2004: Bengals Score 24 Points in Fourth Quarter to Beat Ravens

The Cincinnati Bengals had been through a long dry spell entering the 2004 NFL season, having not had a winning record or playoff appearance since 1990. In their first year under Head Coach Marvin Lewis in ‘03, the club had gone 8-8, a definite improvement over recent performance. They had gotten off to a disappointing 1-4 start in ’04, but coming into the game on December 5 at Baltimore, a week after a 58-48 scoring fest over the Browns, the Bengals were at 5-6. Rookie QB Carson Palmer (pictured above) had been a factor in the slow beginning, but was rapidly improving. He had outstanding wide receivers in Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh and the ground game was led by RB Rudi Johnson.

Their hosts, the Ravens, were 7-4 under Head Coach Brian Billick. Baltimore had been successful despite injuries and a less-talented young quarterback in Kyle Boller. RB Jamal Lewis, a 2000-yard rusher in 2003, was suspended for two games due to legal issues and was unavailable against Cincinnati with an ankle injury. However, the defense, led by LB Ray Lewis and an outstanding backfield, was still formidable. Moreover, they had easily beaten the Bengals in Cincinnati early in the year and, in fact, had not lost to them at home in their last seven meetings.

There were 69,695 fans present at M&T Bank Stadium. The Bengals received the opening kickoff and, between Palmer’s passes and the running of Rudi Johnson, drove to near midfield. However, a fumble by TE Matt Schobel was recovered by Baltimore SS Ed Reed and five plays later Matt Stover kicked a 20-yard field goal to put the Ravens on the board first.

The teams traded punts and, in the second quarter, Cincinnati drove to the Baltimore 35 yard line, but Shayne Graham’s 53-yard field goal attempt was unsuccessful. Neither offense was able to produce more points until the Bengals, getting the ball on their own 20 with just over four minutes remaining in the half, came up with a big play as Palmer passed to Chad Johnson for a 51-yard gain. Graham tied the game shortly thereafter with a 41-yard field goal.

The Ravens responded with a 15-play, 78-yard series in which Boller completed six passes, including one for 24 yards to WR Travis Taylor in a third-and-18 situation. Stover booted a 22-yard field goal and Baltimore held a 6-3 lead at the intermission.

The Ravens added to their lead on their first possession of the third quarter. Again Boller passed effectively and the drive went 72 yards in 12 plays. The last two were a 16-yard carry by RB Jamel White and RB Chester Taylor’s one-yard TD run to make the margin 13-3.

Following a punt by the Bengals on the next series, the teams traded interceptions, and after Reed picked off a Palmer pass, he returned it 21 yards, fumbled, and CB Chris McAlister recovered and ran 64 yards for a TD. It was 20-3 and Baltimore appeared to be firmly in control.

Late in the period, Ravens RB B.J. Sams muffed a punt at his own 20 and LB Marcus Wilkins recovered for Cincinnati. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Palmer connected with Chad Johnson for a 13-yard touchdown and the margin was narrowed to 20-10. Baltimore went three-and-out in its ensuing possession and, following the punt, Palmer threw to Houshmandzadeh for a 32-yard gain to the Baltimore 44. Four plays later, Palmer again found Chad Johnson for a 12-yard TD and it was suddenly a three-point game with over ten minutes remaining on the clock.

The Ravens weren’t ready to roll over, however, and on their next offensive play, Chester Taylor took off on a 47-yard run to the Cincinnati 26. Stover finished off the series with a 38-yard field goal and Baltimore held a 23-17 lead.

The Bengals responded with another scoring drive of their own featuring three passes from Palmer to Houshmandzadeh that covered 67 of the 68 yards gained along the way. The last completion was for nine yards and a touchdown, and Graham’s extra point put Cincinnati in front at 24-23.

Getting a 29-yard kickoff return by Sams that put them in good field position at their own 46, the Ravens moved 27 yards in a time-consuming ten plays that resulted in Stover putting them back in front at 26-24 with a 45-yard field goal. Cincinnati got the ball back with 1:42 to play. Palmer was sacked for nine yards but responded with a 32-yard completion to Houshmandzadeh. He also threw to Schobel for 11 yards and 22 to Chad Johnson down to the Baltimore five yard line. On the last play of the game, Graham finished off his team’s 24-point fourth quarter as he kicked a 24-yard field goal and the Bengals came away with a 27-26 win.

Not only was it was Cincinnati’s first win at Baltimore since 1996, but it was also the club’s first road win against a team with a winning record since 1990.

The Bengals outgained Baltimore (453 yards to 356) and had the edge in first downs (23 to 21). The Ravens significantly outrushed Cincinnati with 192 yards to 98, but the Bengals more than made up for it with 355 net passing yards to Baltimore’s 164. Both clubs turned the ball over twice.

