1963: Bears Dominate Packers in Key Western Conference Showdown

The main headline in the Chicago Tribune on November 17, 1963 read “Nation Awaits Bears-Packers Today”, and there was no question that the contest at Chicago’s Wrigley Field between the host Bears and visiting Green Bay Packers was significant.

Head Coach Vince Lombardi’s Packers had won the Western Conference the previous three seasons and went on to win the NFL Championship in 1961 and ’62. Seasoned and solid on both offense and defense, they were 8-1 heading into the showdown at Wrigley Field, having lost the opening game to the Bears in Green Bay by a 10-3 score. The offense, however, had sustained two key losses – one prior to the start of the season when star HB Paul Hornung was suspended by Commissioner Pete Rozelle for gambling, and the second in the sixth game when QB Bart Starr suffered a broken hand. 32-year-old veteran QB Zeke Bratkowski had been obtained from the Rams, but it was John Roach, in his third season as the backup, running the offense for the fourth straight game at Chicago.

The Bears, coached by the “Papa Bear”, 68-year-old George Halas, were also 8-1, having been upset by the 49ers in Week 6. The offense, led by QB Bill Wade, was conservative and unexciting, but the defense, coached by George Allen, was excellent against both the run and pass. The line was anchored by All-Pro DE Doug Atkins; the linebacking corps of Joe Fortunato, Bill George, and Larry Morris was considered the best in pro football; and the defensive backfield featured All-Pro safeties Roosevelt Taylor and Richie Petitbon (Morris pictured above tackling Roach).

There was a capacity crowd of 49,166 in attendance on a pleasant day. The Halas game plan was to control the ball and smother Green Bay’s offense, and that is what happened. The tempo was set in the first quarter.

The Packers received the opening kickoff and gained a first down on two five-yard runs by FB Jim Taylor, but were shut down thereafter. Jerry Norton’s punt traveled only 27 yards, giving the Bears good field position at their 40 yard line. They drove to the Green Bay 22, with FB Joe Marconi starting off with a nine-yard run and TE Mike Ditka catching a 16-yard pass from Wade, and Roger LeClerc kicked a 29-yard field goal.

The next Green Bay possession resulted in a 38-yard punt which, combined with a 15-yard penalty for a personal foul on OT Forrest Gregg, put the Bears on the Green Bay 47. The resulting possession ended with a 46-yard field goal by LeClerc to extend the lead to 6-0.


Packers CB Herb Adderley returned the ensuing kickoff from three yards deep in his end zone to the 35, but fumbled when hit by Chicago end Bo Farrington and LeClerc recovered. Wade passed to split end Angelo Coia for 14 yards and then fleet HB Willie Galimore (pictured at right) raced 27 yards for a touchdown. The score stood at 13-0 at the end of the first quarter, and for all intents and purposes the outcome was decided.

The Bears had another chance to score in the second quarter after Joe Fortunato recovered a fumble by Roach at the Green Bay 33, but LeClerc missed a 19-yard field goal attempt after Chicago drove to the 12.

In the first possession of the third quarter, the Bears went 68 yards, highlighted by a screen pass from Wade to Marconi that gained 28 yards to the Green Bay 43. The drive was finally stopped at the 12 and LeClerc kicked another field goal to extend the margin to 16-0.


The teams traded punts, and then Roosevelt Taylor (pictured at left) pulled a Roach pass out of the hands of flanker Boyd Dowler at the Green Bay 43 and returned it to the 35. However, the Packers defense stiffened and LeClerc missed another field goal attempt.

Bratkowski entered the game at quarterback for the Packers, but on the first play of the fourth quarter he was intercepted by CB Dave Whitsell, leading to a successful LeClerc field goal of 35 yards. With the clock running down to nine minutes, Bratkowski went to the air again but missed WR Bob Jeter twice on long passes, and the Bears took over on downs after four incompletions.

LeClerc missed a 49-yard field goal attempt, but after HB Tom Moore ran for 18 yards, Bratkowski was intercepted by CB Bennie McRae, who returned it 46 yards to the Green Bay 5. Wade faked a pass and then ran five yards for a touchdown on second down.

The Packers finally scored with just over four minutes left to play on an 11-yard run by Moore following a 64-yard pass play from Bratkowski to split end Max McGee, but other than salvaging some pride, it was meaningless (it was also the first touchdown the Packers had scored in two games against Chicago that season).

