Today In Patriots History 1997: The Fog Bowl

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Pats shock Steelers in the fog
Stun Pittsburgh early while 'Slash' crashes in 0-10 game
Curtis Martin runs for 166 yards, 3 TD in record-setting performance​

Sun Jan 5, 1997 at 12:30
Divisional Round at Foxboro Stadium
New England Patriots 28, Pittsburgh Steelers 3
Head Coaches: Bill Parcells, Bill Cowher
QBs: Drew Bledsoe; Mike Tomczak, Kordell Stewart
Odds: New England favored by 3
Weather: 42 degrees, 98% humidity, 8 mph wind; dense fog
Game MVP: Curtis Martin
Patriots improve to 12-5, advance to AFCCG vs Jaguars
Steelers finish 11-7 - after a 9-3 start

​

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 — the 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.​

"I thought we put up a great fight," said Tomczak, who must have been watching a different game. "They had a lot of energy and their productivity was good the early part of the game. They established the momentum early and it was very difficult to regain it back."​

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 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?"​

The Patriots are a game away from advancing to the second Super Bowl in team history and the first since 1986, when they were drubbed by the Chicago Bears, 46-10. They will face a Jacksonville team that has won on the road the past two weeks at Buffalo and Denver, has a seven-game winning streak and will be a prohibitive longshot win again here.​

Parcells is very familiar with Jacksonville Coach Tom Coughlin, who was an assistant on his Giants staff before leaving to coach at Boston College.​

"This is not easy for either one of us," Parcells said. "I talked to him two or three times last week. I'm proud of Tom and what he's done. He's a terrific coach and his team will be ready, I know that. They're a big threat. I can remember sitting upstairs with the media in Boston about a month ago and everybody was talking about Denver being the [favorite], just like Kansas City was last year.​

"I told you, don't be too sure . . . Once you get in this tournament, it's not who has the best record, but who's playing the best. Jacksonville has played the best in those games, and we played the best today."​

A SOUPER SUNDAY THE STEELERS WERE IN A FOG AGAINST THE PATRIOTS, WHO BEAT THEM AT THEIR OWN GAME

A switch had been made under cover of fog. How else to explainthe New England Patriots' role-reversing 28-3 win over thePittsburgh Steelers in Sunday's AFC

vault.si.com

A 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.​

1996 Steelers at Patriots AFC Divisional Playoff
4:01 Highlight Video




NFL Primetime 1996 Divisional Playoff Sunday (ESPN January 5th, 1997)
23:24 recording of the ESPN show with Chris Berman, Tom Jackson and Joe Theisman





1996 Divisional Playoff - Pittsburgh at New England
2:27:36 Full Game, recorded off Providence channel 10 WJAR

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
New England defense forces six turnovers
Pats come from behind to upset Raiders in playoffs
Matt Millen clocks a heckling Pat Sullivan on sideline​

​

Sun Jan 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
QBs: Tony Eason, Marc Wilson
Odds: Raiders favored by 5½
Weather: 61 degrees, 8 mph wind
Game MVPs: Craig James and the Pats secondary
Patriots improve to 13-5, advance to AFCCG at Miami
Raiders finish 12-5, ending a six-game winning streak


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 Raider QB Marc Wilson to 11-27 for 135 yards, with the three picks plus two sacks - for a 29.6 passer rating.

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

Raiders Give the Game to the Patriots, 27-20 : 3 Interceptions and 3 Fumbles Result in Loss

The New England Patriots found a simple formula to advance to their first AFC title game ever: When in doubt, kick off.

www.latimes.com

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

The problems really started when they stole the goal posts. Remember? After the Patriots clinched a wild card berth with a 34-23 victory over Cincinnati at Sullivan (now Foxboro) Stadium on Dec. 22…

www.courant.com

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

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

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

deadspin.com

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

Al Davis stood under low clouds near the 50-yard line of the Los Angeles Coliseum. His Raiders were healthy and just a few minutes away from teeing it up for

vault.si.com

Shifting his weight back and forth, he watched as the New England Patriots continued their warmups. Al Davis knows great athletes when he sees them. He chewed his lip and tugged at his chin. Davis seemed to sense that on this day "Commitment to Excellence" and "Pride and Poise" might not be enough.​

