NFL playoffs, 1975-76
Encyclopedia
The NFL playoffs
following the 1975 NFL season
led up to Super Bowl X
. This was the first season in which the league used a seeding system in the playoffs. Thus, the surviving clubs with the higher seeds were made the home teams for each playoff round. The three division champions in each conference were seeded 1 through 3 based on their regular season won-lost-tied record, and the wild card qualifier in each conference became the 4 seed.
However, the league continued to prohibit meetings between two teams from the same division in the Divisional Playoffs. Thus, there would be times when the pairing in that round would be the 1 seed vs. the 3 seed and 2 vs. 4.
Note: The Pittsburgh Steelers (the AFC 1 seed) did not play the Cincinnati Bengals (the 4 seed) in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.
shreded Baltimore's defense with 153 rushing yards and a touchdown. The Steelers scored first after linebacker Jack Ham's interception set up running back Harris' 8-yard rushing touchdown. Baltimore responded when Lloyd Mumphord
returned a 58-yard interception to set up Glenn Doughty
's 5-yard touchdown reception. With the Colts leading 10-7 in the third quarter, Pittsburgh cornerback Mel Blount intercepted a pass and returned to the Baltimore 7-yard line. From there, Rocky Bleier scored on a 7-yard rushing touchdown. Quarterback Terry Bradshaw
recorded a 2-yard touchdown run, and Andy Russell picked up a Colts fumble and returned it for an NFL playoff record 93 yards to the end zone.
The game is also notable in that it was the debut game for the Terrible Towel
.
ran for an NFL playoff record of 37 carries for 202 yards. Los Angeles built a 21-0 lead off of quarterback Ron Jaworski
's 5-yard touchdown run, and interception returns for touchdowns by Jack Youngblood
and Bill Simpson
for 47 and 65 yards, respectively. The Cardinals came back to score on a rushing touchdown by running back Jim Otis
, but the Rams responded on the first play of their next drive with Jaworski's 66-yard touchdown pass to Harold Jackson. After St. Louis cut the score to 28-16 with a field goal and a touchdown pass from quarterback Jim Hart
, Simpson intercepted another pass to set up the Rams final touchdown.
Youngblood had an outstanding performance. In addition to his 47-yard interception return for a touchdown, he also recorded a sack, blocked an extra point, and forced a fumble
Oakland kicker George Blanda
made a 31-yard field goal, while quarterback Ken Stabler
threw two touchdown passes in the first half, one for 9 yards to Mike Siani
and an 8 yard one to Bob Moore
. Cincinnati's lone score in the first was a 1-yard run by running back Stan Fritts. The Raiders then scored on their first drive of the second half with running back Pete Banaszak
's 6-yard touchdown run to take a 24-7 lead. Then after the Bengals marched 91 yards to cut the lead, 24-14, with Lenvil Elliott
's 6-yard touchdown run, Stabler threw his third touchdown pass of the game, this time a 2-yard pass to tight end Dave Casper
.
Trailing 31-14 in the fourth quarter, the Bengals managed to come back with two unanswered touchdowns. First, Cincinnati defensive back Ken Riley
intercepted a pass from Stabler and returned it 34 yards to the Raiders 34-yard line, setting up Ken Anderson's 25-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Joiner
. Then the Bengals defense forced Oakland to punt for the first time in the game, and Ray Guy
's kick went just 38 yards. Three minutes later, Anderson's 14-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Curtis
cut the score to 31-28. With 4:19 left in the game, Bengals defensive lineman Ron Carpenter
recovered a Banaszak fumble on the Raiders 37-yard line. But on the next play, linebacker Ted Hendricks
sacked Anderson for an 8-yard loss, pushing the Bengals out of field goals range. Two plays later, the Raiders stopped the Cincinnati offense on fourth down and ran out the last two minutes of the game.
