25th Anniversary of the Fog Bowl

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History: January 5
Pats crush Steelers in The Fog Bowl​

Sunday, January 5, 1997 at 12:30
1996 AFC Divisional Round Playoff Game, at Foxboro Stadium
New England Patriots 28, Pittsburgh Steelers 3
Head Coaches: Bill Parcells, Bill Cowher
Quarterbacks: Drew Bledsoe, Mike Tomczak
Odds: New England favored by 3
Weather: 42 degrees, 98% humidity, 8 mph wind; dense fog
Game MVP: Curtis Martin
Pittsburgh finishes the season 11-7 after a 9-3 start
New England makes it to the Super Bowl, losing to Green Bay


Pro Football Reference Box Score and Stats

With Steelers in a Fog, Patriots Roll Along | Washington Post

After two weeks to prepare for their first home playoff game in 18 years, the New England Patriots went into attack mode on their first offensive play today. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe completed a 53-yard pass to rookie wide receiver Terry Glenn, and from that moment, the Pittsburgh Steelers flailed in the fog at Foxboro Stadium.​

​

The Patriots, whose 11-5 regular season record assured them a bye in the first round of playoffs, arrived today with plenty of motivation, the defense in particular. They had been reading all week about the Steelers' fearsome zone blitzes, their big-back attack and their two-man quarterback tandem that was supposed to slash and bash the home team halfway to Cape Cod.​

​

Instead, the Patriots came out and controlled both lines of scrimmage. Their defense held the Steelers (11-7) to 213 yards — only 90 passing — allowed Jerome Bettis 43 yards rushing and sacked Mike Tomczak and Kordell Stewart three times, with countless knockdowns after passes were released.​

​

"We wanted to make a statement," said linebacker Chris Slade, a Virginia graduate who leveled Tomczak after he threw his first two passes, one for no gain, the second incomplete. "We had something to prove today. Everyone was saying what they were gonna' do to our offense. We were mad. We took it personal."​

​

So did the offense.​

​

Curtis Martin converted the opening pass play from Bledsoe to Glenn — thrown against All-Pro cornerback Rod Woodson — into a two-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 lead with 11 minutes 58 seconds left in the first quarter.​

​

"Our guys played with a little chip on their shoulders," said Bledsoe, who completed 14 of 24 passes for 164 yards and one touchdown. Bledsoe's sweetly executed 34-yard screen pass to veteran fullback Keith Byars gave New England a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter.​

​

Martin rushed for a team playoff-record 166 yards on 19 carries and had three touchdown runs. His 78-yard dash — he second longest scoring run in NFL playoff history — on a Steelers blitz gave the Patriots a 21-0 lead with 9:55 remaining in the first half on a play Parcells described as "taking it to the house."​

​

Martin made his final house call with a 23-yard scoring run for a 28-3 advantage that settled things once and for all with 12:31 left in the fourth quarter.​

​

The Steelers, meanwhile, headed home a week after their own dominating 42-14 victory over the visiting Colts in their wild-card game. Tomczak saw blitzing Patriots coming in from all directions before yielding to Kordell Stewart, who was equally ineffective. Stewart was 0 for 10 passing and rushed 19 yards in four carries.​

​

The Patriots began throwing right from the start, on a play Parcells said had been planned by his offensive staff and approved, somewhat reluctantly, by the head coach. "I was choking on it a little," Parcells admitted later. "We talked about that one last night a little bit . . . You've got to try to attack. We had pretty good field position, so we thought we'd try and do it . . . We were trying to get a little momentum."​

​

On first and 10 at their own 45, Glenn lined up wide to the right, with Woodson defending him man to man. Bledsoe (pictured) helped with a play-action fake to a running back, then heaved the ball through the mist and into the waiting arms of Glenn, a step ahead of the defender and running in full stride. Glenn caught the ball at the 10 and was tripped up by Woodson at the 2. On the next play, Martin scored off right tackle, and the rout was on.​