Sure enough, the Raiders lost to the Patriots 27-20, and deserved to lose by more. The Raiders were beaten every misstep of the way. They committed six turnovers, four of which led to 20 points, and allowed an 80-yard drive for the other touchdown. The Patriots won with basic football—they blocked and tackled and followed the bouncing ball. No trick defenses, no Frank Merriwells and no slogans. They simply knocked the Raiders down. And the Raiders, immobilized by quarterback Marc Wilson's unseemly lapses, could not rally.​

The turnovers that destroyed the Raiders included three interceptions of Wilson passes and a punt return in the first quarter messed up by Fulton Walker. The last led to New England's first touchdown—what's this, a pass?—13 yards from Tony Eason to tight end Lin Dawson. The killer was a kickoff return butchered by L.A.'s Sam Seale near the end of the third quarter.​

It often seemed that all the Patriots needed to do was fall on fumbles or intercept passes one might expect from the Salvation Army, not the L.A. Raiders. Seale's fumble came after a 32-yard field goal by Tony Franklin had tied the game at 20. When Seale finally picked the ball up, he carried it as if he didn't recognize it. The ball was knocked away, and Cedric Jones shoved it into the end zone, where safety Jim Bowman fell on it for the touchdown that sent the Patriots into the AFC title game against Miami.​

You knew the Patriots had gotten the Raiders' number from the way they drove the ball; Eason completed only one pass to a wide receiver and seven overall. "You don't dominate the Raiders," said tackle Brian Holloway. "They have so much talent on defense. You try to control them. They're like sharks. They're in a frenzy this time of year."​

After New England's first touchdown, the Raiders struck back with a 29-yard Chris Bahr field goal with 4:47 left in the first period. That came after a Patriot punt was blocked by defensive end Greg Townsend. On the Raiders' next possession, Wilson launched the kind of pass that got him his $800,000-a-year contract—a hot, straight, 16-yard bullet to Jessie Hester, who escaped Raymond Clayborn to make it 10-7. Then it was Marcus Allen's turn. On third-and-four from the New England 11, the great back flowed to the right and vaulted over safety Fred Marion for a 17-7 lead.​

Now it was the Patriots' game that came into focus: 80 brutal yards marked by skill, character, and one crucial—and questionable—offside penalty against Long at the Raider nine, all of which brought New England away from that 17-7 brink. "We came to run," said Holloway. And that they did. Craig James was the key man in the drive. This season no runner the Raiders had faced—not Eric ****erson, Roger Craig, Gerald Riggs, Freeman McNeil, Curt Warner, Kevin Mack or Earnest Byner—had gained 100 yards against them. James got 104 on 23 carries, 27 in four on this drive, which he began with a blast off right tackle for 16 yards and closed out on third-and-goal from the two. His touchdown came off the shotgun. After an inside handoff, James looped to the left behind a devastating block on safety Stacey Toran by John Hannah.​

Another inside handoff resulted in a crucial first down in the fourth quarter. After a Wilson lollipop intended for Allen was intercepted by Marion, the Patriots took over at their 45 with 7:20 left. On third-and-12 from the Raider 46, the Patriots sent James right on the inside handoff from the shotgun. He reeled off 15 yards and enabled the Patriots to eat up two more minutes. The Raiders, who had wasted two timeouts, finally got the ball back at their own 20 with 1:44 left. From the 26, Wilson completed a fourth-down pass to Allen, who carried to mid-field. But guard Mickey Marvin was called for grabbing a face mask, and the Raiders headed backward.​

Now the road leads to Miami and Dan Marino. The Pats haven't won there in half a lifetime, either. Nineteen years, is it? "We put silver-and-black gift-wrapping on the Patriots for Don Shula," moaned Raider cornerback Lester Hayes. "Miami has the greatest home-field advantage in the NFL. I give the Patriots two chances. Slim and none."​

Fighting words. The Sullivans are ready. So are the Patriots.​

Boston vs. Los Angeles: The World Series of Football! (Patriots vs. Raiders, 1985 AFC DIV)
14:20 Highlight Video




1985 Los Angeles Raiders Playoff vs. New England Patriots
31:42 Highlight Video




1985 WK 18 AFC Division Playoff New England Patriots (12-5) @ Los Angeles Raiders (12-4)
2:28:49 Full Game
​

NFL Media Game Summary, with team & individual stats, half time stats, full play-by-play, lineups and more

Divisional Round - New England Patriots at Los Angeles Raiders - January 5th, 1986 | Pro-Football-Reference.com

New England Patriots 27 at Los Angeles Raiders 20 on January 5th, 1986 - Full team and player stats and box score

www.pro-football-reference.com

 

[NFL Mystique]

Do the 96 Patriots make the SB if Denver does not get upset by Jacksonville. Thoughts?

