1991: Saints Lose for First Time as Bears Score on Final Drive

The Chicago Bears were 5-2 as they traveled to New Orleans to take on the undefeated (7-0) Saints on October 27, 1991 at the Louisiana Superdome. The Bears were in their tenth season under the direction of fiery Head Coach Mike Ditka and were used to contending – since Ditka’s third season in 1984, they had only once had a losing season (or for that matter, failed to win at least 10 games), and that had been two years before, in 1989 when they were 6-10. They had bounced back to 11-5 in ’90 and had every expectation of dominating the NFC Central.

New Orleans, long an NFL bottom feeder, had begun to win in 1987 under the direction of Head Coach Jim Mora. The Saints had twice been in the playoffs, although with a mediocre 8-8 record in 1990. QB Bobby Hebert had returned after sitting out the ’90 season due to a contract dispute, and whether he or Steve Walsh, the previous year’s starter, was behind center, the team kept winning thanks to an outstanding defense – they had not allowed an opposing team to score in double digits since the second week of the season.

Neither team was able to muster much offense in the first few possessions until, late in the first quarter, Hebert threw a pass down the middle to WR Floyd Turner for a 65-yard touchdown. The Bears managed two field goals by Kevin Butler in the second quarter, of 34 and 48 yards, but had difficulty sustaining any sort of drive. New Orleans took a 10-6 advantage at halftime when Morten Andersen boomed a 60-yard field goal on the final play of the period.

Chicago QB Jim Harbaugh (pictured above) managed to complete just two of his 10 passes in the first half. The Saints had been far better at throwing the ball, but had gained just 16 yards on 10 rushing attempts.

The Bears got a break in the third quarter when New Orleans CB Vince Buck was called for pass interference, resulting in a 37-yard gain to the Saints nine yard line. Two plays later, RB Brad Muster ran six yards for a touchdown and Chicago was in the lead at 13-10.

Two possessions later, the Saints put together a 56-yard drive in six plays highlighted by a 34-yard pass completion from Hebert to Turner. An eight-yard touchdown pass to Turner put New Orleans back in front, 17-13.

Early in the fourth quarter, Butler missed a field goal attempt from 51 yards out. The Bears came no closer to scoring as the game progressed and they continued to struggle on offense against the fierce pass rush. With just under two minutes to go, they took over on their own 48 after a poor 12-yard punt by Tommy Barnhardt of the Saints. Even with the good field position, it seemed as though the New Orleans defense was in control – Harbaugh had failed to complete a pass in the second half and was now a combined two of 19.

However, the passing game suddenly came alive as Harbaugh immediately completed a throw to WR Wendell Davis for 27 yards to the New Orleans 25. RB Neal Anderson ran up the middle for seven yards, and then caught a pass from Harbaugh for six more. Finally, Harbaugh threw to WR Tom Waddle for a 12-yard touchdown and, with the successful extra point, a three-point lead.

The Saints were unable to come back in the final seconds – a fourth-and-16 pass from their own 21 fell incomplete and the Bears, stymied on offense for so much of the game, won by a score of 20-17.


New Orleans easily outgained Chicago, 313 yards to 178, including a net 262 passing yards compared to 36 for the Bears. Jim Harbaugh ended up with 5 completions in 22 attempts for 61 yards with the game-winning TD and two interceptions. Brad Muster led the running game with 57 yards on 10 carries, while Neal Anderson was right behind at 53 yards on 12 attempts. Three receivers accounted for all of the Bears’ pass receiving – Anderson and Tom Waddle (pictured at left) each caught two passes for 17 yards apiece, and Wendell Davis was the yardage leader on his lone 27-yard reception.

For the Saints, Bobby Hebert was successful on 27 of 39 passes for 291 yards with two touchdowns against one interception. Floyd Turner had a big day, catching 9 of those passes for 179 yards and both TDs. However, the running game never caught fire, as the team ran for a total of 51 yards on 23 carries – RB Gill Fenerty was the leader with 25 yards on 8 attempts.

The win over New Orleans was the second of an eventual five straight for the Bears on the way to an 11-5 record and second place finish in the NFC Central - it was good enough to secure a wild card spot in the postseason, although they lost to Dallas in the first round. The Saints, after the strong start, faltered in the second half of the season. They won their next two games but then dropped four straight and finished at 11-5, still good enough to win the NFC West although they fell to arch-rival Atlanta in the Wild Card playoff.