Following Green Bay’s touchdown, the Bears ran the clock down. Fittingly enough, the last play was Taylor intercepting a Bratkowski pass and Chicago came away with a convincing 26-7 win that put them alone in first place.


The Bears threw just 14 passes but ran the ball 57 times for an impressive 248 yards while holding the vaunted Packers running attack to 71. It was a great job of ball control to complement the domination by the defense, which constantly broke through to disrupt running plays, shutting down the famed Green Bay power sweep on several occasions before it could get under way. Perhaps most significantly, the Packers turned the ball over seven times while Chicago suffered no turnovers at all.

Bill Wade (pictured above right) directed the offense well and, in keeping with the game plan, didn’t throw often – he was good on 6 of 14 passes for 92 yards, and while he threw no touchdown passes, he also gave up no interceptions. He also ran the ball four times for 28 yards and a touchdown. Willie Galimore was the top rusher with 79 yards on 14 carries, including the one score. It was a group effort by the stable of running backs – Joe Marconi added 52 yards on 14 attempts, FB Rick Casares 44 yards on 11 rushes, and HB Ron Bull had 30 yards on four carries. Mike Ditka and Angelo Coia caught two passes apiece, with Ditka gaining the most yards (32 to Coia’s 26, while Marconi had 28 on his lone reception). Roger LeClerc (pictured below left) was another key to the club’s success, making good on four of seven field goal attempts.


Green Bay’s quarterbacks were a combined 11 for 30 and suffered five interceptions. John Roach was successful on 8 of 20 passes for 92 yards with two intercepted. Zeke Bratkowski was able to complete only 3 of 10 passes for 86 yards with three picked off (Bart Starr was active for the game but his only action was as holder on the lone placekick). Tom Moore was the leading rusher with 50 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown. Jim Taylor, after gaining the quick 10 yards to start the game, was held to only 13 yards the rest of the way and ended up with 23 on seven attempts. Thanks to the long reception late in the game, Max McGee was the leading receiver with three catches for 93 yards.

“They just beat the hell out of us, both ways, offensively and defensively,” said Coach Lombardi afterward.

Phil Handler, the Bears’ offensive line coach, was given the game ball in recognition of the inspired line play that allowed the Bears to run effectively and control the ball.

While the Bears tied their next two games, they didn’t suffer any losses the rest of the way and finished in first place with an 11-1-2 record. Green Bay also didn’t lose again, including one tie, to come in second at 11-2-1. The season series sweep by Chicago made all the difference – it was the first time since Lombardi’s first year in 1959 that a team had beaten the Packers twice in the same season. The Bears went on to defeat the New York Giants to win the NFL Championship – it was the sixth league title for Halas, who led the team to its first 42 years earlier.

The Bears finished at the top in total defense, including the rare distinction of being best against both the run and the pass. They allowed a league-low 144 points, intercepted an NFL-best 36 passes, and also were at the top with 57 sacks. The offense, by contrast, ranked 10th overall of the 14 NFL teams – but with only 25 turnovers (which, since the defense had 54 takeaways, gave Chicago a +29 differential), they minimized the mistakes and controlled the football enough to reach the top.

2008: Warner Passes for 395 Yards and Cards Hold On to Beat Seattle

QB Kurt Warner (pictured above) had experienced a rebirth of his career with the Arizona Cardinals, and the team was now poised to make the most of it. After coming out of nowhere to lead the Rams to a championship in 1999 and putting together three outstanding seasons from ’99 to 2001, Warner’s career had come crashing down over the next two seasons. Losing his starting job to Marc Bulger, he moved on to the Giants for a year and acted as mentor to rookie QB Eli Manning, and then came to Phoenix in 2005 to do the same for QB Matt Leinart.

However, circumstances moved Warner back to the forefront with the Cardinals. Leinart struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness, and the veteran was productive in his appearances. After Leinart went down with a collarbone injury early in the 2007 season, Warner took over the starting role and didn’t relinquish it. With outstanding wide receivers to throw to in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, the 37-year-old quarterback was thriving in 2008 and the team was contending in the mediocre NFC West.

The Cardinals had been perennial underachievers, and since moving to Phoenix in 1988 finished over .500 just once through ’07. That they had gone 8-8 in 2007 under new Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt was cause for celebration. By the time they faced the Seattle Seahawks at Qwest Field on November 16, 2008, they were sporting a 6-3 record.

