1979: Cowboys Come From Behind, Deny Redskins a Playoff Berth

The December 16, 1979 season finale between the arch-rival Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins at Texas Stadium had postseason ramifications for both teams. Both had 10-5 records, but due to the convoluted nature of the NFL’s tiebreaker system, the Cowboys were assured a playoff spot whatever the result, while Washington would clinch the NFC East title with a win but could conceivably be denied a playoff spot with a defeat.

The Cowboys, under Head Coach Tom Landry, had lost three defensive stalwarts before the season began when DT Jethro Pugh retired, DE Ed “Too Tall” Jones quit to pursue a boxing career (he returned in 1980), and SS Charlie Waters went down for the year with a knee injury in the preseason. That still left DT Randy White, DE Harvey Martin, MLB Bob Breunig, and FS Cliff Harris as a nucleus, and the offense, with QB Roger Staubach (pictured above), RB Tony Dorsett, wide receivers Tony Hill and Drew Pearson, was proficient. Dallas roared out to a 7-1 start, but then lost four of five games in a tumultuous period during which Landry cut LB Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson from the team for lack of effort. They had won their two most recent contests.

Washington, coached by Jack Pardee, had a ground-oriented offense led by RB John Riggins, but could pass effectively, too, with QB Joe Theismann ranking as the NFL’s second best passer (behind Staubach). Neal Olkewicz and Brad Dusek were the main components of an outstanding group of linebackers, and the defensive backfield that featured free safety Mark Murphy, strong safety Ken Houston, and cornerbacks Lamar Parrish and Joe Lavender was among the best.

The Redskins had beaten Dallas in Washington four weeks earlier, and had angered the Cowboys when they kicked a field goal with an 11-point lead and nine seconds remaining to play. Coach Pardee insisted that it was because of the possibility that point differential might play a part in determining a playoff berth (he proved to be on target), but many Dallas players saw it as the Redskins rubbing the loss in their faces.

However, it seemed as though Washington was well on its way to a division title when the Redskins opened up a 17-0 lead in the second quarter, helped along by Dallas turnovers. In the opening period, following a fumble by Cowboys RB Ron Springs (who was subbing for the injured Dorsett), Mark Moseley kicked a 24-yard field goal. After Dusek recovered a fumble by Dallas RB Robert Newhouse, Theismann hit WR Danny Buggs on a pass play that covered 39 yards and three plays later ran around end for a one-yard touchdown. Early in the second quarter, Theismann capped a seven play drive by tossing a pass to RB Benny Malone that covered 55 yards for a TD.

But the Cowboys fought back as, first, Springs scored from a yard out. Then Staubach, facing a third-and-20 situation, capped an 85-yard drive with less than ten seconds remaining in the half by throwing a touchdown pass to RB Preston Pearson that covered 26 yards. Washington’s lead was cut to 17-14 at the intermission.


Dallas took the lead in its first possession of the third quarter as Newhouse scored a two-yard touchdown. But Washington seemed to take decisive command in the fourth quarter. Moseley kicked another 24-yard field goal, and then Riggins (pictured at left) scored two touchdowns, one from a yard out and the other on a 66-yard jaunt. With just under seven minutes left to play, the Redskins held a formidable 34-21 lead.

The clock was ticking down to four minutes when Randy White recovered a fumble by Washington RB Clarence Harmon. The Dallas offense came alive as Staubach connected on three straight passes that covered 14 yards to WR Butch Johnson, 19 to Tony Hill, and 26 yards and a touchdown to Springs.

The Redskins sought to run out the clock on their next possession, but on a crucial third-and-two play at their own 32, Riggins was dropped for a two-yard loss by DE Larry Cole. Washington was forced to punt and the Cowboys took over at their own 25 with 1:46 left to play and two timeouts.

Staubach was an established master at pulling off comebacks, and he threw a 20-yard pass to Hill and then connected twice with Preston Pearson for 22 and 25 yards down to the Washington eight yard line. With the clock now down to 45 seconds, Staubach intended to throw to TE Billy Joe Dupree, but facing an all-out blitz by the Redskins, instead lofted a high, arching pass that Hill caught in the corner of the end zone. With the successful extra point, Dallas now held a one-point lead.

Washington still had one last shot, but in the final 39 seconds they got only as far as the Dallas 42 before time expired. The Cowboys came away with a stunning 35-34 win.

The Cowboys outgained the Redskins (434 yards to 373) although they turned the ball over three times to once by Washington. Roger Staubach completed 24 of 42 passes for 336 yards with three touchdowns against one interception. Tony Hill (pictured below) caught 8 passes for 113 yards and a TD, and Preston Pearson was right behind at 5 receptions out of the backfield for 108 yards and a score. Ron Springs ran for 79 yards on 20 carries in place of Tony Dorsett.


John Riggins was the top rusher with 22 attempts for 151 yards and two TDs. Joe Theismann went to the air 23 times and completed 12 for 200 yards and a touchdown with none picked off. Benny Malone was the pass receiving yardage leader with 55 on his lone catch that resulted in a score while Danny Buggs was right behind with 46 yards on his two receptions.

The win gave Dallas the division title with an 11-5 record (the Cowboys went on to lose to the Rams in the Divisional playoff round). Philadelphia, also 11-5, placed second and grabbed the first wild card spot due to having a lesser record in conference games than Dallas. Washington was third at 10-6, but lost out on being the second wild card team because the Chicago Bears, also 10-6, had beaten the Cardinals 42-6, thus beating out the Redskins on the point differential tiebreaker.

“It's a shame someone had to lose, because the Redskins played their guts out, but so did we,” said Staubach. “The Redskins played well enough to be in the playoffs. They deserved a better fate.” Staubach also called the game “the most exciting I’ve ever played in” which, in his case, was certainly high praise.

“There we were, divisional champions with 40 seconds to play, then nothing. I'm just heartbroken. Not just for myself but for the players,” said Jack Pardee afterward.

While no one knew at the time, it was the last regular season game for Roger Staubach, who retired during the offseason. In his final year, he led the NFL in passing (92.3 rating) while throwing for 3586 yards and 27 touchdowns (one behind the league co-leaders). His next stop would be the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Both Tony Hill and Drew Pearson gained over a thousand yards receiving, and Hill was selected to the Pro Bowl. In his third year, and second as a starting wide receiver, Hill caught 60 passes for 1062 yards and a career-high 10 touchdowns. Pearson, in his seventh season, pulled in 55 receptions for 1026 yards and 8 scores. 34-year-old Preston Pearson, who performed so well against the Redskins and was valued for his pass receiving ability out of the backfield, had 26 catches for 333 yards and a TD; the 108 yards against Washington were the second most of his 14-year career.

John Riggins rushed for a ninth-ranked 1153 yards on 260 carries with 9 touchdowns. The 66-yard scoring run against Dallas was the longest of his career.

1964: Lenny Moore Reaches 20 TDs as Colts Beat Redskins

During the spring and summer of 1964, the Baltimore Colts looked to see what sort of trade they could make for HB Lenny Moore. Moore, who had been drafted out of Penn State in the first round in 1956, had been a key player in winning back-to-back championships in 1958 and ’59. As a halfback who posted gaudy yards-per-attempt averages on his occasional runs from scrimmage and was perhaps even more dangerous as a receiver out of the backfield (often lining up at flanker), he was named to the Pro Bowl in five consecutive seasons and was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection from 1958 thru ‘61.

But injuries had dramatically reduced his effectiveness in 1962 and ’63. He fractured his kneecap in ’62 and went down with a rib injury in the 1963 preseason. Two days before the opening game of the ’63 season, he underwent an appendectomy. Returning to action for the third game of the year, new Head Coach Don Shula moved him to split end because of an injury to another of the offense’s stalwarts, Raymond Berry. After five games he was shifted back to halfback, but a week later suffered a head injury that cost him the remainder of the season (he had also suffered a head injury in 1961). Along the way, Moore got into feuds with both the Colts front office and Head Coach Weeb Ewbank (prior to his departure following the 1962 season).

Appearing in 10 games in 1962, Moore played more as a halfback than a flanker and accumulated over a hundred carries for the first time in his career (106) but also caught the fewest passes (18) since his rookie season. In ’63, making it into just seven games, he gained only 136 yards on 27 rushing attempts and caught 21 passes. At age 30, and with the younger Tom Matte showing promise at halfback, it appeared that he was on the way out.

However, while the Colts came close to dealing Moore to the Giants and Cowboys, they couldn’t get the price they wanted and the halfback remained with the team. On December 13, 1964 against Washington, Moore capped an amazing comeback by becoming the first player in NFL history to score 20 touchdowns in a season.

