2006: Chargers Overcome 21-Point Deficit to Defeat Bengals in Offensive Battle

The San Diego Chargers were 6-2 as they traveled to Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium to take on the Bengals on November 12, 2006. Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer’s team had outstanding talent on both sides of the ball. Third-year QB Philip Rivers (pictured at right), taking over for the departed Drew Brees, was exceeding expectations in his first season as a starting quarterback. RB LaDainian Tomlinson was at the height of his game, and the defense, featuring LB Shawne Merriman and NT Jamal Williams, was solid.

The Bengals, coached by Marvin Lewis, made it to the postseason in 2005 after a 15-year absence, but were struggling thus far. They were 4-4 and had lost four of their last five games. The offense could score points, with QB Carson Palmer (pictured below left) having outstanding wide receivers in Chad Johnson (who legally changed his name to Chad Ochocinco in 2008) and T. J. Houshmandzadeh to throw to and RB Rudi Johnson to carry the ball. However, the defense was below average and prone to giving up too many points.


It appeared that it would be Cincinnati’s day as the Bengals scored the first three times they got the ball. First, FB Jeremi Johnson ran for a three-yard touchdown to complete a six-play possession that covered 61 yards. After the Chargers had to punt a second time, the Bengals took 10 plays to go 89 yards with Rudi Johnson running the last seven for a TD. San Diego went three-and-out and, following a punt with just seconds remaining in the first quarter, Palmer connected with Chad Johnson on the first play for a 51-yard touchdown. It was 21-0 after the opening period.

The Chargers finally got on the board in the second quarter thanks to a nine-yard run for a TD by Tomlinson. But the Bengals responded with a long, 14-play drive that ended with another touchdown pass by Palmer, this one to WR Chris Henry from seven yards out. Cincinnati took a 28-7 lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, it was San Diego’s turn to score on three straight possessions. Tomlinson scored his second touchdown on a four-yard run to complete a six-play, 66-yard drive. After the Bengals went three-and-out and punted, Rivers immediately threw to WR Malcom Floyd for a 46-yard TD that narrowed the margin to seven points. Cincinnati responded with Palmer throwing to Chad Johnson for a 35-yard gain that led to a 21-yard field goal by Shayne Graham, making the score 31-21. But with Tomlinson running for 29 yards on three carries and Rivers throwing for 60 yards, including a nine-yard scoring pass to TE Brandon Manumaleuna, the Chargers closed the gap to 31-28.

The three-point margin didn’t last long as the passing combination of Palmer to Chad Johnson produced a 74-yard touchdown on the first play of Cincinnati’s next possession. The score stood at 38-28 in favor of the Bengals.

Following the Cincinnati touchdown, RB Michael Turner returned the kickoff 49 yards to the Bengals’ 40 yard line. Six plays later, the third quarter ended with the Chargers on the two. On the first play of the final period, Tomlinson ran around left end for a two-yard touchdown that again turned the contest into a three-point game.

Cincinnati got the ball at its own 20 after the ensuing kickoff resulted in a touchback, and on the first play Palmer fumbled when sacked by LB Shaun Phillips, who recovered for the Chargers at the Bengals’ nine yard line. On the next play, Tomlinson ran nine yards for his fourth touchdown, and in stunning fashion San Diego, twice down by 21 points in the first half, was ahead, 41-38.

The teams traded punts before the Bengals, helped by an 18-yard pass interference call, went back in front again with a 44-yard field goal by Graham. The Chargers responded with a methodical 12-play drive that was highlighted by a 27-yard pass completion from Rivers to TE Antonio Gates to the Cincinnati eight yard line. With third down at the five, Rivers scrambled for time and tossed a shovel pass to Manumaleuna for the game-winning touchdown.

The Bengals had one last chance and Palmer completed five passes to get down to the San Diego 15. But on fourth-and-ten with 49 seconds left to play, Palmer overthrew WR Glenn Holt, who was covered, and the Chargers could celebrate. The final score was 48-41.

Only once before, in 1983, had the Chargers ever overcome a 21-point margin to win. While they ran up 431 total yards, they were outgained by the Bengals, who had 545. But while Cincinnati outscored the Chargers 28-7 in the first half, San Diego significantly turned the tables in the second half, scoring 42 points to the Bengals’ 13.

In his best performance to date, Philip Rivers completed 24 of 36 passes for 338 yards with three touchdowns and none intercepted. LaDainian Tomlinson (pictured below) scored four TDs as he gained 104 yards on 22 carries and caught 6 passes for another 54 yards. Malcom Floyd had 109 yards and a touchdown on five pass receptions.


In defeat, Carson Palmer had the first 400-yard passing performance of his career as he went to the air 42 times and completed 31 for 440 yards with three TDs and no interceptions. Chad Johnson caught 11 of those passes for a club-record 260 yards and two scores. Rudi Johnson ran for 85 yards on 18 carries, including a TD.