Stabler threw for 199 yards and three touchdowns, with 1 interception. Anderson threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns.
threw the 50-yard winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Drew Pearson
on a play that became known as the Hail Mary pass. After a scoreless first quarter, Fred McNeill
recovered a muffed punt for Minnesota to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Chuck Foreman
. Dallas did not tie the game until the third quarter when Doug Dennison
scored on a 4-yard touchdown run. Then after the Cowboys added a fourth-quarter field goal, the Vikings took the lead, 14-10, with 5:24 remaining in the game by marching 70 yards to score on running back Brent McClanahan
's 1-yard touchdown run. The Cowboys got the ball back on its own 15-yard line with only 1:51 left, but Staubach's fourth-down-and-16 pass to Pearson set up the winning "Hail Mary pass." The fourth and 16 completion proved to be a forshadowing of events to come, as this play had its own minor controversy, as Minnesota argued that Pearson was out of bounds when he made this catch. The official ruled that he was forced out by Nate Wright
, which replay appeared to confirm. These two would of course participate in a more controversial play two plays later, as Drew Pearson caught a 50-yard pass on what Staubach called (in the postgame interview) a "Hail Mary" pass, the first time that term was used to describe such a play. Wright fell down as the ball came down, and the Vikings argued that Pearson pushed off and should have been flagged for offensive interference. The play drew the ire of Minnesota's Alan Page
, who was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, a 15-yard penalty that allowed Dallas to kick off from the 50, and ejected. Fran Tarkenton
then vehemently argued with the referees, inspiring fans to throw objects onto the field, one of which was a liquor bottle that struck official Armen Terzian
in the head, creating a large forehead gash and rendering him unconscious. Terzian had to wear a bandage, later requiring 11 stitches, as he walked off the field and replaced by substitute official Charley Musser for the final two plays. The NFL later banned glass bottles from being sold at stadiums.
It was another disappointing end to a spectacular season for the Vikings. They had finished the season with an NFC best 12-2 record and quarterback Fran Tarkenton
won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award
, and the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award
, while Foreman amassed 1,761 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns. The day only got worse for Tarkenton, as he soon learned his father had died of a heart attack while watching the game. The upstart and youthful Cowboys, not expected to do much after an 8-6 season in 1974 and the loss of several key veterans, would go on to defeat the Rams and lose to Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.
's 36-yard field goal. But late in the third period, Steelers linebacker Jack Lambert recovered a fumble at the Pittsburgh 30-yard line. The turnover set up running back Franco Harris
' 25-yard touchdown run to give the Steelers a 10-0 lead. Oakland responded with Mike Siani
's 14-yard touchdown reception, but was countered by John Stallworth
's 20-yard touchdown catch. But the Steelers' ensuing extra point was missed, and with the score 16-7, the Raiders found themselves at the Pittsburgh 24-yard line, third down and 2 yards to go, with 18 seconds left in the game. They opted to have George Blanda
kick a 41-yard field goal to pull the deficit to 6 points. Then Marv Hubbard
recovered the ensuing onside kick with 9 seconds remaining to give Oakland one last attempt to win the game. Cliff Branch
then caught a 37-yard reception, but he was stopped at the Pittsburgh 15-yard line before he could get out of bounds and the clock ran out. Harris had a superb performance, rushing for 79 yards and a touchdown, while also catching 5 passes for 58 yards
threw for 220 yards and 4 touchdown passes while also rushing for 54 yards as the Cowboys upset the favored Rams. The first passing attempt by Los Angeles quarterback James Harris, who was coming off an injury and making his first start since the 13th game of the season, was intercepted by Dallas linebacker D.D. Lewis. This set up Staubach's first touchdown pass, a screen
to running back Preston Pearson
for 18 yards. A 4-yard touchdown reception by Golden Richards
and a diving catch in the end zone by Preston Pearson put the Cowboys up 21-0 by halftime. Dallas scored again on their first drive of the second half on a shovel pass to Preston Pearson for his third touchdown reception of the game. Toni Fritsch later added three field goals. Harris gave way to backup Ron Jaworski
, but only John Cappelletti
's 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter prevented the Rams from being shut out. Pearson finished the game with 7 receptions for 123 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 20 rushing yards. The Dallas defense allowed only 118 yards, a mere 22 on the ground, and sacked Jaworski 5 times.
NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held at the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Six teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season records, and a tie-breaking procedure exists in the...
following the 1975 NFL season
1975 NFL season
The 1975 NFL season was the 56th regular season of the National Football League. It was also the first time that featured an entire season with no games ending in a tie. The league made two significant changes to increase the appeal of the game:...
led up to Super Bowl X
Super Bowl X
Super Bowl X was an American football game played on January 18, 1976 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1975 regular season....
. This was the first season in which the league used a seeding system in the playoffs. Thus, the surviving clubs with the higher seeds were made the home teams for each playoff round. The three division champions in each conference were seeded 1 through 3 based on their regular season won-lost-tied record, and the wild card qualifier in each conference became the 4 seed.
However, the league continued to prohibit meetings between two teams from the same division in the Divisional Playoffs. Thus, there would be times when the pairing in that round would be the 1 seed vs. the 3 seed and 2 vs. 4.
Note: The Pittsburgh Steelers (the AFC 1 seed) did not play the Cincinnati Bengals (the 4 seed) in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.
Bracket
* Note: Two teams from the same division were not allowed to play against each other in the Divisional playoff round.
AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 28, Baltimore Colts 10
The Steelers defense forced 4 turnovers and held the Colts to 154 total yards of offense, while Pittsburgh's Franco HarrisFranco Harris
Franco Harris is a former American football player. He played his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks.In the 1972 NFL Draft he was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round, the 13th selection overall...
shreded Baltimore's defense with 153 rushing yards and a touchdown. The Steelers scored first after linebacker Jack Ham's interception set up running back Harris' 8-yard rushing touchdown. Baltimore responded when Lloyd Mumphord
Lloyd Mumphord
Lloyd N. Mumphord was a cornerback who played collegiately for Texas Southern University and ten seasons in American Pro Football. He played professionally for the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League and the Dolphins and Baltimore Colts of the National Football League...
returned a 58-yard interception to set up Glenn Doughty
Glenn Doughty
Glenn Martin "Shake & Bake" Doughty is a former American football player. He played professional football as a wide receiver for the Baltimore Colts from 1972 to 1979 and college football as a tailback and wingback for the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1971. He later developed the Shake...
's 5-yard touchdown reception. With the Colts leading 10-7 in the third quarter, Pittsburgh cornerback Mel Blount intercepted a pass and returned to the Baltimore 7-yard line. From there, Rocky Bleier scored on a 7-yard rushing touchdown. Quarterback Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
recorded a 2-yard touchdown run, and Andy Russell picked up a Colts fumble and returned it for an NFL playoff record 93 yards to the end zone.
The game is also notable in that it was the debut game for the Terrible Towel
Terrible Towel
The Terrible Towel is a rally towel associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers, an American football team in the National Football League . Created in 1975 by then Steelers radio broadcaster Myron Cope, The Terrible Towel has spread in popularity; fans take their Towel to famous sites while on vacation...
.
NFC: Los Angeles Rams 35, St. Louis Cardinals 23
The Rams defense scored 2 touchdowns in the first half while running back Lawrence McCutcheonLawrence McCutcheon
Lawrence McCutcheon is a former American football running back for the Los Angeles Rams from 1972–1980, the Denver Broncos & Seattle Seahawks in 1980 and finished his playing career in 1981 with the Buffalo Bills, reuniting with his former Rams coach Chuck Knox.-Professional Career:McCutcheon was...
ran for an NFL playoff record of 37 carries for 202 yards. Los Angeles built a 21-0 lead off of quarterback Ron Jaworski
Ron Jaworski
Ronald Vincent "Ron" Jaworski is a former American football quarterback and currently an NFL analyst on ESPN. He is also CEO of Ron Jaworski Golf Management, Inc., based out of Blackwood, New Jersey, and manages golf courses in southern New Jersey, northeast Pennsylvania, and West Virginia...
's 5-yard touchdown run, and interception returns for touchdowns by Jack Youngblood
Jack Youngblood
Herbert Jackson "Jack" Youngblood, III is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive end for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League for fourteen seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. He was a five-time consensus All-Pro and a seven-time Pro Bowl...
and Bill Simpson
Bill Simpson (American football)
William Thomas "Bill" Simpson is a former professional American football defensive back who played in the National Football League from 1974-1982. Before his NFL career, he played defensive back and punted for Michigan State University and was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2nd round of...
for 47 and 65 yards, respectively. The Cardinals came back to score on a rushing touchdown by running back Jim Otis
Jim Otis
James Lloyd "Jim" Otis is a former college and professional American football running back.-College career:Otis was a fullback for the Ohio State University Buckeyes from 1967-69. He led the team in rushing every year of his college career...