It had not looked promising for Moore when he started the ’64 season on the bench, with Matte in the starting lineup, in a loss to the Vikings. However, he did get into the game and scored twice, including his one pass reception of the day that covered 70 yards. Moore was back in the starting lineup the following week, and scored two more TDs in a 21-20 win over Green Bay. By the season finale against the Redskins, he had scored 18 touchdowns, putting him one short of Jim Taylor’s league record of 19 set two years earlier with the Packers. He also, counting the last three games that he appeared in during the ’63 season, had scored at least one TD in an NFL-record 16 straight games.

The Colts were doing well, too. After the opening game loss to Minnesota, they weren’t beaten again until the previous week against the Lions, giving them a record of 11-2. In combination with fullbacks Tony Lorick and Jerry Hill, Moore gave the club a potent running attack, thus improving the effectiveness of the passing game which, with star QB Johnny Unitas at the helm, was already formidable.

Washington, under Head Coach Bill McPeak, had an outstanding quarterback of its own in Sonny Jurgensen, a great receiver in flanker Bobby Mitchell, and exciting rookie halfback Charley Taylor. But there were too many holes, especially on the offensive line, and the Redskins were 6-7 entering the game at Baltimore.

Conditions were foggy at Memorial Stadium, and some of the 60,213 fans in attendance had difficulty seeing the action on the field. The Redskins scored first on a 17-yard run by HB Pervis Atkins thanks to a Baltimore fumble on the opening kickoff. Baltimore came back with a 25-yard Lou Michaels field goal and took the lead in the second quarter on a 30-yard pass play from Unitas to Berry.

Play was sloppy throughout as the Colts, no doubt looking ahead to the title game in Cleveland, fumbled the ball away four times. Moore coughed the ball up once, at his own 11, but Washington fumbled it back as DE Gino Marchetti recovered at the 20. However, Unitas fumbled and the Redskins’ Jim Martin kicked a 25-yard field goal to tie the contest at 10-10 at the half.

Baltimore took command in the second half. First, safety Jerry Logan recovered a Washington fumble at the Redskins’ 40, leading to a seven-yard Jerry Hill TD run. While Washington responded with a two-yard scoring run by Jurgensen, Unitas threw another TD pass, this time of 22 yards to TE John Mackey. It was all Colts the rest of the way as they outscored the Redskins in the second half by 35-7.

Moore scored twice in a five minute period in the fourth quarter. The first touchdown, a run of three yards, tied Taylor’s record for TDs and extended his streak. The second, from a yard out, was the record-setting 20th. Moore received a huge ovation from the home crowd after the record-breaking TD. With the game safely out of reach for the Redskins, Shula was able to rest most of his starters for the remainder of the game that the Colts won by a final score of 45-17.

Jerry Hill was the running star for the Colts – used effectively on trap plays in the second half, he scored one touchdown and set up another with a 56-yard run as he totaled 90 yards on 8 carries. Before backup Gary Cuozzo entered the game to mop up, Johnny Unitas completed 13 of 20 passes for 226 yards with two touchdowns against one interception. Also of note, Raymond Berry, by catching 5 passes for 89 yards, passed Billy Howton to become the NFL’s all-time career pass receiving leader (506, to Howton’s 503; Berry would eventually end up with 631).

The Colts ended up with the league’s best record at 12-2, but were upset by the Browns in the NFL Championship game. Washington finished at 6-8, tied with the Eagles for third in the Eastern Conference.

Other than setting the touchdown record, Lenny Moore had a rather ordinary day against Washington, running for just 22 yards on 13 carries. But there was no question as to his value to the Colts throughout the year, and he received the Jim Thorpe trophy as league MVP from the Newspaper Enterprise Association (Unitas was the consensus MVP choice, however) and was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection and Pro Bowl choice. Utilized more as a runner than a receiver, he scored 16 of the 20 touchdowns on the ground and gained 584 yards on a career-high 157 carries (he also scored one TD on a fumble recovery). To be sure, he was still an effective pass receiver and averaged 22.5 yards-per-catch on 21 receptions for 472 yards with three TDs. Moore was the NFL’s leading scorer with 120 points and his 1056 total yards from scrimmage ranked eighth.

Moore’s consecutive game touchdown streak finally ended at 19, in the second week of the 1965 season (it was eventually tied by the Chargers’ LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005). At the time of his retirement following the 1967 season, he ranked second to only Jim Brown in career touchdowns with 113. It is a testament to his versatility that 63 of those TDs came on the ground while 48 came through the air (in fact, from 1959 thru ’63, most of his touchdowns had come via pass receptions). He also scored on a kickoff return and the aforementioned fumble recovery.

The 6’1”, 190-pound Moore gained 5174 yards on 1069 carries (4.8 avg.) and 6039 yards on 363 pass receptions (16.6 avg.), making him the first player to gain 5000 yards both rushing and receiving. His versatility made him invaluable to the Colts, and their decision to not give him away in 1964 proved to be a good one. The five consensus first-team All-Pro selections and seven Pro Bowls attest to that value. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975.

1940: Bears Demolish Redskins 73-0 for NFL Title

The NFL Championship game on December 8, 1940 remains the most one-sided in pro football history. It represents an astounding domination of one championship-caliber team by another. It also served as a demonstration of the capabilities of the revamped T-formation which, over the coming decade, would replace the single-wing as the offense of choice for most pro football teams.

There were 36,034 fans at Washington’s Griffith Stadium to see the Redskins, champions of the Eastern Division, take on the first place team in the Western Division, the Chicago Bears. The Redskins, under Head Coach Ray Flaherty, ran a double-wing offense and had the league’s best passer, tailback Sammy Baugh, to direct it. He had good receivers to throw to in ends Wayne Millner and Charley Malone, and FB Jimmy Johnson and HB Dick Todd were both effective receivers out of the backfield as well. In an era when defenses operated with three defensive backs, Washington typically sent four receivers down the field, and Baugh could usually find an open one.

Chicago, under the direction of George Halas, the owner and head coach, had been using variations of the T-formation for several years, but had recently refined it. He had an outstanding quarterback to operate it in Sid Luckman, a second-year ex-tailback out of Columbia. The club also had rookie HB George McAfee, who had quickly laid claim to being the best open-field runner in the league, Ray Nolting at the other halfback spot, and FB Bill Osmanski, as well as a stable of capable players who could spell them. The line was anchored by another rookie, center Clyde “Bulldog” Turner, and contained other eventual Hall of Famers in guard Danny Fortmann and tackle Joe Stydahar.

The two teams had met three weeks previously in Washington and the Redskins won by a score of 7-3. Also owning a better record (9-2 to Chicago’s 8-3), they were the favorites coming into the title contest. However, the motivational seeds had been sown after that earlier game when several of the Bears complained about a referee’s call that had nullified a potential game-winning touchdown. Washington’s imperious owner, George Preston Marshall, publicly referred to the Bears as “cry-babies” and “first-half ballplayers” – quotes that the Chicago players took careful note of.

Not only was there a motivational element to fuel the Bears, but Halas had been meeting with his offensive consultant, Stanford’s Head Coach Clark Shaughnessy, and several new plays were developed to attack the Redskins’ defense (primarily counter plays to take advantage of the tendency of the linebackers to shift toward the man-in-motion). The club was well-prepared and sky-high emotionally upon arrival in Washington.

It didn’t take long for the Bears to strike. On the second play of the game, Osmanski took a handoff, found a big hole at left tackle, cut to the sideline, and ran 68 yards for a touchdown (pictured at top). The last two Redskins with an opportunity to catch him were taken out in a single block by end George Wilson. Chicago was up by 7-0 less than a minute into the first quarter.

Washington came right back, however, getting a good kickoff return and then running the ball effectively. On a third down play, Baugh passed for the first time and had Malone open for what would have been an easy touchdown – he dropped it and the Redskins came up empty. Chicago responded by driving 80 yards in 17 plays. Only one was a pass, and it was to McAfee for 15 yards to the Washington two yard line. Shortly thereafter, Luckman scored on a quarterback sneak from less than a yard out.

The Bears got the ball back at the Redskins’ 42, and on the first play Luckman pitched out to FB Joe Maniaci, who went the distance. It was 21-0 after one quarter of play. Baugh was pulled out of the game and played little the rest of the way. The Bears scored just once in the second quarter, as Luckman connected with end Ken Kavanaugh for a 30-yard TD, and the quarterback was rested during the second half.

Chicago poored it on in the third quarter, adding another 26 points, three on interceptions that were returned for touchdowns (15 yards by end Hamp Pool, 34 yards by McAfee, and 24 by Turner). The offense also contributed a 23-yard scoring run by Nolting. Two of the extra point attempts failed, but it didn’t matter as the Bears were leading 54-0 with a quarter to go.