In his best pro game to date, Carson Palmer completed 29 of 36 passes for 382 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. T. J. Houshmandzadeh (pictured below) and Chad Johnson each caught 10 passes, with Houshmandzadeh gaining 171 yards and scoring one TD and Johnson accumulating 161 yards and scoring twice. Rudi Johnson was held to 56 yards on 19 rushing attempts.


For the Ravens, Kyle Boller went to the air 33 times and had 19 completions for 172 yards with one intercepted. Chester Taylor ran the ball 23 times for 139 yards and a TD. Travis Taylor had the most receiving yards with 40 on his two catches, while four players caught three passes apiece. Chester Taylor was one of them, adding 25 more yards to his total, and Terry Jones was right behind Travis Taylor with 38 yards.

“T.J. (Houshmandzadeh) was making plays. Chad (Johnson) was making plays,” Palmer said. “And when you give your quarterback a chance to throw the ball like that, against probably the best front seven in this game, those guys are going to get open. The O-line played lights out, and we ended up winning.”

“Give credit to the Bengals,” summed up Brian Billick. “They fought back from every situation.”

Palmer was knocked out for the remainder of the season the next week with a knee injury in a loss at New England, and with Jon Kitna behind center the Bengals again finished up at 8-8 and third in the AFC North. The loss to Cincinnati damaged Baltimore’s playoff chances, not to mention the club’s confidence, and after splitting their remaining games, the Ravens ended up at 9-7 and in second place in the division and out of the postseason.

Carson Palmer only ranked among the league’s top 10 passers in interceptions thrown (18), but that was misleading. In his three starts prior to the injury- including, of course, the come-from-behind performance against the Ravens - he accounted for 9 of his 18 touchdown passes. Overall, he completed 60.9 of his throws for 2897 yards and set the stage for a big year in 2005.

Chad Johnson (pictured below, who changed his name to Chad Ochocinco in 2008) was selected to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year as he caught 95 passes for 1274 yards (13.4 avg.) and nine TDs. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Johnson’s teammate at Oregon State as well as with the Bengals, had a breakout year, pulling in 73 receptions for 978 yards (13.4 avg.) and four touchdowns.

1960: Cowboys Tie Giants for Only Non-Loss of First Season

It had been a rough first year for the expansion Dallas Cowboys as they took on the New York Giants on December 4, 1960. Under Head Coach Tom Landry, who had previously been defensive coach of the Giants, the team was 0-10. The Cowboys had a capable quarterback in diminutive (5’9”, 168) Eddie LeBaron (pictured at right), formerly of the Redskins and dissuaded from retiring in order to lead the offense until rookie Don Meredith was ready. There were some capable veterans to throw to, such as flanker Billy Howton and TE Jim Doran, and the defense had a star in MLB Jerry Tubbs, but for the most part the new team was awash in mediocre players.

New York, coached by Jim Lee Howell, had won the Eastern Conference the previous two years, but the aging and injury-riddled club was 5-3-1 and coming off of back-to-back losses to the Philadelphia Eagles that had assured they would not finish first a third time. 39-year-old QB Charlie Conerly was one of the injured players, and backup George Shaw was behind center against the Cowboys. HB Alex Webster was also out, as was star HB Frank Gifford, who had been finished for the year – and the whole next season – after a noteworthy tackle by LB Chuck Bednarik in the first loss to Philadelphia.

There were 55,033 fans at Yankee Stadium, the smallest home crowd of the year for the Giants on a sunny afternoon. New York scored quickly on its first possession, taking just four plays with Shaw completing a 41-yard pass to end Bill Kimber and then throwing 10 yards to FB Mel Triplett for the touchdown. HB Joe Morrison followed up with a one-yard scoring plunge and the Giants had a 14-0 lead.


However, before the first quarter was over, HB L.G. Dupre (pictured at left) ran in for a five-yard TD to get the Cowboys on the board. Still, Shaw extended New York’s margin in the second quarter as he connected with end Kyle Rote on a 28-yard scoring play.

Dallas continued to fight back. LeBaron, who nearly sat the game out with a rib injury, tossed a pass to Dupre for a 21-yard TD and Fred Cone kicked an 11-yard field goal to narrow the score to 21-17 at halftime.

Pat Summerall posted the only points of the third quarter with a 26-yard field goal that gave the Giants a seven-point lead. The Cowboys knotted things up in the fourth quarter thanks to a 56-yard drive capped by LeBaron throwing again to Dupre for a 23-yard touchdown, followed by Cone’s extra point.

First-year backup QB Lee Grosscup put the Giants back ahead 5:45 into the final period with a 26-yard touchdown pass to end Bob Schnelker. With five minutes to go, Dallas DT Bill Herchman recovered a fumble by Morrison. LeBaron passed to Doran for 32 yards to the New York nine and two plays later connected with Howton for an 11-yard TD. Cone kicked the tying extra point, and that was it. The game ended in a 31-31 draw, the first non-losing game in Dallas franchise history.

