1945: Packers Score 41 Points in 2nd Quarter Against Lions

The Green Bay Packers, defending NFL champions, won their first game of the 1945 season against the arch-rival Chicago Bears and now faced the Detroit Lions on October 7 at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis. Still under the direction of founding Head Coach Curly Lambeau, Green Bay had coaxed the great end Don Hutson (pictured at right), who had wanted to retire, into coming back for another year.

The Lions, under third-year Head Coach Gus Dorais, had won six straight games, dating back to the ’44 season. An 0-11 doormat as recently as 1942, the Lions had improved under Dorais and gone 6-3-1. They had lost star tailback Frank Sinkwich to military duty (and afterward would lose him to the rival AAFC), thus diminishing the passing attack, but the Lions had compensated by beefing up the running game.

There was a capacity crowd of 23,500 in attendance for the key division matchup. They witnessed a scoreless first quarter. However, late in the period, a short punt by tailback Roy McKay gave the Lions the ball on the Green Bay 29. Tailback Chuck Fenenbock threw a pass to end Jack Matheson that covered 16 yards and followed up with a seven-yard run. Fenenbock started off the second quarter by running the remaining eight yards for a touchdown and 7-0 Lions lead.

For the remainder of the quarter, it was all Green Bay. Following the kickoff, McKay immediately hit Hutson on a 56-yard touchdown pass play. The Packers followed up with a 41-yard TD pass play from tailback Irv Comp to reserve end Clyde Goodnight.

It was McKay-to-Hutson again for a 46-yard touchdown completion and 21-7 Green Bay lead. Shortly thereafter, an interception by back Ben Starret set up another Hutson touchdown, this on a 17-yard pass from McKay. However, Hutson’s extra point attempt (he also typically handled the team’s placekicking) was blocked by the Lions.

Still, the onslaught continued as FB/LB Ted Fritsch intercepted a pass by Detroit tailback Cotton Price and returned it 69 yards for a touchdown. Before the half, Hutson scored his fourth touchdown of the second quarter on a six-yard pass from McKay. Green Bay led at the intermission by a score of 41-7, made all the more remarkable because all 41 points had been scored in one quarter.

Hutson accounted for a total of 29 of those points with five extra points in addition to the four touchdowns.

The second half was anticlimactic. The Packers got a safety in the third quarter when Goodnight tackled halfback Dave Ryan in the end zone on a punt return. However, Ryan connected with end John Greene on a 62-yard touchdown pass play late in the fourth quarter. The final score was 57-21.

Remarkably, the Lions had 15 first downs to Green Bay’s 7 and outgained the Packers on the ground, 137 yards to 53. They even had a slight edge in passing yards, 244 to 242. However, Detroit also turned the ball over six times, to just once for the Packers. And, of course, Green Bay’s second quarter bombardment easily determined the outcome. The 41 points remain the record for a single team in one NFL quarter.

The offensive stars for the Packers were Hutson, with six catches for 144 yards and four touchdowns, and Roy McKay, who completed 6 of 14 passes for 151 yards with the four TDs and none intercepted. Hutson also added two more extra points to give him a single-game point total of 31.

The strong start did not translate into season-long success for the Packers, who were swept by the eventual-champion Cleveland Rams in both of their meetings and ended up at 6-4 and in third place in the Western Division. The Lions, who beat the Packers when the clubs met again at the end of the year, came in second at 7-3.

In his final season, Don Hutson led the NFL in pass receptions (47) and was second in receiving yards (834), touchdown receptions (9), total touchdowns (10, tied with Frank Liebel of the Giants), and scoring (97 points). He retired as the all-time career leader in pass receptions (488 – the runner-up at the time had 298), receiving yards (7991), touchdown receptions (99 – which stood until 1989), total touchdowns (105), and scoring (823 points).

Roy McKay, typically splitting the tailback duties with Irv Comp, threw just one more touchdown pass the rest of the way (Comp threw 7) and had a total of 520 passing yards.