HB Harry Clarke made it 60-0 in the fourth quarter with a 44-yard touchdown run, followed by a failed extra point attempt, and as there was now a shortage of footballs due to PAT attempts sailing into the stands (there were just a dozen balls available for the game), for the remaining scores Halas told the team to run plays for the extra point attempts (under the rules of the time, they still counted for just one point). FB Gary Famiglietti ran for a two-yard TD, followed by a successful pass from QB Solly Sherman to Maniaci, and Clarke ended the scoring with a one-yard touchdown, after which the pass for the extra point fell incomplete. The lead was large enough, in any event, as the Bears became NFL Champions by a score of 73-0.

The domination was complete statistically, too. The Bears rolled up 519 total yards, to 231 for Washington. The Redskins gained just five net yards on 15 carries, to 381 on 53 attempts by Chicago, and also turned the ball over nine times (eight interceptions, one fumble). The Bears suffered just one turnover, on a fumble.

Bill Osmanski, who started it all, ran for 109 yards on 10 carries. Twelve Bears ran with the ball during the course of the game, with other notable contributors being Harry Clarke (73 yards on 8 carries and two TDs), Ray Nolting (68 yards on 13 attempts and a score), and Joe Maniaci (60 yards on 6 rushes and a TD).


As a whole, the Bears threw ten passes, and Sid Luckman (pictured at left with Halas) was good on three of four attempts for 88 yards and a touchdown. Maniaci was the leading receiver with three catches for 39 yards.

Sammy Baugh was successful on 10 of 17 passes for 102 yards with two intercepted. His capable backup, Frank Filchock, completed 7 of 23 throws for 87 yards and was picked off four times; he also led the Redskins with 20 yards on two carries. Wayne Millner caught 5 passes for 84 yards.

Afterward, Baugh was asked if the result might have been different if Malone had not dropped the sure scoring pass in the first quarter. The laconic Texan reportedly replied, “Yeah, it would have been 73-7.” He also called the game “the most humiliating thing I ever went through on the football field.” Such was Chicago’s total domination.

The Bears went on to repeat as champions in 1941 and, by 1943, had gone to four straight title games and won three of them. They aptly earned the nickname “Monsters of the Midway”. Washington fell short of a rematch in ’41 but won the Eastern Division in 1942 and upset Chicago for the championship to gain at least some measure of revenge for the trouncing in 1940.

1974: Clint Longley Rallies Cowboys Past Redskins

The Dallas Cowboys were in the midst of a transition season as they hosted the arch-rival Washington Redskins in a Thanksgiving Day game on November 28, 1974 at Texas Stadium. Having started off at 1-4, they won four straight games prior to losing at Washington eleven days earlier. While they beat the Oilers the previous Sunday, Dallas was 6-5 and languishing behind both the Redskins and Cardinals in the NFC East. Head Coach Tom Landry’s club had a great deal of youth on offense, and young defensive ends Ed “Too Tall” Jones and Harvey Martin were still transitioning into the reforming defense.

Head Coach George Allen’s Redskins had won four straight contests and were 8-3 as they sought to keep pace with St. Louis. Whether 40-year-old Sonny Jurgensen or Billy Kilmer, 35 years old and in his 12th season, were at quarterback, Washington scored points. The veteran team was also sound on defense, Allen’s specialty.

The first half was low-scoring. Efren Herrera kicked a 24-yard field goal in the first quarter to put the first points on the board, concluding a drive kept alive by a fake punt in which punter Duane Carrell passed to DB Benny Barnes for a 37-yard gain. But the Redskins had replied with three Mark Moseley field goals, of 45, 34, and 39 yards, to hold a 9-3 lead at halftime.

It seemed as though the Redskins had taken control of the game in the third quarter. Following a fumble on the opening play of the second half by RB Walt Garrison, former Cowboys RB Duane Thomas caught a swing pass from Kilmer and went nine yards for a touchdown. The score was now 16-3, and when Dallas QB Roger Staubach was hit hard by LB Dave Robinson and forced from the game with just under ten minutes remaining in the period, it seemed as though all hope was lost for the Cowboys.

Replacing Staubach at quarterback was Clint Longley (pictured at top), a rookie out of Abilene Christian who had never appeared in a regular season game as a pro. He had actually been chosen by Cincinnati in the 1974 supplemental draft, but was dealt to the Cowboys just prior to the start of training camp. Longley earned the nickname “The Mad Bomber” when he threw an errant pass that hit Coach Landry’s tower during a workout.

Prior to the contest, Washington DT Diron Talbert had told reporters that he hoped Staubach would try running with the ball against the Redskins because if they could knock him out of the game, they would be facing the untested rookie at quarterback. Those words would come back to haunt him.

Longley promptly moved the offense downfield, and capped the drive with a 35-yard touchdown pass to TE Billy Joe Dupree that narrowed Washington’s lead to 16-10. On the next possession, the Cowboys again drove deep into Redskins territory. When Garrison plowed over for a touchdown from a yard out and Herrera booted the extra point, Dallas was in the lead at 17-16. The previously-subdued Texas Stadium crowd had come alive.

However, Washington was far from finished. Early in the fourth quarter the Redskins regained the lead, again thanks to Thomas, who ran 19 yards for a touchdown and 23-17 tally. It looked as though they would further pad their margin after DE Ron McDole recovered a fumble by Dallas RB Charley Young. Washington moved into field goal range with five minutes remaining on the clock, but “Too Tall” Jones blocked Moseley’s 24-yard attempt.

It seemed as though the break was for nothing when RB Preston Pearson fumbled the ball back to the Redskins. However, Washington’s offense, playing conservatively, ran three plays and punted. Now with 1:45 remaining and no timeouts, Longley and the Cowboys had one more shot.

Washington’s defense seemed on the verge of squelching the threat, but on a fourth-and-six play, Longley passed to WR Bob Hayes for exactly six yards and a first down at the 50 yard line. After tossing an incompletion, Longley then sent WR Drew Pearson long, hit him in stride at the four yard line, and the wide receiver continued on into the end zone. Herrera was successful on the PAT, and the Cowboys had a one-point lead with 28 seconds to play.

There would be no last-second heroics for the Redskins, however, as Dallas recovered a Kilmer fumble on the first play to preserve the 24-23 win.

The Cowboys ended up outgaining Washington, 373 yards to 207, and led in first downs by 23 to 11. But they were nearly undone by giving up five turnovers, as opposed to one by the Redskins.

The flu-ridden Roger Staubach had completed only three of 11 passes for 32 yards with an interception before being forced out of the game – he had even been outpassed by the punter Carrell, with his one completion for 37 yards. But Clint Longley was good on 11 of 20 passes for 203 yards with the two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Drew Pearson (pictured at bottom), who caught the winning TD, had a big day with 5 catches for 108 yards. Billy Joe Dupree added three receptions for 65 yards and a TD. With top runner Calvin Hill out due to injury, RB Robert Newhouse led the Cowboys with 66 yards on 16 attempts.


For Washington, Billy Kilmer went to the air 17 times, completing 8 for 112 yards and a touchdown. Duane Thomas (pictured at left) had 18 rushing attempts for 55 yards and a TD and had the most pass receptions for the club with three, for 24 yards and a score. RB Moses Denson was right behind in the rushing column with 50 yards on 15 carries. WR Roy Jefferson had the most receiving yards, with 49 on his two catches.

“Football is an incredible game,” said Tom Landry afterward. “This is what makes it so unbelievable. Anything can happen in football.”

“I don't have very much to say,” said a disappointed George Allen. “It was probably the toughest loss we ever had.”

The win didn’t salvage the season for the Cowboys – they ended up outside the postseason for the first time since 1965 with an 8-6 record that put them in third place in the NFC East. Washington ended up tied with the Cardinals with a 10-4 mark, but due to St. Louis having swept the season series, the Cards won the division title and the Redskins entered the playoffs as a wild card. They lost to the Rams in the Divisional playoff game.

The astonishing performance off the bench didn’t portend better things for Longley, either. Staubach was back in action the next week and beyond and the young backup was sparsely used through the 1975 season. Following the demise of the World Football League, QB Danny White was acquired and, with his WFL experience and ability to double as the team’s punter, Longley’s roster spot was insecure for ’76. Bad blood had developed between he and Staubach, and when Longley sucker-punched the star quarterback in the locker room during training camp, his career in Dallas swiftly ended. He was dealt to San Diego, where he backed up Dan Fouts and threw a total of 24 passes in his last NFL season.

1966: Hayes & Cowboys Overcome Taylor & Redskins in Aerial Shootout

Over the years, the rivalry between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins has produced many exciting games. One of those contests – and one in which two of the best pass receivers of the era excelled – occurred on November 13, 1966 at DC Stadium.