The Seahawks were in the tenth and final year under the direction of Head Coach Mike Holmgren, who had announced prior to the season that ’08 would be his last. They had experienced success during Holmgren’s tenure, winning the previous four division titles and going to the Super Bowl following the 2005 season. But by the time they faced the Cardinals, they were 2-7. Injuries were a key factor in the club’s collapse, in particular the loss of QB Matt Hasselbeck, who had missed the previous six games due to a back injury.

Arizona started strong, scoring on its first two possessions. The first was a 13-play drive that resulted in a 38-yard field goal by Neil Rackers and the second covered 89 yards in seven plays that led to a four-yard touchdown run by RB J.J. Arrington. Along the way, Warner had connected with Boldin twice for 54 yards and once to Fitzgerald for 20. The Cardinals had a 10-0 lead after one quarter.

Rackers added a 48-yard field goal in the second quarter before Seattle got on the board. CB Josh Wilson intercepted a Warner pass at his own 23 and returned it 58 yards to the Arizona 19. Shortly thereafter, Hasselbeck threw for a 13-yard touchdown to RB Maurice Morris. The Cardinals got the ball back with less than a minute to go in the half and managed a 54-yard field goal by Rackers as time expired to take a 16-7 lead into halftime.

Arizona appeared to put the game away in the third quarter as Rackers kicked his fourth field goal, of 26 yards, and Warner ended a ten-play drive with a six-yard TD pass to Arrington. The Cardinals’ margin was stretched to 26-7.

However, the Seahawks fought back on their next possession. Josh Wilson returned the kickoff 56 yards to the Arizona 36 yard line. Seattle drove to the three, but it appeared that the Cardinals had extinguished the threat when LB Karlos Dansby intercepted Hasselbeck’s pass in the end zone on a third-and-three play. However, rather than taking a touchback, Dansby returned the interception to the ten yard line and fumbled. It was recovered by OT Walter Jones and the Seahawks had a new set of downs and made the most of it. Five plays later, RB T.J. Duckett scored a touchdown from a yard out. An attempted two-point conversion failed.

Arizona got the ball back, but on the second play Warner fumbled when sacked by DT Brandon Mebane and DE Darryl Tapp recovered at the Cardinals’ 14. Duckett ran for another TD from two yards out after Seattle successfully converted a fourth down as Hasselbeck ran for five yards on a fourth-and-three play. Suddenly, Arizona’s margin was reduced to six points (they kicked the extra point this time) with 9:41 left on the clock.

With the crowd of 67,616 now aroused and unleashing a deafening roar, the Cardinals held the ball for seven plays on their next possession, but an intentional grounding call on Warner forced them to punt. Seattle got the ball back on its own 26 with 5:38 remaining and apparent momentum. However, at this critical juncture the offense went nowhere in three plays and had to punt.

Arizona ran almost two minutes off the clock before punting with just over two minutes remaining. But on the first play, Hasselbeck’s long pass intended for WR Deion Branch was intercepted by CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and the Seattle threat was finally extinguished. The Cardinals held on to win, 26-20.

That Seattle came so close to pulling the game out was nothing short of amazing since Arizona significantly outgained the Seahawks, 458 yards to 196, and had the edge in first downs, 24 to 18. Seattle converted just one of nine third downs and gained a woeful 43 yards rushing on 22 attempts. The Seahawks also gave up four turnovers, to Arizona’s three.

However, considering all of the yards gained, Arizona only got into the end zone twice, benefiting from a perfect four-for-four field goal performance by Neil Rackers. They also were penalized eight times, as opposed to one flag thrown on the Seahawks.


Kurt Warner completed 32 of 44 passes for 395 yards with a touchdown and an interception. It was his fourth straight 300-yard performance (of an eventual five), a club record. Both wide receivers had big days, with Anquan Boldin catching 13 passes for 186 yards and Larry Fitzgerald (pictured at right) adding 10 receptions for 151 yards. J.J. Arrington ran for 40 yards on 8 carries with a TD and RB Tim Hightower had 35 yards on his 11 attempts.

For Seattle, Matt Hasselbeck was good on 17 of 29 passes for 170 yards with a TD and three interceptions (two by Rodgers-Cromartie). Deion Branch was the leading receiver with four catches for 54 yards. RB Julius Jones gained 19 yards on 10 carries to lead the team, and Hasselbeck was right behind with 17 yards on four attempts. While T.J. Duckett scored two short touchdowns, he had a total of five yards on as many carries.

The win for Arizona was as huge as the loss for the Seahawks was devastating. Any hopes for climbing back into the race were eliminated for Seattle, while the Cardinals appeared set to win the division.

