL merger with a league-best 13-1 record. However, for all of their success, they had consistently come up short in the postseason. QB Ken “The Snake” Stabler had an outstanding season in ’76 and had excellent wide receivers in Cliff Branch and Fred Biletnikoff (pictured above), as well as talented TE Dave Casper. Running behind a superb offensive line, FB Mark van Eeghen rushed for 1012 yards. The defense had been switched to a 3-4 alignment with good results.

New England was the 11-3 Cinderella team, having posted their first winning record since they were still the Boston Patriots of the AFL in 1966. Coached by Chuck Fairbanks for the fourth year, they had benefited from the fine play of QB Steve Grogan in his first full season as the starter, a good group of running backs led by FB Sam “Bam” Cunningham, and the performance of second-year TE Russ Francis. The opportunistic defense that featured the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, CB Mike Haynes, and another first-year star in FS Tim Fox led the league in takeaways with 50. Moreover, the Patriots had inflicted the only defeat on Oakland during the regular season – a 48-17 thrashing in Week 4 – on the way to a second place finish in the AFC East and wild card spot in the playoffs.

New England started off the scoring with an 87-yard drive highlighted by a spectacular one-handed catch by Francis for a 48-yard gain on a third-and-seven play from the Patriots’ 33 yard line. Grogan threw to WR Darryl Stingley for 24 yards on a third-down play to the Oakland one and HB Andy Johnson capped the series with a one-yard scoring run at 3:41 into the first quarter.

The Raiders responded with a scoring drive of their own as Stabler completed his first two passes of the day, of 22 yards to Biletnikoff and 18 to Branch, to set up a 40-yard field goal by Errol Mann just before the end of the opening period.

There were no more points during the first half until just before halftime when CB Skip Thomas intercepted a pass to give the Raiders the ball on their 24. Oakland moved into New England territory and Stabler threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Biletnikoff. So while the Patriots had dominated the first thirty minutes of play, holding the ball for 42 plays to 25 by Oakland, the Raiders led by 10-7.

New England, playing ball-control football, scored twice in the third quarter to nearly take control of the game. The first score came on a drive helped along by a questionable holding call on the Raiders on the punt return that opened the series. New England went 80 yards and QB Steve Grogan finished it off with a 26-yard TD pass to Francis.

Five minutes later, the Patriots punted but retained possession following another penalty on Oakland (an offside call on LB Ted Hendricks). Keeping the ball on the ground, New England drove 55 yards with ex-Raider FB Jess Phillips running in for the touchdown from three yards out. At the end of three quarters, the Patriots held a 21-10 lead and it seemed as though the Raiders might once again fall short of reaching the Super Bowl.


Oakland came right back, however, as Stabler (pictured at left), who had been having problems with his passing, hit on five straight throws in a 70-yard possession into the fourth quarter that ended with van Eeghen running in over left tackle for a TD. With just over 11 minutes to play, New England’s margin was narrowed to 21-17.

The Raiders were stopped the next time they had the ball and then a potential New England scoring drive faltered due to a penalty. Grogan appeared to have successfully sneaked for a crucial first down at the Oakland 28, but the play was nullified by an offside call and Cunningham was then stopped on a draw play. Forced to try for a long field goal, John Smith was short on a 50-yard attempt. With 4:12 left on the clock, the Raiders took over at their 32.

Stabler threw to Biletnikoff for 12 yards and 21 yards to Casper, but “The Snake” was then sacked by DE Mel Lunsford. With the ball at the New England 28, Stabler threw two incompletions, but on the second NT Ray Hamilton was flagged for roughing the passer, giving the Raiders a first down at the 13 with 57 seconds remaining.

Stabler threw to Casper for five yards, and the tight end got out of bounds to stop the clock. HB Clarence Davis ran for four yards on a draw play. The Patriots were penalized for a personal foul on SS Prentice McCray, who kept moving the ball back after it had been spotted.

With a first down and over a yard to go, Coach Madden called for Stabler to run a bootleg option. He chose to send RB Pete Banaszak into the line with 37 seconds left, and the Patriots stopped him short. Stabler, not known for his running ability, went with the rollout on the next play. Scrambling to his left and following G Gene Upshaw, he dove into the end zone with 10 seconds left for the winning touchdown as the Raiders advanced by a final score of 24-21.

New England outgained the Raiders (331 yards to 282) and had more first downs (23 to 20). The Patriots were more effective on the ground, outgaining Oakland by 164 yards to 81, and sacked Stabler four times while Grogan was not sacked at all. However, they turned the ball over three times, to one by the Raiders.