The Cowboys, in their seventh season of existence, had been steadily developing talent and were now contenders for the first time. Head Coach Tom Landry had built his reputation as a defensive innovator, and the unit built around DT Bob Lilly, DE George Andrie, CB Cornell Green, FS Mel Renfro, and linebackers Chuck Howley and Lee Roy Jordan was a strong one. However, Dallas also featured an explosive offense led by QB Don Meredith. While the running of FB Don Perkins and HB Dan Reeves was productive, the presence of second-year split end Bob Hayes (pictured above), former Olympic champion in the 100 meter dash, gave the Cowboys an outstanding deep threat. They came into the game at Washington with a 5-2-1 record.


Washington had not had a winning season in eleven years and was under the direction of a new head coach, former all-time great quarterback Otto Graham. Graham chose to emphasize the pass, and with QB Sonny Jurgensen (pictured at left) and a receiving corps of split end Charley Taylor (converted during the season from running halfback), flanker Bobby Mitchell, and TE Jerry Smith, he could do so. However, there wasn’t much of a running game, and the defense was highly suspect. The Redskins were 5-4 coming into the game.

The score was 7-6 after the first quarter as Washington’s Charlie Gogolak kicked field goals of 35 and 33 yards and, in between, the Cowboys got a touchdown on a one-yard run by Meredith. Neither offense was able to make any big plays.

That changed in the second quarter when Meredith connected with Hayes for a 52-yard touchdown. The Cowboys defense continued to stifle the Washington offense and Dallas took a 14-6 lead into halftime.

The score was 21-6 early in the third quarter when Meredith passed to the speedy Hayes for a 95-yard TD. But it took the Redskins just three plays to come back with a touchdown of their own. Jurgensen completed passes of 11 yards to HB Joe Don Looney, 30 yards to Taylor, and then four yards for the score to Smith.

A few minutes later, Jurgensen tossed a long pass that Taylor gathered in at the Washington 35. Fighting off Dallas defenders, the ex-halfback ran the ball the rest of the way for a 78-yard touchdown. The Redskins were now down by just a point.

The defense came up with a big play as LB Sam Huff recovered a Dallas fumble at the Washington 20; the Redskins drove to an 11-yard field goal by Gogolak that put them ahead 23-20, still in the third period.

The Cowboys surged back, driving 59 yards with HB Dan Reeves plunging the last yard for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. However, Taylor put the Redskins back in front with a diving catch of an 18-yard pass from Jurgensen with 5:36 left on the clock.

Dallas was unable to score as time ran down, but Washington was unable to run out the clock. Still, Pat Richter’s punt was downed at the Cowboys’ three yard line by Jerry Smith and the situation didn’t look promising for Dallas with a minute left and no timeouts.

Washington went to a three-man rush in an effort to prevent long passes, but on the first play Meredith connected with flanker Pete Gent for a 26-yard gain. Rolling out on first-and-ten at his own 29, the quarterback took off on a 12-yard run before stepping out of bounds. After an incomplete pass followed by a one-yard completion, Meredith went to Gent again on third-and-nine, picking up 25 yards to the Redskins’ 33.

On first down, Meredith scrambled and was chased out of bounds after running six yards, where a late hit by LB John Reger gave the Cowboys an extra 15 yards to the Washington 12. With 16 seconds left, Danny Villanueva kicked a 20-yard field goal and Dallas came away with a 31-30 win.

The Cowboys piled up 515 total yards to 341 for the Redskins – however, while Dallas gained 132 yards on the ground, Washington’s running attack accounted for just 23 yards on 16 attempts.

Don Meredith completed 21 of 29 passes for 406 yards (second most of his career) with the two long touchdowns against one interception; he also ran for 32 yards on six carries. Bob Hayes had a huge performance, catching 9 passes for 246 yards and both TDs. Dan Reeves led the Cowboys in rushing with 59 yards on 13 carries, followed by Don Perkins, who ran the ball 15 times and gained 41 yards.


The Redskins had some significant performances of their own in the loss. Sonny Jurgensen was successful on 26 of 46 throws for 347 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions (the Redskins suffered no turnovers). Charley Taylor (pictured at right) had 11 pass receptions for 199 yards with two scores – his big day was trumped by Hayes’ spectacular showing. HB A.D. Whitfield led the anemic running game with 17 yards on 7 attempts.

Dallas went 4-1 the rest of the way – losing another hard-fought game to the Redskins in the rematch at the Cotton Bowl – to finish at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 10-3-1 record. They lost to Green Bay in the NFL title game. Washington broke even at 7-7 to place fifth in the eight-team conference.

Bob Hayes had career-highs in pass receptions (64), yards (1232), and touchdowns (a league-leading 13). His 246 receiving yards against the Redskins remained the club record until 2009. A consensus first-team All-NFL choice, he also was selected to the Pro Bowl for the second of four straight seasons.

Charley Taylor, making the transition to wide receiver in his third season, led the NFL with 72 pass receptions. His 1119 yards and 12 touchdowns (he added three more rushing) were high marks for his career.


Don Meredith (pictured at left) achieved career-highs in passing yards (2805) and TD passes (24). He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first of an eventual three straight times to close out his career.

Sonny Jurgensen led the NFL in pass attempts (436), completions (254), and yards (3209). His 28 touchdown passes ranked second. He went to the Pro Bowl for the third of an eventual five times.

1954: Adrian Burk Throws 7 TD Passes as Eagles Beat Redskins

The Philadelphia Eagles were off to a 3-0 start in 1954 as they traveled to Washington to take on the Redskins on October 17 at Griffith Stadium. Since taking over as head coach in 1953, Jim Trimble had split the duties at quarterback between Adrian Burk and Bobby Thomason. That was the case again in ’54 and each threw at least one touchdown in each of the three wins. Washington, under first-year Head Coach Joe Kuharich (who would later coach the Eagles as well), was 0-3 and had been beaten badly in each instance.

Washington’s defensive backfield was inexperienced and the Eagles capitalized. On their second possession midway through the first quarter, Burk tossed his first (and longest) touchdown pass of the game, connecting with end Bobby Walston for 26 yards.

QB Al Dorow led the Redskins on a 35-yard drive that ended with a 14-yard touchdown pass to end Ed Barker. But Burk hit star end Pete Pihos twice for touchdowns in the second quarter, covering 18 and 19 yards, and the Eagles held a 21-7 lead at the half.

Burk’s fourth touchdown pass of the game came in the third quarter, finding Walston in the end zone from five yards out. The Redskins made it interesting when rookie FB Dale Atkeson returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, which at the time set a team record. But Burk tossed two more TD passes to pull the Eagles away - to Walston for a third time for four yards and to HB Toy Ledbetter from nine yards out.

The Redskins made another big play, although it was too-little, too-late, as QB Jack Scarbath threw a pass to end Hugh Taylor that covered 60 yards. Scarbath then connected with Taylor again for a five-yard touchdown.

Up 42-21, Burk was relieved by Thomason. But when Philadelphia’s publicity director realized that Burk was just one short of Sid Luckman’s NFL single-game record of seven touchdown passes, Trimble reinserted him into the contest. In the final seconds, he threw the record-tying seventh touchdown pass to Pihos. Characteristically, it was short, covering three yards, and the Eagles won, 49-21.

Adrian Burk completed 19 of 27 passes for 232 yards with the 7 touchdowns against just one interception. Pete Pihos was the top receiver with 9 catches for 132 yards and three of the TDs. Bobby Walston scored three as well, in addition to the one by Ledbetter.

Burk, the team’s regular punter, also had an outstanding game punting the ball. On three occasions he managed to angle kicks out of bounds inside the Washington 10 yard line (at the two, three, and nine yard lines, to be exact).

Overall, the Eagles outgained Washington with 432 yards to 115 and compiled 30 first downs to 9 for the Redskins. In addition to 289 passing yards, Philadelphia rolled up 172 yards on the ground, while the defense held the Redskins to just 28 yards on 20 carries. The Redskins further hurt their cause by turning the ball over seven times, against two committed by the Eagles.

Philadelphia failed to maintain its winning momentum, losing the next two games and four of five on the way to a 7-4-1 record and second place finish in the Eastern Conference. Washington ended up in fifth with a 3-9 tally.

Burk had another big performance later in the season when the Redskins came to Philadelphia, throwing for more yards (345) as well as five more TD passes. Not surprisingly, it was the best year of his seven-season career as he led the NFL in touchdown passes (23) and percentage of TD passes (10.0) and was selected to the Pro Bowl. He also had career highs in passing yards (1740) and completion percentage (53.2). Of course, the two games against Washington certainly fueled his success, as he threw for a combined 577 yards and 12 touchdowns.


With 60 catches, Pete Pihos (pictured at left) tied for the league lead with San Francisco’s Billy Wilson. His 872 yards and 10 touchdowns ranked third. In the last three seasons of his Hall of Fame career (1953-54-55), Pihos led the NFL in pass receiving in each and in receiving yards twice.