 

[TheRainMaker]

Do the 96 Patriots make the SB if Denver does not get upset by Jacksonville. Thoughts?

Probably not. Patriots had a very hard time against Denver. In fact, many teams dreaded playing them because of their chop blocking.

However, had Parcells stayed, I think they would've made Denver sweat by 1998.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Pats flattened in their first championship game
Keith Lincoln runs for 206 yards, adds 123 receiving in historic performance
San Diego routs Boston, 51-10​

Sun Jan 5, 1986 at 4:00
1963 AFL Championship Game, at Balboa Stadium
San Diego Chargers 51, Boston Patriots 10
Head Coaches: Mike Holovak, Sid Gillman
QBs: Babe Parilli, Tobin Rote
Odds: Chargers favored by 6
Weather: 57 degrees, 10 mph wind
Game MVP: Keith Lincoln
AFL East champion Patriots finish 8-7-1
Chargers win their only championship in franchise history with a 12-3 record


Despite losing both of their season games to the Raiders, San Diego 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 - their first playoff game and first postseason game in franchise history - 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 Boston Patriots | Fenway Park Diaries

The finish would be anticlimactic. Though the Patriots had played San Diego close in their two regular season meetings, the trip west for the championship game went awry from the start. The Chargers had league MVP Tobin Rote at quarterback and a dynamic receiver in Tobin Rote.​

The Chargers took away the Patriots most important defensive weapon, the blitz and rolled to an easy 51-10 triumph. They scored the game’s first two touchdowns, led 31-10 at the half and pulled away for the victory on January 5th. Only three times did the Chargers fail to score when they had the ball. The San Diego Chargers were a better team than the Patriots. They had 328 yards rushing to Boston’s 77 and total yardage amounting to 610 to 263 by the Patriots.​

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

Chargers 51, Patriots 10​

Thus ended the AFL season. The slow, light Patriots scrambled into their first title game, and the Chargers, who had a dismal season in 1962 after suffering a slew of injuries, won their first championship game in three tries.​

It was, on the whole, a successful year for the league, its fourth in business. Attendance was up 10% to 12%, and gate receipts, with a higher scale at Boston and Kansas City, rose some 30%. Next year, with a new stadium in New York and 7,600 additional sideline seats in Buffalo, promises to be even better. Looking ahead to 1965, Houston gets the world's first indoor football field (air conditioned, yet), and by 1966 Oakland's new stadium could be completed.​

Gilbert Rogin, Sports Illustrated​

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 big time steroid pro football team.

If that wasn't enough, Sid Gillman was still 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.

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.”

Remembering the 1963 Championship Game

If you believe in synchronicity, Sunday could be a special day for the Chargers.The team’s first playoff game since 2009 happens to fall exactly on the 50th anniversary of the Chargers only c…

www.sandiegouniontribune.com

Led by running backs Keith Lincoln and Paul Lowe; quarterbacks Tobin Rote and John Hadl, and wide receiver Lance Alworth, the Chargers rolled up 610 yards of total offense.​

Lincoln had a hand in 349 of those yards in one of the greatest individual games in history. He rushed for 206 yards on 13 carries, caught seven passes for 123 yards and completed a pass for another 20 yards. He scored on a 67-yard run and a 25-yard pass from Hadl.​

Paul Lowe scored on a 58-yard run and had 94 yards on 12 carries. Rote threw two touchdown passes, including a 48-yard strike to Alworth, who had 77 yards on four catches.​

To defeat Boston's league-leading defense that used blitzing linebackers to overwhelm offenses, the Chargers brilliantly executed an offensive game plan that head coach Sid Gillman labeled "Feast or Famine." The Chargers used motion, shifts and deception to rout the Patriots defense.​

The Chargers averaged 10.9 yards per play. The Chargers scored on their fourth, sixth (Lincoln's run) and 10th (Lowe's run) plays from scrimmage and built leads of 21-7 at the end of the first quarter and 31-10 at the half.​

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

South Boston native and Boston Globe football writer Will McDonough, a graduate of Northeastern University, covered prep sports for the Globe before moving to the Patriots beat in the summer of 1962 as backup to John Ahern. Like Patriots owner Billy Sullivan, McDonough made a career aligning with those in power. His reporting, both with the Globe and later as a television analyst for CBS and NBC, focused less on the players and what took place on the field than on what went on behind the scenes, in the locker room and front office, covering the inside power struggles among the men who owned and coached the Patriots and those who ran professional football.​

.

