1974: Defense Spurs Rams to Divisional Playoff Win Over Redskins

The NFC Divisional Playoff game on December 22, 1974 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum featured two tough defensive teams. The Los Angeles Rams, coached by Chuck Knox, had allowed the fewest points during the regular season (181) and featured stalwarts on the defensive line in All-Pro DE Jack Youngblood and DT Merlin Olsen (pictured at right), still a Pro Bowl-level performer at age 34. The offense had undergone a shift during the season when veteran QB John Hadl was traded to the Packers and replaced by James Harris, a pioneering African-American signal caller. The ground game was sound with RB Lawrence McCutcheon, who ran for 1109 yards and also gained Pro Bowl recognition.  

The Redskins were in the playoffs for the fourth straight year under Head Coach George Allen, previously the coach in LA. The defense was typically strong, but on offense the running game was unusually weak for an Allen-coached squad as, in particular, RB Larry Brown suffered through an injury-plagued campaign. The passing attack had compensated with savvy veteran QB Bill Kilmer backed up by 40-year-old Sonny Jurgensen, who had performed well on several occasions in relief.

Both teams had finished at 10-4, with that record good enough to win the NFC West title for the Rams but earning second place in the NFC East and a Wild Card spot for Washington. The Redskins had beaten the Rams in the second-to-last regular season contest just two weeks earlier.

There was a big crowd of 80,118 at the cavernous Coliseum on a day in which there were gusty winds that hampered the passing game.  The Rams made a change by going with two tight ends and one running back on offense. The “ace” formation, as they called it, succeeded in generating an eight-play, 72-yard drive for the game’s first touchdown. Along the way James Harris completed three passes for 40 yards and then threw to TE Bob Klein for a ten-yard TD.

The momentum shifted back to the Redskins during the remainder of the first half. Later in the first quarter, and following a Kilmer pass to WR Charley Taylor that gained 41 yards, Mike Bragg kicked a 35-yard field goal. After CB Pat Fischer intercepted a Harris pass and returned it 40 yards to the LA 23, Washington took the lead in the second quarter when RB Moses Denson plunged one yard into the end zone for a touchdown. It was 10-7 at the half.

The situation changed in the third quarter as the Rams began to make big plays on defense that turned the tide. Larry Brown’s fumble at the LA 44, forced by Merlin Olsen’s jolting tackle, was recovered by LB Jack Reynolds and set up a 37-yard field goal by David Ray that tied the score. It could have been more as an apparent touchdown by the Rams was nullified by a penalty.

HB Doug Cunningham fumbled the ensuing kickoff when he was hit by TE Pat Curran. LA turned that into three more points and the lead when Ray booted a 26-yard field goal. With the score at 13-10 and the Redskins having difficulty sustaining drives, Coach Allen lifted Kilmer for Sonny Jurgensen.

In the fourth quarter the Rams made a defensive adjustment, inserting Isiah Robertson (pictured at left) as a fourth linebacker rather than putting in an extra defensive back. It resulted in a key interception when Olsen hit Jurgensen as he was passing and Robertson picked off the underthrown ball and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown. While the extra point attempt failed, LA had a nine-point lead with 10 minutes remaining on the clock.

On the next series, Olsen made another big play when he sacked Jurgensen for an eight-yard loss to thwart a potential comeback. The Rams were able to then keep the ball away from Washington until there was only 3:23 left. On a second down play, Reynolds intercepted a Jurgensen pass to essentially nail down the win. The Rams advanced by a score of 19-10.

Los Angeles held narrow edges in total yards (226 to 218) and first downs (14 to 13). However, the Redskins turned the ball over six times, with five of them coming in the second half and leading to 12 points for the Rams. LA suffered two turnovers. In addition, the Rams were more effective at running the ball, gaining 131 yards on 49 attempts while Washington was held to just 49 yards on 27 carries.

James Harris completed only 8 of 24 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown with two intercepted. Lawrence McCutcheon rushed for 71 yards on 26 carries and was one of three LA receivers to lead the club with two catches, for 20 yards. WR Harold Jackson gained 35 yards on his two receptions and Bob Klein’s two went for 23 yards and a TD. PK David Ray had been hospitalized with back spasms and it was uncertain that he could play until released three days earlier, but came through with two key field goals in the second half (although he also had two misses).

For the Redskins, Bill Kilmer was successful on 7 of 18 throws for 99 yards with none intercepted while Sonny Jurgensen (pictured below) went to the air 12 times and completed 6 for 78 yards, but with three picked off. Charley Taylor caught 4 passes for 79 yards and FB Charlie Evans also pulled in 4, for 31 yards. Larry Brown rushed for 39 yards on 18 attempts.

“George Allen always said that if you can get six turnovers in a game, you’ll win it,” said Merlin Olsen of his former coach. “We got six today.”

“The Rams deserved to win because they played better football,” summed up a glum Allen. “You can’t make as many mistakes as we did and expect to win.”

