1970: Revenge-Minded Vikings Beat Chiefs

The 1969 pro football season – the last in which the NFL and AFL existed as separate entities – ended with the AFL Champion Kansas City Chiefs handily defeating the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings in the Super Bowl. Much was said about how Kansas City Head Coach Hank Stram’s complex offense had been too much for Minnesota’s vaunted defense to handle. 

On September 20, 1970 the two teams opened the new season of the merged league at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota. There were some changes – most notably, fiery Vikings QB Joe Kapp was holding out (he would not return to the team, joining the Boston Patriots instead), but Head Coach Bud Grant’s club retained the tough defense anchored by the line of ends Carl Eller and Jim Marshall and tackles Alan Page and Gary Larsen (pictured above #59 LB Lonnie Warwick, #88 Alan Page, #77 Gary Larsen, #60 LB Roy Winston, #81 Carl Eller). The Chiefs still had the same veteran core that included QB Len Dawson and WR Otis Taylor on offense and a star-filled defense that featured DT Buck Buchanon, MLB Willie Lanier, OLB Bobby Bell, and FS Johnny Robinson.

There was a capacity crowd of 47,900 on a rainy afternoon at Metropolitan Stadium. DB Charlie West started things off well for Minnesota as he returned the opening kickoff 49 yards to his own 47. The Vikings got into KC territory but a penalty combined with a sack of QB Gary Cuozzo by Buchanon drove them back and forced a punt.

Following a 65-yard punt by Jerrel Wilson that landed at the Minnesota three, the Vikings put together a long 15-play drive that ended with a 20-yard field goal by Fred Cox on the first play of the second quarter.

The Vikings got more points just three plays later. Kansas City HB Mike Garrett fumbled when hit by Carl Eller and Jim Marshall picked it up and rumbled 24 yards before tossing a lateral to LB Roy Winston at the KC 14, who took it the rest of the way for a touchdown and 10-0 lead.

The Chiefs came back with a big play as Dawson passed to Otis Taylor for a 59-yard touchdown. However, the Vikings embarked on another time-consuming drive, going 48 yards in 13 plays. With 47 seconds left in the half, and following two pass interference penalties on the Chiefs, HB Dave Osborn powered over from a yard out for a touchdown.

Minnesota controlled the ball effectively in the first half, running 41 plays to just 17 for the Chiefs and taking advantage of mistakes to build a 17-7 halftime lead. This was despite Len Dawson completing his first 12 passes as the Vikings simply kept the ball out of his hands for large stretches of time.

Kansas City came out throwing in the third quarter and Dawson completed five straight passes. The Chiefs ended up with a 28-yard field goal by Jan Stenerud, but were otherwise shut down the rest of the way.

In an eventful portion of the third quarter, Alan Page pulled the ball away from Kansas City FB Robert Holmes, but the Chiefs regained possession two plays later when FB Bill Brown fumbled and DT Curley Culp recovered. However, on the next play, the ball was turned over again when SS Karl Kassulke intercepted a Dawson pass. CB Jim Marsalis returned the favor a snap later when he intercepted Cuozzo’s pass intended for WR Gene Washington.

In the final period, RB Oscar Reed scored another TD for the Vikings that was set up by FS Paul Krause’s interception and 40-yards return to the KC 7. Cox capped the scoring with a 40-yard field goal and Minnesota ended up with a convincing 27-10 win.

The Chiefs, who had played with such precision in the Super Bowl, made costly mistakes, turning the ball over four times (to three by Minnesota) and committing untimely penalties. While the Vikings barely outgained them (220 yards to 218), Minnesota had 17 first downs to just 8 for Kansas City, only one of which came on the ground.

Gary Cuozzo turned in a workmanlike performance, completing 12 of 20 passes for 100 yards, although with two interceptions. Of Minnesota’s committee of running backs, 10^th-year veteran Bill Brown led with 55 yards on 17 carries. TE John Beasley caught three passes for 41 yards and WR Bob Grim also had three receptions, for 19 yards.

For the Chiefs, Len Dawson (pictured at right) was successful on 18 of his 27 throws for 164 yards with a TD and two interceptions. With the one long scoring play, Otis Taylor gained 100 yards on his 5 catches. FB Wendell Hayes, also heading a running-game-by-committee, ran for 22 yards on 7 attempts while Mike Garrett was held to 16 yards on 7 carries and had the damaging fumble.