In quintessential McDonough fashion, he later liked to tell a story — which he never wrote — about the 1963 AFL championship game in San Diego, the kind of story that enhanced his reputation as someone who knew what was really happening. After the Pats beat Buffalo in a playoff to take the AFL's Eastern Division and earn the right to the Chargers in San Diego for the championship, the Chargers arranged for Boston to practice at a nearby Navy base, a presumably secure facility that would allow them to work out in private. Yet, according to McDonough, “the Chargers had several people dressed as Navy guys watching practice all week long,” although, as a reporter who bragged he never took notes, he never provided a source for that information. According to McDonough, the Chargers thereby learned exactly what the Patriots planned to do during the game and adjusted accordingly. The Patriots were beaten before they ever took the field. Receiver and kicker Gino Cappelletti later remarked, “You know, the way the Chargers played, especially on offense, it was as if they knew just what we wanted to do.”​

They did, but if the Chargers had spies at the Patriots’ practice, anything they learned was confirmed before the game. The fault for that lay with Pats’ coach Mike Holovak. . . and perhaps Will McDonough.​

In two earlier meetings that season, the Chargers and Patriots had played to a virtual standoff, the Chargers narrowly winning both, 17–13 and 7–6, even as the Patriots shut down the potent San Diego offense, particularly the running game led by backs Paul Lowe and Keith Lincoln. In fact, the Patriots had angered the Chargers before the game at Fenway Park when the home team “accidentally” forgot to cover the outfield during a rainstorm. The resulting quagmire left Lincoln and Lowe running in place. Fortunately for the Chargers, flanker Lance Alworth caught 13 passes, including the winning score. 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 for Boston, Gillman, considered one of the most creative offensive coaches in the history of professional football, installed what he referred to as a “Feast or Famine” game plan, a scheme he felt would either work to perfection or fail miserably. If it failed, well, there was also the “East Formation,” which put both Alworth and split end Don Norton on the strong side of the field, another wrinkle the Pats hadn’t encountered. Today the schemes seem simple. In 1963 championship, they were a revelation.​

Over the course of the season, the Patriots’ defense earned a reputation for what Boston defensive end Larry Eisenhauer called their “Ban the Bomb” defense — a gambling, near-all-out blitzing attack keyed by linebacker Nick Buoniconti and safety Ron Hall. It worked because their linemen, Bob Dee, Jim Lee Hunt, and Houston Antwine, were quick in pursuit, able to tie up runners at the line or in the backfield before they could reach the secondary and exploit any gaps abandoned by the blitzing defenders or in between the Pats’ slow-footed defensive backs, whom Gillman derisively referred to as “old ladies.”​

The new scheme was designed to exploit the Patriots’ defensive strengths. Based on men in motion, traps, misdirection, and surprise, the new plays, some of which weren’t put in place until a day or two before the game, were calculated to thwart what the Patriots planned to do and free up Lincoln and Lowe.​

It wasn’t the first time the surprise use of the “man-in-motion” had been used effectively in a championship game. In 1940, Chicago and Washington met for the NFL championship. Three weeks before, Washington had defeated the Bears 7–3. But in the championship game, the Bears surprised Washington by unveiling the T-formation — something that hadn’t been used in decades — and putting backs in motion. Chicago rolled to a record 73–0 victory as the Washington defense spent the whole game reversing field​

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As game time approached, if Gillman was wondering whether the Chargers would enjoy a scoring feast or famine, or if the Patriots would plan some changes of their own, his questions may well have been answered. A few days before the game, McDonough had interviewed Holovak about Boston’s game strategy and presented it in a story with a subhead “What to Look for on TV.”​

Holovak may as well have handed McDonough his playbook. In a series of extensive quotes, the Patriot coach revealed his entire game plan in detail. On offense, Holovak said, the Patriots were confident they could run on San Diego, and he described one play in detail, “what we call ‘a pick,’” adding, “We’ll be running it all day.” He noted that one San Diego defender “tips the defense,” so the Pats had plans for quarterback Babe Parilli to check off to alternative plays at the line. Thanks, Coach.​

