2009: Chris Johnson Runs for 228 Yards as Titans Beat Jaguars

The Tennessee Titans were in the midst of a dreadful season coming off of their bye week as they hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 1, 2009 at LP Field. They were 0-6 and Head Coach Jeff Fisher, reportedly under pressure from owner Bud Adams, had decided to bench ineffective veteran QB Kerry Collins in favor of erratic Vince Young. It was a reversal of fortune as Collins had replaced Young following a season-opening loss in ’08 and the team had gone 12-3 the rest of the way to win the AFC South. While they lost to the Ravens in the Divisional playoff round, they had every reason to anticipate further success in 2009. Instead, they regressed on both sides of the ball and in their previous outing had been humiliated by the Patriots by a score of 59-0.

The Jaguars, under Head Coach Jack Del Rio, were 3-3 but all three wins had come in the last four games, including an easy victory over Tennessee. The team had undergone a significant overhaul, and there were several rookies in the starting lineup. Fourth-year veteran RB Maurice Jones-Drew was the key to the offense that was directed by QB David Garrard. The defense was a concern, however, due to a poor pass rush.

The first quarter was quiet, with Tennessee taking a 3-0 lead on a 48-yard field goal by Rob Bironas. On their first possession of the second quarter, the Titans went 54 yards in eight plays highlighted by Young pass completions to WR Nate Washington for 16 yards and 18 yards to TE Bo Scaife. Washington pulled in a six-yard touchdown pass and the score was 10-0.

The Titans got the ball back quickly when CB Rod Hood intercepted a Garrard pass near midfield that he returned to the Jacksonville 35. RB Chris Johnson (pictured at top) promptly took off around end for 22 yards and four plays later Bironas kicked another field goal, this time from 25 yards.

However, the Jaguars struck back in a hurry. On their first play following the kickoff, Jones-Drew ran for an 80-yard touchdown that narrowed Tennessee’s lead to 13-7. The Titans went three-and-out on their next possession, and while Jacksonville held onto the ball for eleven plays, the drive stalled at the Jaguars’ 46 and they were forced to punt. Tennessee held onto the six-point margin at halftime.

Jacksonville received the second half kickoff and once again struck with lightning quickness as Jones-Drew took off on another long scoring run, this time going 79 yards up the middle for the touchdown. The extra point attempt was blocked, but the Jaguars had tied the game at 13-13. It proved to be the high water mark for Jacksonville.

The Titans weren’t long in responding - a seven-play drive ended with Johnson running 52 yards for a TD and 20-13 Tennessee lead. Jacksonville went three-and-out and the Titans put together another scoring drive, with Young completing two passes as Tennessee went 40 yards in seven plays. Bironas booted a 45-yard field goal and the Titans were up by ten points at 23-13.

Following another Jacksonville possession that ended in a punt, the Titans took over at their own five yard line in the last minute of the third quarter. Johnson ran twice for six yards, but started the fourth quarter off with a bang as he ran 89 yards for a touchdown that essentially sealed the game for Tennessee.

The Jaguars were unable to move the ball effectively in their last three possessions, which resulted in an interception and two punts, and Tennessee came away with a convincing 30-13 win.

The Titans controlled the ball for far more plays (67 to 49) and longer time of possession (39:43 to 20:17) as they outgained the Jaguars (430 yards to 330) and had more first downs (20 to 12). 305 of those yards came on the ground and Tennessee didn’t turn the ball over at all, while Jacksonville did so twice. The Titans also sacked Garrard four times, while Young was not dumped at all by the Jaguars.

Chris Johnson set a franchise record by rushing for 228 yards on 24 carries that included two touchdowns, both of over 50 yards. Vince Young played conservatively but effectively as he completed 15 of 18 passes for 125 yards and a TD; he also added to the rushing total by gaining 30 on 12 carries (including two kneel-downs at the end). Bo Scaife caught four passes for 27 yards while WR Justin Gage gained 41 yards on his three receptions.


Overshadowed for the Jaguars in this game of big plays was Maurice Jones-Drew (pictured above), who rushed for 177 yards on just eight attempts that included two long scoring carries. He averaged 22.1 yards per attempt and became the third player in league history to have two scoring runs of 75 yards or longer in a game. Indeed, between Johnson and Jones-Drew, it was the first NFL game with four rushing touchdowns of 50 or more yards.

The other statistics for Jacksonville were far less impressive. David Garrard was successful on just 14 of 27 passes for 139 yards with no TDs and two interceptions. WR Mike Thomas was the leading receiver with four catches for 55 yards.