​

"Rod Woodson's a great player," Bledsoe said. "He does a great job of sitting on routes and making plays on curl outs and comeback passes. We really felt like we had to run by him early and we decided, hey, why not the first play of the game?"​

A Souper Sunday: The Steelers were in a fog against the Patriots, who beat them at their own game | Sports Illustrated

switch had been made under cover of fog. How else to explain the New England Patriots' role-reversing 28-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Sunday's AFC divisional playoff? While the Patriots came into the game with a defense made up of competent unknowns, their Steelers counterparts arrived in Foxboro with a nickname--Blitzburgh--and a recent record of violence against quarterbacks.​

​

In a wild-card playoff game on Dec. 29, Pittsburgh sacked Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jim Harbaugh four times, broke one of his teeth and opened a gash on his chin that required 15 stitches. But on Sunday, in a fog so dense that Foxboro Stadium resembled the inside of Hunter S. Thompson's head, the Patriots played like the Steelers while the Steelers played like the old Patsies.​

​

Defending AFC champion Pittsburgh had the NFL's second-best sack total (51) during the regular season, but it was the New England front seven (33 sacks in 1996) that generated the most heat on Sunday. The Steelers' quarterback combination of Mike Tomczak and Kordell (Slash) Stewart, rather than Patriots passer Drew Bledsoe, spent the afternoon serving as crash-test dummies.​

​

Afterward, the New England defenders, an unheralded but steadily improving bunch, revealed their motivation: They were tired of hearing about, as defensive end Willie McGinest put it, "Slash this and Blitzburgh and the Bus [Steelers running back Jerome Bettis]."​

​

Complementing their righteous indignation was a bold game plan in which the Patriots stunted and blitzed as aggressively as the Steelers usually do.​

1997 ESPN NFL Prime Time (1996 Sunday Divisional Playoffs):


Very grainy, old VHS quality highlights with lots of retro ads in the last few minutes

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Only time I ever bought tix from scalpers. Took daughter, brother and brother-in-law 3rd row in 200s mid field. I had a great time verbally harassing Terrible Towel morons right from the get go. BIL ran a great tailgate.
There were fireworks in the beginning making the fog even worse.

 

[Hyped]

Wow man...takes me back!

The first Bledsoe pass to Glenn...and the rout was on!

 

[reflexblue]

This was the beginning of the patriots dominance of the squeelers

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History: January 5
Pats force 6 turnovers, come from behind to upset Raiders in playoffs
Matt Millen clocks Pat Sullivan on sideline after the game​

Sunday, January 5, 1986 at 4:00
1985 AFC Divisional Round Playoff Game, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
New England Patriots 27, Los Angeles Raiders 20
Head Coaches: Raymond Berry, Tom Flores
Quarterbacks: Tony Eason, Marc Wilson
Odds: Raiders favored by 5½
Weather: 61 degrees, 8 mph wind
Game MVPs: Craig James and the Pats secondary
LA finishes the season 12-5, ending a six-game winning streak
New England upsets Miami a week later in the AFCCG, before losing to the Bears in Super Bowl 20


Craig James rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown, caught three passes for another 48 yards, and also completed an 8-yard pass to lead the Patriots offense. Ronnie Lippett had two picks, Fred Marion had an interception and a fumble recovery, Jim Bowman added two more fumble recoveries, and the defense limited to 11-27 for 135 yards, with the three picks plus two sacks - for a 29.6 passer rating.

Pro Football Reference Box Score and Stats for this game


Very detailed recap of the game here:
1986: Patriots Take Advantage of Raider Turnovers, Win Divisional Playoff Game | FS64 Sports


Full AP report on the game on the link below:
Raiders Give the Game to the Patriots, 27-20; 3 Interceptions and 3 Fumbles Result in Loss | LA Times

On Sunday, the Patriots upset the Raiders, 27-20, getting the winning touchdown on the same play they’ve used to score twice before in the last month--a fumbled kickoff return recovered for a touchdown.