2003: Colts Rally From 21 Points Down in 4th Quarter to Beat Bucs in OT

The defending NFL champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers had started out the 2003 season at 2-1 and were coming off of the bye week as they faced the Indianapolis Colts in a Monday Night Football matchup on October 6. Under Head Coach Jon Gruden, the Bucs had finally made it to the Super Bowl after reaching the postseason in four of the previous five seasons, falling short each time.

The head coach who had built the Buccaneers into a contender after years of futility was Tony Dungy, fired after the 2001 season for his playoff failures and now returning to Tampa for the first time as coach of the Colts. Indianapolis had reached the postseason with a 10-6 record in 2002 and was undefeated after four games in ’03. However, they would be without the services of star RB Edgerrin James for a second week due to a back injury.

Dungy received a polite reception from the 65,647 fans at Raymond James Stadium. For most of the game, it appeared that the former coach’s homecoming would not be a pleasant one.

Tampa Bay scored on its second possession when QB Brad Johnson connected with WR Keenan McCardell on a 74-yard touchdown pass play. Then, later in the first quarter, the Bucs got a huge break. After a badly thrown pass by Johnson was intercepted by safety Mike Doss, Doss returned it 16 yards but fumbled; McCardell picked up the loose ball and ran 57 yards for a TD and 14-0 lead.

It was 21-0 in favor of Tampa Bay at halftime as WR Reggie Barlow scored on a three-yard pass from Johnson. The Buccaneer defense had been the team’s strength, and with the Colts offense stifled and the Bucs up by three touchdowns, there was plenty of reason for the home fans to feel optimistic.

Early in the third quarter, the Colts finally got on the board as QB Peyton Manning (pictured above) hit WR Marvin Harrison on a touchdown pass play that covered 37 yards. However, the Buccaneers methodically drove 85 yards in 12 plays that culminated in a 15-yard Johnson-to-McCardell touchdown pass and Tampa Bay again had a three touchdown lead at 28-7 after three quarters.

Indianapolis scored again early in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run by RB Ricky Williams to cap an eight-play possession. The Bucs were then forced to punt, but it seemed as though any hopes for a comeback by the Colts were snuffed out when CB Rhonde Barber intercepted a pass by Manning and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown. With 5:09 remaining on the clock, the 35-14 lead appeared impregnable.

However, WR Brad Pyatt returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards to set up a three-yard touchdown run by RB James Mungro. Now with the time remaining down to 3:37, DB Idrees Bashir recovered an onside kick and, six plays later on a fourth-and-six play, Manning tossed a 28-yard TD pass to Harrison.

The Tampa Bay margin had now been cut to 35-28 with 2:29 to play and the Colts again attempted an onside kick. This one was recovered by RB Aaron Stecker of the Buccaneers, but the Colts defense forced the Bucs to punt and took over on their 15 yard line with 1:41 now left on the clock.

A Manning completion had yardage tacked on after the quarterback was roughed by Tampa Bay DT Warren Sapp. From the Indianapolis 42, Manning connected with Harrison on a 52-yard pass play down to the Buccaneer six yard line. Shortly thereafter Williams scored on a one-yard run and, with 35 seconds remaining in regulation, the score was tied at 35-35.

The Buccaneers tried to score in the time remaining, but Martin Gramatica’s 62-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the fourth quarter failed when it was tipped at the line of scrimmage.

The Bucs had the first possession in overtime but had to punt. Taking over on their own 13, the Colts moved downfield with Manning connecting on third down passes of eight yards to Harrison, 16 yards to WR Reggie Wayne, and 9 yards to WR Troy Walters. With less than four minutes remaining in OT, it appeared that the Buccaneers had avoided defeat when Mike Vanderjagt’s 39-yard field goal attempt missed wide to the right. However, Tampa Bay DE Simeon Rice was penalized for leaping onto a teammate to attempt to block the kick and, with a second chance from 29 yards, Vanderjagt was successful and the Colts had capped their astounding comeback with a 38-35 win.

No team in NFL history had ever come from three touchdowns behind so late in the game to come out on top.