The comeback was considered a key milestone in the development of the young QB Rivers, who demonstrated poise and leadership skills. “As he grows as a player, he's unbelievable,” said Antonio Gates. “He's doing a tremendous job leading this team. He was on the sideline saying they were going to need to score more than 28 points to beat us. What more could you ask for in a leader?”

As Marty Schottenheimer, a former AFL linebacker, summed up: “It took me back to the old AFL days where you just try to find a way to have one more point than they do.”

San Diego went undefeated through the rest of the regular season, finishing atop the AFC West with an NFL-best 14-2 record. However, it came to a bitter end when they lost to the Patriots in the Divisional round of the postseason. Schottenheimer, who had been at odds with GM A.J. Smith, was dismissed during the offseason. Cincinnati won its next four games, but then lost the last three to go 8-8 for the year, tied with the Steelers for second in the AFC North.

LaDainian Tomlinson led the league in rushing with 1815 yards on 348 carries (5.2 avg.) and 28 of his NFL-record 31 touchdowns. His 186 points scored broke the 46-year-old record of 176 set by Green Bay’s Paul Hornung in 1960. Tomlinson was named NFL MVP by the Associated Press, The Sporting News, and Pro Football Writers of America, and received the Bert Bell trophy from the Maxwell Club.

Philip Rivers made it into the top 10 in passer rating (92.0), passing yards (3388), touchdown passes (22), and yards per attempt (7.4). His 2.0 INT percentage was tied for sixth lowest – with the quarterback he had succeeded, Drew Brees.

Carson Palmer, a year following a serious knee injury, finished the season slowly but still threw for over 4000 yards (4035) and ranked second in the league with 28 touchdown passes. Both he and Rivers were selected to the Pro Bowl.

Chad Johnson (the future Ochocinco, pictured below) led the NFL with 1369 yards on his 87 pass receptions. He, too, was named to the Pro Bowl and also received consensus first-team All-NFL recognition.

2001: Shaun Alexander Gains 266 Yards to Lead Seahawks Over Raiders

RB Shaun Alexander was chosen by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the 2000 draft out of Alabama, but spent his rookie season seeing limited action behind 31-year-old veteran Ricky Watters. To be sure, Watters had a typically solid year, rushing for 1242 yards and co-leading the team with 63 pass receptions, and was still the starting running back at the beginning of the 2001 season. However, Alexander got his chance when the veteran went down with a shoulder injury three games into the schedule, and made the most of it.

The 5’11”, 220-pound Alexander gained 176 yards in his first start, against Jacksonville, and after four games had 465 yards on 100 carries with five touchdowns. On November 11 against the Oakland Raiders, he had his biggest performance of all.

The Seahawks, under Mike Holmgren, who had led the Packers to a Super Bowl victory and was now in his third year in Seattle, were 3-4 coming into the Sunday night contest at Husky Stadium against a Raiders team that had beaten them handily in Oakland. Oakland, under Head Coach Jon Gruden, was 6-1. An aging club, they were the defending AFC West champions and coming off a big win over Denver the preceding Monday.

The first quarter started quietly, with Seattle’s Rian Lindell kicking field goals of 33 and 20 yards and, in between, Oakland’s Sebastian Janikowski booming a 52-yarder. QB Matt Hasselbeck, who was struggling with inconsistency in his first year as a starting quarterback after backing up Brett Favre in Green Bay for two seasons, threw timely passes to set up both field goals.

The Raiders scored the first touchdown of the game in the second quarter thanks to a 10-play, 89-yard drive that ended with QB Rich Gannon throwing a four-yard scoring pass to WR Tim Brown. But just before the end of the half, Hasselbeck directed the Seahawks on a 76-yard drive that ended with a nine-yard TD pass to WR Darrell Jackson. Seattle had a 13-10 lead at halftime.

That margin evaporated quickly when Oakland RB Terry Kirby returned the kickoff to open the second half 90 yards for a touchdown and 17-13 lead for the Raiders. Later, Oakland extended the margin in more methodical fashion, driving 61 yards on nine plays that included Gannon passes to Brown for 13 and 18 yards, and capped by a 37-yard Janikowski field goal.

Seattle came back, however, on a nine-play possession that covered 61 yards and was helped along by a 28-yard pass play from Hasselbeck to WR Bobby Engram in a third-and-five situation. With the ball at the Oakland 18, Alexander took off on a 12-yard carry and then ran the final six yards for a touchdown. With Lindell’s successful PAT, the score was tied at 20-20.