In this case it was rookie safety Jim Bowman who fell on the ball in the end zone to cap a 10-point burst in 14 seconds that began with 1:11 left in the third quarter. It was Bowman’s second fumble recovery of the game.

The biggest play in the mistake-filled game came late in the third quarter after Tony Franklin’s 32-yard field goal had tied the score at 20-20.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Raiders Sam Seale fielded the ball at his own nine, dropped the ball, picked it up, then fumbled when he was hit by Mosi Tatupu. The ball rolled towards the goal line with a covey of players chasing it until Bowman, a rookie safety, fell on the ball for what proved to be the winning score.​

Ah Yes, The '85 Pats: They Were Never Dull | Hartford Courant

The Patriots opened the playoffs with a comparatively sane 26-14 wild card victory over the Jets at the Meadowlands. A week later, the Patriots surprised the Los Angeles Raiders 27-20 at the LA Coliseum to advance to the AFC Championship Game in Miami.

But simply beating the Raiders wasn't good enough for Patriots general manager Patrick Sullivan.

Sullivan had spent the game on the New England sideline, taunting Raiders players, particularly Howie Long. After the game, Sullivan confronted Long on the field. Raiders linebacker Matt Millen intervened, and -- in a moment that would make Jackie Chan proud-- attacked Sullivan with the only weapon available, his helmet. Sullivan staggered away with a split forehead.​

History Lesson: The Time Matt Millen Punched The Patriots' General Manager In The Head | Deadspin

After the loss, Long and Sullivan met up with each other on the field. "I kind of talked like I was going to hit him," Long later told reporters. "But I just wanted to see him jump because I knew he was such a wimp. Spineless. That's pretty much what he is." Long said things escalated when Sullivan got in close and grabbed his face mask.

Enter Matt Millen.

Bad blood had been boiling between the teams even before a playoff football game was on the line. Sullivan was no fan of the Raiders, and this went beyond Howie Long. For Sullivan, the die was cast during the infamous preseason game in 1978 in which Jack Tatum obliterated and permanently paralyzed Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley. "What bother[ed] me even more is that the Raiders have developed a mentality which does not allow them to apologize or display emotion except for one guy ... [then coach] John Madden," Sullivan said. In a story published the day of the playoff game, he also called Al Davis a liar and accused him of delivering a "thinly veiled attack on our family" by coming out East and testifying in a suit involving Patriot stockholders."

In front of this backdrop stumbled Matt Millen (with or without his helmet—depending on whom you ask), intervening in a way that now seems so very Matt Millen. "'I saw some guy swing at Howie," Millen said later. "I didn't know who the moron was, so I swung at him." Information. Impulse. Action. After the dust had settled and reporters had informed Millen whom he had decked, he said, "Oh, then it was a good hit."

So good, in fact, that Sullivan said he saw stars and required stitches to his face. The stars and stitches, however, did not prevent him from going before cameras to talk about the incident, nor did it prevent him from calling Boston Globe reporter Will McDonough a stooge for Al Davis. Long, equally camera-shy, continued the war of words, describing Sullivan as "a little twirp," "32 going on 12," and a "classless slob." Long would continue, "I've come from rags to riches. I've earned my money. This guy had it in his mouth when he was born." The parting Long shot: "I've got more class in my pinky finger than this guy does."​

A Corker at the Coliseum | Sports Illustrated

Full 3+ hour video of the game:
​

 

[everlong]

Interesting fact, Mike Tomczak started in both the Eagles/Bears and Steelers/Patriots fog bowls.

 

[captain stone]

And there’s Drew with his weekly 2 INTs…

 

[denverpatsfan]

I was there. Almost got trampled to death waiting in line for tickets for that game the week before. Unbelievable energy in the stadium that day.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Great memories, @jmt57 . Really appreciate the time and effort to put these together.

1985: Raiders: What was so great about this was it replaced my favorite Patriots game of all time which the prior week, we beat the Jets in the Wild Card game in NY. I was 14. I had hockey practice that morning. My coach said we were gonna get killed. We gave him so much crap the next practice. Of course he said we'd lose in MIA. Then the SOB says we might beat the Bears. Idiot.