Bobby Walston was leading the league with 45 points heading into the game and helped his cause by adding another 25 to give him 70 after just four contests. The team’s placekicker as well as a starting end, he went on to lead the NFL in scoring with 114 points. In addition to 11 touchdowns scored (all on pass receptions), he booted 36 extra points and four field goals.

The record of seven TD passes in a game has been tied three more times (George Blanda of the Oilers in the AFL in 1961, Y.A. Tittle of the Giants in ’62, and Joe Kapp of the Vikings in 1969) – Burk’s yardage total remains the lowest of any of the seven-TD performances (the others, including Luckman, were all over 400, and Tittle passed for 505).

Coincidentally, Burk, who went on to become an NFL official (as well as a successful lawyer in his hometown of Houston) following his retirement as a player, was a member of the officiating crew when Kapp had his seven-TD game. He also was the back judge who signaled touchdown when RB Franco Harris of the Steelers scored the “Immaculate Reception” TD in the 1972 postseason against Oakland.

1983: Redskins Overcome Raiders in 37-35 Thriller

The Washington Redskins, defending NFL champions, were off to a 3-1 start in 1983 as they hosted the undefeated Los Angeles Raiders on October 2 at RFK Stadium. Washington, under third-year Head Coach Joe Gibbs, had an outstanding offense built around power-running RB John Riggins operating behind an excellent line and the passing of QB Joe Theismann (pictured at right) to wide receivers Charlie Brown, Art Monk, and Alvin Garrett.

The Raiders, in Head Coach Tom Flores’ fifth season and the second year in LA, were led by 36-year-old QB Jim Plunkett, second-year RB Marcus Allen, and a tough veteran defense that included a colorful band of characters such as DE Lyle Alzado, linebackers Ted Hendricks and Matt Millen, and CB Lester Hayes. Combined with rising young stars like DE Howie Long and FS Vann McElroy, the Raiders defense had given up no more than 14 points in any of the first four games.

Sloppy play on the part of the Raiders offense, which was handicapped by not having Allen available due to a hip pointer, highlighted the first quarter. Plunkett tossed an interception in LA’s first offensive series that the Redskins capitalized on as Riggins ran for a two-yard touchdown. The turnovers continued as the veteran quarterback was picked off a second time and RB Kenny King fumbled the ball away, but the score stood at 7-0 after the opening period as the normally-reliable Mark Moseley missed on a 36-yard field goal attempt for Washington.

Moseley was successful on his next field goal attempt, from 28 yards out early in the second quarter. The teams traded punts, and it appeared that the Redskins had the Raiders offense boxed in after a Jeff Hayes kick was downed on the one yard line. But Plunkett immediately went long to WR Cliff Branch, who gathered in the pass at his 44 yard line and proceeded to tie the league record with a 99-yard touchdown.

Despite all of the errors, the Raiders were down only 10-7, but Washington came back with an 80-yard, seven-play drive that ended with Theismann throwing a five-yard TD pass to RB Joe Washington. The first half ended with the Redskins ahead, 17-7.

The second half didn’t start off any better for LA as the offense went three-and-out and Washington padded its lead with a 29-yard field goal by Moseley. But two possessions later, the passing game came alive as Plunkett connected with TE Todd Christensen for a 41-yard gain and, two plays later, tossed to WR Calvin Muhammad for a 35-yard touchdown.

After the Redskins were forced to punt, the Raiders drove to another score with Plunkett again throwing a TD pass to Muhammad, this time covering 22 yards. With the successful extra point, Los Angeles was now ahead by 21-20.

Riggins fumbled the ball away on the second play of Washington’s ensuing possession, and ten plays later, now in the fourth quarter, Plunkett hit Christensen for a three-yard touchdown and 28-20 lead.

Theismann and the Redskins came out passing, with consecutive completions to Charlie Brown that covered 25 yards. However, the drive stalled at the Washington 43 and Jeff Hayes punted it away. His 54-yard kick was fielded by RB Greg Pruitt at his own three yard line, and he proceeded to return it 97 yards for a touchdown; the Raiders were up by 35-20.

Just as it seemed that the momentum had shifted overwhelmingly to LA, the Redskins fought back with a Theismann pass to Joe Washington that covered 67 yards and set up an 11-yard touchdown pass to Brown three plays later.

With 6:15 left to play and the Redskins down by two scores, the Raiders were watching for an onside kick. What they got was a low and hard kick by Hayes that made it through the front line, hit a player’s foot, and spun wildly away. WR Dokie Williams initially fell on the ball for the Raiders but couldn’t hold on and safety Greg Williams finally recovered it for Washington at the LA 32. Moseley kicked a 34-yard field goal five plays later to narrow the Raiders’ lead to five points.

Hayes kicked deep for the Redskins with 4:28 remaining on the clock. Los Angeles went three-and-out and was forced to punt after a third-and-11 pass from Plunkett to Christensen gained nine yards. Starting at his own 31 and with just under two minutes to play in the game, Theismann completed three consecutive passes to Brown that covered a total of 63 yards. From the LA six yard line, Theismann found Washington in the end zone for a diving touchdown catch, and the Redskins ended up with a wild 37-35 win.

The statistics reflected the wildly shifting momentum of the game. Both teams accumulated over 400 yards, with the Redskins slightly ahead (as with the score) by 459 yards to 431. Washington also led in first downs (25 to 19) while the Raiders led in rushing yards (105 to 98) and sacks (six to five). However, LA also suffered six turnovers, to just one for the Redskins.


Joe Theismann passed for 417 yards as he completed 23 of 39 passes with three TDs and none intercepted. Charlie Brown caught 11 of those passes for 180 yards and a touchdown while Joe Washington (pictured above), seeing a great deal of action in the second half as the preferred running back in passing situations, grabbed 5 passes for 99 yards and the two TDs. John Riggins gained 91 yards rushing on 26 attempts with a score.

For the Raiders, after the shaky start Jim Plunkett ended up completing 16 of 29 passes for 372 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions. Calvin Muhammad caught 5 passes for 112 yards and two TDs while Todd Christensen added 70 more yards on his 5 catches. Cliff Branch gained 99 yards on his one long reception of the day. In place of Marcus Allen, RB Frank Hawkins led the team on the ground with 64 yards on 15 carries.

Afterward, Washington guard Mark May said “I wouldn’t be surprised if we met them again in January.” He proved to be a good prophet. The Redskins lost just one more game the rest of the way as they finished atop the NFC East with a 14-2 record. While they were at it, they set a new league team scoring record with 541 points (since broken). The Raiders topped the AFC West with a 12-4 tally. Both clubs won their respective conference championships and met in Super Bowl XVIII where the Raiders got the last laugh with a stunning 38-9 upset victory (Marcus Allen’s presence was very much in evidence, as he gained 191 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns).


Joe Theismann ranked second in the NFL in passing (97.0 rating) and touchdown passes (29, tied with Danny White of the Cowboys) while throwing for 3714 yards. He received All-Pro honors and was selected to the Pro Bowl, along with Charlie Brown (pictured at left), who caught 78 passes for 1225 yards and 8 TDs.

John Riggins set a new record for touchdowns (24) while rushing for 1347 yards on 375 carries. Mark Moseley scored 161 points (at the time, the record for scoring by placekicking alone) while hitting on 33 of 47 field goal attempts.

Todd Christensen led the NFL in pass receptions with 92 while accumulating 1247 yards and 12 touchdowns. Jim Plunkett, in an up-and-down season, lost his starting job to Marc Wilson, regained it, and finished with 2935 yards, 20 TDs, and 18 interceptions; he was also sacked 42 times and was second in the league in yards lost due to sacks (363), but in the end was a championship quarterback for the second time.

2005: Two Late Brunell to Moss TD Passes Pull Redskins Past Cowboys

The rivalry between the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys has produced numerous close contests and exciting finishes over the years. Such was the case when the two teams met at Texas Stadium in a Monday night game on September 19, 2005.

The Redskins had lost 14 of the previous 15 meetings with the Cowboys dating back to 1997. Hall of Fame Head Coach Joe Gibbs returned to the club in ’04 after an absence of twelve years amid high hopes of reversing the current dry spell, but Washington finished with a 6-10 record. Veteran QB Mark Brunell (pictured at right), obtained after spending nine years in Jacksonville, had labored through a difficult season and split time with third-year QB Patrick Ramsey. He was back for another year, and there was a newcomer at the head of the receiving corps in WR Santana Moss, obtained from the New York Jets for WR Laveranues Coles. They won their opening game against the Bears with Brunell playing well in relief of an injured Ramsey, who had started.