“He looked all right out there,” Bud Adams said of Vince Young. “I think he's coming around a lot. I think there's some things that happened to him early in his career that didn't let him concentrate on football. I think he realized he needed to work at it hard. And he has shown that.”

“It's just one week at a time now we got the first win,” Coach Jeff Fisher said, looking ahead after the team’s first win of the season. “Unfortunately, it took us a little bit too long. Now we're going to take it and just move on.”

The Titans moved on in surprising fashion as the win over Jacksonville was the first of five straight. Two losses in the last five contests kept them from qualifying for the playoffs, but as it was Tennessee finished at 8-8 and third in the AFC South. Behind them was Jacksonville at 7-9.

Chris Johnson played a major role in the second half surge and ended up as the NFL’s leading rusher while joining the exclusive two thousand-yard rushing club (2006 on 358 carries for a 5.6-yard average with 14 touchdowns). Adding on two pass receiving TDs, he had 16, which tied for second in the league with Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew ranked fourth among the league’s runners with 1391 yards on 312 attempts with 15 rushing touchdowns.

Vince Young (pictured below) went on to complete 58.7 percent of his passes (152 of 259) for 1879 yards with 10 TDs and 7 interceptions. He also rushed for 281 yards and was named to the Pro Bowl. It was a high point in a decidedly up-and-down career in Tennessee that ultimately ended badly – by the conclusion of the 2010 season, the Titans formally cut ties with the talented but drama-prone and inconsistent quarterback.

MVP Profile: Adrian Peterson, 2008

Running Back, Minnesota Vikings



Age: 23
2nd season in pro football & with Vikings
College: Oklahoma
Height: 6’1” Weight: 217

Prelude:
Taken by the Vikings in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft, Peterson made an immediate impact as he rushed for 1341 yards as a rookie, including a single-game record 296 yards against San Diego. If there was any downside, it came in the knee injury that caused him to miss two games, his lesser numbers as defenses stacked the line to stop him when he returned, and his mediocre pass blocking. Still, with his combination of speed and power, he was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

2008 Season Summary
Appeared in all 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 363 [2]
Most attempts, game - 30 (for 192 yds.) vs. Green Bay 11/9
Yards – 1760 [1]
Most yards, game – 192 yards (on 30 carries) vs. Green Bay 11/9
Average gain – 4.8 [8]
TDs – 10 [8, tied with four others]
100-yard rushing games - 10

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 21
Most receptions, game – 4 (for 20 yds.) vs. Indianapolis 9/14, (for 21 yds.) at Tennessee 9/28
Yards – 125
Most yards, game - 33 (on 3 catches) vs. Green Bay 11/9
Average gain – 6.0
TDs – 0

Kickoff Returns
Returns – 1
Yards – 16
Average per return – 16.0
TDs – 0

All-Purpose Yards – 1901 [5]

Scoring
TDs – 10 [16, tied with eight others]
Points – 60

Postseason: 1 G (NFC Wild Card playoff vs. Philadelphia)
Rushing attempts – 20
Rushing yards – 83
Average gain rushing – 4.2
Rushing TDs – 2

Kickoff Returns
Returns – 1
Yards – 20
Average per return – 20.0
TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL Player of the Year: Bert Bell Award
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Sporting News
Pro Bowl

Vikings went 10-6 to finish first in the NFC North and gained the third playoff seed in the conference. Lost NFC Wild Card playoff to Philadelphia Eagles (26-14).

Aftermath:
Peterson followed up in 2009 with 1383 rushing yards and a league-leading 18 TDs while also catching a career-high 43 passes as the Vikings went 12-4 and advanced to the NFC Championship game. While a tendency to fumble was still a concern (he lost the ball 9 times in 2008 and 7 in ’09), Peterson was again a consensus first-team All-Pro and was named to the Pro Bowl. Turmoil touched the team in 2010, which dropped to 6-10, but Peterson was a bulwark who ran for 1298 yards, scored 13 TDs, fumbled only once, and was selected to a fourth straight Pro Bowl.

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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).

[Updated 2/12/14]

1960: Bills Upset Oilers with Two Fourth Quarter Field Goals

Coming up on the midpoint of the inaugural American Football League season, the Houston Oilers (5-1) had established themselves as the team to beat in the Eastern Division while the Buffalo Bills (2-4) were struggling. They met for the first time on October 30, 1960 at Buffalo’s War Memorial Stadium.