1996 Squealers: What a pain in the ass it was to watch that game on TV. I recall being so psyched b/c my buddy's mom in-law was a VP for Rand-Whitney and always got tickets to Pats games. She couldn't hook us up for the Squealers game but she said she could for the Jags AFCCG (who beat Den the prior day). I watched the game with the same buddy. It was of course a blowout and we spent the entire 4th qtr planning the tailgate.

 

[Pape]

Welcome back @jmt57

 

[Pape]

Today in Patriots History: January 5
Pats crush Steelers in The Fog Bowl​

Sunday, January 5, 1997 at 12:30
1996 AFC Divisional Round Playoff Game, at Foxboro Stadium
New England Patriots 28, Pittsburgh Steelers 3
Head Coaches: Bill Parcells, Bill Cowher
Quarterbacks: Drew Bledsoe, Mike Tomczak
Odds: New England favored by 3
Weather: 42 degrees, 98% humidity, 8 mph wind; dense fog
Game MVP: Curtis Martin
Pittsburgh finishes the season 11-7 after a 9-3 start
New England makes it to the Super Bowl, losing to Green Bay


Pro Football Reference Box Score and Stats

With Steelers in a Fog, Patriots Roll Along | Washington Post

After two weeks to prepare for their first home playoff game in 18 years, the New England Patriots went into attack mode on their first offensive play today. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe completed a 53-yard pass to rookie wide receiver Terry Glenn, and from that moment, the Pittsburgh Steelers flailed in the fog at Foxboro Stadium.​

​

The Patriots, whose 11-5 regular season record assured them a bye in the first round of playoffs, arrived today with plenty of motivation, the defense in particular. They had been reading all week about the Steelers' fearsome zone blitzes, their big-back attack and their two-man quarterback tandem that was supposed to slash and bash the home team halfway to Cape Cod.​

​

Instead, the Patriots came out and controlled both lines of scrimmage. Their defense held the Steelers (11-7) to 213 yards — only 90 passing — allowed Jerome Bettis 43 yards rushing and sacked Mike Tomczak and Kordell Stewart three times, with countless knockdowns after passes were released.​

​

"We wanted to make a statement," said linebacker Chris Slade, a Virginia graduate who leveled Tomczak after he threw his first two passes, one for no gain, the second incomplete. "We had something to prove today. Everyone was saying what they were gonna' do to our offense. We were mad. We took it personal."​

​

So did the offense.​

​

Curtis Martin converted the opening pass play from Bledsoe to Glenn — thrown against All-Pro cornerback Rod Woodson — into a two-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 lead with 11 minutes 58 seconds left in the first quarter.​

​

"Our guys played with a little chip on their shoulders," said Bledsoe, who completed 14 of 24 passes for 164 yards and one touchdown. Bledsoe's sweetly executed 34-yard screen pass to veteran fullback Keith Byars gave New England a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter.​

​

Martin rushed for a team playoff-record 166 yards on 19 carries and had three touchdown runs. His 78-yard dash — he second longest scoring run in NFL playoff history — on a Steelers blitz gave the Patriots a 21-0 lead with 9:55 remaining in the first half on a play Parcells described as "taking it to the house."​

​

Martin made his final house call with a 23-yard scoring run for a 28-3 advantage that settled things once and for all with 12:31 left in the fourth quarter.​

​

The Steelers, meanwhile, headed home a week after their own dominating 42-14 victory over the visiting Colts in their wild-card game. Tomczak saw blitzing Patriots coming in from all directions before yielding to Kordell Stewart, who was equally ineffective. Stewart was 0 for 10 passing and rushed 19 yards in four carries.​

​

The Patriots began throwing right from the start, on a play Parcells said had been planned by his offensive staff and approved, somewhat reluctantly, by the head coach. "I was choking on it a little," Parcells admitted later. "We talked about that one last night a little bit . . . You've got to try to attack. We had pretty good field position, so we thought we'd try and do it . . . We were trying to get a little momentum."​