“It happened eight months ago,” said Bud Grant in reference to the Super Bowl defeat, “but they’ve been shoving it down our throats ever since. We couldn’t say anything because that’s the price you pay when you lose.”

“If they would have gotten ahead, they probably would have tried more of their razzle-dazzle,” said Vikings LB Roy Winston. “We were better prepared this time and Kansas City was not fortunate to get ahead.”

“You can’t score unless you have the ball,” summed up Hank Stram from the losing side.

The Vikings went on to win the NFC Central with a 12-2 record, identical to their 1969 tally. However, they didn’t reach the Super Bowl again, falling to the 49ers in the Divisional round. Kansas City also failed to repeat, missing the postseason altogether by posting a 7-5-2 record and placing second in the AFC West.

Minnesota’s defense was the top-rated in the NFL and accounted for a total of five touchdowns during the season. Carl Eller and Alan Page (who recovered seven fumbles) were consensus first-team All-Pros and were joined as Pro Bowl selections by Gary Larsen and Karl Kassulke. 

1993: Testaverde Comes Off Bench to Rally Browns Past Raiders

The Cleveland Browns came into the 1993 NFL season after having endured three straight losing records. Under third-year Head Coach Bill Belichick, the Browns were showing signs of steady improvement and were active in signing free agents during the offseason. One of those newcomers was QB Vinny Testaverde, once a first-overall draft choice who had spent six uneven years in Tampa Bay. He was brought in to back up the team’s popular but brittle star quarterback, Bernie Kosar, who oddly enough Testaverde had understudied for two years at the University of Miami. With a healthy Kosar behind center, Cleveland had gotten off to a 2-0 start in ’93.

On September 19 the Browns took on the Raiders at Los Angeles. The Raiders were also 2-0 under Head Coach Art Shell. They were coming off a disappointing 7-9 record in 1992 after having been a playoff team the prior two years and had also brought in a new free agent quarterback, ex-Giant Jeff Hostetler. The veteran club had many aging players, but DE Howie Long was still outstanding and WR Tim Brown and CB Terry McDaniel were solid talents.

There were 48,617 fans in attendance at the Memorial Coliseum. The Raiders started off with an 80-yard drive that took eight plays and benefited from a 26-yard gain on a pass to WR Alexander Wright in a third-and-ten situation from 38-year-old backup QB Vince Evans, who came into the game when Hostetler was injured while being sacked. Hostetler returned and finished off the series with a two-yard touchdown throw to TE Andrew Glover.

The teams traded punts until late in the opening period when Kosar was intercepted by DT Chester McGlockton, giving the Raiders the ball at the Browns’ 7. They weren’t able to punch in for a TD, however, and settled for a 24-yard field goal by Jeff Jaeger to make it 10-0.

Following another Kosar interception on the last play of the first quarter, LA added another Jaeger field goal, this time from 27 yards. That was it for the first half scoring as Cleveland was only able to generate 37 net yards and three first downs while the Raiders failed to put more points on the board when they had opportunities. McGlockton and Howie Long dominated the line of scrimmage and harassed Kosar throughout the first thirty minutes.

Neither offense was effective in the third quarter until Cleveland RB Tommy Vardell took off for a 54-yard gain to the LA 24 yard line. But the Browns moved backward rather than forward as Kosar was sacked for a nine-yard loss, Vardell lost two yards on a running play, and Kosar fumbled and lost three more yards on the recovery. Cleveland was forced to punt.

Late in the period, and following another punt by the Raiders, the Browns moved into Los Angeles territory again thanks to a pass to Vardell that gained 21 yards, but the fourth quarter opened with Kosar, under heavy pressure, being intercepted on a pass at the goal line by Terry McDaniel.

When the Browns got the ball back after another three-and-out possession by the Raiders, Testaverde was in to relieve Kosar. Taking over at his 33, the ex-Heisman Trophy winner completed passes of 11 yards to TE Brian Kinchen, 18 yards to WR Lawyer Tillman on a third-and-seven play, and 15 yards to WR Mark Carrier, who had been a teammate previously with the Bucs. The drive stalled at the LA 14, but Matt Stover kicked a 32-yard field goal and Cleveland was finally on the board.