The statistics reflected the evenness of the score. The Cowboys outgained New York by just one yard (328 to 327) and each team had 19 first downs. The Giants turned the ball over three times, to two by Dallas.


Eddie LeBaron completed 17 of 35 passes for 267 yards with three touchdowns and two intercepted. Billy Howton (pictured at right) caught 6 passes for 78 yards and a TD and Jim Doran added three receptions for 62 yards. The game’s scoring star, L.G. Dupre, accumulated the most receiving yards, however, with 82 on three catches that included two touchdowns while also rushing for 27 yards on 8 carries with another TD. HB Don McIlhenny was the leading ground gainer for the Cowboys with 34 yards on 8 attempts.

For the Giants, George Shaw was successful on 8 of 16 throws for 149 yards and two TDs against one interception. Lee Grosscup added five completions in 11 attempts that gained 75 yards and a touchdown (his only one of the season). Bob Schnelker hauled in 5 passes for 69 yards and a TD and Kyle Rote also gained 69 yards on his three receptions that included a score. HB Ed Sutton topped the running attack with 62 yards on 7 carries.

The Cowboys lost their season finale at Detroit and finished at the bottom of the Western Conference with a record of 0-11-1 (they shifted to the Eastern Conference in ’61). New York split its last two games and placed third in the conference at 6-4-2.

Eddie LeBaron had a respectable season for a bad team, although he led the NFL by tossing 25 interceptions. Still, he was in the top five in pass attempts (225), yards (1736), and yards per completion (15.6). L.G. Dupre’s accomplishments were more modest as he led the club in rushing with just 362 yards and caught 21 passes for 216 more. His three touchdowns against the Giants accounted for most of his season total of five.

1921: Thorpe & Brickley Stage Halftime Drop-kicking Competition

The pro football game between the Cleveland Indians and New York Brickley Giants on December 3, 1921 was something of an oddity in that the contest became secondary to what happened during halftime.

The fledgling American Professional Football Association, which would be renamed the National Football League the next year, was getting its first shot at a New York City franchise with Brickley’s Giants (no relation to the current New York Giants franchise). The team was named for Charlie Brickley, a former Harvard star who organized the club along with a sports promoter named Billy Gibson.

Cleveland had been an original APFA franchise in 1920 and was called the Tigers during that 2-4-2 season. For 1921, the team had added to its backfield three ex-members of the Canton Bulldogs who happened to also be Native Americans – the legendary Jim Thorpe (pictured above), plus Joe Guyon and Pete Calac – and was rechristened the Indians.

Brickley and Thorpe were considered to be two of the greatest, if not the greatest, drop-kickers ever. At that point, drop-kicking was an important skill in an era when the ball was more round and less sleek than it is today and touchdowns more difficult to come by.


Brickley (pictured at left) was an All-American halfback in 1913 and ’14 and had his most notable performance against Yale in 1913 as he kicked five field goals in a 15-5 win. He booted 13 field goals in all that year and had a career total of 34, which were both records at the time. Brickley went into college coaching and also played pro football in those pre-NFL years with the Canton Bulldogs and Massillon Tigers.

Thorpe had been star halfback at Carlisle Indian School, scoring 25 touchdowns in the 1912 season alone. An amazing all-around athlete who won the decathlon at the 1912 Olympics and played major league baseball, he was at his best on the football field and was a leading professional star from the time he joined the Canton Bulldogs in 1915. He was also a major figure as a player/coach (which he was for the Indians in 1921) and was the first president of the APFA in 1920.

On this day, the 33-year-old Thorpe was bandaged up due to two broken ribs. Brickley, who had recently turned 30, did not play for his team, despite calls from the crowd. The field was muddy and hindered the offenses, and the game itself was drab and generated little enthusiasm from the crowd of 5000 on a Saturday afternoon at the Polo Grounds.

Cleveland dominated as the Brickley Giants managed only one first down the entire game. Joe Guyon had an outstanding rushing performance, scoring the first touchdown in the opening period and on four occasions turning the corner for long runs down the sideline. Thorpe added the extra point and a 40-yard field goal in the second quarter. HB Johnny Hendren capped a long fourth-quarter drive with the last TD for Cleveland, and the Indians coasted to a 17-0 win.

The dropkicking exhibition proved to be more competitive. Thorpe and Brickley started off at the 25-yard line and moved progressively farther back, with Thorpe leading early but the two ending up tied at six successful kicks apiece. Accounts differ as to the lengths of the successful kicks, with Brickley getting credited for drop-kicks of 48 and 50 yards and Thorpe of 45, though some said Thorpe connected from 55 yards and Brickley hit the upright from that distance. Whatever the actual result, the exhibition attracted great interest.