Late in the third quarter, Alexander made the most spectacular play of the game. With the ball on the Seattle 12 yard line, he took the handoff, ran to his left before cutting across the middle of the field and running nearly untouched for a touchdown (CB Tory James caught him at the one but couldn’t stop Alexander from falling into the end zone). The 88-yard run was the longest in Seahawks history. It also capped a third quarter in which Alexander ran for 120 yards and Seattle moved ahead by a 27-20 score.

The Seattle defense came up with a big play in the fourth quarter when LB Anthony Simmons forced a fumble by Raiders RB Zack Crockett and CB Willie Williams recovered at the Oakland 25. Alexander scored his third touchdown of the game from 10 yards out to extend Seattle’s lead to 34-20 with just over seven minutes remaining on the clock.

The Raiders came back with a 10-play, 64-yard drive that was highlighted by a 16-yard run by Gannon and a 13-yard pass completion to 17-year veteran WR Jerry Rice on a fourth-and-seven play. TE Roland Williams scored a touchdown on a five-yard pass from Gannon to narrow the margin. But Seattle ran the clock down on its next possession, helped along by a key first down run by Alexander, and the Raiders got the ball back for one last shot from their 22 yard line with 1:07 remaining and no time outs. Oakland got to the Seattle 48 as time expired, and the Seahawks came away with a 34-27 win.

Shaun Alexander was the star of the game, running for 266 yards on 35 carries with three touchdowns. The rushing total set a franchise record and was the fourth-highest in NFL history up to that time.

Overall, the Seahawks rolled up 497 total yards, with 319 of them coming on the ground against a Raiders defense that had entered the game ranked fourth against the run. Matt Hasselbeck passed for 181 yards, completing 15 of 23 throws with a TD and none intercepted. Darrell Jackson was the leading receiver by far, catching 7 of those passes for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Rich Gannon went to the air 38 times with 24 completions for 257 yards and two touchdowns against no interceptions. The savvy veteran wide receivers had very similar numbers as Tim Brown caught 7 passes for 86 yards and a TD and Jerry Rice added 6 receptions for 85 yards. RB Charlie Garner led Oakland in rushing with 57 yards on 13 carries.

”I don't know if that was Alexander or Jim Brown,” said Raiders Coach Gruden about Alexander’s performance. “If you're asking me if he's good, he ran for a franchise record. He's real good, man, real good.”

“Shaun Alexander had a marvelous game,” summed up Mike Holmgren. “The offensive line and (FB) Mack Strong did a great job. We challenged the offensive line and they came through big time, and Shaun had just a great game, but he has to do it game after game and year after year. But there is no reason to think he won't do that.”

The Seahawks went on to a 9-7 record to place second in the AFC West in their last season in the American Conference - with realignment in 2002, Seattle moved over to the NFC West. Oakland faltered in the second half of the season, losing its last three games, but still won the division at 10-6. The Raiders won in the Wild Card playoff round, but lost a close-fought Divisional playoff game to New England in a snowstorm.

Shaun Alexander ended up with 1318 yards on 309 carries (4.3 avg.) for a league-leading 14 rushing touchdowns. He briefly yielded the starting job back to Watters, and took some criticism for poor pass blocking, but by the next season Alexander was unquestionably the team’s number one running back. He would go on to string together five straight thousand-yard rushing seasons, leading the league once and setting a single-season record for touchdowns along the way. In eight years in Seattle, Alexander gained 9429 yards to become the franchise’s career rushing leader, as well as single-game and single-season record holder.

1974: Jets Defeat Giants in Overtime After Namath Runs for Tying TD

Any game between New York City’s two NFL teams can’t help but generate interest, no matter how the clubs rank in the standings. The NFL-AFL merger in 1970 had made possible regular season play between the long-established Giants and the comparative newcomers from the rival league, the Jets. On November 10, 1974 the two clubs met for the second time at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut - the temporary home of the Giants, with Yankee Stadium under renovation and the new stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands still two years from completion (they shifted to Shea Stadium for ’75).

The Giants were under a first-year head coach, Bill Arnsparger, and had finished with a winning record just twice in the previous ten years. The situation was no better in ’74 as they came into the contest with the Jets at 2-6. However, they had made a major switch at quarterback two weeks before, dealing away underperforming veteran Norm Snead to the 49ers while trading a first draft choice to the Dallas Cowboys for Craig Morton. Morton, once a promising starter in Dallas who had lost out to Roger Staubach, played well in a win at Kansas City in the Giants’ previous game. Snead, Carl Summerell, and Jim Del Gaizo had failed to throw a touchdown pass to a wide receiver in six games, but Morton managed to do that much in his second game with the club.

The Jets had a new head coach as well in Charley Winner, designated successor to the retired Weeb Ewbank, but there was no question at quarterback for the Jets, as long as Joe Namath (pictured above) was healthy enough to play – even if he and the club were off to a poor start. The Jets had been 4-10 in ’73, with Namath missing most of the season, and were 1-7 thus far in 1974 while Broadway Joe had been intercepted 17 times.