Once again the Raiders failed to move the ball on offense, but two plays after Jeff Gossett’s punt, CB James Trapp intercepted a Testaverde pass to once more put LA in possession in Cleveland territory at the 38. Three plays netted three yards, but Jaeger kicked his third field goal of the game from 53 yards to give the Raiders a seemingly-secure 16-3 lead with five minutes remaining in the game.

It seemed even worse for the Browns when RB Eric Metcalf fumbled the kickoff and, while he recovered, the offense had to start at its own 10 yard line. However, Testaverde again began completing passes – 17 yards to Carrier on first down, 13 yards to RB Leroy Hoard on a second-and-ten play, 22 yards to Metcalf for a big third-down conversion, and 18 yards to WR Michael Jackson. Testaverde was sacked after Cleveland got inside the LA 10, but responded with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Tillman that capped the 12-play, 90-yard series. With Stover’s successful extra point, the Browns were down by 16-10 with 2:26 remaining on the clock.

The Raiders took possession following the ensuing kickoff deep inside their own territory and, following an outstanding play by Cleveland LB Pepper Johnson to prevent Hostetler from completing a third-down pass to Glover, Gossett ran out of the end zone from punt formation to take an intentional safety.

Metcalf returned the free kick for 37 yards to give the Browns good field position at the LA 45. Vardell ran for eight yards and, after Testaverde’s pass intended for Jackson was incomplete, three more yards and a first down. Testaverde threw to Carrier for 16 yards to the 18 yard line and, after spiking the ball to stop the clock, passed again to Carrier for 17 more yards to put the ball on the one with 11 seconds remaining. The Browns used their last time out and Testaverde tossed an incompletion. On second down, Metcalf took a pitch and ran around end for a touchdown and the Browns could celebrate. Cleveland came away with a dramatic 19-16 win.

“I’m physically and emotionally shocked,” said a disappointed Howie Long afterward.

In a game dominated by defense, the Browns outgained the Raiders (316 yards to 156), who only had 85 net passing yards. Cleveland also had more first downs (20 to 11). However, the Browns turned the ball over four times, to none by Los Angeles. Cleveland recorded six quarterback sacks to LA’s five and the teams combined for a total of 14 punts.

Bernie Kosar had been dismal, completing 8 of 17 passes for 71 yards and tossing three interceptions. Vinny Testaverde, in less than a quarter of play, was successful on 10 of 22 throws for 159 yards with a touchdown as well as an interception. Tommy Vardell rushed for 104 yards on 14 carries – noteworthy because it was the first hundred-yard rushing performance by a Brown in 70 games, covering five years. Mark Carrier caught 5 passes for 73 yards.

For the Raiders, Jeff Hostetler went to the air 25 times and completed just 11 for 94 yards and a TD, although with none picked off. RB Greg Robinson was the top ground-gainer with 59 yards on 18 carries. FB Steve Smith paced the club with 4 catches for 42 yards.

While all the right assurances were made in the immediate aftermath that Bernie Kosar was still the starting quarterback, he was soon supplanted by Testaverde and, in a shocking move, was waived at midseason – especially shocking because Testaverde was injured at the time and third-stringer Todd Philcox had to step in. The Browns, after having gotten out to a 5-2 start, ended up on the wrong side of .500 again at 7-9, but Testaverde finished up as the starting quarterback with his best year to date in the NFL. He completed 56.5 percent of his passes for 1797 yards and, for the first time, tossed more touchdown passes (14) than interceptions (9). The stage was set for improvement in 1994.

Eric Metcalf (pictured below) was a consensus first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection as he gained a league-leading 1932 total yards (611 rushing, 539 receiving, 464 returning punts, and 318 returning kickoffs). Tommy Vardell rushed for 644 yards on 171 carries (3.8 avg.) – the 104-yard game against the Raiders was the only hundred-yard rushing performance of his career.

The Raiders recovered to go 10-6, finishing second in the AFC West but earning a spot in the postseason as a Wild Card. They made it to the Divisional round before losing to Buffalo.