Cleveland went on to finish the season with a 3-5 record, placing 11th in the 21-club league that was not yet broken up into divisions (that wouldn’t happen until 1933). The Brickley Giants were just 0-2 in league games - as was the practice at the time, they played several non-league contests against teams such as the Union Quakers of Philadelphia and Brooklyn All-Star Collegians and were 5-3 overall. Both clubs folded following the 1921 season.

Jim Thorpe went on to play with five more teams until 1928, his final year at age 41. Among many honors that he received, in 1950 he was chosen as Greatest Athlete of the First Half of the 20th Century in a poll of Associated Press sportswriters and was selected as a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. Charlie Brickley left football coaching to pursue a rather checkered career as a stock broker (he was convicted of illegal practices in the operation of his brokerage firm in 1928).

The art of drop-kicking began to die away in the 1930s with the streamlining of the football. It became more and more necessary for kickers to use a holder in order to assure that the ball would be positioned properly. The last drop-kicked field goal in the NFL was by Detroit’s Dutch Clark in 1937. However, the drop-kick has never been completely forgotten – in the final game of the 2005 season (the actual date was Jan. 1, 2006), QB Doug Flutie of the Patriots drop-kicked an extra point to cap his pro football career.

1979: Rams Beat Vikings on Fake FG in Overtime

The Los Angeles Rams had won the NFC West title for six straight years heading into the 1979 season, but the streak appeared to be in jeopardy. In their second year under Head Coach Ray Malavasi, there was still plenty of talent, but injuries had tested the club’s depth. In particular, QB Pat Haden had gone out with a broken finger ten weeks through the schedule, and inexperienced backup Vince Ferragamo had taken over. While he proved to be a good passer, the ground game that featured HB Wendell Tyler and FB Cullen Bryant was the key to resurgence, along with the rugged defense (when healthy).

On December 2 the Rams, having won two straight games and thus sporting a 7-6 record, hosted the Minnesota Vikings at the Memorial Coliseum. As the Rams had in the NFC West, Minnesota largely dominated the NFC Central under Head Coach Bud Grant, but was also experiencing difficulty in ’79. Many of the veterans who had contributed heavily to the club’s success over the years were either over-the-hill or gone, most notably QB Fran Tarkenton, who retired after 1978, his 18th season (and 13th, over two stints, in Minnesota). Tarkenton’s successor, 24-year-old Tommy Kramer, was performing capably but the running game was weak and the defense not nearly as strong as it had been during the team’s best years. However, the special teams had blocked 13 kicks during the season (punts, field goals, and extra point attempts), which would factor into the game’s outcome.

There were 56,700 fans at the Coliseum, and they saw the Vikings dominate the first half, although the score was 14-14 at halftime as the Rams took advantage of a blocked punt, muffed punt, and interception. In the first quarter, LB Joe Harris, a former Viking, returned the blocked punt 31 yards to put LA in front at 7-0. Later in the period, Kramer passed to WR Terry LeCount for a 36-yard TD to tie the score.

The Vikings went ahead on a second Kramer scoring pass, this time to WR Sammy White from six yards out. But Cullen Bryant’s two-yard touchdown run and the ensuing extra point resulted in the tied score after a half of play. It was fortunate for LA, for Ferragamo had been ineffective, completing just 4 of 10 passes for 22 yards with one interception.

With the LA offense playing poorly in the first half, Coach Malavasi chose to change quarterbacks for the second half. Ex-Viking QB Bob Lee, who had been signed by the Rams the previous month, came into the game. The move paid dividends when he completed a pass to WR Preston Dennard for a 41-yard touchdown and 21-14 lead. However, in the fourth quarter the Vikings struck once more as Kramer connected with WR Ahmad Rashad for a 22-yard TD and, with Rick Danmeier’s extra point, the score was again tied at 21-21 at the end of regulation.

Minnesota appeared to be driving for the win in overtime, but DB Eddie Brown intercepted a Kramer pass at his own 15 yard line and returned it 25 yards (it was Brown’s second pickoff of the game). Lee completed a throw to Bryant that gained 20 yards, and the Rams got 15 more added when DE Mark Mullaney was penalized for roughing the passer. Tyler ran for 17 yards to the Minnesota eight and then Bryant’s short three-yard carry set the Rams up for a field goal attempt on third down.

Frank Corral was lined up for an apparent 22-yard kick, but Jack Youngblood, the star defensive end who played blocking back in kicking situations and called the signals, was mindful of Minnesota’s success at blocking kicks and audibled for a fake. FS Nolan Cromwell (pictured at top), the holder, took the snap and ran around left end for a five-yard touchdown to give the Rams a 27-21 win at 6:53 into the overtime period.