The Oilers, coached by Lou Rymkus, featured QB George Blanda, a veteran of 10 NFL seasons almost exclusively with the Bears, and rookie HB Billy Cannon, the Heisman Trophy winner out of LSU. Cannon was off to a slow start, but FB Dave Smith proved to be a good find and Blanda had outstanding receivers to throw to in flanker Charley Hennigan and split end Bill Groman.

Buffalo, under the direction of Head Coach Buster Ramsey, had a respectable defense that included DE LaVerne Torczon, DT Chuck McMurtry, MLB Archie Matsos, and FS Richie McCabe. However, offense was a problem, in particular quarterback. Ex-Brown Tom O’Connell started the year behind center and was a disappointment. Johnny Green played well in his first start of the season the week before, a convincing 38-9 win over the Raiders.

There were 23,001 fans in attendance and they saw the Oilers score first as Blanda connected with Hennigan on an eight-yard touchdown pass. The Bills responded when FB Wray Carlton went 70 yards for a touchdown with a screen pass from Green (the Green-to-Carlton combination on screen passes would prove effective throughout the game). However, the extra point attempt failed and Houston maintained a 7-6 lead.

Before the first quarter was over, Joe Hergert kicked a 36-yard field goal that put the Bills in front by 9-7. The Oilers retook the lead in the second quarter when Blanda threw to Cannon for a 21-yard touchdown.

Hergert suffered an injury and DB Billy Atkins (pictured at top), the team’s punter, took over the placekicking for Buffalo. His 18-yard field goal moved the Bills to two points behind the Oilers at 14-12 and then end Dick Brubaker caught a 10-yard pass from Green to make the score 19-14 at the half.

The Blanda-to-Cannon combination struck again in the third quarter, this time for a 53-yard touchdown and, with Blanda’s successful extra point, Houston moved back in front in the see-saw game at 21-19. The lead increased by three on a 50-yard Blanda field goal, still in the third period.

The Bills drove from their 26 into Houston territory early in the fourth quarter, ending with an Atkins field goal from 45 yards out. A shanked punt by Houston’s Ken Hall allowed Buffalo to take over at the Oilers’ 39 following a 20-yard return by Matsos. Another Green screen pass to Carlton got the ball down to the three. The Oilers defense held as Buffalo was only able to gain a yard on the next three plays. Although the crowd was yelling for the Bills to go for it, they took a delay-of-game penalty that set the ball back to the seven so that Atkins would have a better angle for his field goal attempt. It was successful from 15 yards with less than six minutes remaining to play and provided the final result, a 25-24 upset win for Buffalo.


Buffalo’s offense rose to the occasion as the Bills outgained the Oilers (352 yards to 287) and had more first downs (17 to 13). While they gained only 59 yards on the ground, the Bills netted 293 yards through the air (Green was sacked five times for 41 yards in losses). Blanda was sacked just once, but the Oilers turned the ball over five times, to three by Buffalo.

Johnny Green had a big performance, completing 18 of 49 passes for 334 yards with two touchdowns and one intercepted. Wray Carlton caught 6 passes for 177 yards and the one long TD while also rushing for 25 yards on six carries. Elbert Dubenion contributed 5 receptions for 76 yards. HB Wilmer Fowler was the team’s leading ground gainer with 36 yards on 10 attempts. Archie Matsos (pictured above) had a big day for the Bills, intercepting two passes and returning the short punt, thus setting up two touchdowns.

George Blanda had his worst passing game of the year, hitting on just 9 of 32 throws for 124 yards, and while three were good for TDs, four were intercepted. Dave Smith ran for 107 yards on 12 carries, and Billy Cannon also ran the ball 12 times, gaining 60 yards, and also caught three passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns.


The upset win wasn’t a turning point for the Bills – they won just twice more and finished in third place in the Eastern Division with a 5-8-1 record. Houston recovered to win the division comfortably at 10-4 and defeated the Chargers for the first AFL Championship.

Johnny Green (pictured at left) failed to sustain his success against the Oilers, partly because of an injury to his throwing arm suffered during the game. He ended up completing just 89 of 228 passes (39.0 percent) for 1267 yards with 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions apiece. Wray Carlton led the team in rushing with 533 yards and caught 29 passes for 477 yards (16.4 avg.). Billy Atkins ended up handling most of the placekicking as well as the punting and was successful on 6 of 13 field goal attempts and 27 of 33 extra points.