1991: Oilers Defeat Dolphins in Turnover-Filled Game

The game on October 20, 1991 at Joe Robbie Stadium featured the host Miami Dolphins, 3-4 under 22nd-year Head Coach Don Shula, against the Houston Oilers of Head Coach Jack Pardee, sporting a 5-1 record. Both teams were known for their flashy passing offenses, led by quarterbacks Dan Marino and Warren Moon, respectively. However, while the Oilers were playing like contenders with their “run-and-shoot” attack, Miami was having far too many problems on defense and with the running game.

Moon tossed an interception to end Houston’s first possession and the teams traded punts before the Dolphins put together a scoring drive of 57 yards on nine plays highlighted by a 39-yard pass play from Marino to WR Mark Clayton. Pete Stoyanovich kicked a 34-yard field goal and Miami was ahead 3-0 after one quarter.

After the quiet first quarter, the second quarter turned wild with a total of seven turnovers. First, Moon was intercepted for a second time, by safety Bobby Harden who returned the pickoff 17 yards to the Houston 48. However, on Miami’s first play, Marino went long and was intercepted by safety Bubba McDowell (pictured above), who ran it back 23 yards to the 47.

The Oilers went three-and-out, and Greg Montgomery’s punt went into the end zone for a touchback. Marino and the Dolphins began to move down the field, but a 13-yard completion to TE Greg Baty was fumbled and recovered by Houston’s safety Bo Orlando at the Miami 49.

Three plays later, it was Moon intercepted a third time, with safety Louis Oliver, who had accounted for the first quarter pickoff, grabbing it at his eight yard line and returning it to the 12. But now it was Marino’s turn to give up another interception, also on the third play of the possession, but far costlier because CB Darryl Lewis returned it 33 yards for a touchdown.

The Dolphins went three-and-out after receiving the ensuing kickoff, but on Houston’s first play RB Lorenzo White took a pass from Moon two yards behind the line of scrimmage and fumbled when hit by LB E.J. Junior. Harden recovered for Miami at the Houston 27 yard line. The Dolphins gave the ball up once more when McDowell intercepted Marino a second time at the Houston three.

The Oilers didn’t get far and punted with under two minutes remaining in the half. The Dolphins got a break when Montgomery’s first kick, of 62 yards, was nullified by a penalty and the second, shorter punt of 46 yards was returned by WR Scott Miller for 17 yards to give Miami good field position at the Houston 34. Four plays later Marino fired a 19-yard touchdown pass to Clayton running a slant pattern.

The Oilers got the ball back with 39 seconds remaining and, after two carries by RB Allen Pinkett and a pass from Moon to WR Ernest Givins got the ball to the Miami 39, Ian Howfield’s 56-yard field goal attempt was short. The eventful second quarter concluded with the Dolphins leading by 10-7.

Things calmed down in the third quarter. Howfield tied the game with a 26-yard field goal but Stoyanovich responded with a 46-yarder to keep Miami in front by a 13-10 margin after three periods.


In the fourth quarter, Houston finished off a 16-play march down the field that resulted in a one-yard touchdown pass from Moon to WR Curtis Duncan. Although there was 9:30 remaining, that proved to be the end of the scoring. A promising Miami drive to the Oilers’ one yard line ended with a fumble into the end zone by RB Sammie Smith that was recovered for a touchback by Houston CB Cris Dishman. The Dolphins never got another chance as Houston controlled the ball for the final three minutes of the game and came away with the 17-13 win.

Houston outgained the Dolphins, 282 yards to 275, and had 23 first downs to Miami’s 16. Of the total of nine turnovers, five were committed by the Dolphins and four by the Oilers, with most occurring in the comedy of errors that was the second quarter.

Warren Moon (pictured above left) had a mediocre day (for him), completing 21 of 35 passes for 171 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Ernest Givins caught 6 passes for 55 yards while WR Drew Hill gained 63 yards on 5 receptions. Lorenzo White accounted for 74 of Houston’s 120 yards on the ground, on 17 carries. Bubba McDowell had two of the defense’s three interceptions.


Dan Marino (pictured at right) also had a hard day, going to the air 40 times with 19 completions for 229 yards, also with a TD and three picked off. WR Mark Duper caught four passes for 79 yards (running backs Tony Paige and Sammie Smith also had four receptions apiece, for 45 and 23 yards, respectively). Sammie Smith gained 40 yards on 10 carries, but had the costly fumble (as would too-often be the case during his disappointing stint in Miami). Louis Oliver (pictured at bottom) picked off two passes.

The Oilers went on to win the AFC Central with an 11-5 record, and after a win over the Jets in the Wild Card round, lost a close contest to Denver in the Divisional playoff. Miami finished third in the AFC East with an 8-8 tally.