Peyton Manning completed 34 of 47 passes for 386 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Marvin Harrison caught 11 passes for 176 yards and two TDs. The Colts, without Edgerrin James, only ran for 74 yards and Ricky Williams was the leading ground gainer with 56 yards on 13 carries with two scores.


For Tampa Bay, Brad Johnson was successful on 26 of 39 passes for 318 yards with three touchdowns and one picked off. While TE Ken Dilger caught 6 passes for 63 yards, Keenan McCardell (pictured at left) was the most productive receiver with 106 yards on four receptions and two touchdowns. RB Michael Pittman gained 106 yards rushing on 16 carries.

Afterward, Coach Gruden said “A lot of those plays, I tip my hat to Manning. He made some miraculous throws, and they made some incredible catches.”

Indianapolis was knocked from the ranks of the undefeated the next week by Carolina but still went on to win the AFC South with a 12-4 record. The Colts made it to the AFC Championship game before losing to the New England Patriots. The Buccaneers, however, moved in a different direction. While they recovered to win at Washington in their next game, they ended up going 4-7 therafter for a disappointing 7-9 tally that placed them third in the NFC South and well out of playoff contention.

Peyton Manning led the NFL in pass completions (379), yards (4267), and completion percentage (67.0) and ranked second in passing (99.0 rating), pass attempts (566), and TD passes (29). He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time and was a consensus first-team All Pro selection for the first time in his illustrious career and also received MVP honors (Associated Press, NEA, Bert Bell Trophy).

Marvin Harrison (pictured below), at age 31 and after four consecutive 100-catch seasons, dropped off to 94 receptions for 1272 yards with 10 touchdowns – still respectable numbers for sure. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the fifth consecutive year, of an eventual eight straight.

Keenan McCardell remained a bright spot for Tampa Bay, putting together a Pro Bowl season at age 33 with 84 catches for 1174 yards (14.0 avg.) with eight TDs.

1975: Goal-Line Stand Preserves Bengals Win Over Oilers & “White Shoes” Johnson

The matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Oilers on October 5, 1975 at the Astrodome promised to be a good one. Both AFC Central teams had won their first two games heading into the Week 3 contest. Cincinnati, under 67-year-old founding Head Coach Paul Brown, was coming off of a disappointing 7-7 season in ’74 after having won the AFC Central with a 10-4 mark in 1973. QB Ken Anderson (pictured at right), a precision passer who led the NFL in that category in ’74, was off to another fine start.

Meanwhile, the Oilers were on the rise under a new head coach, Bum Phillips. After back-to-back 1-13 records in 1972 and ’73, they had risen to 7-7 under the guidance of Sid Gillman, who chose to turn over the head coaching duties to Phillips, a veteran assistant coach who had most recently been Houston’s defensive coordinator; later he also inherited Gillman’s position as general manager.

The first quarter was scoreless. Cincinnati finally got on the board in the second quarter when Anderson tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to RB Lenvil Elliott. However, Houston WR Billy “White Shoes” Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 64 yards and RB Fred Willis (a former Bengal) capped the possession with a dive into the end zone from a yard out to tie the score.

Johnson struck again before the half when he returned a 53-yard punt by David Green for 30 yards to set up a 37-yard field goal by Skip Butler that gave Houston a 10-7 halftime lead.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati missed opportunities to score further in the first half as Anderson tossed an interception and FB Boobie Clark fumbled the ball away on the Houston 19 yard line.

There was just one score in the third quarter, but it was once again a big play by Houston’s Johnson as he returned a punt for a 63-yard touchdown. The Oilers were up 17-7 thanks to the heroics of the 5’9”, 170-pound wide receiver/kick returner from Widener who had set up both first half scores and directly produced the third.