1989: Webster Slaughter Has Big Day as Browns Beat Oilers

From 1985 to ’88, the Cleveland Browns had won 32 regular season games and been to the postseason for four straight years, but despite advancing to the AFC Championship game twice, they had fallen short of the Super Bowl. The result had been the forced resignation of Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer by owner Art Modell. Bud Carson, formerly defensive coordinator of the Jets, was hired for 1989 and the team was at 4-3 as it hosted the Houston Oilers on October 29 at Municipal Stadium.

QB Bernie Kosar, healthy after missing eight games due to injuries in 1988, was an able field general and fine passer despite his awkward-looking sidearm passing style. The running game missed FB Kevin Mack, who was inactive due to off-field drug issues, but had speed in rookie HB Eric Metcalf. And while TE Ozzie Newsome was on the downside of his outstanding career, the wide receivers consisted of quick-footed Webster Slaughter (pictured above), tall Reggie Langhorne, and slow-but-sure-handed Brian Brennan.

The AFC Central was a tough, competitive division, and the visiting Oilers were one of the teams that made it so. Under Head Coach Jerry Glanville, they were aggressive on defense and quick-striking on offense. Former CFL star QB Warren Moon was coming off his first Pro Bowl season in the NFL, despite missing five games with a shoulder injury, and was playing well in ’89. Still, for all the talent, the team tended to be inconsistent and also was 4-3 coming into the game in Cleveland.

The Oilers received the opening kickoff and drove 68 yards in 14 plays, including two third-down conversions, finishing up with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Moon to WR Haywood Jeffires. The score remained at 7-0 as the teams traded punts into the second quarter until a Kosar pass was intercepted by SS Bubba McDowell at the Cleveland 29. While McDowell ran to the end zone, the play was called back due to an illegal use of hands infraction on the return, but seven plays later Tony Zendejas kicked a 23-yard field goal to extend Houston’s lead to 10-0.

Kosar was intercepted again on the Browns’ next possession, this time by CB Steve Brown, but the Oilers were unable to capitalize and took the ten-point lead into halftime.

Houston had dominated the first half, but the Browns drove methodically down the field to start the third quarter. Metcalf carried the ball six times for 26 yards on the 13-play possession that covered 71 yards and ended up with Kosar, not known for his mobility, running for the last five and a touchdown.

The Oilers had to punt after a short possession ended at their 46, and on the first play the Browns went with a flea-flicker as Metcalf took the handoff and then pitched back to Kosar, who threw long to Slaughter for an 80-yard touchdown. With Matt Bahr’s successful extra point, the Browns had a 14-10 lead with 5:22 remaining in the third quarter.

The Oilers weren’t done yet, however, and moved quickly down the field. Moon threw to WR Ernest Givins for 15 yards and, following an incompletion, RB Alonzo Highsmith ran 25 yards down the middle. A holding penalty momentarily slowed the advance, but then Moon connected with WR Curtis Duncan for a 55-yard gain to the Cleveland one yard line, and from there RB Mike Rozier ran in for a TD. The Oilers were back in the lead at 17-14.

On Cleveland’s first play, Kosar was sacked by DE Ray Childress for a seven-yard loss. However, he again went long for Slaughter and was successful for a 77-yard touchdown. The eventful third quarter ended with the Browns back in front at 21-17.

Cleveland had the ball to start the fourth quarter and, on the third play, Metcalf took a pitchout and tossed an option pass to Langhorne in the end zone for a 32-yard TD. It was the rookie running back’s first NFL pass, and with the extra point it put the Browns up by 11 points.

There was still plenty of time, and the Oilers were capable of striking quickly as well. However, they again were forced to punt from near midfield. Cleveland managed to hold onto the ball for the remaining 9:20 of the game, a total of 15 plays that stretched from the Browns’ 20 to the Houston 25, and came away with a 28-17 win.

Cleveland outgained the Oilers (383 yards to 299) and had more first downs (18 to 17). However, Houston didn’t turn the ball over at all while the Browns did so twice.


Webster Slaughter was the star for Cleveland, catching 4 passes for 184 yards and the two long touchdowns. Bernie Kosar went to the air 19 times and completed 14 for 262 yards with two touchdowns as well as two interceptions; most significantly, he completed all eight of his second half passes for 207 of those yards. Eric Metcalf (pictured at left) rushed for only 48 yards on 17 carries, but also had 6 pass receptions for 46 yards and threw a touchdown pass.