But on defense Holovak really gave away the store. He revealed that he planned to use the Patriots’ blitzing reputation as a ruse, faking safety blitzes with Hall, then having him drop back to double-cover Alworth. He said that the Patriots had drilled the defensive front to focus on pursuit and follow the flow of the play, using their speed to contain Lowe and Lincoln and then shut down Alworth deep. A confident Holovak was almost giddy with excitement.​

It was as if Muhammad Ali had told Howard Cosell before “the Rumble in the Jungle” that he planned to lie against the ropes until George Foreman punched himself out. Although the Globe wasn’t widely available in San Diego, it’s hard to believe that Gillman didn’t learn about the story — there were telephones, after all, and Gillman was well connected in the football world. Whether Holovak knew McDonough was planning to run with the story or whether the information was given on background is uncertain, but at that point any trepidation Gillman had over his feast-or-famine approach would have evaporated.​

Yet perhaps it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. As ESPN’s T. J. Quinn reported in 2009, the 1963 Chargers were the first pro football team known to supply players with steroids. After the Chargers’ 4-10 finish in 1962, Gillman hired pro football’s first strength coach, Alvin Roy, a man the New York Times later called “the guru and godfather of the weight-training field.” Roy had trained US Olympians and learned about anabolic steroids from his Russian counterparts. During camp before the 1963 season, players were ordered to lift weights and, for at least five weeks, provided with Dianabol, the first steroid developed solely to impact athletic performance, and still one of the most effective. They were given 5 milligrams of the drug three times a day, a dosage that experts agree is more than enough to impact performance. It remains the standard starting dose to this day.​

​

Championship - Boston Patriots at San Diego Chargers - January 5th, 1964 | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Boston Patriots 10 at San Diego Chargers 51 on January 5th, 1964 - Full team and player stats and box score

www.pro-football-reference.com

AFL Official Media Game Summary, with handwritten notes, stats and complete play-by-play

 

[FortressX]

Loved that Bledsoe to Glenn bomb

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

The Patriots are a game away from advancing to the second Super Bowl in team history and the first since 1986, when they were drubbed by the Chicago Bears, 46-10.

Just thinking, might be a good idea to hand the ball off to the kid in the Super Bowl.

At least twenty times. Remember O.J. Anderson?

Please pass this message on to Perkins and Parcells, thank you.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Do the 96 Patriots make the SB if Denver does not get upset by Jacksonville. Thoughts?

No

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

It often seemed that all the Patriots needed to do was fall on fumbles or intercept passes one might expect from the Salvation Army, not the L.A. Raiders. Seale's fumble came after a 32-yard field goal by Tony Franklin had tied the game at 20. When Seale finally picked the ball up, he carried it as if he didn't recognize it. The ball was knocked away, and Cedric Jones shoved it into the end zone, where safety Jim Bowman fell on it for the touchdown that sent the Patriots into the AFC title game against Miami.

By should-be Patriots Hall of Famer Mosi Tatupu, out of USC who yes played there in the Mausoleum.

They simply knocked the Raiders down. And the Raiders, immobilized by quarterback Marc Wilson's unseemly lapses, could not rally.

Flores starting Wilson was the safe, practical, conventional - and suicidal - decision.

With should-be Hall of Famer and reason for the Raiders' two legitimate Super Bowl championships, Jim Plunkett, healthy and available, standing of the sidelines watching instead of facing his old team.

Berry, of course, would later outdo Tom for the big game in the Bayou, starting a human white flag, Tony Eason, over another healthy and available championship quarterback, the reason the Patriots were even competitive at all in 1985, Steve Grogan.

Steve made it in all right - after they were already down three scores. As a deserving overwhelming underdog in a championship game, you don't want to spot the favorite three touchdowns.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Pats cost themselves #1 draft pick with win
Jerod Mayo fired soon after; Patriots 23, Bills 16
Joe Milton plays well in first NFL game.​

Sun Jan 5, 2025 at 1:00
Week 18, Game 17 at Gillette Stadium
New England Patriots 23, Buffalo Bills 16
Head Coaches: Jerod Mayo, Sean McDermott
QBs: Drake Maye, Joe Milton; Mitch Trubisky, Mike White
Odds: Bills favored by 3
Weather: 33 degrees, cloudy, no precipitation, 15 mph wind
Game MVP: Joe Milton III
Patriots snap six-game losing streak to finish 4-13
Bills finish regular season 13-4


By winning a game that moved neither team in the standings, the Patriots dropped from #1 to #4 in the 2025 NFL draft order. Shortly after the game ended Robert Kraft announced that head coach Jerod Mayo had been fired after one single season. Kraft stated "For me, personally, it was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team’s performances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped.”