​

On first and 10 at their own 45, Glenn lined up wide to the right, with Woodson defending him man to man. Bledsoe (pictured) helped with a play-action fake to a running back, then heaved the ball through the mist and into the waiting arms of Glenn, a step ahead of the defender and running in full stride. Glenn caught the ball at the 10 and was tripped up by Woodson at the 2. On the next play, Martin scored off right tackle, and the rout was on.​

​

"Rod Woodson's a great player," Bledsoe said. "He does a great job of sitting on routes and making plays on curl outs and comeback passes. We really felt like we had to run by him early and we decided, hey, why not the first play of the game?"​

A Souper Sunday: The Steelers were in a fog against the Patriots, who beat them at their own game | Sports Illustrated

switch had been made under cover of fog. How else to explain the New England Patriots' role-reversing 28-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Sunday's AFC divisional playoff? While the Patriots came into the game with a defense made up of competent unknowns, their Steelers counterparts arrived in Foxboro with a nickname--Blitzburgh--and a recent record of violence against quarterbacks.​

​

In a wild-card playoff game on Dec. 29, Pittsburgh sacked Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jim Harbaugh four times, broke one of his teeth and opened a gash on his chin that required 15 stitches. But on Sunday, in a fog so dense that Foxboro Stadium resembled the inside of Hunter S. Thompson's head, the Patriots played like the Steelers while the Steelers played like the old Patsies.​

​

Defending AFC champion Pittsburgh had the NFL's second-best sack total (51) during the regular season, but it was the New England front seven (33 sacks in 1996) that generated the most heat on Sunday. The Steelers' quarterback combination of Mike Tomczak and Kordell (Slash) Stewart, rather than Patriots passer Drew Bledsoe, spent the afternoon serving as crash-test dummies.​

​

Afterward, the New England defenders, an unheralded but steadily improving bunch, revealed their motivation: They were tired of hearing about, as defensive end Willie McGinest put it, "Slash this and Blitzburgh and the Bus [Steelers running back Jerome Bettis]."​

​

Complementing their righteous indignation was a bold game plan in which the Patriots stunted and blitzed as aggressively as the Steelers usually do.​

1997 ESPN NFL Prime Time (1996 Sunday Divisional Playoffs):


Very grainy, old VHS quality highlights with lots of retro ads in the last few minutes

first ever playoff game i ever went to...

remember sitting in section 12, 6 rows up... couldnt see but half the field, for the most part... awesome day, even better game.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History: January 5
Chargers crush Patriots 51-10 in 1963 AFL Championship Game​

Sunday, January 5, 1964 at 4:00
1963 AFL Championship Game, at Balboa Stadium, San Diego
San Diego Chargers 51, Boston Patriots 10
Head Coaches: Mike Holovak, Sid Gillman
Quarterbacks: Babe Parilli, Tobin Rote
Weather: mild; 57 degrees, 10 mph wind
Game MVP: Keith Lincoln
Despite losing both games to the Raiders, SD won the AFL West by one game over Oakland, finishing 12-3
Boston defeated Buffalo in a tiebreaker game to determine the AFL East winner, before losing this title game.


Keith Lincoln had one of the greatest performance in the history of pro football postseason games, with 329 yards from scrimmage to lead the Chargers to their one and only championship victory. Lincoln had scored on a 67 yard first quarter run to give San Diego a 14-0 lead, and finished with 206 yards rushing on just 13 carries (15.8 yards per carry!), added another 123 yards on seven receptions, and scored two touchdowns.

In the week leading up to the game there was also an infamous incident where Larry Eisenhauer and his father took off their clothes to go skinny dipping in a hotel pool, just as topless mermaids were about to perform for an audience one floor below.