The first postseason win for the Rams since 1951 moved them ahead to the NFC Championship game, which they lost to Minnesota. The Redskins dipped to 8-6 in 1975 but returned to the postseason for one last time under George Allen in ’76.

The Divisional playoff loss in LA marked the end of the road for Sonny Jurgensen, who retired following an 18-year career in which he accumulated 32,224 passing yards and 255 TD passes – both figures were the third most in NFL history at the time. He gained induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983. Oddly enough, Jurgensen’s last game was also his only postseason appearance (other than as a holder for kicks). 

1969: Chiefs Defeat Jets in AFL Divisional Playoff

For its final season prior to merging with the NFL, the American Football League adopted an expanded playoff structure. Rather than have the two division winners play directly for the league title, a first round pitting the second place team in each of the divisions against the first place club in the opposite division was added. On December 20, 1969 one of the Divisional playoffs pitted the Kansas City Chiefs, the second place club in the Western Division, against the top team in the Eastern Division, the defending-champion New York Jets.

The Jets, coached by Weeb Ewbank, had won a stunning victory in the previous year’s Super Bowl and easily repeated as division winners with a 10-4 record, sweeping all the other Eastern clubs along the way. They still had the ability to put points on the board with QB Joe Namath throwing to flanker Don Maynard, split end George Sauer, and TE Pete Lammons and a fine running attack headed by HB Emerson Boozer and FB Matt Snell. While the defensive backfield was suspect, the line and linebackers were not. In addition, PK Jim Turner, having kicked a then-record 34 field goals in 1968, followed up with 32 in ‘69.

Head Coach Hank Stram’s Chiefs were runners-up to Oakland in the tougher Western Division with an 11-3 tally. QB Len Dawson (pictured passing above) missed six games due to a knee injury but was healthy for the postseason. The stable of running backs provided a good blend of inside power and outside speed and the defense was solid in all areas. Kansas City also boasted an outstanding placekicker in Jan Stenerud, who set a league record with 16 consecutive field goals at one point. Moreover, in their one meeting with New York during the regular season, the Chiefs won decisively.

It was a cold and windy Saturday at Shea Stadium with 62,977 fans in attendance. The Jets were without the services of Don Maynard for most of the game due to a broken right foot, although he was inserted briefly in the second half and caught one pass. Meanwhile, a bout of the flu kept Kansas City FB Robert Holmes out of action for most of the game as well.

The strong winds played havoc on the passing game from the start and also affected the placekicking. An early 40-yard field goal attempt by Stenerud was held up by the wind and fell short. New York responded with a drive in which Namath completed all four of his passes and Jim Turner was successful on his three-point try from 27 yards.

The contest quickly settled into being a defensive struggle. Stenerud finally got Kansas City on the board early in the second quarter with a 23-yard field goal. The Jets played conservatively and chose to run out the clock with their last possession of the second quarter, much to the dissatisfaction of the home crowd.

Late in the third quarter, the Chiefs, helped by a key pass completion from Dawson to TE Fred Arbanas, went ahead by 6-3 as Stenerud booted a 25-yard field goal. It set the stage for the turning point of the game in the fourth quarter.

First, a pass interference call on CB Emmitt Thomas gave New York a first down at the KC one. With MLB Willie Lanier exhorting his teammates on, the Jets tried to run it in on successive carries by Matt Snell and HB Bill Mathis, but failed to reach the end zone. In both instances, Lanier was there to make the play. With third and inches inside the Kansas City one yard line, Namath rolled to his right. Snell was his primary receiver, but LB Bobby Bell picked him up out of the backfield and the hobbling quarterback was under pressure from onrushing LB Jim Lynch. As a result, Namath threw the ball away and the Jets had to settle for a seven-yard field goal by Jim Turner. It tied the score at 6-6, but was a big missed opportunity for New York – and a spur to the Chiefs.

On the ensuing series, Dawson threw to WR Otis Taylor for a 61-yard gain on a crossing pattern and then followed with a 19-yard TD pass to WR Gloster Richardson, who was all alone in the end zone after having eluded CB Cornell Gordon. With the extra point added, the Chiefs were up by seven points.

There was still time for the Jets to come back, but the inspired Kansas City defense was able to keep them out of the end zone and Namath was only able to complete 6 of 20 pass attempts the rest of the way. Twice New York made it into scoring territory, getting to the KC 16 and 13 respectively, but came up empty. On the second of those occasions, two Namath passes intended for George Sauer in the end zone fell incomplete and a third, to WR Bake Turner, was intercepted by CB Jim Marsalis to end the threat after New York had reached the KC four due to a personal foul penalty on SS Jim Kearney. Any last hopes ended when DB Mike Battle fumbled away a punt with 36 seconds left on the clock. The Chiefs won 13-6 to advance to the AFL Championshi p game.

Kansas City outgained the Jets (276 yards to 235) but New York had more first downs (19 to 14). The Jets turned the ball over four times while KC suffered no turnovers. The teams combined for 11 punts and Jan Stenerud struggled as he missed three of his five field goal attempts.