However, Houston turnovers set up two fourth quarter touchdowns by the Bengals. First, CB Ken Riley recovered a fumble deep in his own territory and returned it 43 yards. Six plays later, RB Stan Fritts caught a pass from Anderson for a 17-yard touchdown that narrowed the Oilers’ margin to three points. Then, LB Al Beauchamp recovered a fumble at the Houston 41 on the Oilers’ next possession. Anderson tossed another TD pass, of six yards to WR Isaac Curtis, seven plays later. With less than nine minutes remaining to play, the Bengals were now ahead by 21-17.


The lead hardly appeared to be safe when the Oilers, thanks to a long pass interference penalty, found themselves with a first-and-goal situation at the Cincinnati one yard line. In the key defensive stand of the game, the Oilers attempted four straight runs into the center of the line and came up empty. Bengals MLB Jim LeClair (pictured at right) made two of the tackles on his own in the goal-line stand, and assisted on the other two. With 5:18 remaining in the game, Cincinnati took over on downs.

On the first play after the change of possession, Anderson was tackled in the end zone for a safety that narrowed the Bengals’ lead to two points. But later Riley intercepted a pass to thwart Houston’s last effort, and Cincinnati escaped with a 21-19 win.

Ken Anderson said afterward, “The only thing we didn’t want to do was panic. We were only down by 10 and you can come back from that.” The Bengals led in total yards (262 to 176) and first downs (18 to 13). They lost 107 yards on seven penalties and Anderson was sacked seven times for a loss of 34 more, but the Oilers suffered five critical turnovers.

Anderson completed 19 of 28 passes for 210 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Neither club ran the ball effectively, and of Cincinnati’s 86 yards on 37 carries (2.3-yard average), Boobie Clark contributed the most with 29 yards on 13 attempts; he also caught the most passes with 5, for another 29 yards. Stan Fritts added 28 yards on 8 carries and Lenvil Elliott 27 yards on 6 rushes. Elliott also had the most receiving yards, with 49 on three catches that included a TD.

The biggest contributor for the Oilers had been Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, who had 263 yards in kick returns for the day (136 on four kickoffs and 127 on six punts); he added another 19 yards on two pass receptions. QB Dan Pastorini was successful on 11 of 23 passes for 93 yards with two of them intercepted. Rookie FB Don “Jaws” Hardeman ran for a team-leading 33 of Houston’s 83 rushing yards, on 16 carries. WR Ken Burrough led the receivers with four catches for 47 yards.

In the highly competitive AFC Central, Cincinnati went on to win its first six games and finished with an 11-3 record, second to the 12-2 Steelers and good enough for a wild card spot in the playoffs. In Paul Brown’s last game as a head coach, they lost a close Divisional playoff contest to Oakland. Houston recovered to win its next four games and came in third with a very respectable 10-4 tally, the club’s best since 1962.

Ken Anderson again led the NFL in passing with a 93.9 rating and also topped the league with 3169 yards and 8.4 yards-per-pass attempt. His 60.5 completion percentage ranked second, as did his low 2.9 percentage of interceptions.

As this game exemplified, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson (pictured below) in his second year had established himself as one of the most exciting players in the league. He ranked fourth in the league with his 1820 all-purpose yards and was the top punt returner with a 15.3-yard average on 40 returns, which included three touchdowns.

1964: Tarkenton’s Heroics Lead Vikings to First-Ever Win Over Packers

The Minnesota Vikings had endured the typical growing pains of an NFL expansion team in the first three years of existence (1961-63). Under Head Coach Norm Van Brocklin, there was reason for optimism entering the 1964 season that the pieces were coming together. They had gone 5-8-1 in ’63 and nearly upset the Bears and Colts – two of the most powerful teams in the Western Conference – along the way (they fought the eventual-champion Bears to a late-season tie).

24-year-old QB Fran Tarkenton had grown along with the team and, while his propensity for scrambling away from the pocket grated on Van Brocklin, it made him one of the most exciting quarterbacks in the league as well as one of the most promising. The running back tandem of HB Tommy Mason and FB Bill Brown was a good one, and split end Paul Flatley was coming off of an outstanding rookie season. The offensive line was anchored by C Mick Tingelhoff and OT Grady Alderman. The defense contained some good players, including DE Jim Marshall, DT Paul Dickson, and linebackers Bill Jobko and Rip Hawkins, and they were being joined by first draft choice DE Carl Eller.