, but the Rams responded on the first play of their next drive with Jaworski's 66-yard touchdown pass to Harold Jackson. After St. Louis cut the score to 28-16 with a field goal and a touchdown pass from quarterback Jim Hart
Jim Hart (football player)
James Warren Hart is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1966 through 1983 and the Washington Redskins in 1984. From 1974-1976, he guided the Cardinals to three straight 10+ win seasons along with back to back division crowns in...
, Simpson intercepted another pass to set up the Rams final touchdown.
Youngblood had an outstanding performance. In addition to his 47-yard interception return for a touchdown, he also recorded a sack, blocked an extra point, and forced a fumble
AFC: Oakland Raiders 31, Cincinnati Bengals 28
The Raiders outgained Cincinnati in total yards, 358-258, and first downs, 27-17, while also recording five sacks, jumping to a 31-14 lead, and holding off a Bengals comeback in the final period.Oakland kicker George Blanda
George Blanda
George Frederick Blanda was a collegiate and professional football quarterback and placekicker...
made a 31-yard field goal, while quarterback Ken Stabler
Ken Stabler
Kenneth "Kenny" Michael Stabler , is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders , the Houston Oilers , and the New Orleans Saints...
threw two touchdown passes in the first half, one for 9 yards to Mike Siani
Mike Siani
Mike Siani is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for nine seasons for the Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Colts. He was a first round draft pick of the Raiders in 1972 from Villanova...
and an 8 yard one to Bob Moore
Bob Moore (American football)
Robert Moore is a former American football tight end, who played eight seasons in the National Football League. He played college football at Stanford University....
. Cincinnati's lone score in the first was a 1-yard run by running back Stan Fritts. The Raiders then scored on their first drive of the second half with running back Pete Banaszak
Pete Banaszak
Pete Banaszak is a former player of college and professional American football. A running back, he played college football at the University of Miami, and played professionally in the American Football League for the Oakland Raiders from 1966 through 1969, and for the NFL Raiders through...
's 6-yard touchdown run to take a 24-7 lead. Then after the Bengals marched 91 yards to cut the lead, 24-14, with Lenvil Elliott
Lenvil Elliott
Lenvil Elliott was a former professional American football player who played running back for nine seasons in the National Football League. He was a part of the San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl XVI winning team.-Early life:...
's 6-yard touchdown run, Stabler threw his third touchdown pass of the game, this time a 2-yard pass to tight end Dave Casper
Dave Casper
David John Casper , nicknamed "The Ghost." is a former American football player. He was an offensive lineman and tight end.-High school:...
.
Trailing 31-14 in the fourth quarter, the Bengals managed to come back with two unanswered touchdowns. First, Cincinnati defensive back Ken Riley
Ken Riley
Kenneth Jerome Riley is a former professional American Football defensive back who played his entire career for the Cincinnati Bengals, in the American Football League in 1969 and in the NFL from 1970 through 1983...
intercepted a pass from Stabler and returned it 34 yards to the Raiders 34-yard line, setting up Ken Anderson's 25-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Joiner
Charlie Joiner
Charles B. Joiner Jr. is a former American football player who starred in professional football for eighteen seasons, virtually exclusively at the position of wide receiver. He retired with the most career receptions, receiving yards, and games played of any wide receiver in NFL history. He was...
. Then the Bengals defense forced Oakland to punt for the first time in the game, and Ray Guy
Ray Guy
William Ray Guy is a retired American football punter for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. Coming from the University of Southern Mississippi, he was the only pure punter ever to be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft when the Oakland Raiders selected him in 1973.Guy was a key member of...