For the Oilers, Warren Moon was successful on 15 of 25 passes for 241 yards and a TD with none intercepted. WR Drew Hill caught three of those passes for 67 yards while Ernest Givins and Haywood Jeffires also snagged three, for 42 and 30 yards respectively, and Curtis Duncan contributed 61 yards on his two catches. Alonzo Highsmith ran for 58 yards on 12 carries to pace the club.

Cleveland was in the midst of a four-game winning streak, but following a tie lost three straight before winning the final two contests, including the finale over the Oilers in Houston. The season sweep of the Oilers was significant, for the Browns won the AFC Central with a 9-6-1 record while Houston and Pittsburgh both ended up at 9-7. Both the Oilers and Steelers qualified for the playoffs (the Oilers swept Pittsburgh in their two meetings and thus placed second in the standings) and, meeting in the first round, the Steelers won in overtime. The Browns won their Divisional playoff over Buffalo but lost the AFC Championship game to their title-game nemesis, the Denver Broncos.

Webster Slaughter earned selection to the Pro Bowl by catching 65 passes for 1236 yards (19.0 avg.) and six touchdowns. Eric Metcalf gained 1748 all-purpose yards (633 rushing on 187 carries, 397 receiving with 54 catches, 718 returning 31 kickoffs); it was a good rookie year for the son of an earlier all-purpose pro halfback, Terry Metcalf.

Bernie Kosar (pictured below) was the fourth-ranked passer in the AFC (80.3 rating) as he threw for 3533 yards with 18 TD passes. He was among the league leaders with a completion percentage of 59.1 and low interception percentage of 2.7. Warren Moon was ahead of Kosar among passers in the conference (88.9 rating), yards passing (3631), completion percentage (60.3), and scoring throws (23). He was selected to the Pro Bowl for a second straight year (of an eventual eight consecutive and nine overall).

MVP Profile: Marshall Faulk, 2000

Running Back, St. Louis Rams



Age: 27
7th season in pro football, 2nd with Rams
College: San Diego State
Height: 5’10” Weight: 211

Prelude:
Taken in the first round of the 1994 NFL draft (second overall) by the Indianapolis Colts, Faulk had a Rookie of the Year season with 1282 rushing yards and 52 catches for 522 more, establishing himself as an outstanding combination runner/receiver. He was selected to the Pro Bowl as well and was chosen again following a 1995 performance in which he rushed for 1078 yards and had 56 catches. Injuries, and a subpar offensive line, reduced his production significantly in 1996 and he ran for 1054 yards and caught 47 passes for a 3-13 team in ’97. Faulk returned to Pro Bowl form in 1998 as he rushed for 1319 yards and gained 908 yards on 86 pass receptions to lead the NFL with 2227 yards from scrimmage. He was traded to the Rams in the offseason for two draft picks and in 1999 became the key to a championship offense as he again led the league in yards from scrimmage (2429) with 1381 on the ground and 1048 through the air on 87 catches. Faulk thus became the second running back to gain a thousand yards both rushing and receiving in a season and, in addition to being chosen to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time, was a consensus first-team All-Pro.

2000 Season Summary
Appeared and started in 14 of 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 253 [19]
Most attempts, game - 32 (for 220 yds.) at New Orleans 12/24
Yards – 1359 [8]
Most yards, game – 220 yards (on 32 carries) at New Orleans 12/24
Average gain – 5.4 [3]
TDs – 18 [1]
200-yard rushing games – 2
100-yard rushing games – 4

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 81 [16, tied with Larry Centers]
Most receptions, game – 9 (for 85 yds.) at Seattle 9/10, (for 88 yds.) vs. Washington 11/20
Yards – 830
Most yards, game - 116 (on 6 catches) vs. San Diego 10/1
Average gain – 10.2
TDs – 8 [11, tied with six others]
100-yard receiving games – 2

Kickoff Returns
Returns – 1
Yards – 18
Average per return – 18.0
TDs – 0

All-Purpose Yards – 2207 [4]

Scoring
TDs – 26 [1]
Points – 160 [1]

The 26 touchdowns set a then-NFL single-season record.

Postseason: 1 G (NFC Wild Card playoff at New Orleans)
Rushing attempts – 14
Rushing yards – 24
Average gain rushing – 1.7
Rushing TDs – 0

Pass receptions – 7
Pass receiving yards - 99
Average yards per reception – 14.1
Pass Receiving TDs - 1

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, PFWA, NEA, Sporting News
NFL Offensive Player of the Year: AP
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Sporting News
1st team All-NFC: Pro Football Weekly
Pro Bowl

Rams went 10-6 to finish second in the NFC West and qualify for the postseason as a wild card while leading the NFL in total yards (7075), passing yards (5232), points scored (540), and touchdowns (67). Lost NFC Wild Card playoff to New Orleans Saints (31-28).