The Vikings beat Baltimore in the opening game but were coming off losses to the Bears and Rams as they prepared to take on the Green Bay Packers at City Stadium on October 4, a club they had never beaten in six tries.

After winning the Western Conference title three straight years, including NFL Championships in 1961 and ’62, Head Coach Vince Lombardi’s team had barely lost out to the Bears in 1963. They were 2-1 and the only loss had come by one point against the Colts. However, the Packers were missing star FB Jim Taylor due to a shoulder injury; Tom Moore, normally a halfback, took his place in the lineup. Also out were two more future Hall of Famers, CB Herb Adderley and DT Henry Jordan.

Tarkenton utilized his scrambling ability throughout the game to keep the Packers defense off balance and complete key passes. In their second possession, the Vikings covered 67 yards in 10 plays, highlighted by passes of 25 and 32 yards to end Tom Hall. Bill Brown went straight ahead for a TD on the first play of the second quarter to give Minnesota the early lead.

The Packers bounced back as QB Bart Starr connected with flanker Boyd Dowler on a 50-yard pass play for a TD that featured Dowler leaping high and bouncing off of two Vikings defenders. However, the extra point attempt by Paul Hornung was blocked by Rip Hawkins.

Minnesota responded with a 14-play, 78-yard drive that again ended with a short carry by Brown for the touchdown. Tarkenton set up the score with a 12-yard run. Green Bay again came back to score, with Hornung diving in for a TD and successfully converting the PAT attempt with 43 seconds left in the half. The Vikings led 14-13 at halftime.

Green Bay got a break on the first play from scrimmage of the third quarter when Brown fumbled and safety Willie Wood recovered at the Minnesota 32. The Packers took advantage as Starr hit Dowler for a second TD pass completion, this time covering 32 yards. Hornung’s point after was good and Green Bay was ahead for the first time, 20-14.

The Vikings were subsequently able to keep the Packers pinned deep in their own territory thanks to good punts. Later in the third quarter, Hornung fumbled at the end of a nine-yard run on the Green Bay 19 and Bill Jobko recovered for the Vikings. Five plays later, from the six yard line, Tarkenton scrambled all the way back to the 20 before connecting with Hall for a touchdown.

In the fourth quarter and down by a point, Starr directed the Green Bay offense on a drive that finally stalled at the Minnesota 10. Hornung booted a 20-yard field goal with 4:52 left to play and the Packers were once again in the lead at 23-21.

Green Bay appeared to have the win sewn up when the Vikings, in the ensuing possession, faced a fourth-and-22 situation at their own 36 yard line with under a minute remaining on the clock. At that point, the biggest play of the game occurred when Tarkenton, seeing no receivers open, scrambled for time and barely eluded the grasp of DE Willie Davis to complete a 43-yard pass to TE Gordon Smith down to the Green Bay 21. Shortly thereafter, Fred Cox kicked a 27-yard field goal and the Vikings were the winners by a score of 24-23.

The statistics reflected the closely-fought nature of the game. Minnesota had slight edges in total yards (332 to 325), rushing yards (179 to 128), and first downs (21 to 17). Each team surrendered three sacks and turned the ball over once.

Fran Tarkenton completed 11 of 16 passes for 177 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions; he also ran for 49 yards on six carries. Tom Hall led the receivers with 6 catches for 97 yards and a TD. Bill Brown (pictured below) was the top runner with 67 yards on 24 carries and the two short touchdowns while HB Tom Michel, playing in place of the injured Tommy Mason, added another 55 yards on 16 attempts.


For Green Bay, Bart Starr was successful on 11 of 21 passes for 216 yards and two TDs against no interceptions. Boyd Dowler grabbed 6 passes for 128 yards and two scores. Tom Moore, in place of Jim Taylor, gained 68 yards on 12 carries and Paul Hornung was right behind at 60 yards, also on 12 attempts, with a touchdown but also the one costly fumble.