's kick went just 38 yards. Three minutes later, Anderson's 14-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Curtis
Isaac Curtis
Isaac Fisher Curtis is a former professional American football wide receiver who played his entire National Football League career with the Cincinnati Bengals .-College career:...
cut the score to 31-28. With 4:19 left in the game, Bengals defensive lineman Ron Carpenter
Ron Carpenter
Ronald Nelson Carpenter is a defensive tackle who played seven seasons in the National Football League for the Cincinnati Bengals. He attended North Carolina State University.-References:...
recovered a Banaszak fumble on the Raiders 37-yard line. But on the next play, linebacker Ted Hendricks
Ted Hendricks
Theodore Paul Hendricks is a Hall of Fame former American football linebacker who logged 15 seasons for the Baltimore Colts , the Green Bay Packers and the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders in the National Football League...
sacked Anderson for an 8-yard loss, pushing the Bengals out of field goals range. Two plays later, the Raiders stopped the Cincinnati offense on fourth down and ran out the last two minutes of the game.
Stabler threw for 199 yards and three touchdowns, with 1 interception. Anderson threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns.
NFC: Dallas Cowboys 17, Minnesota Vikings 14
With 24 seconds left in the game, Cowboys quarterback Roger StaubachRoger Staubach
Roger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
threw the 50-yard winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Drew Pearson
Drew Pearson (American football)
Drew Pearson is a sportscaster and former American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.-Early years:...
on a play that became known as the Hail Mary pass. After a scoreless first quarter, Fred McNeill
Fred McNeill
Frederick Arnold McNeill was a linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League for 12 seasons from 1974-1985. McNeill was selected out of UCLA by the Vikings in the first round of the 1974 NFL Draft with the 17th overall selection...
recovered a muffed punt for Minnesota to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Chuck Foreman
Chuck Foreman
Chuck Foreman is a retired NFL football player.He was a running back during his NFL career, although he often caught passes out of the backfield.-Early career:...
. Dallas did not tie the game until the third quarter when Doug Dennison
Doug Dennison
William Douglas Dennison is a former American football running back who played six seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He later played for the Arizona Wranglers of the United States Football League.Dennison played college football at Kutztown...
scored on a 4-yard touchdown run. Then after the Cowboys added a fourth-quarter field goal, the Vikings took the lead, 14-10, with 5:24 remaining in the game by marching 70 yards to score on running back Brent McClanahan
Brent McClanahan
Brent McClanahan is a former professional American football player who played running back for seven seasons for the Minnesota Vikings. He is now a teacher at South High School in Bakersfield, CA.-Career:...
's 1-yard touchdown run. The Cowboys got the ball back on its own 15-yard line with only 1:51 left, but Staubach's fourth-down-and-16 pass to Pearson set up the winning "Hail Mary pass." The fourth and 16 completion proved to be a forshadowing of events to come, as this play had its own minor controversy, as Minnesota argued that Pearson was out of bounds when he made this catch. The official ruled that he was forced out by Nate Wright
Nate Wright
-Professional career:Wright earned All-Pro honors at defensive back in 1974 and 1976. His career consisted mostly of time as a defensive back with the great Minnesota Vikings teams of the 1970s...
, which replay appeared to confirm. These two would of course participate in a more controversial play two plays later, as Drew Pearson caught a 50-yard pass on what Staubach called (in the postgame interview) a "Hail Mary" pass, the first time that term was used to describe such a play. Wright fell down as the ball came down, and the Vikings argued that Pearson pushed off and should have been flagged for offensive interference. The play drew the ire of Minnesota's Alan Page
Alan Page
Alan Cedric Page is a justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1963, received his B.A. in political science from the University of Notre Dame in 1967, and received his J.D. from the University of...
, who was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, a 15-yard penalty that allowed Dallas to kick off from the 50, and ejected. Fran Tarkenton
Fran Tarkenton
Francis Asbury "Fran" Tarkenton is a former professional football player, TV personality, and computer software executive....
then vehemently argued with the referees, inspiring fans to throw objects onto the field, one of which was a liquor bottle that struck official Armen Terzian
Armen Terzian
Armen Terzian was a U.S. American football official in the NFL from 1961 to 1981. He was a field judge and wore uniform number 23, which was later worn by two African-American referees: Johnny Grier and, currently, Jerome Boger...
in the head, creating a large forehead gash and rendering him unconscious. Terzian had to wear a bandage, later requiring 11 stitches, as he walked off the field and replaced by substitute official Charley Musser for the final two plays. The NFL later banned glass bottles from being sold at stadiums.