Aftermath:
Faulk maintained his outstanding consistency for the Rams in 2001 as he rushed for a career-high 1382 yards (leading the league in yards-per-carry for the third straight year) and caught 83 passes for 765 yards while again leading the NFL with 21 TDs. He again received MVP recognition while also garnering first-team All-Pro honors for the third consecutive year and gaining another Pro Bowl selection. The Rams, still an offensive powerhouse, won the NFC Championship but were upset in the Super Bowl by the Patriots. Faulk had one last Pro Bowl season in ’02 (his 7th overall), but injuries and accumulated wear-and-tear were reducing his production. While he played until 2005, he never again gained over a thousand yards rushing or two thousand yards from scrimmage. For his career, he rushed for 12,279 yards and 100 touchdowns and caught 767 passes for 6875 yards and another 36 TDs. At the time, his 19,190 total yards ranked sixth all-time and 136 TDs placed fourth. Faulk was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2011.

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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).

[Updated 2/12/14]

1991: Redskins Rally from 13 Points Down to Beat Giants, Stay Undefeated

The NFC East showdown on October 27, 1991 at Giants Stadium featured the host New York Giants against the undefeated (7-0) Washington Redskins, who were coming off their bye week. Under Head Coach Joe Gibbs, the Redskins’ offense was led by previously-unheralded QB Mark Rypien behind an outstanding line. The running game, which featured veterans Earnest Byner and Gerald Riggs and rookie Ricky Ervins, was solid and Rypien had good wide receivers to throw to in Art Monk, Gary Clark (pictured above), and Ricky Sanders.

Washington had lost six straight games to the Giants coming into the showdown in the Meadowlands, and New York had won the Super Bowl the previous year. However, Head Coach Bill Parcells departed in the offseason, and the team was struggling under his successor Ray Handley. Star QB Phil Simms had been lost to injury late in the ’90 season and backup Jeff Hostetler was behind center the rest of the way. There was competition between the two in the preseason, and Handley benched Simms in favor of Hostetler, who showed promise but had difficulty getting the ball in the end zone. The once-formidable defense led by LB Lawrence Taylor was beginning to show its age, and the Giants were at 4-3 as they hosted the Redskins.

It looked as though New York’s domination of the Redskins would continue as the Giants scored on three of their first four possessions, although they twice ended up going for three points in situations that could easily have produced touchdowns. First, they had to settle for a 23-yard Raul Allegre field goal when Hostetler overthrew RB Rodney Hampton, who was open at the Washington one yard line. The next drive ended in a TD on a Hampton run from a yard out. But in the second quarter, the Giants lost out on a first down inside the Washington five when FB Maurice Carthon was penalized for unnecessary roughness. Once again, the result was an Allegre field goal, this time from 36 yards, and New York led by 13-0 at halftime.

The Giants outgained the Redskins in the first half by 207 yards to 35. Washington ran only 15 plays, held the ball for just over eight minutes, and never penetrated into New York territory.

Washington finally got into Giants territory for the first time with 5:36 left in the third quarter, and from that point the Redskins dominated the remainder of the game. They scored their first touchdown after controlling the ball on an 84-yard drive consisting of 20 plays that consumed almost nine minutes. The Redskins finished off the possession with a seven-yard TD pass from Rypien to Gary Clark.

After a short possession by the Giants, which ended with Hampton being tackled for a six-yard loss on a third-and-one play at the New York 29, the Redskins got the ball back. In a third-and-12 situation, Clark got behind CB Everson Walls to catch a Rypien pass for a 54-yard touchdown at just over two minutes into the fourth quarter.

Another punt by the Giants led to another time-consuming drive by Washington, with Ricky Ervins running the ball effectively. The 14-play, 62-yard possession culminated in Chip Lohmiller’s 35-yard field goal with 51 seconds left that clinched the 17-13 win for the Redskins.

Just as the Giants had dominated the first half, so Washington controlled the second. The Redskins converted nine straight third downs, six in the 20-play drive that led to the initial score, and accumulated 239 total yards. It was the Giants with just 18 plays and three first downs in the second half.