The Vikings outgained LA (409 yards to 300) and had far more first downs (26 to 14). However, they had four costly turnovers, to three by LA, and Kramer was sacked five times. The Rams were hurt by 9 penalties, totaling 90 yards, to 7 flags thrown on Minnesota.

In relief of Ferragamo, Bob Lee completed 7 of 14 passes for 161 yards with a TD and an interception. WR Ron Smith caught three passes for 99 yards while Wendell Tyler added 17 yards on three receptions to go along with his 36 yards on 13 rushing attempts. Cullen Bryant paced the club with 44 yards on 14 carries that included a TD. Highlighting the difficulties encountered by the offense, Ken Clark punted 10 times over the course of the contest (40.4 avg.).

For the Vikings, Tommy Kramer went to the air 42 times and completed 21 for 297 yards and three touchdowns, as well as three that were picked off. Ahmad Rashad caught 6 of those passes for 102 yards and a TD. HB Rickey Young gained 70 yards on 16 carries and FB Ted Brown had 18 rushing attempts for 52 yards and caught 5 passes for 56 more. 16-year veteran FS Paul Krause accounted for both of the team’s interceptions, thus breaking a tie with Emlen Tunnell at 79 and giving him the NFL career record of 81.

“The plan was to run if they were set for a kick,” said Jack Youngblood of the climactic fake field goal. “Obviously, they were playing for a kick.”

“All we had to do was get three points,” said Ray Malavasi (pictured below). “If Cromwell puts it in, we win. We still had another shot if it failed. It was a play we worked on during the week.”


The Rams split their last two games to end up first in the NFC West once more, although with a rather ordinary 9-7 record. However, they won the NFC Championship, something that had eluded the team during its prior years of success over the decade (they lost four conference title games during the ‘70s), beating the Cowboys and upstart Buccaneers to advance in the playoffs. They lost a hard-fought Super Bowl to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Minnesota ended up at 7-9 to place third in the NFC Central, the team’s first losing record since Bud Grant’s initial year as head coach in 1967.

Despite the rough outing against the Vikings, Vince Ferragamo went 4-1 as the starting quarterback in the regular season and 2-1 in the playoffs, looking impressive in doing so. It was enough to ignite a quarterback controversy that was settled in the 1981 season-opening game when Pat Haden suffered another hand injury and Ferragamo put together a career year.

MVP Profile: Roman Gabriel, 1969

Quarterback, Los Angeles Rams


Age: 29
8th season in pro football & with Rams
College: North Carolina State
Height: 6’4” Weight: 220

Prelude:
Taken in the first round of the 1962 NFL draft, Gabriel was one of the biggest quarterbacks of his era and proved to be tough with an accurate throwing arm. However, he had to vie for playing time against, first, veteran Zeke Bratkowski and, later, a young challenger in Bill Munson. The arrival of George Allen as head coach in 1966 brought stability and success. Operating in a conservative offense, Gabriel passed for a career-high 25 TDs in 1967 as the team went 11-1-2 and made it to the postseason for the first time since 1955. He was selected to the Pro Bowl following both the 1967 and ’68 seasons.

1969 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 14 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 399 [3]
Most attempts, game – 40 at San Francisco 10/12
Completions – 217 [3]
Most completions, game – 21 vs. Minnesota 12/7
Yards – 2549 [6]
Most yards, game – 319 vs. San Francisco 11/9
Completion percentage – 54.4 [5]
Yards per attempt – 6.4 [14]
TD passes – 24 [1]
Most TD passes, game – 4 vs. New Orleans 10/5
Interceptions – 7 [20, tied with Earl Morrall]
Most interceptions, game – 2 vs. Dallas 11/23, at Detroit 12/14
Passer rating – 86.8 [3]
300-yard passing games – 1
200-yard passing games – 5

Rushing
Attempts – 35
Most attempts, game – 6 (for 20 yds.) vs. Dallas 11/23
Yards – 156
Most yards, game – 36 yards (on 4 carries) at Philadelphia 11/16
Yards per attempt – 4.5
TDs – 5

Scoring
TDs – 5
Points – 30

Postseason: 1 G (Western Conf. Championship at Minnesota)
Pass attempts – 32
Pass completions – 22
Passing yardage – 150
TD passes – 2
Interceptions – 1

Rushing attempts – 4
Rushing yards – 26
Average gain rushing – 6.5
Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, UPI, NEA, Bert Bell Award, Sporting News
1st team All-NFL: Hall of Fame, AP, NEA, NY Daily News, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News
2nd team All-NFL: PFWA, UPI
Pro Bowl

Rams went 11-3 to finish first in the Coastal Division of the Western Conference. Lost Western Conference Championship to Minnesota Vikings (23-20).