There were 67,740 fans at the Yale Bowl for the battle of the New York teams. The Jets started off the scoring in the first quarter as Namath connected with WR David Knight for a 19-yard touchdown. Pete Gogolak kicked a 26-yard field goal for the Giants later in the period, and the older club took the lead in the second quarter when Morton threw a two-yard TD pass to TE Bob Tucker.

Pat Leahy, in his first NFL game with the Jets following an injury to Bobby Howfield, booted a 34-yard field goal to tie the score, but it was 13-10 in favor of the Giants at the half after Gogolak kicked a second field goal of 22 yards.

The Jets launched the third quarter with a drive that used up the first ten minutes and ended with a 22-yard field goal by Leahy. In their next possession, the Giants struck quickly with Morton throwing a 12-yard touchdown pass to WR Bob Grim, and maintained a 20-13 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Jets put together another long possession, using 14 plays to drive down to the Giants’ three yard line. With a third-and-goal situation, Namath tied the score with a three-yard touchdown run (more accurately, a hobble) that surprised everyone, including his teammates. Originally, the play was to be a handoff to HB Emerson Boozer, but Namath saw the Giants’ weak-side LB, Brad Van Pelt, move inside and decided to keep the ball. With Leahy’s extra point, the game was tied at 20-20.

The Jets had an opportunity to win in regulation, but with 12 seconds left Leahy’s 29-yard field goal attempt was blocked by CB Jim Stienke.

1974 was the first season in which regular-season games ending in a tie went into an overtime period. The Giants won the toss and RB Joe Dawkins returned the kickoff 53 yards to give them good field position. They drove to the Jets’ 25 but, after coming up a yard short on a third-and-three play, Gogolak missed the resulting 42-yard field goal attempt.

Starting from his own 25, Namath completed consecutive passes of 42 yards to TE Rich Caster and 12 yards to WR Jerome Barkum. From the Giants’ 21, Boozer ran for back-to-back six yard runs and then RB Jazz Jackson took a pitchout for four yards to the five. From there, Namath lobbed a pass to Boozer, who had beaten Van Pelt, in the left corner of the end zone for the winning touchdown at 6:53 in overtime. The final score was 26-20.


The Jets outgained the Giants (425 yards to 340) and had the edge in first downs (27 to 22). There were no turnovers and game had few penalties – the Jets were flagged twice for a total of 15 yards, and the Giants just once for five yards.

Joe Namath completed 20 of 31 passes for 236 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. RB Bob Burns, who played only one season and gained a total of 158 yards on the ground, had the best game of his brief career filling in for the injured FB John Riggins with 101 yards on 21 attempts. Emerson Boozer (pictured above left) added 58 yards on 13 carries and had four pass receptions for 43 yards and the game-winning TD. Jerome Barkum caught 5 passes for 24 yards, while Rich Caster gained the most yards receiving with 68 on three catches.

Craig Morton had a solid outing for the Giants in defeat, with numbers that were almost identical to Namath’s – 21 of 32 passes completed for 237 yards with two TDs and none picked off. Joe Dawkins led the club in rushing with 49 yards on 11 carries and caught 6 passes for 37 yards. WR Walker Gillette gained 83 yards on his five receptions.

“It was a great victory for us when we really needed one,” said Namath afterward. “Emotionally, it has to rank with the Oakland game in 1968 when we won the AFL title, it was a big game for us. You lose one to the other guys in town and you have to take a lot of heat from a lot of people.”

Of the decision to keep the ball on the game-tying touchdown run rather than hand off, Broadway Joe added, “I didn’t tell Boozer, I didn’t tell anybody. The fake always works better that way.” Said Boozer, “I didn’t know what to think. When I didn’t get the ball, I thought fumble.”

Since the first regular season game to go into overtime (between Denver and Pittsburgh) ended in a tie, the Jets became the first NFL team to win a regular season overtime game. It also gave the club a big lift as it proved to be the first of six straight wins (following six consecutive losses) to end the season. The Jets finished at 7-7 and tied with the Patriots for third in the AFC East. The Giants lost the remainder of their games to end up at 2-12 and at the bottom of the NFC East.

Joe Namath’s statistics improved along with the team’s fortunes. While he still ended up leading the NFL by throwing 22 interceptions, only five of those came during the season-ending winning streak. His 2616 passing yards and 20 touchdowns both ranked second in the NFL, as did his 361 attempts.


Craig Morton (pictured at left) threw for 1510 yards in eight games for the Giants with 9 TD passes and 13 interceptions. His 29.6 pass attempts per game ranked second in the NFL and his averages of 188.8 yards and 15.3 completions ranked third. But taking over in the midst of the season and with a mediocre supporting cast, the resulting record in his starts was 1-6.