In the difficult weather conditions, Len Dawson completed 12 of 27 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown. Mike Garrett rushed for 67 yards on 18 carries and Wendell Hayes added 32 yards on 10 attempts while leading the team with 5 catches for 46 yards. However, Otis Taylor (pictured at left) gained 74 yards on his two receptions.

For the Jets, Joe Namath went to the air 40 times and completed 14 for 164 yards with three interceptions. George Sauer caught 5 of those passes for 61 yards. Matt Snell was the rushing leader with 61 yards on 12 attempts.

Reacting to criticism of the attempt to pass on third down rather than try another run into the line, causing the Jets to end up with three points rather than potentially seven and shifting the game’s momentum, Coach Ewbank said, “We don’t second-guess a call. Hindsight is always 20-20. Joe (Namath) called that third down pass and I thought it was a good call. We worked on that play all week for that type situation and we thought it would work.”

The Chiefs faced their division rivals, the Oakland Raiders, for the AFL title and won to advance to the Super Bowl where they defeated the Minnesota Vikings to finish off the younger league’s existence on a winning note. They missed the playoffs in 1970 with a 7-5-2 record while the Jets sank much further due to injuries – most notably to Namath – and finished at 4-10. But while Kansas City would bounce back to make it to the postseason in 1971, New York would not appear again in the playoffs until 1981.

2004: Failed Extra Point Try Allows Vikings to Hold Off Lions

The Minnesota Vikings had gotten off to a 5-1 start in the 2004 NFL season but had struggled thereafter. By the time they faced the Detroit Lions on December 19 they were at 7-6 and trying to stay alive for a playoff spot. Coached by Mike Tice, the offense featured sixth-year QB Daunte Culpepper (pictured above), adept at running as well as passing, and highly talented – if also temperamental – WR Randy Moss. They had beaten Detroit four weeks earlier.

The Lions, under Head Coach Steve Mariucci, were a rebuilding club with a 5-8 record, having lost six of their last seven games. There was young talent on offense in QB Joey Harrington, WR Roy Williams, and rookie first draft choice Kevin Jones, but Harrington was proving to be inconsistent and the defense was tough but thin on depth.

There were 62,337 fans in attendance at Detroit’s Ford Field. The home team had first possession and drove 59 yards in 13 plays. Harrington completed four passes and Jason Hanson kicked a 32-yard field goal to make it 3-0. The Vikings came right back with a long series of their own, going 85 yards in 12 plays. Daunte Culpepper completed five throws along the way, including two to TE Jermaine Wiggins for first downs and a 36-yard touchdown pass to WR Nate Burleson. It was 7-3 in favor of Minnesota after one quarter of play.

The teams traded punts heading into the second quarter before the Vikings struck with a big play. In a third-and-24 situation at his own 18, Culpepper threw to Randy Moss for an 82-yard TD and, with another successful PAT, a 14-3 lead. The Lions responded with a long, sustained 11-play drive that covered 83 yards. Harrington completed a pass to Roy Williams for 24 yards on a third-and-three play and Kevin Jones carried the ball 6 times for 42 yards that included a 16-yard scoring run.  In the final two minutes, Detroit added a 23-yard field goal by Hanson and it was a 14-13 game at the half.

In Detroit’s first possession of the third quarter, and backed up deep in its own territory, Harrington (pictured at left) threw to Williams for another big gain of 37 yards. But the drive ended with SS Corey Chavous intercepting a pass at his own 37. The Lions got a break three plays later when Culpepper was picked off in turn by FS Brock Marion, who returned it to the Minnesota 33. However, three plays after that Jones fumbled and DT Spencer Johnson recovered for the Vikings to snuff out the threat. The teams traded punts for the remainder of the period.

Early in the fourth quarter, Harrington was intercepted by CB Brian Williams and the Vikings proceeded to put together an eight-play, 68-yard drive. Culpepper connected with Burleson for a 37-yard touchdown. Detroit came back with an 83-yard series that featured a Harrington pass to WR Az-Zahir Hakim for 40 yards, who then lateraled to RB Shawn Bryson for another 22 yards to the Minnesota 14 and, three plays later, Harrington threw to Roy Williams for a nine-yard TD. With the successful two-point conversion on a pass from Harrington to WR Tai Streets, the game was tied at 21-21.

There were just over six minutes remaining as the Vikings took over for their next series. Culpepper came out throwing, with the big completion to RB Moe Williams for 28 yards to the Detroit 34. The tenth play of the 73-yard drive was an 11-yard Culpepper pass to Williams for a TD. Morten Andersen added the extra point and it was 28-21 with the clock now down to 1:37.

Now it was Harrington throwing on every down as the Lions took over at their 20 following a touchback on the kickoff. Three consecutive completions got the ball to the Detroit 40 and, after an incomplete pass, Harrington hit Streets for 15 more yards to get the ball into Vikings territory. A 23-yard toss to Roy Williams moved the Lions to the 15 and a penalty on Minnesota took it to the one. From there, Harrington threw to Williams for a touchdown and it appeared that the game was going into overtime.