Drake Maye got the win as the starter, but played only one series. Joe Milton was deserving of that W, getting on the field for the first time all season. Milton finished 22-29 for 241 yards with one TD, no interceptions and no fumbles; he also scored on a one-yard run to give the Patriots a 7-0 first quarter lead. Kayshon Boutte had seven catches for 117 yards and a TD, and Joey Slye kicked three second half field goals that propeled the Pats from a 16-14 deficit to a 23-16 lead. Christian Elliss lead the defense with 13 tackles (five solo) and a pass deflection.

Four Takeaways After Patriots' Tough-To-Swallow Win Against Bills

The New England Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills in a Week 18 game that, for many fans, probably felt like a crushing loss.

nesn.com

Good for you, Joe Milton III​

Those who wanted to see Joe Milton III make his Patriots debut probably saw enough after the first half. And that’s because Milton looked good, too good. Milton completed each of his first nine pass attempts against Buffalo backups. He scored the first touchdown of the game on a run-pass option and then hit Kayshon Boutte (seven receptions, 117 yards) on an on-the-move, cross-body throw for a 48-yard touchdown. His overturned touchdown to DeMario Douglas might not have counted, but it nevertheless was entertaining to watch. Perhaps the performance will prompt a quarterback-needy team to consider an offseason trade for the 2024 sixth-round? Given the Patriots cost themselves one asset Sunday, it would be a welcomed development.​

Three Studs, Three Duds From Patriots' Unfortunate Win Over Bills

The Patriots didn't do much right this season, which carried over into a disastrous season-ending win over the Buffalo Bills.

nesn.com

STUDS​

Joe Milton III​

Milton spent the entirety of his rookie season preparing others to play, serving as a highly-touted scout team contributor. The Patriots elevated him into a much more important role Sunday, though, and have to be pleased with the results.​

Milton finished with 257 total yards and two total touchdowns, coming into the game after just one series. New England isn’t going to shove all of its eggs into that basket moving forward, but it’s probably nice knowing there’s a decent backup quarterback already in the building.​

Alex Austin​

The Patriots didn’t want to push things with Christian Gonzalez — who was inactive from the game with a concussion — and Jonathan Jones — who is scheduled to become a free agent this offseason. Austin was thrust into some pretty tough assignments and performed admirably. The Bills probably could have blown the game open if it weren’t for his work.​

Kayshon Boutte​

The Patriots hadn’t had a wide receiver eclipse 100 total receiving yards in a single game since Kendrick Bourne on Christmas Eve of 2022 until Sunday. Boutte had seven receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown to end the season on solid footing before his head injury.​

DUDS​

Joe Milton III​

Milton was really good, but that wasn’t the assignment. New England lost out on something much more valuable by winning.​

Demontrey Jacobs​

The Patriots looked like they would make an honest effort early in the game, then Jacobs almost got Drake Maye killed and they pulled the plug. Milton entered the game on the next series before Jacobs was eventually replaced by Caedan Wallace and moved over to the left side where he didn’t fare any better.​

Robert Kraft​

The Patriots would have had plenty of options if they captured the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, most of which would have involved trading back to recoup value. Milton, Boutte and the rest of Sunday’s contributors must not have taken that into account, because any chance they had at it is now gone.​

It was a bad season with a bad ending. Did you expect anything less?​

Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots | 2024 Week 18 Game Highlights
10:07 NFL Films Highlights
​

Patriots Pregame Thread - Week 18: Bills vs Pats @1PM, CBS

Week 18 pregame thread: Things are looking up; only one game left to endure Thankfully the endless season of misery and suffering has mercifully neared the end. Prior to Sunday's game, the Patriots are only 3½ point underdogs to Buffalo, reflecting the assumption the Bills will rest as many...

www.patsfans.com

Game Day Thread - 2024 Game Day Thread: The Final Stinker - Bills @ Pats

1.5 hours til kickoff. Schefter says he thinks Mayo will be fired. Let’s see what fans look like today after Tavai’s comments. I’ve seen on Twitter that there seems to be extremely low turnout.