1963 AFL Championship Game | Pro Football Reference

Remembering the 1963 Championship Game | The San Diego Union-Tribune

1963 Boston Patriots | Fenway Park Diaries

The World Champion Chargers and the 1963 AFL Season | Remember the AFL

Perhaps the most interesting story about this game is below. Apparently the Chargers were spying on the Pats practices all week long, Mike Holovak had publicly given away his team's game plan to the Globe's Will McDonough, and long before the Steelers of the seventies, the 1963 San Diego Chargers were the first steroid pro football team. If that wasn't enough, Sid Gillman was pissed off at the Patriots about not covering the outfield with a tarp during a rainstorm prior to an earlier regular season game - rendering Fenway Park into a mud pit that slowed his offense to a standstill.

Screwed in San Diego: How the Pats blew the 1963 AFL championship game

But San Diego coach Sid Gillman did not forget.​

​

He did not just want to beat the Patriots—he wanted revenge, a victory so complete and thorough that the NFL would agree to an interleague championship game. With two weeks to prepare...​

After his team routed the Patriots, San Diego head coach Sid Gillman challenged the NFL Champion Chicago Bears to a game. When the Bears refused, Gillman had the Chargers’ championship rings engraved “World Champions.”

 

[PatsWSB47]

I have this game on VHS tape lol

 

[denverpatsfan]

first ever playoff game i ever went to...

remember sitting in section 12, 6 rows up... couldnt see but half the field, for the most part... awesome day, even better game.

It was the first home playoff game since 1978 at the time. A HUGE deal! All those other games were on the road. 1963, 1976, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1994...

 

[TheRainMaker]

Those 1996 uniforms were beautiful. I love them.

 

[TheRainMaker]

This was the beginning of the patriots dominance of the squeelers

Not quite. They got swept in 1997.

 

[Mack Herron]

Great memories peering down from section 317 through the fog and smoke from pre-game pyrotechnics in the realization that my dreams of these guys competing with the big boys was becoming a reality as Glenn hauled in the bomb. Dreams of Bledsoe, Martin and Glenn dominating for years. Those were glorious halcyon days as the Patriots rose from the ashes of the humorous if pathetic years at Harvard stadium and Nickerson Field. We felt we were witnessing the beginning of something great. And we were, even if it wasn’t what we imagined. It has been been so much more than I dared to dream. Still have my Glenn jersey.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History: January 5
Birthdays and other Trivia​

Happy 29th Birthday to Phillip Dorsett
Born January 5, 1993 in Fort Lauderdale
Patriot WR, 2017-2019; uniform #13
Traded from Colts to Pats on Sept 2, 2017 for QB Jacoby Brissett
45 games, 73 receptions, 881 yards, 12.1 ypc, 8 TD
Dorsett spent 2020 on IR with the Seahawks, was with Jacksonville in the 2021 offseason, then was on the Seattle and Houston practice squads for the rest of 2021. Over his NFL career he has 131 receptions for 1,744 yards and 11 touchdowns - while being paid over $12 million dollars.


Happy 81st Birthday to Dave Watson
January 5, 1941 in Eufaula, Alabama
Patriot G, 1963-64; uniform #67 and #62
Pats 11th round (87th overall) selection of the 1963 AFL draft, from Georgia Tech
Watson played in all 28 games in his two seasons with the Pats in a reserve role, starting in two games. His biggest sports claim to fame is being part of a lowly regarded Georgia Tech team that upset Alabama in 1962 when Joe Namath was the QB for Bear Bryant and the #1 ranked Crimson Tide.


Happy 67th Birthday to Bill Currier
Born January 5, 1955 in Glen Burnie, MD
Patriot SS, 1980; uniform #28
The safety spent nine years in the NFL, mostly with the Giants and Oilers. Currier played in all 16 games for the 1980 Pats as a backup and on special teams.


Happy 53rd Birthday to David Dixon
Born January 5, 1969 in New Zealand
Patriot G, 1992 offseason
Pats 9th round (232nd overall) selection of the 1992 draft, from Arizona State
Dixon was a training camp cut, and spent '92 and '93 on the practice squads for Minnesota and Dallas. After that inauspicious beginning he proceeded to play 154 games at RG for the Vikings, with eight seasons as their starter. Dixon was the second Maori (indigenous Polynesian people) to play in the NFL.