Aftermath:
Gabriel led the NFL with 407 pass attempts in 1970 as the Rams went 9-4-1, although they failed to make the playoffs. With the departure of Allen, the team stumbled further in 1971 and ’72 and Gabriel showed signs of being on the downside of his career. Traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, he staged a comeback in 1973 as he led the NFL in pass attempts (460), completions (270), yards (3219), and TD passes (23) and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time. But injuries and ineffectiveness hindered his performance in his final four seasons, the last two of which were largely spent as a backup. Gabriel passed for 29,444 yards with 201 TDs and 149 interceptions – at the time, his percentage of INTs thrown (3.3) ranked lowest all-time in the NFL for a passer with at least 1500 attempts.

--

MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

[Updated 2/11/14]

1952: Rams Hold Off 49ers to Win Key Division Battle

The November 30, 1952 game between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams featured two 6-3 teams that were in contention in the NFL’s National Conference, but appeared to be heading in different directions.

The 49ers, in their third season after coming over from the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), had gotten off to a 5-0 start. Head Coach Buck Shaw’s team had an exciting offense that was benefiting from the addition of rookie HB Hugh McElhenny. However, one play - a decision by veteran QB Frankie Albert to fake rather than punt from deep in his own territory that came up short against the Bears - led to the first loss of the year. It also led to bad relations between Coach Shaw and Albert and the whole season unraveled from there. They lost three of their next four games, including a 35-9 thrashing at Los Angeles the week before. Albert lost his starting job to Y.A. Tittle and there was open talk of dissension on the club. However, on this day they were motivated to try and win for their captain, FB Norm Standlee, who was hospitalized with a mild case of polio.

Meanwhile, the defending-champion Rams had fallen into disarray during the preseason. The defense was performing badly and Head Coach Joe Stydahar was feuding with assistant Hamp Pool. When LA lost its opening game to the Browns by a score of 37-7, Stydahar resigned and Pool was elevated to head coach. It didn’t pay immediate returns as the club fell to 1-3, but the defense finally jelled and, with the win over the 49ers the previous week, the Rams had reeled off five straight wins and were back in contention for another title. The quick-striking offense was still the team’s greatest strength, utilizing the quarterback tandem of Norm Van Brocklin and Bob Waterfield, ends Tom Fears and Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch, and a stable of fine running backs led by FB “Deacon Dan” Towler.

There were 51,000 fans in attendance at Kezar Stadium on an overcast day. The game was billed as a “grudge fight” between the two West Coast rivals, and both teams were fired up right from the start.

The Rams scored first, in the opening quarter, driving 59 yards in nine plays capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Van Brocklin to HB V.T. “Vitamin” Smith. San Francisco tied the game early in the second quarter, climaxing a 15-play, 55-yard drive with a five-yard scoring pass from Tittle to end Gordie Soltau. Waterfield kicked a 27-yard field goal to again put the Rams in front following a 75-yard possession and the halftime score was 10-7.


Waterfield kicked another field goal in the third quarter, from 32 yards, and then two interceptions of Tittle passes by DHB Jack Dwyer (pictured at left), a local product out of Loyola of Los Angeles, set up LA touchdowns

The first of the TDs was by Towler, who charged 29 yards down the middle of the field for the score following two outstanding passes, to Fears and Hirsch. The second pickoff gave the Rams the ball on the San Francisco 15 and “Vitamin” Smith scored on a two-yard carry. It appeared to be a runaway for Los Angeles at 27-7 heading into the fourth quarter.

However, Tittle brought the 49ers back in the final period. First, in a two-play possession he threw twice to end Bill Jessup, first for a 58-yard gain on the last play of the third quarter, followed by a 10-yard scoring pass to start off the fourth. Then, following an interception of a Waterfield pass by LB Jimmy Powers that gave the Niners the ball on the LA 22, Tittle fired a scoring pass to McElhenny in the end zone. The big lead was down to six points at 27-21.

However, the 49ers missed an opportunity to take the lead after recovering a fumble at the LA 13 on the following kickoff return when LB Hardy Brown knocked the ball loose from FB Jack “Moose” Myers, bringing the home crowd to a frenzy. However, in a key series, the defense held and San Francisco was forced to turn the ball over on downs.

The Rams capped the scoring late in the fourth quarter by keeping the ball on the ground, most notably on a 51-yard carry by HB Woodley Lewis. Towler pounded into the end zone from three yards out for the touchdown, giving LA a 34-21 win.

It was an impressive performance by the LA defense which held San Francisco’s top-ranked running attack to 67 yards in 27 carries – and most of that came on a 24-yard run by Joe Perry and 11-yard carry by McElhenny. The Niners had just nine rushing yards in the first half. Meanwhile, the Rams piled up 251 yards on the ground. Overall, they outgained San Francisco by 388 yards to 208 and had more first downs, 19 to 14. Both teams turned the ball over three times. LA sacked Tittle five times, but the 49ers weren’t able to dump either of the Rams’ quarterbacks for a loss.