Ken Stabler had problems with his passing accuracy during the first three quarters, not helped by the New England secondary’s success at shutting down the speedy Cliff Branch (3 catches for 32 yards), although it opened up opportunities to throw to Fred Biletnikoff. The result was that Biletnikoff had a big day, pulling in 9 passes for 137 yards and a TD. Stabler was successful on 19 of 32 throws for 233 yards with a touchdown and none intercepted. Mark van Eeghen led Oakland in rushing with 39 yards on 11 carries that included a touchdown.


For the Patriots, Steve Grogan completed 12 of 23 passes for 167 yards with a TD and one picked off. Russ Francis (pictured at right) caught 4 of those throws for 96 yards and a score. Sam Cunningham gained 68 yards on 20 rushing attempts.

Penalties had played a big role throughout the game, especially in some key situations. The Raiders were flagged 11 times at a cost of 93 yards while the Patriots were penalized 10 times for 83 yards. While it seemed that both teams had benefited from the calls, New England’s players and coaches were more vociferous as they complained about the officiating – not to mention alleged dirty play by the Raiders – throughout the contest, and there was plenty of bitterness expressed afterward.

“That was one of the worst-called games I have ever seen in my life,” said an angry Patriots DE Julius Adams.

Chuck Fairbanks kept quiet regarding the officiating in general, but with regard to the controversial call on Ray Hamilton said, “I just hope they were right. It looked to me like Ray Hamilton hit the ball first. If he did deflect the ball, it was an incorrect call.”

More composed later, Fairbanks added, “I’m proud of my team and the way we played today. We’re going home knowing we played our hearts out.”

“That's what YOU say,” said Coach John Madden when the Pats' complaints were brought to his attention by a writer. “If you could sit there for 60 minutes and say the officials turned that game around with penalties at the end, you were wasting your time. You were eating a hot dog somewhere instead of watching what was going on. There was some great football out there.”

For the Raiders, the close call against New England proved to be the biggest scare they suffered on the way to a championship. They defeated the Steelers more easily in the AFC Championship game and dominated the Minnesota Vikings in the Super Bowl. As for the Patriots, they started slowly in 1977 and, while posting a respectable 9-5 record, missed the playoffs in what was ultimately a disappointing campaign.

1933: Bears Edge Giants in First NFL Championship Game

For the first thirteen years of its existence, the National Football League (American Professional Football Association originally) had no designated game to determine the annual champion. While season record was the determining factor, this occasionally led to controversy, especially when the teams didn’t play fixed schedules. In 1932, the clubs tied with the top winning percentage, the Chicago Bears and Portsmouth Spartans, arranged a game to determine the league champion – while this is sometimes referred to as the first NFL title game, it was not in fact a postseason contest, since the result figured in the season won-lost records (the Bears won).

Several innovations were put into effect for the 1933 season, including rules changes to promote scoring such as using hashmarks, allowing forward passes to be thrown from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage (as opposed to five yards behind), and moving the goal posts up to the goal line (where they would remain until moved back in 1974). There were also structural innovations that included breaking the league up into Eastern and Western divisions and creating a designated postseason championship game to be held between the division winners.

On December 17, 1933 the first official NFL Championship game occurred between the New York Giants, champions of the Eastern Division, and their hosts, the Western Division-champion Chicago Bears.


The Bears, defending league champs, were once again coached by team owner George Halas, who had stepped away from the sideline after the 1929 season for three years in favor of Ralph Jones. They won their first six games, briefly slumped during a midseason road trip to the East with two losses and a tie, and then finished up with four more victories to easily top the Western Division with a 10-2-1 record. Chicago was strong in all facets of the game, with FB Bronko Nagurski (pictured at right) providing the power running, QB Keith Molesworth leading the league by averaging 8.7 yards per pass, and end Bill Hewitt playing well both offensively and defensively.

New York was coached by Steve Owen and had dominated the Eastern Division with an 11-3 tally. Rookie tailback Harry Newman proved to be a top passer and FB Ken Strong, obtained after the Staten Island Stapletons folded, was a good runner and placekicker. Ends Red Badgro and Ray Flaherty and wingback Dale Burnett made for a capable receiving corps. The line was anchored by center Mel Hein and the Giants had proven their defensive prowess already in a shutout win over the Bears during the season.

There were some 26,000 fans in attendance at Wrigley Field on a foggy day with some light rain during the first half. The Giants drove to the Chicago 15 yard line and came up empty. With Nagurski running effectively, the Bears responded by driving into New York territory and scored the first points of the game on a 16-yard field goal by their outstanding placekicker, Jack Manders. Early in the second quarter, Manders booted a second field goal, from 40 yards, and the hosts were ahead by 6-0.