However, on the usually-automatic extra point attempt, a bad snap by long snapper Don Muhlbach  bounced before reaching holder Nick Harris. Unable to set the ball for Hanson to kick, Harris was tackled and the PAT was no good. The Vikings recovered the ensuing onside kick and were able to run out the remaining seconds and win by a score of 28-27.

The game was close statistically as the Lions barely edged Minnesota in both total yards (463 to 461) and first downs (24 to 21). Detroit sacked Culpepper five times, while Harrington was dumped twice by the Vikings, but the Lions also turned the ball over three times, to one suffered by Minnesota.

Daunte Culpepper completed 25 of 35 passes for 404 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Nate Burleson (pictured above) had 5 catches for 134 yards and two TDs and Randy Moss contributed 102 yards on his four pass receptions that included the long touchdown. Jermaine Wiggins had the most receptions for the Vikings with his 6 for 39 yards. RB Michael Bennett gained 51 rushing yards on 13 carries and also had another 51 yards on three catches.

For the Lions, Joey Harrington was successful on 25 of 44 throws for 361 yards and two TDs while two were picked off. Roy Williams, despite suffering from a hip injury, caught 7 of those passes for 104 yards and two scores. Az-Zahir Hakim gained 108 yards on four receptions. Kevin Jones (pictured below) rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown on 19 attempts and also made four catches for 35 yards.

The Vikings lost two close games to finish out the regular season at 8-8, but they still qualified for the playoffs as a Wild Card. They defeated the division-rival Packers in the first round but lost to Philadelphia at the Divisional level. The loss to Minnesota officially eliminated the Lions from postseason contention and they ended up third in the division at 6-10. Still, it was still the club’s best record since 2000.

For Daunte Culpepper, it was a year in which he led the league in passing yards (4717) and completions (379), both career highs, as were his 39 TD passes, 8.6 yards per attempt, and 69.2 completion percentage. He was chosen to the Pro Bowl for the third time. It was also the pinnacle of a career that quickly faded. Culpepper was limited to seven games in 2005 due to injury and never again played in more than eight during a season as he moved around to three more teams and, eventually, the UFL.

Likewise, Joey Harrington never lived up to his promise. He, too, achieved career highs in 2004 in passing yards (3047) and touchdowns (19) but failed to meet expectations in ’05 and was dealt to Miami – where he became a teammate of Culpepper.   

1949: Eagles Defeat Rams in Quagmire for NFL Championship

The Philadelphia Eagles had won the 1948 NFL title in a game played amidst blizzard conditions. On December 18, 1949 they were once again playing for the league championship while facing extreme weather. The Eagles, under Head Coach Earle “Greasy” Neale, were an even better club than in ’48. They repeated as Eastern Division champs with an 11-1 record, leading the NFL both in points scored (364) and fewest points surrendered (134). The key to the offense was star HB Steve Van Buren (pictured above), who won his fourth league rushing title in five years with a record 1146 yards. QB Tommy Thompson was a fine passer and had an able receiving corps in ends Pete Pihos, Jack Ferrante, and Neill Armstrong.  Neale’s innovative 5-2-4 defense was highly effective.

The winners of the Western Division were the Los Angeles Rams, who went 8-2-2. Head Coach Clark Shaughnessy was one of the architects of the T-formation and fashioned a high-scoring offense. Veteran QB Bob Waterfield was joined by rookie Norm Van Brocklin and HB Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch was moved out to flanker where he joined ends Tom Fears and Bob Shaw to create an exciting and productive passing attack. However, after winning their first six games they lost badly at Philadelphia and struggled through the remainder of the schedule.

Heavy rains struck Los Angeles the previous day and continued through the Sunday of the title game, dumping some three inches of rain on Los Angeles and making the field at the Memorial Coliseum a sea of mud. A record crowd was expected to attend the contest in the cavernous stadium, but the heavy downpour limited attendance to a disappointing 22,245 – a particular disappointment to the players, who were looking forward to a large gate with healthy shares going to the winning team.  Thus, there were players, and for that matter fans, who wanted to see the game postponed a week, but it went on as scheduled.

With conditions that essentially grounded the offenses, neither team scored in the opening period. In the second quarter, the Eagles put together a 63-yard drive. Tommy Thompson completed passes to Jack Ferrante that gained 11 and 16 yards, respectively, and then hit Pete Pihos from 31 yards out, who made a leaping grab at the 15 and proceeded unmolested into the end zone. Cliff Patton’s extra point attempt was successful and the defending champs held a 7-0 lead at the half.