Dallas had also gone 6-10 in 2004 after reaching the postseason in ’03 in the first year under Head Coach Bill Parcells. The Cowboys had made acquisitions designed to improve a leaky defense in 2005, and also brought in an experienced veteran quarterback in 33-year-old Drew Bledsoe. They, too, had won their ’05 opener, beating San Diego with a late score and solid defensive play.

There were 65,207 fans on hand (the largest Cowboys home crowd in ten years) for the home-opening game that also featured the induction to the club’s Ring of Honor of three stalwarts of the 1990’s championship teams, QB Troy Aikman, RB Emmitt Smith, and WR Michael Irvin.

The Cowboys started off with a long 13-play drive that ended in a missed 41-yard field goal attempt by Jose Cortez. Early in the second quarter, Cortez made up for it by connecting on a 33-yard attempt. But by and large neither team could move the ball and the score stood at 3-0 at halftime.

Bledsoe connected with WR Terry Glenn for a 70-yard touchdown early in the third quarter to give the Cowboys a 10-0 lead, and when Cortez extended the margin to 13-0 nine minutes into the fourth period it seemed as though Dallas had the game safely in hand. Washington’s possessions had ended in seven punts and two turnovers and their closest penetration had been to the Dallas 28 yard line. Moreover, the Redskins had lost 25 consecutive games when behind after three quarters.

However, on the possession following the second Dallas field goal, the Redskins’ offense came alive. They drove 76 yards in 10 plays, highlighted by Brunell scrambling for 25 yards and then completing a fourth-and-two pass to WR James Thrash for 20 more. The possession ended with a 39-yard TD pass to Moss.

The Cowboys needed to run the clock down, and seemed bound to do that when Bledsoe completed a 17-yard pass to WR Keyshawn Johnson to the Washington 37. However, a holding penalty on OT Flozell Adams negated the play and, instead of first-and-ten in scoring position, Dallas faced third-and-18 back at its own 36. Bledsoe was able to regain only 13 yards on a pass to TE Jason Witten and the Cowboys were forced to punt.

The resulting kick by Mat McBriar went into the Redskins end zone for a touchback. With 2:52 remaining on the clock, Brunell completed a 10-yard pass to RB Clinton Portis. His next pass was deep for Moss and resulted in a 70-yard touchdown. With the successful extra point, the Redskins were suddenly clinging to a one-point lead.

That lead appeared tenuous when RB Tyson Thompson returned the ensuing kickoff 49 yards to the Washington 48. But the Cowboys couldn’t get a first down and when Glenn was stopped short on a fourth-and-four play, they were forced to turn the ball over on downs with under two minutes remaining. Dallas was able to get the ball back once more with 36 seconds left, but time ran out with Glenn tackled on the Redskins 43 after taking a lateral from RB Julius Jones, who had caught Bledsoe’s final pass of the game. Washington came away with a stunning 14-13 win.

Joe Gibbs was dumped with ice-water by his team on the sideline and pronounced the win “one of the greatest moments in sports for me.”

However, a frustrated Bill Parcells said afterward, “You’ve got to learn to close the show. We didn’t do that.” It was the first time that a Parcells-coached team had lost a game in which it led by 13 points in the fourth quarter, going back through 77 such instances.

The statistics reflected the closeness of the final score. Dallas outgained the Redskins by 351 yards to 346 and had the edge in net passing yards (261 to 242). Washington outrushed the Cowboys with 104 yards on 25 attempts to 90 yards on 29 carries. The Redskins gave up the only two turnovers and were penalized 12 times while Dallas drew 7 flags.


Mark Brunell went to the air 34 times with 20 completions for 291 yards, including the two late touchdowns; he was intercepted once. Santana Moss (pictured at left) caught 5 passes for 159 yards and both of the scores. Clinton Portis was Washington’s leading rusher with 52 yards on 17 carries.

Drew Bledsoe completed 21 of 36 passes for 261 yards and a TD with none picked off. Terry Glenn had 6 pass receptions for 157 yards and the one long touchdown. Julius Jones gained 81 yards on 22 carries.

The Redskins went on to sweep the season series with Dallas for the first time in ten years, and the games had a decisive effect on the final standings. Washington finished second in the NFC East with a 10-6 record and qualified for a wild card spot in the postseason, defeating Tampa Bay in the first round before falling to Seattle in the Divisional playoff. Dallas came in third in the division at 9-7 and failed to make the playoffs.

Mark Brunell, who had just turned 35 two days before the game at Dallas, had a comeback season in which he completed 57.7 percent of his passes for 3050 yards with a career-high 23 touchdown passes against just 10 interceptions. Santana Moss caught 84 passes for 1483 yards (17.7 average) including 9 touchdowns and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

1972: Plays by Special Teams Key Redskins Win Over Vikings

Among the notable achievements of George Allen’s football coaching career, he was an innovator in the development of special teams play and had been the first to hire an assistant coach specifically to handle special teams (Dick Vermeil, who would go on to have a prominent coaching career of his own, in 1969 while with the Rams). On September 18, 1972 special teams play led the way to an opening game win for the Allen-coached Washington Redskins against the Minnesota Vikings.

Allen had come to Washington in 1971 after being fired a second time by Rams owner Daniel Reeves (the first time a revolt by the players led to his rehiring). Despite a 49-17-4 record and two playoff appearances over five years, Allen’s intensity and penchant for total control of the organization led to friction with the Rams owner. Allen was hired by the Redskins, who had posted winning records only four times since last appearing in the postseason following the 1945 season. With his attention to detail, motivational skills, and win-now approach exemplified by committing to veteran players who came to be known as the “Over-the-Hill Gang”, Allen guided Washington to a 9-4-1 record and wild card playoff spot in ’71.

The Redskins faced a significant challenge in taking on the Vikings at Metropolitan Stadium in a Monday Night Football contest. Under Head Coach Bud Grant, Minnesota had won the NFC Central for the second consecutive year in ’71 (fourth straight counting the pre-merger 1968 and ’69 seasons) and now had QB Fran Tarkenton back on the team after a five-year hiatus with the Giants. The defense was already well established as one of the league’s best, and it was anticipated that upgrading the offense could only make the Vikings an even more formidable contender.

Washington won, 24-21, and to be sure their ground-oriented offense played a big part by gaining 146 yards. RB Larry Brown (105 yards on 21 carries) and FB Charley Harraway (42 yards on 9 attempts) each scored a fourth quarter touchdown to seal the victory. However, Minnesota outgained the Redskins, 382 yards to 203, had more first downs (26 to 11), and sacked QB Billy Kilmer four times while Washington’s defense failed to get to Tarkenton at all. Indeed, Kilmer completed just 7 of 17 passes for 57 yards with an interception while WR Roy Jefferson led the club’s receivers with 4 catches for 38 yards.

By comparison, Tarkenton completed 18 of 31 passes for 233 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions; he connected with WR John Gilliam on an 11-yard TD pass that put the Vikings ahead in the third quarter, and threw a four-yard touchdown pass to FB Bill Brown late in the game that pulled Minnesota to within three points. WR Gene Washington gained 70 yards on three receptions, Gilliam pulled in four passes for 53 yards and the TD, and Brown caught 5 passes for 47 yards and a score.

The Vikings also did well rushing, with 182 total yards on 43 attempts. FB Oscar Reed led the team with 68 yards on 12 carries, Clint Jones added 66 yards on 21 rushes that included a TD, and the mobile Tarkenton ran three times for 35 yards.

What made the crucial difference for the Redskins were key plays by the special teams. Less than three minutes into the game, Bill Malinchak (pictured at top), a marginal seven-year backup wide receiver who had only been activated from the taxi squad a few days earlier, blocked a Minnesota punt and returned it 16 yards for a touchdown and early 7-0 lead for Washington.

With eight seconds left in the second quarter, DB Ted Vactor blocked a 44-yard field goal attempt by the Vikings’ Fred Cox. Then in the fourth quarter, it was Malinchak making another big play when he recovered a fumble on a kickoff return by Clint Jones at the Minnesota 18 yard line to set up a nine-yard touchdown run by Harraway that proved to be the game-clinching score (Brown had just capped a 58-yard drive with a three-yard TD run to give the Redskins the lead).

It was no accident that Malinchak had been playing on special teams against the Vikings; when asked afterward why he had been reactivated for the game, Coach Allen said “because he’s a good special teams man.”

Minnesota’s Grant was well aware afterward of how the special teams plays had affected the game when he summed up that “giving up two fumbles, a blocked punt, a missed field goal, a blocked field goal – the accumulation of that was too much to overcome.”

It was the beginning of a big year for Washington’s “Over the Hill Gang”. They posted an 11-3 record to win the NFC East and advanced to the Super Bowl, although they lost to the undefeated Miami Dolphins. Minnesota had a disappointing 7-7 tally, finishing third in the NFC Central.