The new placekicker, Pat Leahy, made the most of his opportunity with the Jets. He ended up playing for them through 1991, a total of 18 seasons, and ended up as the franchise leader in points (1470) and field goals (304).

2003: Fred Taylor Runs for 152 Yards as Jaguars Upset Colts

The Jacksonville Jaguars were a dreadful 1-7 as they hosted the 7-1 Indianapolis Colts at ALLTEL Stadium on November 9, 2003. Jacksonville was coming off of three straight losing seasons and was struggling under first-year Head Coach Jack Del Rio. Veteran QB Mark Brunell, anticipated to be on his way out after eight seasons with the club, was injured and had been replaced by rookie first-round draft pick Byron Leftwich, who was experiencing typical growing pains. Moreover, the Jaguars had never beaten the Colts in five meetings (they had only just become members of the same division as a result of the NFL’s realignment the previous year).

It hardly seemed likely that the Jaguars would have better luck this time against Head Coach Tony Dungy’s Colts. With significant playmakers on offense that included QB Peyton Manning, WR Marvin Harrison, and RB Edgerrin James and a tough defense anchored by DE Dwight Freeney, the Colts were playing like a championship contender and had pulled out some impressive wins along the way.

Jaguars RB Fred Taylor (pictured above) set the tone in the lead-up to the game as he complained about excessively rough play by Colts rookie SS Mike Doss in the previous meeting of the two teams earlier in the season and said, “I'm going to punish him. If he hits me, fine, but if I catch him, believe me, I'm going to get the better shot.” The veteran running back, one of the key players on the offense, was both healthy and motivated, and ultimately, the team gained a lift as a result.

It was Indianapolis getting on the board first, though, as Manning connected with Harrison for a 30-yard touchdown. Jacksonville responded with a seven-play, 43-yard drive later in the first quarter that ended with Taylor running for a five-yard touchdown. But the second quarter was all Colts as Mike Vanderjagt kicked field goals of 27 and 26 yards and TE Marcus Pollard scored a touchdown on a 13-yard pass from Manning just before the end of the half. Indianapolis had a seemingly-secure 20-7 lead at the intermission. However, they had lost Harrison for the remainder of the game due to a strained hamstring.

The Jaguars, who had been held to 85 total yards in the first half, opened the third quarter with an 80-yard drive in 13 plays that resulted in Leftwich running for a four-yard touchdown. Then, early in the fourth quarter, Leftwich completed a 28-yard pass to TE George Wrighster that bounced off of at least three Colts defenders before the tight end pulled it in. Leftwich followed up with a 43-yard touchdown pass to veteran WR Jimmy Smith, and with the successful extra point, Jacksonville was in the lead at 21-20.

The Colts came right back as Manning completed a pass to Pollard for a 70-yard gain to the Jaguars’ nine yard line, but an apparent touchdown throw to WR Troy Walters was nullified because Walters had stepped out of bounds prior to making the catch. The Colts settled for a 27-yard field goal by Vanderjagt to retake the lead, 23-21, with 5:16 left on the clock.

Jacksonville responded by driving to the Indianapolis 11, but an attempted field goal was botched when holder Mark Royals couldn’t handle the snap and, tossing a desperation pass, was intercepted by LB David Thornton.

There were just over two minutes remaining, but the Colts were unable to gain a first down that would have allowed them to run out the clock and had to punt. The short kick was returned 27 yards by Jacksonville RB David Allen to the Indianapolis 31. Two plays later, and after losing a yard, Taylor broke three tackles (including one by Doss) and ran 32 yards for a touchdown.

The Jaguars had a five-point lead, but the Colts still had one last opportunity with a timeout remaining. However, with 11 seconds left safety Deke Cooper picked off a Manning pass to seal the stunning 28-23 win for the Jaguars.

Jacksonville dominated the second half, gaining 268 of 353 total yards and successfully converting seven of eight third down situations. The Colts outgained the Jaguars overall with 394 yards, but the fact that the yardage total ended up being so close and that the clubs were even with 20 first downs apiece testified to Jacksonville’s strong second half surge after being dominated for the first two quarters.


Fred Taylor had his best game of the season, gaining 152 yards on 28 carries with two touchdowns; he also caught two passes for another 32 yards. Byron Leftwich (pictured at left) had his strongest performance to date, completing 12 of 22 passes for 179 yards with a TD and none intercepted. Jimmy Smith led the receivers with four catches for 87 yards and a score.

For the Colts, Peyton Manning was successful on 28 of 45 passes for 347 yards with two touchdowns, but also two interceptions. Edgerrin James led the rushers with just 44 yards on 15 carries – he went largely unused during much of the second half and was replaced by Ricky Williams, considered the better receiver out of the backfield, although he was co-leader for the Colts with six pass receptions (for 26 yards). WR Reggie Wayne also caught six passes, for 46 yards, while Marcus Pollard gained 92 yards and scored a TD on his three receptions.