Philadelphia added to its lead in the third quarter. With the Rams backed up to their 10 yard line, a punt by Bob Waterfield was blocked by DE Leo Skladany who then managed to gain possession of the ball that had rolled back to the two and cross the goal line for another TD. It was a career highlight for Skladany, a rookie who was playing semipro football until signed by the Eagles during the season when star DE Johnny Green went down with an injury. Once again Patton added the PAT.

The Rams only threatened twice, reaching the Philadelphia 25 and 37 yard lines, but came up empty. A field goal try by Waterfield from 45 yards sailed wide. Likewise, the Eagles had an opportunity to add to their margin but HB Jim Parmer fumbled the ball away at the LA 7. The key to the game was Philadelphia’s ability to run the ball effectively and thus control time of possession as well as being able to shut the Rams down defensively. The Eagles won their second consecutive title by a score of 14-0.

Philadelphia’s domination was complete. The Eagles ran far more plays (70 to 51), gained more total yards (342 to 109), and had more first downs (17 to 7). The Rams didn’t make a first down on a running play and set a team record for lowest rushing yardage in a title game (21 yards on 24 carries). Philadelphia, on the other hand, did the opposite (274 yards on 61 attempts).

Steve Van Buren was the game’s dominant player, gaining a postseason-record 196 yards on 31 carries (it remained the NFL standard until 1975). Tommy Thompson threw just 9 passes and completed 5 for 68 yards and a touchdown along with two interceptions. Jack Ferrante was the only Eagle to catch more than one pass, with two for 27 yards, although Pete Pihos was the receiving yardage leader with 31 on his lone reception for a TD.

For the Rams, Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin combined for 10 completions in 27 attempts for 98 yards and one interception. Four receivers caught two passes apiece, with tackle Dick Huffman the leader in yards with 26. The anemic ground game was led by HB Fred Gehrke who gained 13 yards on three attempts – FB Dick Hoerner had 7 carries, for just 10 yards.

“My boys did their best,” summed up Clark Shaughnessy. “I can’t think of a single change I would make if the game were played again.”

The win over the Rams made the Eagles the first back-to-back NFL Champions since the 1940-41 Bears and crowned a run in which they topped the Eastern Division for three straight years. They dropped to 6-6 and third place in the revamped American Conference in 1950 primarily as the result of injuries (particularly to Van Buren) – and the arrival of the Cleveland Browns from the AAFC. Philadelphia would not win another title until 1960. The Rams, on the other hand, made it back to the Championship game in each of the next two seasons, winning in 1951 and tying for first place in the National Conference in ’52. 

1972: Brodie Comes Off Bench to Lead 49ers Past Vikings

The 1972 NFL season had been a rough one for 37-year-old QB John Brodie of the San Francisco 49ers (pictured at right). After leading the club to appearances in the NFC Championship game in each of the previous two seasons, he had suffered an ankle injury in Week 5 and missed the next eight games. Even after he was able to play again, he remained on the bench as backup to Steve Spurrier, the sixth-year quarterback-in-waiting who had performed ably in Brodie’s absence. Head Coach Dick Nolan’s team was 7-5-1 and trying to nail down a third consecutive NFC West title going into the last game of the season against the Vikings on December 16.

Minnesota, coached by Bud Grant, was having a down year after going to the playoffs in each of the previous four seasons. The return of QB Fran Tarkenton following a five-year sojourn with the Giants had been offset by the decline of the once-stellar defense. The Vikings were 7-6 and had already been eliminated from playoff contention.

It was rainy and the artificial surface wet for the Saturday game at Candlestick Park. Things started off rough for the 49ers when HB Vic Washington, after catching a pass from Spurrier, fumbled and LB Jeff Siemon recovered for the Vikings. However, Minnesota failed to capitalize when Fred Cox was wide on a 33-yard field goal attempt.

Later in the first quarter, the Vikings got another opportunity on a San Francisco turnover and made the most of it. FB Ken Willard fumbled the ball away and CB Charlie West picked it up and returned it to the 49ers’ 16 yard line. Three plays later, Tarkenton completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to RB Ed Marinaro for his first pro touchdown.

Vic Washington responded with a 56-yard kickoff return that gave the Niners good starting field position. They parlayed it into a 14-yard Bruce Gossett field goal early in the second quarter. That was it for the scoring until near the end of the period when Gossett added another field goal, from 37 yards, that narrowed the tally to 7-6 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Vikings capitalized on an interception by Siemon. It set up a 31-yard scoring pass from Tarkenton to WR John Gilliam. Spurrier, who was clearly struggling, tossed a third interception and John Brodie began warming up on the sidelines.

Brodie came into the contest with under two minutes remaining in the third quarter and the 49ers trailing by 17-6. He showed rust when he threw two interceptions that aborted promising drives. The first series went 64 yards, starting off with a short completion to Gene Washington, but ended when FS Paul Krause picked off a pass at the goal line. Following the second interception, the Vikings were unable to move the ball but Mike Eischeid’s punt went out of bounds at the San Francisco one yard line.