Larry Brown (pictured at left) led the NFC in rushing with 1216 yards in an MVP season (Associated Press, NEA, Bert Bell Trophy) in which he also was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fourth consecutive year. He was second in the league in all-purpose yards (1689). Bill Kilmer may not have thrown the prettiest passes, but he operated well enough in Allen’s conservative offense to lead the league in passing (84.8 rating), touchdown tosses (19, tied with Joe Namath of the Jets), and TD percentage (8.4).

Fran Tarkenton performed well even though the Vikings offense as a whole didn’t, ranking second in the NFL in pass attempts (378) and completions (215) and third in passing yards (2651) and passer rating (80.2). He tossed 18 touchdown passes (just behind Kilmer) against 13 interceptions. However, the running game was beset by injuries and the vaunted defense suffered something of a letdown as Minnesota lost five games by a field goal or less.

Bill Malinchak managed to play ten seasons in the NFL, six with Washington, and it was his ability to make plays on special teams that kept him around for so long.

1994: Brian Mitchell’s 225 Yards in Kick Returns Help Redskins Down Saints

Over the course of his 14-year NFL career, RB Brian Mitchell established himself as the most productive kick returner in pro football history. One game that showcased his abilities was on September 11, 1994 as the Washington Redskins faced the New Orleans Saints at the Louisiana Superdome.

The Redskins, just three years after a Super Bowl triumph, had fallen on hard times since the departure of Head Coach Joe Gibbs following the 1992 season. The team had dropped to 4-12 in ’93 under Richie Petitbon and, under new Head Coach Norv Turner, lost the season opening game the previous week to Seattle by a 28-7 score.

The Saints, 8-8 the previous year under Head Coach Jim Mora, had also lost their first game. They received the opening kickoff and drove 66 yards in 14 plays capped by a 29-yard Morten Andersen field goal. Mitchell returned the ensuing kickoff 31 yards to launch Washington’s first possession. The Redskins were forced to punt after five plays but got a break when CB Tyrone Legette of the Saints muffed the kick and LB Lamar Hollinquest recovered for Washington at the New Orleans 14 yard line. The Redskins capitalized three plays later when QB John Friesz completed a 14-yard touchdown pass to WR Henry Ellard.

New Orleans didn’t move the ball on its next possession and punted. Mitchell received the kick at his 26 yard line and returned it 74 yards for a TD and the Redskins were up 14-3.

After another brief possession, the Saints punted from the Washington 46. Tommy Barnhardt’s short, 27-yard kick provided no opportunity for another long return as Mitchell called for the fair catch at the 19. A long drive by the Redskins was for naught when they were unable to punch in from the one yard line and turned the ball over on downs. Again the Saints had to punt, this time a 48-yard boot by Barnhardt that Mitchell returned 16 yards.

Neither team was able to move the ball effectively for the remainder of the half, which ended with Andersen coming up short on a 53-yard field goal attempt for the Saints. However, Mitchell got the second half off to a rousing start with an 86-yard kickoff return to the New Orleans 15, where he was caught from behind by CB Tyrone Hughes (a good kick returner in his own right).

The Redskins made good use of the excellent field position as Friesz threw for a one-yard TD pass to RB Cedric Smith and a 21-3 lead. The Saints fought back, driving 74 yards in eight plays capped by a 17-yard touchdown pass from QB Jim Everett to WR Michael Haynes. The attempted two-point conversion failed.

Mitchell returned his third kickoff of the game for 21 yards. During the series that followed, he ran five yards for a first down and Washington went on to score another TD as Friesz again connected with Ellard, this time for 41 yards. After CB Tom Carter intercepted an Everett pass, the Redskins scored once again early in the fourth quarter when Chip Lohmiller booted a 31-yard field goal.

It was the turn of Tyrone Hughes to make a big return when he brought the ensuing kickoff back 43 yards to near midfield. However, while the Saints drove into Washington territory, they fumbled the ball away. Again the Redskins made the most of the break and eight plays later Friesz threw his third scoring pass of the game, this time to WR Desmond Howard for 31 yards and a 38-9 lead.

New Orleans was able to score two touchdowns, on a four-yard pass from Everett to WR Torrance Small (followed by a successful two-point conversion) and three-yard run by FB Brad Muster, but it only served to make the final tally a bit more respectable. Washington came away with a 38-24 win.

Brian Mitchell gained a total of 225 yards on kick returns (three kickoffs for 138 yards and two punts for 87 yards). On offense, he contributed a further 27 yards on seven carries for an overall 252 yards.

Mitchell’s returns, combined with New Orleans turnovers, were a major factor in Washington’s win. The Saints outgained the Redskins, 408 to 343 yards, as Jim Everett passed for 376 yards in trying to come from behind, completing 31 of 46 passes with two touchdowns and an interception. New Orleans wasn’t able to run the ball, gaining just 28 yards on 15 carries. Leading receivers for the Saints were Michael Haynes, with 6 catches for 87 yards and a TD, and WR Quinn Early, who had 5 receptions for 83 yards.

RB Reggie Brooks led the ground game for the Redskins by gaining 92 yards on 32 carries. John Friesz completed 15 of 22 passes for 195 yards, but with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Henry Ellard accounted for two of the scores while catching three passes for 72 yards.

In the end, it was not a particularly noteworthy season for either team. The Redskins won just twice more to finish at 3-13 and last in the NFC East – the club’s worst showing since 1961. New Orleans came in second in the NFC West with a 7-9 tally.

Brian Mitchell was one of the few bright spots for Washington as he led the NFL in all-purpose yards (2477, his career high), punt returning (14.1 avg., also a career high), combined kick returns (90), and combined kick return yardage (a then-NFL record 1930). He scored two touchdowns on punt returns and his 25.5 kickoff return average ranked fifth in the NFC. The league-leading all-purpose yardage total broke down as 1478 on 58 kickoff returns, 452 on 32 punt returns, 311 on 78 rushes, and 236 from 26 pass receptions.

It was an outstanding season, but not unusually so, for the fifth-year pro out of Southwestern Louisiana. Mitchell would end up returning more kickoffs (607) for more yards (14,014) than any other NFL player, averaging 23.1 yards per return and scoring four touchdowns. Likewise as a punt returner, he set lifetime standards for returns (463) and yardage (4999) and was second in TDs (9) while averaging 10.8 yards. Mitchell gained a total of 23,316 all-purpose yards over the course of 14 seasons with three teams, of which 19,013 came on kick returns. His 13 touchdowns on combined returns set yet another league career record. While not the fastest of all kick returners by any means, he returned kicks with a skill and savvy that made him consistently productive.

1999: Saints Trade All Picks to Draft Ricky Williams

The first round of the 1999 NFL draft was held on April 17, and it was eventful. Early speculation had been that RB Ricky Williams, who had won the Heisman Trophy at Texas while accumulating an NCAA Division I-A-record 6279 yards, would be the hottest commodity. But doubts began to arise as draft weekend approached - there were questions about the 6’0”, 225-pound power runner’s conditioning, attitude, dreadlocked appearance, and introverted nature.

In addition, the quarterback class was considered to be a strong one and the first three teams all went for that position. The newly-reconstituted Cleveland Browns, as an expansion team for the ’99 season, had the first pick and took Tim Couch, a 6’5”, 225-pound signal caller from Kentucky. The Philadelphia Eagles, coming off of a 3-13 season and with a new offense-minded head coach in Andy Reid, chose Donovan McNabb from Syracuse. Cincinnati completed the quarterback trifecta by taking Oregon’s Akili Smith.

Choosing fourth in the first round were the Indianapolis Colts, and having just drafted Peyton Manning the year before, their interest was in a running back (they had also just traded veteran Marshall Faulk to the Rams). However, they passed Williams over for Edgerrin James of Miami, who they felt was a better fit for their offense.

The fifth choice belonged to the Washington Redskins (picked up from Carolina thanks to a trade for DE Sean Gilbert the previous year). In a stunning move, the New Orleans Saints traded their entire draft allotment of six picks in 1999 plus their first and third round choices in 2000 to the Redskins in order to draft Williams. It was a controversial deal from the moment it was announced, and spurred debate for years afterward.

The Saints had gone 6-10 in ’98 and, moreover, had the league’s worst running attack. Mike Ditka, going into the third year of his head coaching comeback in New Orleans, viewed Williams as the centerpiece of his conservative offense and had made clear well in advance of the draft that he considered the Texas back worth the price of the club’s entire draft slate. GM Bill Kuharich went ahead with the deal, in spite the misgivings of some in the organization.

Ditka was ecstatic. The day after the draft, he appeared before a group of Saints fans in a Hawaiian shirt and dreadlock wig and shouted, “We are going to win the Super Bowl…We got Ricky, and he’s the final piece of the puzzle. I really believe that.” Ditka and Williams later appeared on the cover of ESPN magazine as a bride and groom, emphasizing the degree to which the coach had gambled his future on the prize running back.