A frustrated James complained in the locker room afterward, “Maybe I'm not good enough, but I don't make those decisions. I don't know why we had so many screens called. That's not my call. I just do my job.” However, all was well the next week as he ran for 127 yards, Manning passed for 401, and the Colts defeated the Jets. Indianapolis ended the regular season atop the AFC South with a 12-4 record and won two playoff games before succumbing to New England in the AFC Championship game.

A happy Fred Taylor said afterward, “I probably should have just taken the silent approach, but sometimes things happen, so I just put it out there, and my teammates backed me up.” The Jaguars crashed back to earth at Tennessee the next week in a 10-3 loss, but won three more games the rest of the way to finish at 5-11, the same as the Texans, at the bottom of the division.

Taylor ranked sixth in the NFL with a career-high 1572 yards on 345 carries (4.6 avg.) with six touchdowns. In 11 seasons with Jacksonville, he gained 11,271 yards on the ground.

While his career with the Jaguars was ultimately disappointing, Byron Leftwich had a decent rookie season in which he completed 57.2 % of his passes and averaged a healthy 11.8 yards on 239 completions. He threw 14 touchdown passes, against 16 interceptions.

List of the Day: Evolution of Individual Season TD Record

LaDainian Tomlinson

NFL
7- Ookie Anderson, Buffalo All-Americans, 1921
(5 rush, 1 rec, 1 pr)
7- Fritz Pollard, Akron Pros, 1921
(6 rush, 1 rec)
7- Jimmy Conzelman, Rock Island/Milwaukee, 1922
(7 rush)
7- Guy Chamberlin, Canton Bulldogs, 1922
(3 rush, 1 rec, 2 int, 1 other)
7- Paddy Driscoll, Chicago Cardinals, 1923
(6 rush, 1 rec)
7- Lou Smyth, Canton Bulldogs, 1923
(7 rush)

12- Tex Hamer, Frankford Yellow Jackets, 1924
(12 rush)
12- Ernie Nevers, Chicago Cardinals, 1929
(12 rush)

14- Johnny (Blood) McNally, Green Bay Packers, 1931
(2 rush, 11 rec, 1 int)

17- Don Hutson, Green Bay Packers, 1942
(17 rec)

18- Steve Van Buren, Philadelphia Eagles, 1945
(15 rush, 2 rec, 1 kr)
18- Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns, 1958
(17 rush, 1 rec)

19- Jim Taylor, Green Bay Packers, 1962
(19 rush)

20- Lenny Moore, Baltimore Colts, 1964
(16 rush, 3 rec, 1 other)

22- Gale Sayers, Chicago Bears, 1965
(14 rush, 6 rec, 1 pr, 1 kr)

23- O.J. Simpson, Buffalo Bills, 1975
(16 rush, 7 rec)

24- John Riggins, Washington Redskins, 1983
(24 rush)

25- Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys, 1995
(25 rush)

26- Marshall Faulk, St. Louis Rams, 2000
(18 rush, 8 rec)

27- Priest Holmes, Kansas City Chiefs, 2003
(27 rush)

28- Shaun Alexander, Seattle Seahawks, 2005
(27 rush, 1 rec)

31- LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers, 2006
(28 rush, 3 rec)

AFL (1926)
9- Eddie Tryon, New York Yankees
(5 rush, 3 rec, 1 int)

AFL (1936-37)
4- Earl Bartlett, Boston Shamrocks, 1936
(3 rec, 1 other)
4- Don Elser, Boston Shamrocks, 1936
(3 rec, 1 other)
4- Sid Gillman, Cleveland Rams, 1936
(4 rec)

5- Earl Bartlett, Boston Shamrocks, 1937
(4 rush, 1 other)
5- Bill Howard, Los Angeles Bulldogs, 1937
(5 rush)
5- Bill Moore, Los Angeles Bulldogs, 1937
(3 rec, 2 other)

AFL (1940-41)
6- Al Novakofski, Milwaukee Chiefs, 1940
(3 rush, 3 other)

8- Bob Davis, Columbus Bullies, 1941
(7 rush, 1 other)

AAFC (1946-49)
12- Spec Sanders, New York Yankees, 1946
(6 rush, 3 rec, 1 int, 1 pr, 1 kr)

19- Spec Sanders, New York Yankees, 1947
(18 rush, 1 kr)


Spec Sanders

AFL (1960-69)
14- Art Powell, New York Titans, 1960
(14 rec)

18- Bill Groman, Houston Oilers, 1961
(1 rush, 17 rec)

19- Abner Haynes, Dallas Texans, 1962
(13 rush, 6 rec)