It did not go so easily for Arizona the remainder of the regular season, however, as the club lost its next two games and four of the last six to end up at 9-7. While they won the NFC West title, it was widely anticipated that the Cardinals would be dispatched quickly in the postseason, but instead they defeated Atlanta, Carolina, and Philadelphia, respectively, to advance to and win the NFC Championship before barely succumbing to Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl. The Seahawks finished at 4-12 for third place in the division.

Kurt Warner ranked among the league leaders with 4583 yards and 30 touchdown passes while completing 67.1 % of his passes with only 14 interceptions. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2001.

Larry Fitzgerald led the NFL with 12 touchdown receptions (tied with Detroit’s Calvin Johnson) and the NFC with 1431 yards on his 96 catches. Anquan Boldin (pictured below) had 89 pass receptions for 1038 yards and 11 TDs despite missing four games due to injuries. Both also were chosen for the Pro Bowl, and Fitzgerald received All-NFL recognition as well.

1981: Jets and “New York Sack Exchange” Dominate Patriots

The 1981 season had not started out in a promising way for the New York Jets, as they lost their first three games and gave up a total of 100 points in the process. Head Coach Walt Michaels was on the hot seat. But by the time they took on the New England Patriots at Schaefer Stadium on November 15, the situation looked much better. The Jets had won four of their past five games and brought a 5-4-1 record into the contest.

The Jets offense was coming on thanks to improved play by QB Richard Todd and an outstanding line anchored by OT Marvin Powell and C Joe Fields. But it was the defense that drew attention, in particular the line that became known as “the New York Sack Exchange”, comprised of DE Joe Klecko, DT Marty Lyons, DT Abdul Salaam, and DE Mark Gastineau (pictured above in that order). The nickname was apt, as they were leading the league in sacks with 38.

The Patriots, under Head Coach Ron Erhardt, had been contenders in 1980 but had fallen on hard times in ’81. There was plenty of talent, as there had been through several prior underachieving seasons, but key injuries, poor play on the offensive line (other than All-Pro guard John Hannah), and a defense that couldn’t stop the run or mount a strong pass rush negated the benefits of a good offensive backfield and experienced and effective wide receivers in Stanley Morgan and Harold Jackson. Quarterback Steve Grogan missed half the season due to a knee injury, and third-year backup Matt Cavanaugh struggled in his place. They were ill-prepared to deal with the spirited team that they had already lost to once earlier in the season.

The weather was windy and rainy in Foxboro, Massachusetts, further favoring the defense. Neither team could mount much offense in a scoreless first quarter. In the second quarter, New England’s John Smith kicked a 42-yard field goal into the wind that just made it over the crossbar and gave the Patriots the lead.

Later in the period, New England drove to the Jets’ 19 yard line before LB Greg Buttle intercepted a pass from Grogan at the 15 and returned it 12 yards. 14 plays later, HB Bruce Harper ran four yards up the middle for a touchdown and the Jets were ahead 7-3 with 2:30 remaining in the period.

On the next series, Patriots RB Mosi Tatupu fumbled after catching a pass from Grogan at his own 36 yard line and Buttle recovered for the Jets. Pat Leahy kicked a 47-yard field goal with eight seconds left to play in the half, and New York took a 10-3 lead into the intermission. The defense had made the big plays, in particular Buttle, who set up possessions that resulted in 10 points with the interception and fumble recovery.

In the third quarter, FB Tom Newton capped another long drive by the Jets with a five-yard touchdown run to make the score 17-3. It was more than enough as the aggressive defense kept New England from threatening the rest of the way – all the Patriots could muster was another field goal by Smith, of 29 yards, and that provided the final score of 17-6. It was the first win for New York in Foxboro since 1975.

In all, on a day when conditions made it difficult for either offense, the Jets outgained the Patriots by 226 yards to 197. New York’s defense recorded eight sacks and forced two turnovers (as opposed to no sacks and one turnover for New England). Joe Klecko and Mark Gastineau had three sacks apiece (still a year away from being an official statistic). Following the game, Klecko was (unofficially) leading the NFL with 15.5 sacks with Gastineau right behind at 14.

As for the offense, Richard Todd completed just 6 of 13 passes for 56 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. WR Wesley Walker, normally a potent deep threat, gained just 25 yards on three catches with a long gain of 11 yards. Running effectively, the Jets gained a total of 166 yards on the ground, with rookie RB Freeman McNeil leading the way with 50 yards on 13 attempts and Tom Newton right behind at 45 yards on 14 carries.