Late in the first half, FB Kink Richards broke off a 30-yard gain for the Giants and Newman threw to Badgro for a 29-yard touchdown. Strong was successful on the extra point attempt, and New York took a narrow 7-6 lead into halftime.

Manders put the Bears back in front in the third quarter with a 28-yard field goal, but the Giants came right back behind Newman’s passing on a 73-yard drive that ended with blocking back Max Krause plowing over from a yard out for a touchdown.

With the score 14-9, it was the turn of Chicago to make a big play. Facing a third-and-long situation, the Bears were set to punt but passed instead of kicking. HB George Corbett threw to QB Carl Brumbaugh for a 67-yard gain to the New York eight yard line (Brumbaugh shown running at top during the title game). From there, Nagurski took the handoff and headed for the line but held up and tossed a jump pass into the end zone. End Bill Karr hauled it in and Chicago regained the lead at 16-14.

Moving into the fourth quarter, once more Newman moved the Giants as he completed all four of his passes. At the Chicago eight, Strong took a handoff on a reverse and, seeing no running room, he lateraled back to Newman. Running to his right and hemmed in for a possible loss of yardage, the tailback saw that Strong had kept on going uncovered into the end zone and completed a TD pass to him. In the back-and-forth rhythm that the contest had settled into, New York was once more on top by a 21-16 tally.

It seemed as though that would be enough, but with time running down a shanked punt by the Giants that traveled only eight yards gave Chicago the ball in good field position at the New York 47. Molesworth passed to Brumbaugh for nine yards and then Nagurski ran for four. The Bears once again resorted to Nagurski on a jump pass (one of their most effective plays). This time the throw was to Hewitt for 14 yards, but when Dale Burnett closed in to make the tackle, he tossed the ball to Karr who ran the rest of the way for a 33-yard touchdown.

The outcome was still in doubt right down to the final play as Newman threw to Burnett in the open field, but DHB Red Grange, once a great running halfback but now better as a defensive back, was able to hold him up (and prevent a possible lateral) and the Bears won the NFL Championship by a score of 23-21.

The first postseason title game had been exciting, containing six lead changes, and highlighted the greater emphasis on passing in the pro game as opposed to college football at the time. As the report by the Associated Press put it, “The struggle was a revelation to college coaches who advocate no changes in the rules. It was strictly an offensive battle and the professional rule of allowing passes to be thrown from any point behind the line of scrimmage was responsible for most of the thrills.”

Total yards were almost even, with the Bears holding a slight edge of 311 to 307. Chicago gained most of its yardage on the ground (161 to 99) while the Giants went more often to the air (208 to 150). New York had the edge in first downs, 13 to 12. Notable individual performances were turned in by Bronko Nagurski, who ran for 65 yards on 14 carries, and Harry Newman (pictured below), who completed 12 of 17 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bears and Giants were still the best clubs in their respective divisions in 1934 and met again for the NFL title, this time at the Polo Grounds in New York and with a decidedly different result.

MVP Profile: Merlin Olsen, 1974

Defensive Tackle, Los Angeles Rams


Age: 34 (Sept. 15)
13th season in pro football & with Rams
College: Utah State
Height: 6’5” Weight: 270

Prelude:
Winner of the Outland Trophy as the best college lineman, Olsen was chosen in the first round of the 1962 NFL draft by the Rams (third overall) and moved into the starting lineup by the third game of his rookie season. With his size complemented by speed, agility, and intelligence, he became an immediate impact player and was named to the first of a record 14 consecutive Pro Bowls. He was a consensus first-team All-Pro selection as well for five consecutive years (1966 to ’70) and was particularly dominant during the George Allen head coaching era as part of the “Fearsome Foursome” that included ends Deacon Jones and Lamar Lundy and, first, Rosey Grier and then Roger Brown at tackle.

1974 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 14 games
(Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20)

Sacks – N/A
Interceptions – 0
Fumble recoveries – 0

Postseason: 2 G
Sacks – 0.5 (unofficial)
Most sacks, game – 0.5 vs. Washington, NFC Divisional playoff
Interceptions – 0
TD – 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL Player of the Year: Bert Bell Award
2nd team All-NFL: PFWA
2nd team All-NFC: UPI
Pro Bowl

Rams went 10-4 to finish first in the NFC West while leading the NFL in defense against the run (1302 yards / 93.0 per game / 4 TDs) and giving up the fewest points (181) and the NFC in sacks (44). Won NFC Divisional playoff over Washington Redskins (19-10). Lost NFC Championship to Minnesota Vikings (14-10).

Aftermath:
Olsen played another two years, for a total of 15, and only missed the Pro Bowl in his final season of 1976 before retiring to a career as a broadcaster and actor. His #74 was retired by the Rams and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1982.

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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).