www.patsfans.com

PostGame Thread - Sun has set, Week 18 Bills/Pats Postgame Thread

This is worse than the Bobby V year. And this is worse than Rick Pitino because at least that was a FUNNY trainwreck. You all know I'm right.

www.patsfans.com

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots - January 5th, 2025 | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Buffalo Bills 16 at New England Patriots 23 on January 5th, 2025 - Full team and player stats and box score

www.pro-football-reference.com

Pats Media Dept Pre-Game Press Release
Pats Week 18 Roster
Pats-Bills Week 18 Depth Charts
Pats-Bills Week 18 Injury Reports
NFL Media Game Summary, with team & individual stats, halftime summary, drive charts and full play-by-play
Pats Media Dept Post-Game Notes
- WR Kayshon Boutte (117 yards) became the first Pats WR to have a 100-yard game since 2022 (Kendrick Bourne, 12/24/2022)
- Kayshon Boutte has first career 100-yard game
- Joe Milton plays in first NFL game
- Joe Milton completes first 11 passes of his NFL career (last to do so: Garner Minshew, 2019)
- Joe Milton's first TD pass goes for 48 yards, 2nd longest for Pats rookie QB (Drew Bledsoe, 54 yards to Ben Coates, 9/5/93)
- Bryce Baringer has back-to-back seasons with 30+ punts inside the 20 (Jake Bailey, 36/31 in 2019-20)
- Bryce Baringer sets team record for highest gross punting average in a single season, 49.8 yards (Jake Bailey, 48.7 in 2020)
- LB Jahlani Tavai sets personal career high for tackles in a single-season, 109
- LB Christain Elliss sets personal career high for tackles in a single game (13), which was also a high for a Pats player in 2024
- WR Javon Baker caught his first NFL pass
- LB Titus Leo records 3 special team tackles, tying Brendan Schooler for most ST tackles by a Patriot in 2024
- 6th round draft pick CB Marcellas Dial made his first NFL start
- CB Miles Battle and DE Truman Jones played in their first NFL games after being promoted from the practice squad
- G Tyrese Robinson also played in his first NFL game, after being inactive for seven games
- OT Caedan Wallace made his 2nd NFL start - though it was as an extra TE
- LB Monty Rice made his first start with the Patriots (his 11th NFL start)
- WR Alex Erickson saw his first action as a meber of the Patriots

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Loved that Bledsoe to Glenn bomb

Drew threw a pretty pass, gained massive yardage - and thus sucked in Perkins and Parcells.

The Patriots got to the playoffs twice in three years largely on the strength of Drew's arm.

But, playoff football is different.

Not the same.

And great playoff quarterbacks are a very rare breed.

People like to believe Elway's two titles push him up in the all time hierarchy. They don't. He just handed it off to...what's his name...the guy who had three good seasons in his career.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

It was a bad season with a bad ending. Did you expect anything less?

The fourth pick is not chopped liver.

We'll see what Robert does.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

But on defense Holovak really gave away the store. He revealed that he planned to use the Patriots’ blitzing reputation as a ruse, faking safety blitzes with Hall, then having him drop back to double-cover Alworth. He said that the Patriots had drilled the defensive front to focus on pursuit and follow the flow of the play, using their speed to contain Lowe and Lincoln and then shut down Alworth deep. A confident Holovak was almost giddy with excitement.
It was as if Muhammad Ali had told Howard Cosell before “the Rumble in the Jungle” that he planned to lie against the ropes until George Foreman punched himself out.

Mike, like Raymond Berry twenty-two years later, did not distinguish himself in his first league championship game.

People are human. It is not realistic to expect someone in their position to not be excited, filled with adrenaline and confident.

But, all three of those emotions can be detrimental to success. Almost no teams won the Super Bowl their first visit. The Packers (huge favorites) and Jets (huge underdogs), and later the 49ers (against another first-timer, the Bengals).

Most of the time, you have to be grimly objective, determined, and not count on good fortune. It may take away from your enjoyment of the two weeks leading up to the big game, but what do you care about? Feeling good for two weeks...or finishing the job and taking that championship that you have to want more than your opponent.

 

[RobertWeathers]

TBH I remember the Raiders game and the For game like it was yesterday. So freaking excited I couldn't sleep.