Steve Grogan and Matt Cavanaugh combined threw 34 passes and completed just 14 of them for 153 yards and with one picked off, thanks to Greg Buttle. RB Andy Johnson was New England’s leading receiver with 6 catches out of the backfield for 61 yards. Only one pass was completed to a wide receiver (Stanley Morgan) and it gained just four yards. RB Tony Collins gained 66 rushing yards on 13 attempts.

“It's nice to come up here and finally beat them,” said Buttle (pictured at bottom) afterward. “It's also a lot easier to play in November when you have something to play for and this is the first time since I've been here (six years) that we have something to play for in November.”

“The weather wasn't pretty. The game wasn't as scientific as we'd like it to be. But the most important thing is we're in the middle of the playoff race,” summed up Walt Michaels. “We said all along that if we continued to work hard and play hard and be aggressive, we would start turning things around. And we have.”

“We were pretty well dominated on both sides,” said New England Coach Erhardt. “We just couldn't stop them once they got going. They throttled us up both ways. Give the Jets credit. They are playing good football. There are a lot of people who think they may be the best team in the division right now.”

The Jets stayed hot, losing just once more in the regular season to finish second in the AFC East with a 10-5-1 record, their best since 1969. Qualifying for a wild card berth in the postseason, they lost to Buffalo in the first round. Things continued to go badly for the Patriots, who ended up at the bottom of the division along with the Colts with a league-worst 2-14 tally (Erhardt was dismissed as head coach).

“The New York Sack Exchange” continued to terrorize quarterbacks for the remainder of the season, as the Jets easily led the NFL with 66 sacks (runner-up Oakland had 52).

List of the Day: Evolution of Individual Season FG Record

Neil Rackers

NOTE: While the NFL adopted AFL (1960-69) records retroactively at the time of the 1970 merger, I have chosen to treat the AFL as a separate entity. The NFL list reflects that distinction.

NFL
5- Dutch Sternaman, Chicago Staleys, 1921
5- Elmer Oliphant, Buffalo All-Americans, 1921

8- Paddy Driscoll, Chicago Cardinals, 1922

10- Paddy Driscoll, Chicago Cardinals, 1923

11- Paddy Driscoll, Chicago Cardinals, 1925

12- Paddy Driscoll, Chicago Bears, 1926

13- Lou Groza, Cleveland Browns, 1950
(19 att., 68.4 %)
13- Bob Waterfield, Los Angeles Rams, 1951
(23 att., 56.5 %)

19- Lou Groza, Cleveland Browns, 1952
(33 att., 57.6 %)

23- Lou Groza, Cleveland Browns, 1953
(26 att., 88.5 %)

26- Lou Michaels, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1962
(42 att., 61.9 %)

28- Bruce Gossett, Los Angeles Rams, 1966
(49 att., 57.1 %)

30- Fred Cox, Minnesota Vikings, 1970
(46 att., 65.2 %)
30- Jan Stenerud, Kansas City Chiefs, 1970
(42 att., 71.4 %)

33- Chester Marcol, Green Bay Packers, 1972
(48 att., 68.8 %)

35- Ali Haji-Sheikh, New York Giants, 1983
(42 att., 83.3 %)
35- Jeff Jaeger, Los Angeles Raiders, 1993
(44 att., 79.5 %)

37- John Kasay, Carolina Panthers, 1996
(45 att., 82.2 %)

39- Olindo Mare, Miami Dolphins, 1999
(46 att., 84.8 %)
39- Jeff Wilkins, St. Louis Rams, 2003
(42 att., 92.9 %)

40- Neil Rackers, Arizona Cardinals, 2005
(42 att., 95.2 %)


Paddy Driscoll


Lou Groza

AFL (1926)
9- Joey Sternaman, Chicago Bulls

AFL (1936-37)
6- Harry Newman, Brooklyn/Rochester Tigers, 1936

AFL (1940-41)
5- Bob Eckl, Milwaukee Chiefs, 1940

9- Phil Martinovich, New York Americans, 1941

AAFC (1946-49)
13- Lou Groza, Cleveland Browns, 1946
(29 att., 44.8 %)

15- Ben Agajanian, Los Angeles Dons, 1947
(24 att., 62.5 %)


Ben Agajanian

AFL (1960-69)
18- Gene Mingo, Denver Broncos, 1960
(28 att., 64.3 %)

27- Gene Mingo, Denver Broncos, 1962
(39 att., 69.2 %)

28- Pete Gogolak, Buffalo Bills, 1965
(46 att., 60.9 %)

34- Jim Turner, New York Jets, 1968
(46 att., 73.9 %)


Jim Turner

WFL (1974-75)
18- Grant Guthrie, Jacksonville/Birmingham, 1974

USFL (1983-85)
28- David Trout, Philadelphia Stars, 1983
(42 att., 66.7 %)

XFL (2001)
20- Jose Cortez, Los Angeles Xtreme
(25 att., 80.0 %)

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.