1966: Namath Throws 5 TD Passes as Jets Rout Oilers

The New York Jets had made a big splash in 1965 when they signed QB Joe Namath (pictured at right) to a huge contract out of Alabama. The young quarterback had shown plenty of potential during his rookie season, but both he and Head Coach Weeb Ewbank’s Jets were still a work in progress. There was a solid veteran core with flanker Don Maynard, FB Bill Mathis, G Sam DeLuca, and LB Larry Grantham, and they were joined by talented younger players such as split end George Sauer, FB Matt Snell, OT Winston Hill, G Dave Herman, and C John Schmitt on offense and DE Verlon Biggs and MLB Al Atkinson on defense. Two 1966 rookies would have an immediate impact on the offense in HB Emerson Boozer, who brought much-needed outside speed, and TE Pete Lammons.

The Jets won their first game at Miami and were hosting the Houston Oilers for their home-opening contest on September 18, 1966. It seemed as though the Oilers would provide a good test, for they had already played two games and were off to a strong start. Wally Lemm had returned as head coach after a four-year hiatus with the NFL Cardinals. He first became coach during the 1961 season and led Houston to ten straight wins, including the AFL Championship game. Now he was looking to turn around a team that had endured three straight losing years. The Oilers still had 39-year-old George Blanda at quarterback and 31-year-old Charley Hennigan at flanker. But defense had dominated in the early going, most notably the line that contained 6’5”, 270-pound Pat Holmes, who had played four years in the CFL, and 6’9”, 315-pound ex-Charger Ernie Ladd at the tackle positions. Houston had soundly beaten Denver and Oakland by a combined score of 76-7 and was expected to give the Jets a tough contest.

There was a big crowd of 54,681 on hand at Shea Stadium for the battle of unbeaten teams. Houston scored first on a 49-yard field goal by Blanda. But Namath, who had hyper-extended his right knee when the two teams played in the preseason, set the tone with a 67-yard touchdown pass to Sauer in which he had plenty of time in the pocket.

In the second quarter, Blanda booted another field goal, from 30 yards, to narrow New York’s lead to 7-6. Late in the period the Jets put together an 85-yard drive in 11 plays. A screen pass to Matt Snell was good for a 25-yard TD to cap the series with just over two minutes remaining in the half.

The Jets weren’t done scoring before halftime, however, as Al Atkinson intercepted a Blanda pass at the Houston 33 on the first play following the ensuing kickoff. Namath threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Pete Lammons and the home team held a 21-6 lead at the intermission.

Less than two minutes into the third quarter, Namath tossed another scoring pass, this time to Don Maynard for 55 yards. The Jets had broken the game open in a span of four minutes of playing time, from the second to third quarters, and they were far from done. Namath threw another scoring pass to Maynard, this time covering 37 yards, and Jim Turner added a 32-yard field goal.

The Oilers didn’t penetrate deeper than the New York 30 until ten minutes into the third quarter. Blanda tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to HB Sid Blanks, but it was a case of too-little, too-late. The Jets took a 38-13 lead into the final period.

Backup QB Mike Taliaferro came in for Namath in the fourth quarter and New York scored twice more. Emerson Boozer ran for a 39-yard touchdown and Taliaferro tossed an 18-yard TD pass to TE Curley Johnson (his only catch of the year - he was better known as the team’s punter). The Jets came away with a very convincing 52-13 win.

New York’s offensive line did an outstanding job of neutralizing Ladd and Holmes, and thus exposed Houston’s weakness in the defensive backfield. Defensively, another newcomer to the Jets, veteran CB Johnny Sample, had two key interceptions – the first of them stopped Houston’s deepest penetration of the first half after the Oilers had reached the New York 30.

The Jets significantly outgained Houston (466 yards to 207) and had more first downs (23 to 16). The Oilers turned the ball over five times and suffered four quarterback sacks while New York didn’t turn the ball over at all and the line gave up no sacks.

Joe Namath didn’t complete a high percentage of his passes, hitting on 12 of 31 attempts, but they were good for 283 yards and five touchdowns with none intercepted. Don Maynard (pictured below) was the top receiver with 7 catches for 156 yards and two TDs. Matt Snell rushed for 67 yards on 15 carries and also caught two passes for 28 yards and a touchdown. Emerson Boozer added 49 yards on five attempts that included a TD.

For the Oilers, George Blanda was successful on 15 of 34 throws for 144 yards with a touchdown and four interceptions before being relieved by Don Trull. Sid Blanks didn’t accomplish much running the ball, with three carries for six yards, but was the team’s top receiver with 7 catches for 61 yards and a TD out of the backfield. Split end Charley Frazier gained 64 yards on his three receptions. FB Charley Tolar ran for 34 yards on 10 attempts.