Abner Haynes

WFL (1974-75)
19- Ed Marshall, Memphis Southmen, 1974
(19 rec)

USFL (1983-85)
18- Herschel Walker, New Jersey Generals, 1983
(17 rush, 1 rec)

21- Gary Anderson, Tampa Bay Bandits, 1984
(19 rush, 2 rec)
21- Herschel Walker, New Jersey Generals, 1984
(16 rush, 5 rec)

22- Herschel Walker, New Jersey Generals, 1985
(21 rush, 1 rec)

XFL (2001)
8- Darnell McDonald, Los Angeles Xtreme
(8 rec)

Key: rush = rushing, rec = pass receiving, int = interception returns, pr = punt returns, kr = kickoff returns, other = other or unknown


Herschel Walker

1948: Buffalo’s Running Game Prevails Over Brooklyn’s Passing Attack

The November 7, 1948 All-America Football Conference (AAFC) game at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field featured a matchup between two Eastern Division teams, the host Dodgers and visiting Buffalo Bills.

Brooklyn had done well neither on the field nor at the gate in its first two seasons, going 3-10-1 in each and averaging just over 11,000 fans per home game in ‘47. For 1948, the team had been purchased by its baseball counterpart and was run by Branch Rickey, an outstanding major league baseball executive.

Rickey believed that the key to football success was speed and a good passing game, and to that end the Dodgers outbid the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers for Bob Chappuis, an All-American passing tailback who had just led Michigan to a smashing Rose Bowl triumph over USC (Rickey also had to trade three draft choices to the Cleveland Browns for the rights to Chappuis, who had been drafted by the Browns in the AAFC’s draft of college talent).


Chappuis (pictured at left) seemed a good choice to operate in Brooklyn’s single-wing attack. However, he was three weeks late reporting to the team due to participation in the annual College All-Star game and encountered injury problems early on that limited his playing time. While third-year tailback Bob Hoernschemeyer played well, the Dodgers had a 2-7 record (their only two wins coming against the even-more-dreadful Chicago Rockets) coming into the game with Buffalo and Rickey was expressing concern that he had not gotten much return on his $55,000, two-year investment in Chappuis.

The Bills were 4-5 under Head Coach Red Dawson, but in the mediocre Eastern Division that was enough to put them in contention. Second-year QB George Ratterman ran their T-formation offense, which had performed well in wins the previous two weeks, most notably due to the young quarterback’s passing and the play of HB Chet Mutryn (pictured at top).

There was a typically sparse crowd of 7805 at Ebbets Field as Buffalo moved out to an early lead. Mutryn started off the scoring with a 68-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, and FB Lou Tomasetti added a 15-yard carry for a TD. The extra point attempt failed after the first score, but not the second, and the Bills were up by 13-0 after the opening period.

Brooklyn narrowed the margin in the second quarter to 13-7 as FB Mickey Colmer, another of the few bright spots on the club, ran for a two-yard touchdown. Buffalo extended its lead to 19-7 in the third quarter as Mutryn ran for a second touchdown, of nine yards, although again the extra point attempt failed.

The game ultimately came down to a contest between Buffalo’s relentless ground attack against Brooklyn’s aerial assault in a bid to keep up. The Bills added another seven points in the fourth quarter, taking advantage of the Dodgers’ need to go to the air, when DB Carl Schuette returned an interception 55 yards and lateraled to end Vince Mazza, who ran the last five yards to score. However, Chappuis filled the air with passes and connected with end Saxon Judd for a touchdown. Wingback Ray Ramsey returned a punt 70 yards for a TD as well, but ultimately the Bills held on and prevailed by a score of 26-21.

George Ratterman completed only 3 of 13 passes for the Bills, but it hardly mattered as Buffalo gained 419 yards on the ground. Chet Mutryn gained 185 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns and Lou Tomasetti had 141 yards on 15 attempts, including a TD.

The Dodgers went to the air a total of 53 times and had only 15 rushing plays. Bob Chappuis was the headliner in defeat as he completed 26 of 51 passes, both AAFC records (previously set by Glenn Dobbs, also with Brooklyn, in 1946). He accounted for all but 12 of the team’s 265 total yards, with 211 passing and 42 rushing on four carries, and threw for one TD. He played in all but 10 minutes of the game, his best pro performance to date.

“That was as fine an individual performance I have ever seen on a football field," Dodgers Head Coach Carl Voyles said after the game regarding Chappuis.

With the win, the Bills took the lead in the Eastern Division at 5-5, on the way to a 7-7 finish and tie with the Baltimore Colts for first place. Buffalo came from behind to defeat the Colts in the resulting playoff, but was decimated by the undefeated Cleveland Browns, the Western Division champions, in the AAFC Championship game.