2006: Chargers Overcome 21-Point Deficit to Defeat Bengals in Offensive Battle

The San Diego Chargers were 6-2 as they traveled to Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium to take on the Bengals on November 12, 2006. Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer’s team had outstanding talent on both sides of the ball. Third-year QB Philip Rivers (pictured at right), taking over for the departed Drew Brees, was exceeding expectations in his first season as a starting quarterback. RB LaDainian Tomlinson was at the height of his game, and the defense, featuring LB Shawne Merriman and NT Jamal Williams, was solid.

The Bengals, coached by Marvin Lewis, made it to the postseason in 2005 after a 15-year absence, but were struggling thus far. They were 4-4 and had lost four of their last five games. The offense could score points, with QB Carson Palmer (pictured below left) having outstanding wide receivers in Chad Johnson (who legally changed his name to Chad Ochocinco in 2008) and T. J. Houshmandzadeh to throw to and RB Rudi Johnson to carry the ball. However, the defense was below average and prone to giving up too many points.


It appeared that it would be Cincinnati’s day as the Bengals scored the first three times they got the ball. First, FB Jeremi Johnson ran for a three-yard touchdown to complete a six-play possession that covered 61 yards. After the Chargers had to punt a second time, the Bengals took 10 plays to go 89 yards with Rudi Johnson running the last seven for a TD. San Diego went three-and-out and, following a punt with just seconds remaining in the first quarter, Palmer connected with Chad Johnson on the first play for a 51-yard touchdown. It was 21-0 after the opening period.

The Chargers finally got on the board in the second quarter thanks to a nine-yard run for a TD by Tomlinson. But the Bengals responded with a long, 14-play drive that ended with another touchdown pass by Palmer, this one to WR Chris Henry from seven yards out. Cincinnati took a 28-7 lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, it was San Diego’s turn to score on three straight possessions. Tomlinson scored his second touchdown on a four-yard run to complete a six-play, 66-yard drive. After the Bengals went three-and-out and punted, Rivers immediately threw to WR Malcom Floyd for a 46-yard TD that narrowed the margin to seven points. Cincinnati responded with Palmer throwing to Chad Johnson for a 35-yard gain that led to a 21-yard field goal by Shayne Graham, making the score 31-21. But with Tomlinson running for 29 yards on three carries and Rivers throwing for 60 yards, including a nine-yard scoring pass to TE Brandon Manumaleuna, the Chargers closed the gap to 31-28.

The three-point margin didn’t last long as the passing combination of Palmer to Chad Johnson produced a 74-yard touchdown on the first play of Cincinnati’s next possession. The score stood at 38-28 in favor of the Bengals.

Following the Cincinnati touchdown, RB Michael Turner returned the kickoff 49 yards to the Bengals’ 40 yard line. Six plays later, the third quarter ended with the Chargers on the two. On the first play of the final period, Tomlinson ran around left end for a two-yard touchdown that again turned the contest into a three-point game.

Cincinnati got the ball at its own 20 after the ensuing kickoff resulted in a touchback, and on the first play Palmer fumbled when sacked by LB Shaun Phillips, who recovered for the Chargers at the Bengals’ nine yard line. On the next play, Tomlinson ran nine yards for his fourth touchdown, and in stunning fashion San Diego, twice down by 21 points in the first half, was ahead, 41-38.

The teams traded punts before the Bengals, helped by an 18-yard pass interference call, went back in front again with a 44-yard field goal by Graham. The Chargers responded with a methodical 12-play drive that was highlighted by a 27-yard pass completion from Rivers to TE Antonio Gates to the Cincinnati eight yard line. With third down at the five, Rivers scrambled for time and tossed a shovel pass to Manumaleuna for the game-winning touchdown.

The Bengals had one last chance and Palmer completed five passes to get down to the San Diego 15. But on fourth-and-ten with 49 seconds left to play, Palmer overthrew WR Glenn Holt, who was covered, and the Chargers could celebrate. The final score was 48-41.