Meanwhile, the Redskins turned around and dealt some of their draft bounty to the Chicago Bears in order to move up to the seventh spot in the first round and select CB Champ Bailey from Georgia. The Bears, trading down in the first round to stockpile picks, took QB Cade McNown of UCLA in the 12th slot (the original draft position of the Saints), just after another quarterback, Daunte Culpepper from Central Florida, was taken by Minnesota in the 11th spot.

Williams signed a comparatively cheap and insentive-laden contract (he made $3.8 million as a rookie, compared with James’ $14.8 million in Indianapolis) and proceeded to have a miserable season. He gained just 884 yards on 253 carries for a paltry 3.5-yard average with two touchdowns as a result of ankle, elbow, and toe injuries. He also alienated teammates and fans alike with his behavior and critical media quotes.

The Saints finished in last place in the NFC West with a 3-13 record, and owner Tom Benson fired Ditka and the rest of the coaching staff, as well as GM Kuharich.

The other teams involved in the deal didn’t fare all that well either. The Redskins ended up trading all but three of the draft picks away, and those three turned out to be LB Nate Stimson in the fourth round of the ’99 draft, LB LaVar Arrington in the first round in 2000, and DB Lloyd Harrison in the third round in 2000. Arrington had a solid career, but Stimson failed to catch on and Harrison bounced from Washington to the Chargers and Dolphins without distinguishing himself over a three-year career.

The deal with the Bears brought the opportunity to draft an outstanding performer in Bailey, but he and Arrington proved to be the only players of value from the dealmaking. The Redskins made the playoffs in 1999 with a 10-6 record, but were mediocre over the course of the ensuing five seasons. GM Charley Casserly was fired following the ’99 campaign, and Head Coach Norv Turner didn’t complete the 2000 season.

McNown was a huge disappointment for the Bears (as was the case with most of the highly-touted 1999 quarterback class), lasting just two mediocre seasons. The other players that Chicago drafted in ‘99 with the Saints picks that had come by way of Washington were WR D’Wayne Bates (third round) and LB Khari Samuel (fifth round). Bates caught a total of 15 passes over three years in Chicago before moving on to Minnesota (he caught 50 passes for 689 yards in 2002, but lasted just one more season). Samuel started one game for the Bears in 1999.

Mark Hatley, the director of player personnel, was fired in 2001 after Chicago, last place finishers in the NFC Central in 1997 and ’98, continued to land at the bottom of the standings in ’99 and 2000.

Washington traded two of the ’99 draft choices to Denver, and the Broncos used them on TE Desmond Clark (sixth round) and WR Billy Miller (seventh round). Ironically, Miller ended up being a reserve with the Saints.

Things did improve for Ricky Williams in New Orleans, where he had back-to-back thousand-yard seasons in 2000 and ’01. However, he never came close to meeting expectations and was dealt to Miami. He led the NFL with 1853 rushing yards in ’02, but drug and behavioral issues hampered his career thereafter.

The all-for-one deal of 1999 proved poisonous to the three teams most significantly involved. Almost all of the general managers and coaches who had been part of the trade and its related transactions were fired within two seasons. The Saints suffered most of all, in particular Ditka (pictured below), although he steadfastly defended the trade long afterward.

1988: Redskins Ride 35-Point 2nd Quarter to Defeat Broncos in Super Bowl XXII

The Super Bowl following the strike-shortened 1987 season featured two teams who regularly reached the postseason in the 80s, the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos.

Washington, under Head Coach Joe Gibbs, was in the playoffs for the fifth time since 1982 and had appeared in two Super Bowls, winning one of them. Jay Schroeder had been the starting quarterback for most of the ’87 season, but had slumped and was replaced late in the campaign by veteran Doug Williams (pictured above). Williams, who had had a solid career with Tampa Bay followed by a stint in the USFL, rose to the occasion as the team won the NFC East with an 11-4 record and got past the Bears and Vikings, respectively, in winning the Divisional and conference title rounds. Behind an outstanding offensive line, the running attack utilized a stable of backs led by George Rogers (613 yards in 11 games) and Kelvin Bryant, the favored receiver out of the backfield (43 receptions). WR Gary Clark had an All-Pro season, catching 56 passes for 1066 yards in 12 games.

The AFC champions were the Denver Broncos, under Head Coach Dan Reeves, who were in the playoffs for the fourth time since 1983 and had lost the previous year’s Super Bowl to the Giants. QB John Elway was selected as NFL MVP by the Associated Press after throwing for 3198 yards and lifting the offense with his impressive overall skills. His receiving corps of wide receivers Vance Johnson, Ricky Nattiel, and Mark Jackson, known as “The Three Amigos”, combined for 99 catches and 1750 yards with 11 touchdowns. The rushing attack was led by RB Sammy Winder (741 yards). Denver easily got past Houston in the Divisional playoff and then won the AFC title contest in a 38-33 battle over Cleveland.

The Broncos were considered the favorites for the Super Bowl XXII matchup on January 31, 1988 before 73,302 fans at San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium. Denver certainly made it look easy on the team’s first play from scrimmage as Elway went long to Nattiel for a 56-yard touchdown. On the next possession, the Broncos again drove to a score on a drive that featured a gadget play in which RB Steve Sewell faked a run and then threw to Elway for a 23-yard gain. However, after having a first down at the Washington 13 yard line, Denver was forced to settle for a 24-yard Rich Karlis field goal.

Late in the first quarter the Broncos once again drove into Redskins territory. On third-and-10 at the 30 yard line, SS Alvin Walton sacked Elway for an 18-yard loss that took Denver out of field goal range and forced a punt. On the ensuing possession, Williams slipped while dropping back to pass and twisted his knee, forcing him to leave the game for the remainder of the series as Schroeder stepped in.

Williams was back under center when the Redskins got the ball back in the second quarter after Denver again had to punt, and while visibly limping led the offense on an unprecedented tear. The Redskins scored touchdowns on each of the next five possessions prior to halftime, four of them on Williams passes. On Washington's first play of the quarter, Williams hit WR Ricky Sanders for an 80-yard TD. Next, it was Williams hitting Clark for a 27-yard score and 14-10 lead. RB Timmy Smith, a backup during the season who had carried the ball only 29 times for 126 yards and was told just prior to game time that he would be starting, took off on a 58-yard touchdown run to make it 21-10. The fourth score came on another Williams to Sanders pass play, this time covering 50 yards. Finally, just a minute before the end of the half, Williams hit TE Clint Didier with an eight-yard throw and the score at the intermission was an astounding 35-10.

As for the Broncos in the second quarter, they punted twice, missed a field goal, and Elway threw two interceptions under heavy pressure. Washington’s domination had been as complete as the score indicated. The second quarter statistics alone showed Williams completing 9 of 11 passes for 228 yards and four TDs and Smith with 122 yards on just five carries.


The second half was an anticlimax. Williams directed the offense with time-consuming precision and Elway was barraged by a relentless pass rush. Washington scored once more in the fourth quarter on a 68-yard drive that was capped by a four-yard TD run by Smith. The final score was 42-10.

Doug Williams was the game’s MVP as he ended up completing 18 of his 29 passes for a then-Super Bowl record 340 yards with the four TDs and a lone interception. In doing so, he became the first African-American quarterback to lead a team to victory in the Super Bowl – a fact that had been endlessly hyped prior to the game and added an extra layer of pressure that he overcame admirably. Timmy Smith (pictured above left) justified the decision by Coach Gibbs to start him in place of the bigger but slower George Rogers as he set a Super Bowl record with 204 yards on 22 carries with two scores. Ricky Sanders (pictured below) caught 9 passes for 193 yards and two TDs.

For the losing Broncos, John Elway completed just 14 of 38 passes for 257 yards and a touchdown against three interceptions. Mark Jackson and Steve Sewell led the club with four pass receptions apiece, with Jackson accumulating the most yards (76). As it was, “The Three Amigos” accounted for only six receptions. Falling behind so quickly, Denver ran the ball 17 times, for 97 yards, with RB Gene Lang gaining the most yards with 38 on five attempts.

Overall, Washington burned the Broncos for 602 total yards (Denver had 327). The Redskins defense sacked Elway five times in addition to intercepting three of his passes.

The Redskins were unable to follow up on their success, going 7-9 in 1988 and tying for third place in the tough NFC East. Williams suffered from injuries and split time with Mark Rypien at quarterback. Timmy Smith gained just 470 yards and, for all intents and purposes, his career was over (he carried once for Dallas in a 1990 game). Denver also missed the playoffs in ’88, finishing in second place in the AFC West with an 8-8 record, but returned to the Super Bowl following the 1989 season – and lost in humiliating fashion once again, to the 49ers.