Other players with New England Connections:
FB Casey Cramer (1/5/82) went to Dartmouth; he played five seasons with Carolina, Tennessee and Miami.

DT Don Colo (1/5/25) was born and raised in East Bridgewater MA; he was named to three Pro Bowls and won two championships with the Browns.

QB/TB Paul Governali (1/5/21) played for the 1946-47 Boston Yanks.

Bob Priestly (1/5/20) was born in Everett and went to Melrose High School; he was a two-way end for the Eagles in 1942.


Other notable football players born today:
Warrick Dunn (1/5/75); RB had 15,306 yards from scrimmage and 64 TD
Ray Crockett (1/5/67); CB won two SB rings and had 36 picks over 14 seasons
Rick Tuten (1/5/65-6/13/17); Punter for 11 seasons, won SB ring with Rams
Joe Cribbs (1/5/58); RB went to three Pro Bowls with Bills
Mercury Morris (1/5/47), Miami RB, drug dealer and Pats Hater
Sam Wyche (1/5/45-1/2/20); innovative HC introduced the hurry up offense as a mid-game strategy; nearly beat SF in SB 23
EJ Holub (1/53/38-9/21/19); 5-time Pro Bowl LB for Chiefs
Jim Otto (1/5/1938); Hall of Fame center for the Raiders
Chuck Noll (1/5/32-6/13/14); after playing seven seasons for coach Paul Brown in Cleveland, Noll went on to win four Super Bowls as head coach with the Steelers - an NFL record that stood for 37 years.

Today in Pro Football History​

2002 Wild Card Game: Forty Niners 39, Giants 38
The Giants led 38-14 with just over 17 minutes left to play -- but lost.
Today in Pro Football History: Jan 5, 2014

The special teams had been a cause of concern throughout the season, and 41-year-old long snapper Trey Junkin was signed out of retirement five days before the game when long snapper Dan O’Leary was injured – a seemingly minor personnel change that would have a significant impact on the game’s outcome.​

​

....​

​

It seemed as though the visitors would prevail when they lined up for a field goal attempt of 41 yards with six seconds left on the clock.​

​

But Junkin snapped the ball too low and holder Matt Allen couldn’t handle it. The desperate Allen rolled out and threw toward G Rich Seubert, who was in the act of being pulled down by San Francisco LB Chike Okeafor. The ball fell to the ground with no time left, but the Giants were looking for a flag for pass interference. After the officials conferred, a flag was indeed thrown – against the Giants for having an ineligible receiver downfield.​

​

San Francisco came away with an astonishing 39-38 win. Coming back from a 24-point deficit, it was the biggest comeback in NFC playoff history (and, at the time, the second-biggest in NFL history), and was punctuated in bizarre fashion.​

​

.....​

​

The next day, the NFL acknowledged that the officials had blown the call on the game-ending broken field goal attempt. There should have been an offsetting pass interference penalty on the 49ers, which would have allowed the Giants another chance at kicking the field goal (while Seubert had reported in as an eligible receiver, another guard, Tam Hopkins, was illegally downfield on the play).​

​

​

 

[captain stone]

**** the ****ing Exit 16-W Vagiants! **** that ENTIRE ****ing organization to Hell!

And I also LOVE your description of Mercury Morris… **** him too!

 

[Steve102]

Wow man...takes me back!

The first Bledsoe pass to Glenn...and the rout was on!

Pre-game, we had a big sign that said "She can play", right near the tunnel where they came out. Kraft came over and signed it. He said "you guys are gonna get me in trouble!" Terry saw it, but didn't come over to us to say anything. He caught that pass and we were going nuts, holding up this huge sheet. He looked up at us and gave us the first down salute and all my buddies at home went "OMFG he sees them". The next morning there was a picture of us in the Herald. I have it on the wall in the basement. Good times.