Only once before, in 1983, had the Chargers ever overcome a 21-point margin to win. While they ran up 431 total yards, they were outgained by the Bengals, who had 545. But while Cincinnati outscored the Chargers 28-7 in the first half, San Diego significantly turned the tables in the second half, scoring 42 points to the Bengals’ 13.

In his best performance to date, Philip Rivers completed 24 of 36 passes for 338 yards with three touchdowns and none intercepted. LaDainian Tomlinson (pictured below) scored four TDs as he gained 104 yards on 22 carries and caught 6 passes for another 54 yards. Malcom Floyd had 109 yards and a touchdown on five pass receptions.


In defeat, Carson Palmer had the first 400-yard passing performance of his career as he went to the air 42 times and completed 31 for 440 yards with three TDs and no interceptions. Chad Johnson caught 11 of those passes for a club-record 260 yards and two scores. Rudi Johnson ran for 85 yards on 18 carries, including a TD.

The comeback was considered a key milestone in the development of the young QB Rivers, who demonstrated poise and leadership skills. “As he grows as a player, he's unbelievable,” said Antonio Gates. “He's doing a tremendous job leading this team. He was on the sideline saying they were going to need to score more than 28 points to beat us. What more could you ask for in a leader?”

As Marty Schottenheimer, a former AFL linebacker, summed up: “It took me back to the old AFL days where you just try to find a way to have one more point than they do.”

San Diego went undefeated through the rest of the regular season, finishing atop the AFC West with an NFL-best 14-2 record. However, it came to a bitter end when they lost to the Patriots in the Divisional round of the postseason. Schottenheimer, who had been at odds with GM A.J. Smith, was dismissed during the offseason. Cincinnati won its next four games, but then lost the last three to go 8-8 for the year, tied with the Steelers for second in the AFC North.

LaDainian Tomlinson led the league in rushing with 1815 yards on 348 carries (5.2 avg.) and 28 of his NFL-record 31 touchdowns. His 186 points scored broke the 46-year-old record of 176 set by Green Bay’s Paul Hornung in 1960. Tomlinson was named NFL MVP by the Associated Press, The Sporting News, and Pro Football Writers of America, and received the Bert Bell trophy from the Maxwell Club.

Philip Rivers made it into the top 10 in passer rating (92.0), passing yards (3388), touchdown passes (22), and yards per attempt (7.4). His 2.0 INT percentage was tied for sixth lowest – with the quarterback he had succeeded, Drew Brees.

Carson Palmer, a year following a serious knee injury, finished the season slowly but still threw for over 4000 yards (4035) and ranked second in the league with 28 touchdown passes. Both he and Rivers were selected to the Pro Bowl.

Chad Johnson (the future Ochocinco, pictured below) led the NFL with 1369 yards on his 87 pass receptions. He, too, was named to the Pro Bowl and also received consensus first-team All-NFL recognition.

2001: Shaun Alexander Gains 266 Yards to Lead Seahawks Over Raiders

RB Shaun Alexander was chosen by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the 2000 draft out of Alabama, but spent his rookie season seeing limited action behind 31-year-old veteran Ricky Watters. To be sure, Watters had a typically solid year, rushing for 1242 yards and co-leading the team with 63 pass receptions, and was still the starting running back at the beginning of the 2001 season. However, Alexander got his chance when the veteran went down with a shoulder injury three games into the schedule, and made the most of it.

The 5’11”, 220-pound Alexander gained 176 yards in his first start, against Jacksonville, and after four games had 465 yards on 100 carries with five touchdowns. On November 11 against the Oakland Raiders, he had his biggest performance of all.

The Seahawks, under Mike Holmgren, who had led the Packers to a Super Bowl victory and was now in his third year in Seattle, were 3-4 coming into the Sunday night contest at Husky Stadium against a Raiders team that had beaten them handily in Oakland. Oakland, under Head Coach Jon Gruden, was 6-1. An aging club, they were the defending AFC West champions and coming off a big win over Denver the preceding Monday.

The first quarter started quietly, with Seattle’s Rian Lindell kicking field goals of 33 and 20 yards and, in between, Oakland’s Sebastian Janikowski booming a 52-yarder. QB Matt Hasselbeck, who was struggling with inconsistency in his first year as a starting quarterback after backing up Brett Favre in Green Bay for two seasons, threw timely passes to set up both field goals.