Dan Towler rushed for 132 yards on 19 carries. Woodley Lewis, with his long run, gained 64 yards on just three attempts. Norm Van Brocklin completed 12 of 18 passes for 100 yards with a TD and an interception and Bob Waterfield added three completions in seven throws for 37 yards with one picked off. Tom Fears caught 6 passes for 45 yards while “Crazy Legs” Hirsch gained 47 yards on his 4 receptions.

For the 49ers, Y.A. Tittle went to the air 26 times and completed 10 for 155 yards with three TDs but also three interceptions. Joe Perry gained 53 rushing yards on 14 carries.

Six receivers caught two passes apiece, with Bill Jessup (pictured below) accumulating the most yards with 68. Jessup was available to the 49ers on a weekend pass from the San Diego Naval Station, although he exceeded his 150-mile limit and was disciplined by the Navy afterward.


The loss essentially knocked the 49ers out of contention - they split their final two games to end up in third place in the National Conference with a 7-5 record. Los Angeles won its final two contests to end up tied atop the conference with the Lions at 9-3. However, the Rams lost the resulting playoff game at Detroit, thus losing out on a shot at winning back-to-back titles.

Dan Towler led the NFL in rushing with 894 yards on 156 carries (5.7 avg.) and 10 touchdowns. San Francisco’s Joe Perry and Hugh McElhenny placed third and fourth with 725 and 684 yards, respectively. McElhenny topped the league by averaging 7.0 yards per carry and also had the most all-purpose yards with 1731.

2007: Cowboys Beat Packers in Battle of 10-1 Teams to Secure Playoff Berth

The matchup on November 29, 2007 at Texas Stadium featured two 10-1 teams, the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers, battling for the upper hand in the NFC. Both clubs featured outstanding offenses. The Cowboys, under first-year Head Coach Wade Phillips, had a solid core with QB Tony Romo (pictured at right), brash WR Terrell Owens, TE Jason Witten, and RB Marion Barber. Green Bay, coached by Mike McCarthy, had QB Brett Favre, in his sixteenth year behind center, throwing to wide receivers Donald Driver and Greg Jennings and handing off to RB Ryan Grant, who had become the team’s top runner down the stretch. There were injury concerns where the Packers were concerned, but they were a fundamentally sound team heading into the showdown in Irving, Texas.

There were 64,167 in attendance for the Thursday night contest and the Cowboys were wearing throwback uniforms harkening back to the ‘60s. The Packers received the opening kickoff and drove 40 yards in eight plays, capped by Mason Crosby’s 47-yard field goal for the early 3-0 lead. Following a 35-yard kickoff return by WR Miles Austin, Dallas responded in kind with a seven-play, 47-yard drive that ended with a game-tying 26-yard field goal by Nick Folk.

After a three-and-out Green Bay possession, the Cowboys followed up with another Folk field goal, this time from 51 yards, capping a drive highlighted by Marion Barber’s 16-yard run up the middle. The Packers gave the ball back on the first play following the ensuing kickoff as Favre’s poorly-thrown pass was intercepted by safety Ken Hamlin and Dallas capitalized when Romo immediately threw to Owens for a 34-yard gain to the Green Bay seven yard line and, two snaps later, connected with WR Patrick Crayton for a three-yard touchdown.

There was still just over a minute remaining in the first quarter as the Packers got the ball again. On a third-and-one play at the Green Bay 38, Grant took a handoff and broke away for a 62-yard TD. Dallas had a 13-10 lead after a period of play.

The Cowboys were quick to respond. On the first play of the second quarter, Romo completed a pass to Owens for a 48-yard gain to the Green Bay 28. Two plays later, he hit TE Anthony Fasano for a 26-yard touchdown and, with the successful extra point, Dallas was ahead by 20-10.

The Packers drove from their 16 to the 43 yard line on their next possession, but on a second-and-12 play Favre was again intercepted, this time by CB Terence Newman, giving the Cowboys the ball in good field position at the Green Bay 45. More significantly, the 38-year-old quarterback suffered a shoulder separation when hit by CB Nate Jones and was done for the day.

Dallas didn’t take long to score as a long Romo pass intended for Austin drew a pass interference penalty that moved the ball to the five yard line and, while a false start moved the ball back five yards, Owens caught a ten-yard pass for a touchdown. It was now a 27-10 game and the Cowboys seemed to be very much in command.


When the Packers went back on offense, it was third-year backup QB Aaron Rodgers behind center (pictured at left). While Favre had not been having a good day prior to his injury, completing just 5 of 14 passes for 56 yards with two of them intercepted, Rodgers was still a largely untested talent.