Brooklyn finished a dismal 2-12 to rank last in the Eastern Division. Branch Rickey and the baseball Dodgers threw in the towel and sold the franchise back to the league, which in turn combined the team with the New York Yankees for the 1949 season.

Bob Chappuis ended up completing 100 of 213 passes for 1402 yards with 8 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in ’48 while splitting time with Hoernschemeyer (who had identical totals for TDs and INTs with fewer pass attempts). The records he set for attempts and completions against the Bills were broken a few weeks later by Dobbs, now with the Los Angeles Dons. With the demise of the Dodgers, he and Hoernschemeyer both played for the Chicago Hornets (the re-named Rockets) in 1949. Chappuis saw little action with the 4-8 Hornets behind Hoernschemeyer and Johnny Clements and, with the team and league going out of existence following the season, retired from pro football (Hoernschemeyer went on to have a successful career as a halfback with the NFL’s Detroit Lions).

Chet Mutryn ended up ranking third in the AAFC in rushing with 823 yards on 147 carries for a 5.6-yard average and a league-leading 10 touchdowns (tied with San Francisco’s Joe Perry). Lou Tomasetti was fifth with 716 yards on 134 attempts (5.3 avg.) with seven TDs. Despite his poor passing effort against the Dodgers, George Ratterman placed second in the league in passing yards (2577), and while he tossed 16 TD passes, he also led the AAFC with 22 interceptions.

1934: Eagles Roll Up 64-0 Win Over Cincinnati Reds

Two teams that had entered the NFL in 1933, the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Reds, met on November 6, 1934 on a muddy field at Philadelphia’s Temple Stadium. Neither club had been very successful thus far. The Eagles, coached by Lud Wray, had gone 3-5-1 in their inaugural season and carried a 1-5 record into the game against the Reds. Moreover, they had been shut out in each of their last three contests.

The situation was even worse with Cincinnati, which debuted at 3-6-1 in 1933 and was 0-7 thus far in ’34. Led by player/coach Algy Clark, they had scored a grand total of 10 points in the seven games. The team was on financially shaky ground and on the brink of being disbanded.

There were approximately 2000 fans present for one of only two Eagles home games played at Temple Stadium (they typically played at the Baker Bowl). It didn’t take long for the tone of the contest to be set. On the fifth play, back Ed Storm ran 36 yards for a touchdown. By the end of the first quarter, the Eagles had a 26-0 lead on their way to a 64-0 shellacking of the Reds.

Star HB Swede Hanson (pictured above), an outstanding open-field runner who was provided with plenty of opportunities to show off his talent, scored three touchdowns (two rushing, one on an interception return) and gained 190 yards rushing on 18 carries. End Joe Carter also scored three TDs, all on pass receptions. Hanson, Carter, and tailback Ed Matesic each had scoring plays of over 40 yards. The Eagles were effective both running the ball and passing - of their ten touchdowns, four came on runs, five on passes, and one on an interception.

While the records are sketchy (Hanson’s rushing total may include pass receptions or kick returns, as there are discrepancies in some accounts), Philadelphia did set a league record for most points by the winner of a shutout in which both teams were NFL members (the Rochester Jeffersons defeated a non-league-affiliated Fort Porter team 66-0 in 1920). No Eagles team since has run up as many points in a game, shutout or otherwise.

The disastrous defeat marked the end for the Cincinnati franchise, which promptly folded. It was replaced by a team called the St. Louis Gunners that completed the season – and won its first game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-0. Six players from the Reds played for the Gunners, a club made up of local talent and castoffs from other NFL teams. St. Louis went 1-2; the combined Reds/Gunners record was 1-10 for a last-place finish in the Western Division. The Gunners did not return for the 1935 season.

Oddly enough, Cincinnati’s player/coach Clark joined the Eagles (as a player only) for the remainder of the season. Philadelphia returned to earth the following week, losing to Brooklyn by a 10-7 score, although they won their last two games and were 4-7 for the year, tying with the Dodgers for third in the Eastern Division. They scored a total of 63 points in their other ten contests, but all four of their wins were shutouts.

The big game against Cincinnati helped Swede Hanson put together his best of eight seasons in the NFL (five with the Eagles). He ranked second in rushing (805 yards) on a league-leading 146 carries (tied with Detroit’s Ace Gutowsky) and his 5.5 yards per attempt ranked fourth. His eight touchdowns (7 rushing, one on the INT return) put Hanson in a tie for second with Dutch Clark of the Lions (one behind leader Beattie Feathers of the Bears). The 190-yard (or so) rushing performance was one of three that he had in 1934 – the first three in franchise history – and Hanson was a 2nd-team All-NFL selection by the league and the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

Joe Carter also had a notable season, co-leading the NFL in pass receiving with 16 catches (along with Red Badgro of the Giants). His 238 receiving yards ranked second, as did his four receiving touchdowns.