The Raiders scored the first touchdown of the game in the second quarter thanks to a 10-play, 89-yard drive that ended with QB Rich Gannon throwing a four-yard scoring pass to WR Tim Brown. But just before the end of the half, Hasselbeck directed the Seahawks on a 76-yard drive that ended with a nine-yard TD pass to WR Darrell Jackson. Seattle had a 13-10 lead at halftime.

That margin evaporated quickly when Oakland RB Terry Kirby returned the kickoff to open the second half 90 yards for a touchdown and 17-13 lead for the Raiders. Later, Oakland extended the margin in more methodical fashion, driving 61 yards on nine plays that included Gannon passes to Brown for 13 and 18 yards, and capped by a 37-yard Janikowski field goal.

Seattle came back, however, on a nine-play possession that covered 61 yards and was helped along by a 28-yard pass play from Hasselbeck to WR Bobby Engram in a third-and-five situation. With the ball at the Oakland 18, Alexander took off on a 12-yard carry and then ran the final six yards for a touchdown. With Lindell’s successful PAT, the score was tied at 20-20.

Late in the third quarter, Alexander made the most spectacular play of the game. With the ball on the Seattle 12 yard line, he took the handoff, ran to his left before cutting across the middle of the field and running nearly untouched for a touchdown (CB Tory James caught him at the one but couldn’t stop Alexander from falling into the end zone). The 88-yard run was the longest in Seahawks history. It also capped a third quarter in which Alexander ran for 120 yards and Seattle moved ahead by a 27-20 score.

The Seattle defense came up with a big play in the fourth quarter when LB Anthony Simmons forced a fumble by Raiders RB Zack Crockett and CB Willie Williams recovered at the Oakland 25. Alexander scored his third touchdown of the game from 10 yards out to extend Seattle’s lead to 34-20 with just over seven minutes remaining on the clock.

The Raiders came back with a 10-play, 64-yard drive that was highlighted by a 16-yard run by Gannon and a 13-yard pass completion to 17-year veteran WR Jerry Rice on a fourth-and-seven play. TE Roland Williams scored a touchdown on a five-yard pass from Gannon to narrow the margin. But Seattle ran the clock down on its next possession, helped along by a key first down run by Alexander, and the Raiders got the ball back for one last shot from their 22 yard line with 1:07 remaining and no time outs. Oakland got to the Seattle 48 as time expired, and the Seahawks came away with a 34-27 win.

Shaun Alexander was the star of the game, running for 266 yards on 35 carries with three touchdowns. The rushing total set a franchise record and was the fourth-highest in NFL history up to that time.

Overall, the Seahawks rolled up 497 total yards, with 319 of them coming on the ground against a Raiders defense that had entered the game ranked fourth against the run. Matt Hasselbeck passed for 181 yards, completing 15 of 23 throws with a TD and none intercepted. Darrell Jackson was the leading receiver by far, catching 7 of those passes for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Rich Gannon went to the air 38 times with 24 completions for 257 yards and two touchdowns against no interceptions. The savvy veteran wide receivers had very similar numbers as Tim Brown caught 7 passes for 86 yards and a TD and Jerry Rice added 6 receptions for 85 yards. RB Charlie Garner led Oakland in rushing with 57 yards on 13 carries.

”I don't know if that was Alexander or Jim Brown,” said Raiders Coach Gruden about Alexander’s performance. “If you're asking me if he's good, he ran for a franchise record. He's real good, man, real good.”

“Shaun Alexander had a marvelous game,” summed up Mike Holmgren. “The offensive line and (FB) Mack Strong did a great job. We challenged the offensive line and they came through big time, and Shaun had just a great game, but he has to do it game after game and year after year. But there is no reason to think he won't do that.”

The Seahawks went on to a 9-7 record to place second in the AFC West in their last season in the American Conference - with realignment in 2002, Seattle moved over to the NFC West. Oakland faltered in the second half of the season, losing its last three games, but still won the division at 10-6. The Raiders won in the Wild Card playoff round, but lost a close-fought Divisional playoff game to New England in a snowstorm.

Shaun Alexander ended up with 1318 yards on 309 carries (4.3 avg.) for a league-leading 14 rushing touchdowns. He briefly yielded the starting job back to Watters, and took some criticism for poor pass blocking, but by the next season Alexander was unquestionably the team’s number one running back. He would go on to string together five straight thousand-yard rushing seasons, leading the league once and setting a single-season record for touchdowns along the way. In eight years in Seattle, Alexander gained 9429 yards to become the franchise’s career rushing leader, as well as single-game and single-season record holder.