When the two halves were put together, the Giants had more total yards (271 to 254) while Washington had the edge in first downs (16 to 15). Neither team’s defense sacked the other’s quarterback and each suffered just one turnover. Even the penalties were even at five apiece.

Ricky Ervins carried the ball 20 times for 82 yards, all in the second half (the veteran Earnest Byner was held to 11 yards on 10 carries). Mark Rypien completed 12 of 25 passes for 159 yards with two touchdowns and one intercepted. Gary Clark was the most prominent receiver with three catches for 70 yards and both Washington TDs.


For the Giants, Jeff Hostetler was successful on 14 of 21 throws for 137 yards with no touchdowns and one picked off. Rodney Hampton (pictured at right) gained 83 yards on 21 carries that included a TD and also caught 6 passes for 39 yards. WR Stephen Baker (“The Touchdown Maker”) gained 77 yards on three pass receptions.

It was the first time the Redskins were ever 8-0 in franchise history. They eventually ran the string to 11-0 before losing to Dallas and ended up atop the NFC East with a 14-2 record. The winning continued on to the Super Bowl, a 37-24 dismantling of the Buffalo Bills. Meanwhile, the defending-champion Giants failed to qualify for the postseason. They ended up with a disappointing 8-8 record to place fourth in the division.

Mark Rypien had a career year, passing for 3564 yards with 28 touchdowns as opposed to 11 interceptions and earning selection to the Pro Bowl. Ricky Ervins (pictured below) saw increasingly more action as the year progressed and ran for 680 yards on 145 carries (4.7 avg.). Gary Clark caught 70 passes for 1340 yards (19.1 avg.) and 10 touchdowns, also earning a trip to the Pro Bowl.

Until knocked out of action with a back injury twelve games into the season, Jeff Hostetler completed 62.8 % of his passes for 2032 yards and only four interceptions, but with just five TDs. Rodney Hampton was a bright spot on the offense with 1059 yards rushing and 43 catches out of the backfield.

1980: Third Quarter Surge Keys Dallas Win Over Chargers

The Dallas Cowboys were 5-2 and a game behind the Eagles in the NFC East (a team they had lost a closely-fought contest to the week before) as they took on the San Diego Chargers (also 5-2) at Texas Stadium on October 26, 1980.

The Cowboys, in their 21st season under Head Coach Tom Landry, were a club that had regularly contended since the mid-60s. Star QB Roger Staubach retired following the 1979 season, however, and 28-year-old Danny White (pictured at right), who had been the backup for the previous four years after coming to Dallas from the World Football League, was now the starting quarterback. He was also still the team’s punter, which would be a factor in the game against San Diego.

The Chargers, coached by Don Coryell, featured an explosive offense directed by QB Dan Fouts and included wide receivers John Jefferson and Charlie Joiner and tight end Kellen Winslow. RB Chuck Muncie had been obtained from the Saints in September to bolster the suspect running game. The underrated defense featured an outstanding pass rush.

There were 60,639 fans in attendance as Muncie returned the opening kickoff to the San Diego 41. Fouts threw two completions to Jefferson, of 9 and 17 yards, and Rolf Benirschke kicked a 45-yard field goal to give the Chargers the early 3-0 lead. The Cowboys responded by advancing to the San Diego 23, with White connecting with WR Butch Johnson for a 19-yard gain along the way. However, Rafael Septien was wide to the left on a 45-yard field goal attempt.

Late in the first quarter, Fouts was intercepted by CB Steve Wilson, who returned it 35 yards. The Cowboys went the remaining 35 yards in four plays, with White throwing to TE Billy Joe DuPree for a 15-yard gain and RB Ron Springs, in place of the injured Tony Dorsett, running in for a four-yard touchdown.

In the second quarter, Jefferson scored on an odd play when a pass from Fouts intended for Joiner bounced off the receiver’s hands, hit the defender Wilson in the helmet, and was caught on the carom by Jefferson at the Dallas 47. Jefferson continued on untouched to complete the 58-yard scoring play and San Diego regained the lead at 10-7.

Shortly thereafter, White lobbed a pass toward RB James Jones that was intercepted by San Diego LB Woodrow Lowe, who returned it 15 yards for a touchdown. The Chargers were up by ten points at 17-7. The Cowboys responded with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a White scoring pass covering 17 yards to Johnson with just under three minutes left in the half.