It was the second one-point loss of the season for the Packers, and in both instances a missed extra point attempt by Hornung had made the difference in the final score. Hornung had missed the 1963 season due to a suspension by the commissioner for gambling, and while he was still a capable halfback, his kicking woes were a nagging issue throughout the year – he didn’t miss any further extra points, but he was good on only 12 of 38 field goal attempts.

However, on this day, as the Vikings defeated the Packers for the first time, the bigger story was Tarkenton’s performance. Vince Lombardi expressed admiration for the young quarterback, talking about “fantastic catches on passes other quarterbacks wouldn’t even throw…That Tarkenton is a tough little guy.” Willie Davis added, “You think you have him and he just gets away.”

His own coach, Van Brocklin, said, “We try to keep him in the pocket, but his ability to get away sure is a plus for him.” On this day, The Dutchman could not complain.

The Packers turned the tables on the Vikings four weeks later in Minnesota by a convincing 42-13 margin. But overall, both teams ended up tied for second place in the Western Conference with 8-5-1 records. For Green Bay, it was a disappointing season, but for the Vikings it was the first winning record in franchise history and a sign of progress (a fleeting sign, however, as they dropped to 7-7 in ’65 and didn’t post another tally over .500 until 1968, in Bud Grant’s second year as head coach).

For the year, Fran Tarkenton ranked second in the league in yards per attempt (8.2), completion percentage (55.9), and percentage of touchdown passes (7.2), third in passing (91.8 rating) and TD passes (22), and fourth with 2506 passing yards.

1993: Eric Allen’s 94-Yard INT Return Caps Eagles Win Over Jets

The Philadelphia Eagles had gotten off to a good start in 1993, winning their first three games under Head Coach Rich Kotite. 30-year-old QB Randall Cunningham, in his second year back from a devastating knee injury that had cost him virtually the entire ’91 season, was in good form and coming off a 360-yard passing performance in a 34-31 victory over Washington. Wide receivers Fred Barnett and Calvin Williams were productive and while the defense had lost stalwart Reggie White to free agency, there was still plenty of talent remaining.

In Week 4, the Eagles traveled to the New Jersey Meadowlands to face the New York Jets on October 3 at Giants Stadium. The Jets, coached by Bruce Coslet, had a new quarterback in veteran Boomer Esiason (pictured below right), who was prospering in fresh surroundings while tossing passes to WR Rob Moore and TE Johnny Mitchell as the club got off to a 2-1 start.

The Jets scored on each of their first two possessions, with an opening 11-play, 78-yard drive that resulted in a seven-yard touchdown pass from Esiason to TE James Thornton. New York CB James Hasty then recovered a fumble by Barnett that he returned 30 yards to set up a 14-yard Esiason TD pass to Mitchell.


The score remained at 14-0 as the Eagles did nothing on their next two possessions. After veteran safety Ronnie Lott picked off a Cunningham pass early in the second quarter, it took just four plays to put New York up by a 21-0 margin as Esiason tossed another touchdown pass to Mitchell, this one covering 12-yards.

The Eagles offense came alive on the next series, moving 78 yards in eight plays that included runs of 9 and 10 yards by RB Herschel Walker and passes of 12 yards to RB James Joseph and 21 yards to Barnett. Walker finished the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run.

However, the series had been costly for the Eagles as Barnett suffered a torn knee ligament when tackled by Jets CB Eric Thomas and safety Brian Washington at the conclusion of his 21-yard reception - while he was able to walk off the field, he was in fact finished for the season. An even more devastating loss occurred on the next possession when Cunningham suffered a broken leg, also season-ending.

Backup QB Bubby Brister, who had played seven years with Pittsburgh before being released prior to training camp and signed by the Eagles, concluded the drive by tossing a 10-yard TD pass to TE Mark Bavaro with just seconds remaining in the half. The Jets lead was down to a touchdown at 21-14 as the teams left the field at halftime.