The 49ers proceeded to drive 99 yards in six plays. Brodie completed a 12-yard pass to HB John Isenbarger and connected with Gene Washington for a big 53-yard gain. A throw to Vic Washington moved the ball eight more yards to the Minnesota 24 and, after another pass was incomplete, Brodie again connected with Gene Washington, this time for a touchdown.

In response, the Vikings held the ball for over five minutes before the 49ers regained possession at their 34 following a punt with 1:30 left on the clock. Again Brodie went to the air, hitting RB Larry Schreiber for nine yards and Vic Washington for eight. A pass interference penalty on Siemon put the ball at the Vikings’ 26. The 49ers tried a trick play as Brodie lateraled to Isenbarger, whose long pass was broken up by Krause at the goal line, and then Schreiber ran for six yards on a draw play. With time running down, Brodie completed a throw to Vic Washington for an 18-yard gain to the Minnesota two. Following two more incompletions, Brodie, who was rolling to his right on third down, found TE Dick Witcher all alone in the end zone for the go-ahead TD.

The Vikings had time to drive into field goal range and potentially tie the contest, but Cox’s 43-yard attempt on the last play failed. The 49ers came away winners by a score of 20-17.

San Francisco outgained the Vikings (383 yards to 273) and had the edge in first downs (18 to 17). However, the 49ers hurt themselves with seven turnovers, to two by Minnesota. The Vikings, in turn, hurt themselves with key penalties – they were flagged six times at a cost of 67 yards, to three penalties called on San Francisco. The Niners also sacked Tarkenton four times for 48 yards.

John Brodie, in his slightly more than a quarter of action, completed 10 of 15 passes for 165 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Steve Spurrier was successful on 7 of 14 throws for 76 yards with none for scores and three picked off. Gene Washington had a big day with four catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. Vic Washington, in addition to rushing for 43 yards on 10 carries and returning two kickoffs for 78 yards, also caught four passes for 36 yards. Larry Schreiber was San Francisco’s leading rusher with 67 yards on 12 attempts.

For the Vikings, Fran Tarkenton completed just 11 of 25 passes for 144 yards with two TDs and two intercepted. John Gilliam caught four passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. Ed Marinaro, the former Cornell star, led the club with 70 yards on 16 carries and caught three passes for 22 yards and a TD, but also ran out of bounds on a fourth quarter carry when the Vikings were trying to run time off the clock. Likewise, Jeff Siemon had a big day on defense with two interceptions and a fumble recovery, but also was guilty of a key penalty on San Francisco’s game-winning drive.

“John (Brodie) came off the bench and did a great job,” said an appreciative Dick Nolan. “I can’t say anything more. He was our shot in the arm.”

The win clinched San Francisco’s third straight NFC West title with an 8-5-1 record. Brodie started the Divisional playoff game against Dallas, which ultimately was lost thanks to an exciting fourth quarter comeback by the Cowboys. The Vikings ended up in third place in the NFC Central at 7-7.

Adding in his numbers from the early part of the season, John Brodie completed 70 of 110 passes (63.6 %) for 905 yards with 9 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. As his late-game heroics against the Vikings showed, he was capable of outstanding performances during his long, 17-year career with the 49ers that finally came to an end in 1973. That he could not perform so well with greater consistency marked the up-and-down nature of his tenure and kept him from being regarded as a great quarterback.

1946: Bears Beat Giants for NFL Championship in Shadow of Scandal

The two teams meeting for the NFL Championship on December 15, 1946 were no strangers to postseason action but were bouncing back from down years in ’45, the last World War II-affected season. The Bears, owned and coached by George Halas who had gone off to the Navy himself, were a solid club led by 30-year-old QB Sid Luckman (pictured at right) and featuring a deep backfield. From a 3-7 showing in 1945 – the team’s first losing record since 1929 – Chicago bounced back to 8-2-1 in topping the Western Division.

Head Coach Steve Owen’s Giants had been 3-6-1 the previous year but rose to the top of the Eastern Division in ’46 at 7-3-1. The addition of tailback Frank Filchock, who had split time with the great Sammy Baugh in Washington for six years, helped rejuvenate the offense while the defense was tough, especially on the line. They had beaten the Bears the previous month, but injuries were a factor as FB Bill Paschal was out with a broken jaw.

There was an extra element of drama before the teams took the field. On the morning of the game, it was revealed that Giants FB/DB Merle Hapes, who was slated to start in place of Paschal, was being suspended by Commissioner Bert Bell for failure to report an attempted bribe for the purpose of throwing the title game. While Hapes had rejected the offer, his failure to inform officials of the offer resulted in his suspension. Filchock, who had also been named, denied being approached and was allowed to play against the Bears.

The news had already broken publicly before the game was played and some in the record crowd of 58,346 at the Polo Grounds booed Filchock when the Giants took the field. Things did not start out well for the home team as the Bears scored twice in the first nine minutes. First, following a fumble recovery by LB Stu Clarkson, Luckman threw to end Ken Kavanaugh for a 21-yard touchdown and then HB Dante Magnani intercepted a Filchock pass and returned it 19 yards for a TD. The Bears were ahead by 14-0.