“Our whole offensive line was great,” enthused Weeb Ewbank afterward. “You have to especially give Sam DeLuca and Dave Herman credit for keeping Ladd and Holmes out.”

“I’m not too pleased about my accuracy,” summed up Joe Namath. “I’m not satisfied with those statistics but we won and that’s important.”

The win over the Oilers put the Jets in first place in the Eastern Division and they were 4-0-1 before finally losing – at Houston, no less. That was the first of four straight defeats and five in six games as New York finished up at 6-6-2 and in third place.

The defeat at New York was the first ever for Wally Lemm as coach of the Oilers, but it would prove to be far from the last. They lost twice more before beating the Jets at home and didn’t win again the rest of the way, ending up at the bottom of the division along with the expansion Dolphins at 3-11. Don Trull replaced George Blanda as the starting quarterback during the second half of the year and that marked the beginning of a major housecleaning that swept away such stalwarts as Blanda, Charley Hennigan, and Charley Tolar after the season.

Joe Namath’s development was apparent as he led the AFL in pass attempts (471), completions (232), and yards (3379) while tossing 19 touchdown passes. However, he remained very much a developmental project as he also led the league by tossing 27 interceptions.

Rookie of the Year: Rashaan Salaam, 1995

Running Back, Chicago Bears

Age: 21 (Oct. 7)

College: Colorado

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 226

Prelude:

Winner of the 1994 Heisman Trophy after rushing for 2055 yards as a junior, Salaam chose to enter the ’95 NFL draft and was taken by the Bears in the first round (21^st overall). Slow to get on track after a contract holdout that extended into training camp, he took over as the team’s feature back after RB Raymont Harris was lost to a broken collarbone in the season-opening game.

1995 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 296 [10]

Most attempts, game - 30 (for 122 yds.) vs. Philadelphia 12/24

Yards – 1074 [13]

Most yards, game – 134 yards (on 27 carries) vs. Tampa Bay 12/17

Average gain – 3.6

TDs – 10 [8]

100-yard rushing games – 5

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 7         

Most receptions, game – 2 (for 25 yds.) at Jacksonville 10/15, (for 14 yds.) at NY Giants 11/26

Yards – 56

Most yards, game - 25 (on 2 catches) at Jacksonville 10/15

Average gain – 8.0

TDs – 0

Scoring

TDs – 10

Points – 60

Awards & Honors:

NFC Rookie of the Year: UPI

Bears went 9-7 to finish third in the NFC Central.

Aftermath:

The solid rookie season proved to be by far the best of Salaam’s career. He gained just 496 rushing yards in an injury-plagued 1996 season and 112 yards in three games in ’97 before being cut by the Bears. He appeared in two games for the Cleveland Browns in 1999 and also had a short stint with the Memphis Maniax of the XFL in 2001 (525 yards in 6 games). Overall, he gained just 610 more rushing yards and scored four more TDs in his abbreviated NFL career after his rookie year, a victim of injuries and poor work ethic.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie of the Year in the NFL, AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, or the league itself – Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year). 

[Updated 2/6/14]

1974: Ferguson to Rashad TD Passes Propel Bills Past Raiders

Coming into the 1974 NFL season, the Buffalo Bills appeared to be a team on the rise. Following six straight losing records, the Bills had gone 9-5 in ’73, just missing out on a playoff berth. A key to the club’s improvement had been the return of Lou Saban as head coach in 1972 (he had coached the team from 1962 to ’65, during which it won back-to-back AFL titles), and his decision to build the offense around HB O.J. Simpson, who had been something of a disappointment after coming out of USC in 1969. The decision paid off in back-to-back league rushing titles by the star halfback, including a record 2003 yards during a sensational 1973 season.

At quarterback in ’73 had been rookie Joe Ferguson, a third round draft choice out of Arkansas who threw just 164 passes during the course of the year. Thus, the offense had been decidedly one-dimensional with Simpson, behind an outstanding line, carrying the load and the improving defense that included DE Earl Edwards, LB Jim Cheyunski, and CB Robert James keeping opponents from scoring often. For the team to advance, Ferguson would need to throw the ball, and to help in this regard Saban dealt for WR Ahmad Rashad (pictured above) from the Cardinals to join the capable holdovers J.D. Hill and Bob Chandler.