Rodgers’ first series was uneventful and the teams traded punts before Green Bay got the ball back again with 5:23 remaining in the first half. Following a loss on a busted play, Rodgers threw to Greg Jennings for a 43-yard gain into Dallas territory at the 32. Tossing short passes, Rodgers chipped away at the Cowboys defense and, in the final seconds of the half, hit Jennings again for an 11-yard touchdown. It was a ten-point game at 27-17 at halftime.

Austin returned the second half kickoff 38 yards to the Dallas 44 and the Cowboys quickly drove into Green Bay territory. But on a fourth-and-two play at the 30 yard line, RB Julius Jones was held to a yard and the Packers took over on downs. Rodgers was sacked for an eight-yard loss on the first play, but had back-to-back completions of seven yards to WR James Jones and 17 yards to Donald Driver. Rodgers completed four more passes during the drive, including one to TE Donald Lee that gained 22 yards, and showed off his mobility with a nine-yard run for a first down in a second-and-eight situation. Grant finished off the 12-play series with a one-yard touchdown carry and, with the PAT, the big Dallas lead was down to three points at 27-24.

The Cowboys came back with a long possession of their own, highlighted by a 35-yard completion by Romo to Crayton on a third-and-19 play from the Dallas 11. However, after getting to the Green Bay six yard line, Romo was intercepted in the end zone by CB Al Harris on a pass that was juggled by Owens.

The Packers were forced to punt, and the Cowboys moved the ball with Romo completing four passes to Jason Witten along the way. The seven-play, 75-yard drive ended with Romo tossing a four-yard touchdown pass to Crayton. The Cowboys were once again ahead by ten points with just under eight minutes left to play.

Rodgers completed two passes to Driver that covered 17 yards and, in between, ran for a 13-yard gain out of the shotgun formation. The Green Bay drive stalled at the Dallas 35 and Crosby booted a 52-yard field goal to make it a seven-point game. However, the Cowboys sealed the win by responding with a nine-play possession that ran four minutes off the clock and ended up with Folk kicking a 25-yard field goal. Along the way, Barber carried the ball seven times for 26 yards.

Getting the ball back with 1:03 on the clock, there just wasn’t enough time for Rodgers and the Packers. They ran out of both time and downs at their own 44. Dallas came away with a 37-27 win.

The Cowboys outgained Green Bay with 414 yards to 357 and also had the edge in first downs, 23 to 20. In addition, they recorded three sacks while surrendering none and had the one turnover, to two suffered by the Packers.

Tony Romo completed 19 of 30 passes for 309 yards with four touchdowns and the one interception. Terrell Owens (pictured below) caught 7 passes for 156 yards and a TD while Jason Whitten added 6 receptions for 67 yards. Marion Barber paced the running attack, carrying the ball 17 times for 81 yards.


In relief of Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers showed off his potential as he was successful on 18 of 26 throws for 201 yards and a touchdown with none intercepted. Donald Driver caught 7 passes for 66 yards and Greg Jennings accumulated 87 yards on his 5 receptions that included a TD. Ryan Grant, aided by the long touchdown run, gained 94 yards on 14 rushing attempts that included two scores.

The win assured the Cowboys of a playoff spot and put them in prime position for the top seed in the NFC. They lost two meaningless games to end up atop the NFC East with a 13-3 record. Green Bay went on to win the NFC North, also with a 13-3 tally. However, the postseason proved to be anticlimactic for both clubs as they were upset by the fifth-seeded New York Giants. The Cowboys lost to New York in the Divisional round and the Packers, after whipping Seattle in that round, lost the NFC Championship game to the Giants in overtime.

Tony Romo placed second in the league in TD passes (36), yards per attempt (8.1), and yards per completion (12.6). His 4211 passing yards ranked third and his 97.4 passer rating fifth, although he also tied for fourth (with Cleveland’s Derek Anderson) by tossing 19 interceptions. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl.

Terrell Owens was a consensus first-team All-Pro as well as Pro Bowl selection as he caught 81 passes for 1355 yards (16.7 avg.) and 15 touchdowns. Jason Whitten also was selected to the Pro Bowl, for the fourth straight year, as well as gaining consensus first-team All-Pro honors for the first time (it was the fifth such occasion for Owens) after pulling in 96 receptions for 1145 yards (both career highs) and seven TDs.

The injury to Brett Favre appeared to put his record string of 249 consecutive starts at quarterback in jeopardy, but he was back the next week and finished out the season (his last with the Packers). He finished right behind Romo in fourth place with 4155 passing yards while tossing 28 touchdown passes against 15 interceptions.

Aaron Rodgers played in just one other game in 2007, and after three seasons had a career total of 59 pass attempts and the one TD pass. Things would change dramatically in ’08 as he stepped out from behind Favre’s shadow. The fine relief performance against the Cowboys served as something of a preview of coming attractions.