 

[jmt57]

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

Happy 32nd 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
Strange as it may sound, Phillip Dorsett is still getting paid to be an NFL player. He spent much of the past two seasons on the practice squad with Atlanta and Denver, with his last appearance in two games for the Broncos in 2023. Dorsett played in 15 games with Houston in 2022, and bounced between active rosters and practice squads for Seattle and Jacksonville as well.

Over his NFL career Dorsett has 151 receptions for 2,001 yards and 12 touchdowns - while being paid over $14 million dollars.


In memory of Dave Watson, born 84 years ago today.
Born January 5, 1941 in Eufaula, Alabama; died March 13, 2021 in Atlanta
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 70th Birthday to Bill Currier
Born January 5, 1955 in Glen Burnie, MD
Patriot SS, 1980; uniform #28
Signed as a veteran free agent on Sept 3, 1980
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 56th 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, 43 (1/5/82) went to Dartmouth; he played five seasons with Carolina, Tennessee and Miami.

DT Don Colo (1/5/25 - 6/23/19) 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 - 2/15/78) played for the 1946-47 Boston Yanks.

Bob Priestley (1/5/20 - 5/20/15) was born in Everett and went to Melrose High School; he was a two-way end for the Eagles in 1942.




Sunday, Jan 5, 2025:

PATRIOTS NEWS - Jerod Mayo FIRED per Schefter

According to Adam scehfter

www.patsfans.com

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

TBH I remember the Raiders game and the For game like it was yesterday. So freaking excited I couldn't sleep.

It was such a rush to have things go our way after a decade of them not. So happy for the many veterans of most of those wars, bitter close losses and bad breaks. They deserved it. They earned it. Making the Super Bowl, then, was a HUGE deal.

Eleven years later, going back to New Orleans was again a pleasant surprise. Again, against a deserve favorite, a better team - but beatable. If they played their cards right. That meant handing it off to Martin.

 

[RobertWeathers]

It was such a rush to have things go our way after a decade of them not. So happy for the many veterans of most of those wars, bitter close losses and bad breaks. They deserved it. They earned it. Making the Super Bowl, then, was a HUGE deal.

Eleven years later, going back to New Orleans was again a pleasant surprise. Again, against a deserve favorite, a better team - but beatable. If they played their cards right. That meant handing it off to Martin.

They lost that game because of special teams and Reggie White.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Pro Football History: January 5
NFL Trivia​

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).​

​

Jan 5, 1964:
Keith Lincoln of the San Diego Chargers, rushes for 206 yards in 13 carries, catches seven passes for 123 yards, completes one pass for 20 and scores two touchdowns in a 51-10 rout of the Boston Patriots for the AFL title.

Jan 5, 1996:
Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula announces his retirement as winningest NFL Head Coach of all-time.

Jan 5, 1997:
The second-year Carolina Panthers, behind John Kasay’s four field goals, beat the Dallas Cowboys 26-17 to advance to the NFC Championship game.

Jan 5, 2003:
Jeff Garcia hits Tai Streets with a 13-yard touchdown pass with 1 minute left, and the New York Giants botch the snap on a 41-yard field goal attempt as time expires in San Francisco’s 39-38 victory — the second-biggest comeback in NFL playoff history.

Jan 5, 2013:
Aaron Rodgers connects with an NFL playoff-record 10 receivers as he throws for 274 yards in his first playoff victory at home, leading Green Bay to a 24-10 victory over Minnesota.

Jan 5, 2013:
Arian Foster rushes for 140 yards and a touchdown in Houston’s 19-13 win over Cincinnati, and becomes the first NFL player to have 100-yard games in each of his first three playoff games.

Jan 5, 2021:
86th Heisman Trophy Award: WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama.

 

[jmt57]

Other notable football players born today:
Warrick Dunn (1/5/75); RB had 15,306 yards from scrimmage and 64 TD; has done great deeds with Habitat for Humanity
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 (1/5/47-9/21/24), 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 (1/5/1938-5/19/24); 00 was a 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.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

They lost that game because of special teams and Reggie White.

Only if there was some inviolable mandate from above that Perkins had to drop Bledsoe back to get sacked (four times) and picked (four times).

It's like saying I crashed my car because the roads were icy, it was overcast and windy, and my car didn't have AWD.

When it was actually because I ignored the free delivery service I had, which I used very successfully to get me to that point in the postseason, because I was enamored of my car in which I did a lot of driving during the regular season on dry, clean roads in nice weather.