San Diego came right back with a five-play possession that included a Fouts pass to Joiner for 33 yards to the Dallas nine and a TD pass to Winslow. The Chargers got one last scoring opportunity before halftime when SS Pete Shaw recovered a fumble by DuPree at the Dallas 40. But on the last play of the half, Benirschke missed a 46-yard field goal attempt. San Diego held a 24-14 lead at the intermission.

The Cowboys came back decisively, scoring three touchdowns in an 8:15 span of the third quarter. Jones returned the second half kickoff 38 yards and Springs had two ten-yard runs and a 12-yard pass reception. White’s 13-yard pass to TE Jay Saldi got the ball to the ten, and rookie FB Tim Newsome finished off the drive with a one-yard scoring plunge.

Dallas regained the ball and White, who had run for a first down on a fake punt during the first half, did so again following a high snap to gain 12 yards and keep another drive going – with a further 15 yards tacked on for good measure thanks to a penalty on the Chargers for a late hit. White proceeded to throw to WR Tony Hill for a 24-yard gain and the revived possession ended once again with a one-yard run by Newsome. Dallas now had the lead at 28-24.

The third touchdown of the period for Dallas came on a 12-yard pass play from White to Saldi, and the Cowboys were up by a 35-24 margin going into the final quarter.

Any comeback hopes for San Diego were ruined by sloppy play as Fouts was intercepted three times in the fourth quarter and also fumbled the ball away. The Chargers scored just one touchdown in the second half, and it was inconsequential with 1:41 to play as Fouts threw to Winslow from three yards out. Dallas had already scored once again, on a nine-yard touchdown pass from White to DuPree, and the Cowboys won handily, 42-31.

The Chargers outgained Dallas by 449 yards to 425, most of that coming on passes while the Cowboys, even without Dorsett, ran for 198 yards. Dallas also led in first downs, 29 to 21. But San Diego was undone by seven turnovers, to just two given up by the Cowboys. Dallas also had a huge advantage in time of possession (41:52 to 18:08), effectively keeping the ball away from San Diego’s high-powered offense.

Danny White, in addition to completing 22 of 34 passes for 260 yards with three touchdowns against one interception, also twice ran for first downs from punt formation, with a 19-yard gain in the first half and the 12-yard carry in the third quarter that led to the go-ahead TD. He ended up running for 39 yards on six attempts. Billy Joe DuPree (pictured below) caught 5 passes for 45 yards and a TD, although White’s passes were well distributed to nine different receivers. Ron Springs gained 61 yards on 13 carries that included a score.


For the Chargers, Dan Fouts went to the air 44 times and completed 21 of those passes for 371 yards with three TDs but also four interceptions. John Jefferson caught 8 of those throws for 160 yards and a touchdown and Kellen Winslow added 110 yards on 5 receptions with two TDs. Chuck Muncie ran for 71 yards on 11 carries but also fumbled the ball away twice.

“Danny White is just super,” said San Diego’s Coach Coryell. “His scrambling and his making the big plays were the difference. Then on those two runs he made off the punts, well, they were great plays.”

“Neither of White's running plays on punting downs was called,” explained Tom Landry. “Whenever he runs with it, it is his own doing.”

“The runs from punt formation are never planned,” said White. “I did it the first time because their contain men turned their backs. The second time the snap was a little high. I thought it might be blocked and took a few steps to punt, then saw an opening. I know that had to be discouraging to their defense.”

The win allowed the Cowboys to keep pace with Philadelphia in the division race and they finished with the same record as the Eagles at 12-4, but placed second due to the net points tiebreaker. Dallas defeated the Rams handily in the Wild Card playoff and then came from behind to beat Atlanta in the Divisional round, but lost to the Eagles in the NFC Championship game. San Diego went 6-2 the rest of the way to win the AFC West with an 11-5 record, beating Buffalo in the Divisional playoff but losing to Oakland in the AFC title game.

Danny White threw for 3287 yards and ranked fifth in the league with 28 touchdown passes, although he also tied for third (with Green Bay’s Lynn Dickey) with 25 interceptions.

Dan Fouts led the NFL in pass attempts (589), completions (348), and yards (4715). He was one behind the leader in touchdown passes with 30, as opposed to 24 interceptions, and was also second with 8.0 yards per attempt. John Jefferson and Kellen Winslow placed first and second in pass receiving yards, with 1340 and 1290, respectively (Charlie Joiner was fourth with 1132 yards on 71 catches). Winslow led the league with 89 receptions while Jefferson caught 82. All three receivers were consensus first-team All-NFL selections and were named to the Pro Bowl, along with Fouts.