The Giants got on the board before the opening period was over. Filchock, playing with a broken nose, capped a 52-yard drive by tossing a pass to end Frank Liebel that covered 38 yards for a touchdown and Chicago’s margin was cut to 14-7. It remained that way through a scoreless second quarter.

New York got a break in the third quarter when Bears FB Joe Osmanski fumbled and end Jim Lee Howell recovered for the Giants at the Chicago 20. Three plays later, Filchock threw a five-yard TD pass to FB Steve Filipowicz and, with the successful extra point, it was a tie game at 14-14 heading into the final period.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Bears drove into New York territory as Luckman passed to HB George McAfee for 17 yards and end Jim Keane for 16. With the ball at the 19, Halas gave the word to his star quarterback, who rarely ran the ball, to utilize a specially-designed play that he was holding for the right occasion. Luckman faked a handoff to McAfee on an apparent sweep and, with the defense shifting accordingly, he trotted to his right with the ball at his hip and then took off on a bootleg. It worked to perfection as Luckman, who hadn’t scored a rushing touchdown during the regular season, broke a tackle at the 10 and made it to the end zone. The TD put the Bears back in front and seemed to deflate the Giants. Frank Maznicki added a 26-yard field goal before it was all over and Chicago came away with the NFL Championship in the hard-fought game by a score of 24-14.

Total yards were virtually even, with the Giants holding the edge at 248 to 245. New York also had 13 first downs to Chicago’s 10. However, New York also turned the ball over a staggering eight times, to three turnovers by the Bears.

Sid Luckman completed 9 of 22 passes for 144 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, had the one key rushing TD, and also had a good day kicking the ball, with his seven punts averaging 42.4 yards and helping the Bears in the battle for field position. Chicago’s top four rushers were all bunched together, with HB Hugh Gallarneau leading the way with 24 yards on 6 carries, FB Bill Osmanski gaining 23 yards on 9 attempts, brother Joe Osmanski carrying 8 times for 20 yards, and FB Don Perkins adding 18 yards on four rushes. George McAfee only ran for two yards on 6 carries but led the club in pass receiving with four catches for 57 yards. Ken Kavanaugh had 53 yards and a TD on his two receptions.

Frank Filchock (pictured below with Coach Steve Owen) was under a heavy rush from the Bears defense throughout the contest and had to utilize his mobility to find time to throw. As it was, he was successful on 9 of 26 of those throws for 128 yards with two touchdowns but also six interceptions. With injuries, plus a suspension, affecting the available backs, wingback George Franck led the Giants in rushing with 55 yards on 6 attempts. End Jim Poole caught four passes for 40 yards and Steve Filipowicz, in addition to his 9 carries for 20 yards, gained 41 yards and scored a TD on two pass receptions.

In the trial of Alvin Paris, the gambler who attempted to fix the game, Filchock admitted to having lied about not being approached to throw the contest, having rejected the offer and wanting an opportunity to prove himself in the game (he was generally given credit for playing well, despite the interceptions). Commissioner Bell indefinitely suspended both Hapes and Filchock, although both were eventually reinstated (in 1954 and 1950, respectively). They played in Canada in the interim but, except for one appearance by Filchock at the end of the 1950 season with the Colts, neither was active in the NFL again. Filchock went on to both play and coach in the CFL and eventually became the first head coach of the new American Football League’s Denver Broncos in 1960.

The Bears went 8-4 in 1947 and finished second to their crosstown rivals, the Chicago Cardinals, in the Western Division. New York dropped much further, going all the way to the bottom of the Eastern Division at 2-8-2. Neither club appeared again in the postseason until 1950, when each tied for first in their respective divisions. Having met in four title games, they would next face off against each other in a NFL Championship game in 1956.  

2009: Records Fall as Colts Defeat Broncos

The Indianapolis Colts were cruising at 12-0 and had tied New England’s recently-established record of 21 consecutive regular season wins as they hosted the Denver Broncos on December 13, 2009. There had been no drop in performance under Jim Caldwell, in his first year as head coach in place of Tony Dungy. The Colts had now won at least 12 games in seven straight seasons and were on their way to reaching the postseason for the eighth time in a row. The key to the offense was still 33-year-old QB Peyton Manning (pictured above), in the 12^th year of his outstanding career, and he had a fine stable of receivers in TE Dallas Clark and wide receivers Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, and Austin Collie. The ground game was not as formidable as the passing attack, although RB Joseph Addai was capable as both a runner and receiver out of the backfield.

Denver, also under a first-year head coach in fiery Josh McDaniels, had gotten off to a surprising 6-0 start before losing four straight. The Broncos had recovered to win their last two games and were 8-4 heading into the game in Indianapolis. Star WR Brandon Marshall had clashed with Coach McDaniels but was the primary target for capable QB Kyle Orton.