After Philadelphia went three-and-out to start the second half, Esiason immediately passed to Mitchell who gathered the ball in at midfield and eluded tacklers on the way to a 65-yard touchdown. However, the Eagles got a break later in the third quarter when Jets RB Johnny Johnson fumbled and LB William Thomas recovered at the New York 17 yard line. Three plays later Brister threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Williams and the Jets’ lead was cut to 28-21.

After New York punted, the Eagles put together a long, 87-yard drive in 13 plays that culminated early in the fourth quarter with a one-yard touchdown run by RB Vaughn Hebron. With the successful PAT, the score was now tied at 28-28.

The Jets struck back quickly. On their first play following the kickoff, Esiason fired a pass to WR Chris Burkett for a 60-yard gain to the Philadelphia 20. However, safety Rich Miano intercepted a pass two plays later to seemingly end the scoring threat. But Brister, fading back to the goal line, threw the ball away under heavy pressure and was called for intentional gounding in the end zone, which resulted in a safety. The Jets had regained the lead at 30-28.

RB Adrian Murrell returned the ensuing free kick to the 50 yard line, and it appeared that the Jets would drive to another score with the help of a roughing the passer penalty that moved the ball deep into Eagles territory at the 21. But two plays later Esiason’s pass intended for Burkett was intercepted by CB Eric Allen (pictured at top) at the six yard line. With a spectacular return, Allen went 94 yards for the touchdown that proved to be the game-winner. The Eagles came away with a 35-30 victory.

The win had been a costly one for Philadelphia – in addition to Cunningham and Barnett, special teams standout WR Jeff Sydner also went down with a season-ending injury.


The Jets outgained the Eagles with 412 yards to 303. Boomer Esiason passed for 297 yards while completing 19 of 33 passes and had four TDs along with two interceptions. Johnny Mitchell (pictured at left) had an outstanding day with 7 catches for 146 yards and three touchdowns, and Chris Burkett contributed four receptions for 103 yards. Johnny Johnson led the running attack with 36 yards on 9 carries, closely followed by RB Blair Thomas with 7 rushes for 33 yards and FB Brad Baxter, who gained 29 yards on 9 attempts.

Bubby Brister had a solid outing in relief, completing 11 of 17 passes for 108 yards with two TDs and no interceptions; Randall Cunningham was 10 for 13 with 89 yards and had one picked off before his injury. WR Victor Bailey had the most pass receptions for the Eagles, with 5 for 36 yards, while the veteran tight end Bavaro gained 60 yards on four catches with a TD. RB Heath Sherman was the team’s top rusher, gaining 37 yards on 12 carries.

From promising beginnings, both clubs suffered through disappointing seasons the rest of the way. The Eagles, without Cunningham and Barnett, lost their next six games and ended up with an 8-8 record to place third in the NFC East. New York, after winning five midseason games in a row, lost four of the last five contests to also end up at 8-8 and third in the AFC East. Coach Coslet was dismissed afterward.

Boomer Esiason passed for 3421 yards, but his production dropped off significantly in the last six games of the season following a neck injury. Johnny Mitchell’s production also fell off after he suffered a sprained knee and he ended up with just 39 catches for 630 yards (16.2 avg.) and six TDs.

Eric Allen’s long touchdown return was no fluke – he intercepted six passes in ‘93 and tied the league record by returning four of them for touchdowns. Not surprisingly, he also led the NFL with 201 yards in interception return yardage. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the third consecutive year and fourth time overall, on his way to eventually being chosen six times in the course of his career.

Bubby Brister passed for a respectable 84.9 rating while tossing 14 touchdowns against just five interceptions in place of Cunningham. His 1.6 interception percentage was second lowest in the NFC.

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.

1950: Giants “Umbrella” Defense Shuts Down the Browns

After dominating the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for four seasons, winning all four league title games, the Cleveland Browns took up residence in the NFL in 1950 and continued to win there as well. The Browns opened at Philadelphia, against the defending NFL champion Eagles, and beat them handily, 35-10. The following week they rolled over the Baltimore Colts, who also came over from the AAFC, by a 31-0 score.

