Today In Patriots History 1986: Squish the Fish Game

[RobertWeathers]

I seem to remember the Pats kickoff team scoring a TD or two in those playoffs. I'm not sure if it was vs Miami, the Jets or the Raiders but it's something that you very rarely see.

Yep. Johnny Rembert vs the Jets and Jim Bowman vs the Duhs

 

[jmt57]

I seem to remember the Pats kickoff team scoring a TD or two in those playoffs. I'm not sure if it was vs Miami, the Jets or the Raiders but it's something that you very rarely see.

Yes, you are correct.

Johnny Rembert had a forced fumble and 15-yard recovery for a TD on a kickoff right after a FG against the Jets in the wild card that put the Patriots up 23-7. Then Mosi Tatupu forced a fumble on a kickoff that Jim Bowman recovered for a TD against the Raiders. That broke a 20-20 tie - Franklin had just kicked a FG to tie it - and turned out to be the winning score, 27-20 final.

The volume of takeaways was incredible, and the number of points off those turnovers was amazing.

Takeaways and points:
Pats 4, Jets 0; 17 points off turnovers
Pats 6, Raiders 2; 20 points off turnovers
Pats 6, Dolphins 2; 24 points off turnovers
Total Takeaways: Patriots 16, Opponents 4
61 Points off Turnovers

85 Patriots wild card run | Pro Football Hall of Fame

The New England Patriots won three games on the road to earn its first Super Bowl berth.

www.profootballhof.com

Wild card game at Jets:
The Patriots went on a tear that day as they scored 20 unanswered points during a stretch of the second and third quarters. Seventeen of those points followed Jets' miscues. The Pats defense forced a total of four turnovers in the game. Combined with a record-tying four field goals by place-kicker Tony Franklin, the Patriots rolled to 26-14 win.

Divisional game at Raiders:
turnovers played a major role as the Patriots stunned Los Angeles with a 27-20 upset win. New England forced six turnovers that contributed to 20 points. The offense was powered by running back Craig James who rushed for 104 yards on 23 carries as he became the first back to rush for 100 yards against the Raiders all season. The special teams unit delivered the winning score when the Patriots' Mosi Tatupu nailed Sam Seale on a third quarter kickoff return. The ball squirted from Seale's hands and rolled toward the end zone where rookie Jim Bowman fell on it for the touchdown, his second fumble recovery of the game.

AFCCG at Dolphins:
Turnovers, for the third consecutive week, were the deciding factor as the Patriots added four fumbles and two interceptions to their playoff totals. The Pats' offense – led by quarterback Tony Eason who completed 10 of 12 passes and threw three touchdowns – converted four of those turnovers into 24 points. New England breezed to a 31-14 win and their first trip to the Super Bowl.

 

[1960Pats]

Yep. Johnny Rembert vs the Jets and Jim Bowman vs the Duhs

Right. Thanks.

That was 40 years ago. Wow!