There was a crowd of 67,248 at Lucas Oil Field. The Colts had first possession and drove 70 yards in 13 plays, starting with Manning throwing to Pierre Garcon for a 29-yard gain. It was the first of six straight completions and eight in all that ended up with a five-yard scoring pass to Austin Collie. Following a three-and-out series by the Broncos, Indianapolis drove to another score. This time it took seven plays to go 56 yards, highlighted by a Manning throw to Joseph Addai that picked up 25 yards. Dallas Clark (pictured below) caught a 10-yard pass for a TD and, with another successful extra point, it was 14-0 in favor of the Colts.

In the second quarter, Indianapolis put together another long scoring drive. Along the way, the Colts converted a fourth-and-four situation with a Manning pass to Clark for 22 yards and the 11-play, 71-yard series ended with Manning’s third touchdown pass, again to Clark from a yard out.

Down by 21-0 and being dominated by the Colts, the Broncos finally put together a scoring drive of their own. Five of Kyle Orton’s pass completions were to Brandon Marshall, including two that converted third downs and the last one for a five-yard TD. The tally remained at 21-7 at the half.

The teams traded punts to start the third quarter until Manning was intercepted for the second time by FS Brian Dawkins, who had picked off a pass late in the second quarter. The turnover gave Denver good field position at the Indianapolis 37, but after advancing to the 20 Orton was intercepted by DB Tim Jennings to end the threat. After a short series by the Colts that ended with a punt, the Broncos again drove into Indianapolis territory but Matt Prater’s 42-yard field goal attempt was wide to the left.

On the next play, Manning, who had tossed the three early scoring passes, was picked off for the third time. On this occasion it was safety Darcel McBath giving the Broncos the ball at the Indianapolis 24, and as the period ended Denver was at the ten. The drive stalled there and on the second play of the fourth quarter Prater kicked a 28-yard field goal to cut the Indianapolis margin to 21-10.

Once more the Colts were unable to move on offense, with Manning tossing three incomplete passes. The ensuing punt gave the Broncos the ball at their 32 and they moved methodically down the field. Except for a throw to WR Jabar Gaffney for a 20-yard gain, all of Orton’s pass completions were to Marshall, again including a TD pass from five yards out. Denver attempted a two-point conversion to try and make it a three-point game, but RB Knowshon Moreno couldn’t reach the end zone and the tally stayed at 21-16.

With the momentum against them, the Colts finally came back alive on offense. Manning completed a pass to Collie for 23 yards in a third-and-20 situation and, two plays later, connected with Reggie Wayne for 20 yards on a second-and-11 play. The 80-yard drive took 14 plays, used up over seven minutes, and ended with Manning throwing to Clark for a one-yard touchdown that put the game away. The Broncos ran out of downs on their last, desperate possession, with a seven-yard completion to Marshall giving him a record 21 for the day. The Colts won by a final score of 28-16.

The Broncos had the edge in total yards (357 to 312) and time of possession (31:27 to 28:33) although Indianapolis had more first downs (21 to 20). The Colts hurt themselves with three turnovers, to one suffered by the Broncos.

Peyton Manning’s statistics reflected his up-and-down performance as he completed 20 of 42 passes for 220 yards with four touchdowns but also three interceptions – the most he had thrown in a game in over two years. Joseph Addai rushed for 67 yards on 16 carries and led the team in pass receiving with 5 catches for 49 yards, although Dallas Clark was the more effective receiver with his 5 catches for 43 yards that included three TDs.

For the Broncos, Brandon Marshall (pictured below) was the big story with his 21 pass receptions for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Kyle Orton was successful on 29 of 41 throws – only eight of which went to a receiver other than Marshall – for 277 yards and two TDs with one interception. Knowshon Moreno gained 63 yards on 23 rushing attempts. 

“I thought Denver made some big plays, and we had some bad luck with bouncing balls there,” said Peyton Manning. “We kind of weathered the storm, and the defense did a great job. So it was kind of two different games in terms of momentum, but fortunately we finished on a high note.”

The 22^nd straight regular season win set a new NFL record and was extended to 23 before the Colts finally lost a game. They ended up topping the AFC South at 14-2 and advancing to the Super Bowl where they lost to the Saints. Denver lost its remaining games to finish second in the AFC West with a disappointing 8-8 record and out of the playoffs.

Peyton Manning received MVP honors from the Associated Press and Pro Football Writers while also gaining selection to the Pro Bowl for the tenth time in his illustrious career. He ranked second in the NFL in pass attempts (571), completions (393), completion percentage (68.8), yards (4500), and TD passes (33, tied with Minnesota’s Brett Favre).

Brandon Marshall, who broke the record of 20 catches in a game by Terrell Owens of the 49ers in 2000, tied for third in the league with 101 catches (along with Houston’s Andre Johnson), which was one more reception than Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne, who each caught 100. He gained 1120 yards and caught 10 touchdown passes and was named to his second straight Pro Bowl – but was dealt to Miami in the offseason.