The Bills opened the ’74 season at home on September 16 in a Monday night contest against the Oakland Raiders. Oakland, under Head Coach John Madden, was a perennially contending team that had yet to win a title since the AFL merged with the NFL. They were coming off a 9-4-1 record in 1973 and were still a formidable challenger. Ken Stabler had bypassed Daryle Lamonica as the starting quarterback and he had veteran WR Fred Biletnikoff plus up-and-coming WR Cliff Branch to throw to, FB Marv Hubbard to hand off to, and a tough defense to harass opponents.

There was a big crowd of 79,791 on hand for the nationally-televised game at Rich Stadium. Following a scoreless first quarter, Buffalo scored on Ferguson’s four-yard TD pass to J.D. Hill. It capped a 54-yard drive that benefited from a spearing penalty called on Oakland DB Warren Bankston. Early in the second quarter, George Blanda, on the eve of his 47^th birthday, kicked a 47-yard field goal for the Raiders. That was it for the first half scoring, but an ominous development occurred for the Bills in the final minute of the second quarter when O.J. Simpson suffered an ankle sprain and was sidelined for the second half.

In the third quarter, the Raiders drove 58 yards on their first series and HB Clarence Davis ran for a 15-yard touchdown on a third-and-nine play, surprising the Bills defense in an apparent passing situation. A big play along the way was a 14-yard Stabler pass to Branch in a third-and-nine situation at the Buffalo 34.

Seven minutes later, Oakland added to its tally with another Blanda field goal, this time from 41 yards. The Bills fought back on offense and advanced into Oakland territory, but a 46-yard field goal attempt by John Leypoldt was wide to the left in the waning seconds of the period. The Raiders held a 13-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Early in the final period, Stabler was picked off by FS Tony Greene, giving Buffalo possession at the Oakland 36. Nine plays later, the Bills faced fourth-and-goal at the one and Coach Saban chose to go for it. They came up empty when LB Dan Conners of the Raiders halted Simpson’s replacement, HB Gary Hayman, with a hard hit for no gain and knocked him out of the contest as well.

Buffalo got the ball back in good field position at the Oakland 41 following a punt by the Raiders after their ensuing possession, but the Bills came up empty again when once more they failed to convert a fourth down, this time on a pass at the 25. However, following a fumble by Marv Hubbard at his own 33, and with 1:56 left in the game, Ferguson threw to Ahmad Rashad for an eight-yard touchdown, finally coming through on a fourth-down play. Leypoldt’s successful extra point made it 14-13 in favor of the Bills.

Buffalo’s spirited defense held the Raiders as Stabler threw three incomplete passes. The offense regained possession on its own 31, but on the first play FB Jim Braxton fumbled and DT Art Thoms picked it up and ran for a touchdown. With 1:14 now remaining, Oakland was back in front at 20-14.

Following the kickoff, the Bills took possession at their 28 and put together an eight-play, 72-yard drive that was helped along by two penalties on the Raiders. Ferguson, who completed four passes during the series, again went to Rashad for a 13-yard touchdown and, with the successful PAT, a one-point lead with the clock down to 31 seconds.

The Raiders fought back, going from their 41 to the Buffalo 33 in three plays. But with six seconds left, Blanda missed a 50-yard field goal that fell short and was wide to the right. Having come through in an exciting last two minutes of play, the Bills won by a final score of 21-20.

Buffalo led in total yards (306 to 252) and first downs (22 to 18). The Raiders suffered two damaging turnovers, to one by Buffalo, and penalties were a big factor as Oakland was flagged 10 times at a cost of 104 yards, often in critical situations.

Joe Ferguson (pictured below) completed 10 of 20 passes for 122 yards and three touchdowns with none intercepted – in the fourth quarter alone, he was 6 for 12 and 84 yards with two TDs. He picked on Oakland CB Skip Thomas, although the winning touchdown was scored on All-Pro CB Willie Brown. In his half of play, O.J. Simpson rushed for 78 yards on 12 carries. In picking up the slack, Jim Braxton ran 19 times for 69 yards and Gary Hayman added 31 yards on 7 attempts. Ahmad Rashad caught 5 passes for 68 yards and the two big touchdowns.