Under innovative Head Coach Paul Brown, Cleveland had been utilizing a precision passing attack that NFL teams had not seen before (a prototype of the modern West Coast offense). QB Otto Graham threw to ends running sideline routes and backs on flare-out passes that the predominant defenses of the time – the 5-3-3 and 5-2-4 (Eagle) devised by Eagles Head Coach Greasy Neale – were unable to stop. Not only were the passes difficult to defend against, but by forcing the defensive linemen and linebackers to spread out, they became vulnerable to trap and draw plays up the middle.

On October 1 the Browns hosted the New York Giants at Municipal Stadium. However, the Giants came prepared. Head Coach Steve Owen (pictured above) devised a new defensive scheme in response to Cleveland’s passing attack. In addition to four defensive backs, as in the Eagle defense, he put six players on the line, but the ends often dropped back into pass coverage (like modern outside linebackers) and the middle guard was frequently backed off the line, creating a new position – middle linebacker.

The new scheme came to be called the “Umbrella” defense as, when diagramed, the defensive backs were fanned out behind the middle linebacker, who appeared to be the stem of the defensive umbrella. Essentially a 6-1-4 alignment, when the ends dropped back into coverage it became like a modern 4-3-4 defense.

The defensive backfield was made up of solid performers that included halfbacks Emlen Tunnell and Harmon Rowe and safeties Tom Landry and Otto Schnellbacher. John Cannady was the pioneering middle linebacker, behind a line anchored by All-Pro tackles Arnie Weinmeister and Al DeRogatis. The new defense proved more than adequate to the task against the Browns.

There were 37,647 fans in attendance on a humid but dry day as the Giants scored in the first quarter. Capping a 51-yard drive in which HB Gene Roberts rushed for 34 yards, FB Eddie Price bulled over for a touchdown from three yards out, but the extra point attempt was missed due to a fumbled snap (Roberts, pictured below, proved to be the key player on the Giants offense, rushing for 77 yards on 12 carries).


That was all that the Giants could muster, playing conservatively against the equally tough Cleveland defense, but the Browns were unable to advance into New York territory at all during the first half. Graham failed to complete any of his first seven passes.

Cleveland finally made it across the 50 yard line on three occasions during the second half, but twice gave up the ball on downs, at the New York 38 and 12 yard lines, to end long drives. On the last advance, late in the fourth quarter, the Browns were at the Giants’ eight when Graham and FB Marion Motley collided in the backfield when attempting a hand off on a trap play and fumbled; LB Dick Woodard recovered for the Giants to end the threat. New York held on to win by a 6-0 score.

It was the first time the powerful Browns had ever been shut out. They also had not lost a home game since three seasons before, in 1947 to the Los Angeles Dons.


Safeties Schnellbacher and Landry (pictured at left), who had both faced the Browns in the AAFC, played especially well in thwarting the vaunted Cleveland passing attack. Otto Graham completed just 12 of 30 passes for 127 yards and was intercepted three times.

Afterward, a philosophical Paul Brown said “At least we weren’t beaten by a big score. We just lost to a better team. New York was ready for us.”

The Giants proved to be ready when the teams met again in New York three weeks later, winning 17-13. No other club was able to beat Cleveland and the Giants lost games to the Steelers and Cardinals along the way; as a result, both clubs ended up tied atop the American Conference with 10-2 records at the end of the regular season. However, in the tiebreaking playoff, the Browns finally beat the Giants in another defensive struggle, 8-3, and went on to win the NFL Championship game against the Rams.

The new defense didn’t take hold right away, but the 4-3-4 became the predominant alignment by the end of the decade and, along with the 3-4-4 that was adopted by some teams starting in the 1970s, continues to be used.

The mastermind of the “Umbrella” defense, Steve Owen, was dismissed as head coach of the Giants following the 1953 season after 23 years. His innovative defensive coaching, combined with a preference for conservative, run-oriented offenses produced a 151-100-17 record (2-8 in the postseason).