Warren Moon had far many better passing days operating out of the “run-and-shoot” as he ended up leading the NFL in passes (655), completions (404), yards (4690), and, more unfortunately, interceptions (21). His 23 touchdown passes ranked fifth.

Dan Marino was second to Moon in passes (549), completions (318), and yards (3970). However, he tossed more TD passes (25), fewer interceptions (13), and had a better overall passer rating (85.8 to 81.7). Both quarterbacks were named to the Pro Bowl and, of course, eventually ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

1991: Kelly & Thomas Lead Bills to Win Over Miami

The Buffalo Bills, defending AFC Champions, opened the 1991 season by hosting the division rival Miami Dolphins at Rich Stadium on September 1. Under Head Coach Marv Levy, the Bills had utilized a quick-striking offense and solid defense to win the AFC East for the third consecutive year in ’90 with a 13-3 record and came within a missed field goal of winning the Super Bowl. Two of the key players on offense had been QB Jim Kelly (pictured at right), in his prime at age 31, and RB Thurman Thomas.

Head Coach Don Shula’s Dolphins finished right behind Buffalo with a 12-4 tally in 1990, qualifying for a wild card playoff spot and losing to the Bills in the divisional round. Entering the new season, the passing of ninth year QB Dan Marino was still central to the offense, while fumble-prone RB Sammie Smith had suffered a knee injury during the preseason; unheralded Mark Higgs was the opening day starter.

The Dolphins took the early advantage. After Scott Norwood missed a 25-yard field goal on Buffalo’s opening drive, Miami struck quickly with a 43-yard touchdown pass from Marino to WR Mark Clayton on a flea-flicker play. On their next possession, the Dolphins drove 65 yards in 10 plays, capped by Higgs scoring on a three-yard TD run, and were staked to a 14-0 lead.


The Bills came back as Kelly connected with WR Andre Reed on a 54-yard touchdown pass play, and that was it for the first half scoring. The Dolphins had passed the ball just nine times while Higgs (pictured at left) had gained 80 yards on 15 carries.

Miami led off the scoring in the third quarter as Charlie Baumann kicked a 21-yard field goal. Kelly had to briefly leave the game due to injury on Buffalo’s ensuing possession, but backup QB Frank Reich completed both of his passes, including a three-yard touchdown throw to TE Butch Rolle that narrowed the Miami margin to 17-14.

The Dolphins were forced to punt on their next series, and Kelly returned to the contest and passed to Thomas for a touchdown play that covered 50 yards and put the Bills ahead for the first time at 21-17.

Miami went three-and-out but got a break when DE T.J. Turner recovered a fumble by Buffalo WR Don Beebe at the Bills 44 yard line. Seven plays later Marino hit Clayton with a pass into the end zone from five yards out, and the Dolphins were back in front at 24-21 early in the fourth quarter. The quick-striking Bills came back with a six-play series that ended in a one-yard TD run by FB Carwell Gardner.

The key turnover of the game came on Miami’s next possession as Buffalo FS Mark Kelso recovered a fumble by Higgs near midfield. The Bills scored seven plays later when Thomas ran in from seven yards. While Marino threw another touchdown pass, this time to WR Mark Duper for three yards, it was too little, too late as Buffalo held on to win by a score of 35-31.

It was an impressive display by the Bills offense, which rolled up a club record 593 yards. Jim Kelly completed 29 of 39 passes for 381 yards with two TDs and one intercepted. Thurman Thomas ran the ball 25 times for 165 yards and a TD and also gained another 103 yards on 8 pass receptions that included another score. However, it was Andre Reed, another significant member of the offense, leading the team in pass receiving with 11 catches for 154 yards and a TD.

In defeat, Dan Marino had been successful on 17 of 28 passes for 267 yards with three touchdowns and none intercepted. Mark Higgs gained an impressive 146 yards on 30 carries with a touchdown, but also suffered the key fumble. Mark Clayton caught 6 passes for 138 yards and two TDs.

Buffalo again went on to win the AFC East with a 10-6 record and appeared in the Super Bowl for the second straight year, losing convincingly to the Washington Redskins. Miami finished at 8-8 and in third place in the division, just missing out on a wild card spot due to having been swept by the Jets in the season series, who also finished with the same record.

Jim Kelly led the AFC in passing with a 97.6 rating, and topped the NFL in touchdown passes (33) and percentage of TD passes (7.0) while finishing third with 3844 yards through the air. Thurman Thomas (pictured below) was the AFC’s top rusher with 1407 yards on 288 attempts and the NFL’s all-purpose yardage leader with 2038.