For Oakland, Ken Stabler was successful on just 9 of 22 throws for 122 yards and had one picked off. HB Charlie Smith led the team with 64 yards on 14 carries while Clarence Davis was right behind at 61 yards on 10 attempts that included a TD (Marv Hubbard was held to 27 yards on 10 rushes and had the one key fumble). Cliff Branch caught 4 passes for 60 yards.

“There’s more than O.J. on this offense,” summed up O.J. Simpson afterward.

“The Bills are more than O.J. Simpson,” echoed John Madden. “You can’t over-key on anyone. You have to give credit to them. They’re a vastly improved team.”

Buffalo lost to Miami in Week 2 but then ran off six straight wins before turning around and losing four of their last six to finish at 9-5 and second in the AFC East. It was enough to put them in the postseason for the first time since 1966 as a Wild Card entry, but they were soundly defeated by Pittsburgh in the Divisional round. Oakland lost only once more during the regular season, topping the AFC West for the fourth time in five years since the merger with a 12-2 record. They won an epic Divisional round game over the Miami Dolphins but came up short of a trip to the Super Bowl by losing the AFC Championship contest to the Steelers.

O.J. Simpson’s injury was not serious and he returned to action the next week, although leg problems proved to be chronic and he had a lesser year than the record-shattering ’73 season. Still, he was a consensus first-team All-Pro and went to the Pro Bowl after rushing for 1125 yards.

Joe Ferguson showed marked improvement in his second year, passing for 1588 yards with 12 touchdowns as well as 12 interceptions. In his lone season in Buffalo, Ahmad Rashad had 36 catches for 433 yards (12.0 avg.) and four touchdowns. J.D. Hill remained the primary deep threat with 32 receptions for 572 yards (17.9 avg.) and six TDs.

1985: Krieg to Turner TDs Lead Seahawks Past Chargers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MVP Profile: Reggie White, 1987

Defensive End, Philadelphia Eagles

Age: 26 (Dec. 19)

5^th season in pro football, third in NFL & with Eagles

College: Tennessee

Height: 6’5”    Weight: 285

Prelude:

A consensus All-American and SEC Player of the Year as a senior in college (where he gained his nickname “The Minister of Defense”), White started his pro career in the USFL with the Memphis Showboats in 1984. In two seasons, he garnered 23.5 sacks and then left the ill-fated spring league for the Eagles, who had taken him in the first round of the ’84 NFL Supplemental draft. He joined Philadelphia early in the 1985 season and had 13 sacks in 13 games (between the spring USFL season and the fall NFL campaign, he played in a total of 31 contests in ‘85). Quickly establishing himself as a dominant player at his position, White had 18 sacks in 1986 and was a consensus first-team All-Pro and was chosen for the Pro Bowl.

1987 Season Summary

Appeared and started in 12 of 15 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Sacks – 21 [1]

Most sacks, game – 3 vs. NY Giants 11/15

Multi-sack games – 8

Interceptions – 0

Fumble recoveries – 1

Forced fumbles – 4

Tackles – 76

Scoring

TDs – 1

Points – 6

Awards & Honors:

NFL Defensive Player of the Year: AP

1^st team All-NFL: AP, NEA, PFWA, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News

1^st team All-NFC: UPI, Pro Football Weekly

Pro Bowl

Eagles went 7-8 to finish fourth in the NFC East in the strike-affected season (three games were played with replacement players), finishing second in the NFL in sacks (57).

Aftermath:

Having just missed the single-season sack record in 1987, White again led the NFL in sacks with 18 in 1988. He remained with the Eagles through 1992 and was a consensus first-team All-Pro selection for six straight years and was named to seven consecutive Pro Bowls. The leader of an outstanding defensive unit, White also became a vocal critic of the team’s front office and left to sign with the Green Bay Packers as a free agent in 1993. He went to seven more Pro Bowls and was a consensus All-Pro choice twice more as well as Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year once more, in 1998 at age 37. The Packers also won two NFC titles and the Super Bowl following the ’96 season. White retired for a year in 1999 but returned for one more season with the Carolina Panthers in 2000. He finished his career as the NFL’s all-time leader in sacks with 198 and reached double figures in 12 seasons. White’s #92 was retired by both the Eagles and Packers and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2006.

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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). Also includes Associated Press NFL Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year.

[Updated 2/6/14]