It was another disappointing end to a spectacular season for the Vikings. They had finished the season with an NFC best 12-2 record and quarterback Fran Tarkenton
Fran Tarkenton
Francis Asbury "Fran" Tarkenton is a former professional football player, TV personality, and computer software executive....
won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award
NFL Most Valuable Player Award
The National Football League Most Valuable Player Award is given by various entities, most notably the Associated Press , to the player who is considered most valuable in the league. When the award is referred to without mentioning the organization, it generally means the AP award. The AP NFL MVP...
, and the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award
NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award
The NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award is given annually by the Associated Press to the offensive player of the National Football League believed to have had the most outstanding season...
, while Foreman amassed 1,761 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns. The day only got worse for Tarkenton, as he soon learned his father had died of a heart attack while watching the game. The upstart and youthful Cowboys, not expected to do much after an 8-6 season in 1974 and the loss of several key veterans, would go on to defeat the Rams and lose to Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.
AFC Championship: Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Oakland Raiders 10
A defensive struggle turned into an offensive battle as the Steelers managed to stop the Raiders' final drive for the winning score as time ran out. Only Pittsburgh could manage to score during the first three quarters, with Roy GerelaRoy Gerela
Roy Gerela is a former American football placekicker best known for his years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, with whom he won three Super Bowl rings....
's 36-yard field goal. But late in the third period, Steelers linebacker Jack Lambert recovered a fumble at the Pittsburgh 30-yard line. The turnover set up running back Franco Harris
Franco Harris
Franco Harris is a former American football player. He played his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks.In the 1972 NFL Draft he was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round, the 13th selection overall...
' 25-yard touchdown run to give the Steelers a 10-0 lead. Oakland responded with Mike Siani
Mike Siani
Mike Siani is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for nine seasons for the Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Colts. He was a first round draft pick of the Raiders in 1972 from Villanova...
's 14-yard touchdown reception, but was countered by John Stallworth
John Stallworth
Johnny Lee Stallworth is a former American football wide receiver who played fourteen seasons in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Alabama A&M, and was the Steelers' fourth-round draft pick in 1974. Stallworth played in six AFC championships,...
's 20-yard touchdown catch. But the Steelers' ensuing extra point was missed, and with the score 16-7, the Raiders found themselves at the Pittsburgh 24-yard line, third down and 2 yards to go, with 18 seconds left in the game. They opted to have George Blanda
George Blanda
George Frederick Blanda was a collegiate and professional football quarterback and placekicker...
kick a 41-yard field goal to pull the deficit to 6 points. Then Marv Hubbard
Marv Hubbard
Marvin "Marv" Hubbard was an American college and professional American football player. Originally from Randolph, New York, Hubbard attended Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. He played for the Hartford Knights of the Atlantic Coast Football League...
recovered the ensuing onside kick with 9 seconds remaining to give Oakland one last attempt to win the game. Cliff Branch
Cliff Branch
Cliff Branch is a retired American football wide receiver who spent his entire 14-year NFL career with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, winning three Super Bowl rings in Super Bowl XI, Super Bowl XV and Super Bowl XVIII...
then caught a 37-yard reception, but he was stopped at the Pittsburgh 15-yard line before he could get out of bounds and the clock ran out. Harris had a superb performance, rushing for 79 yards and a touchdown, while also catching 5 passes for 58 yards
NFC Championship: Dallas Cowboys 37, Los Angeles Rams 7
Quarterback Roger StaubachRoger Staubach
Roger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
threw for 220 yards and 4 touchdown passes while also rushing for 54 yards as the Cowboys upset the favored Rams. The first passing attempt by Los Angeles quarterback James Harris, who was coming off an injury and making his first start since the 13th game of the season, was intercepted by Dallas linebacker D.D. Lewis. This set up Staubach's first touchdown pass, a screen
Screen pass
A screen pass is a type of play in American football. During a screen pass, a number of things happen concurrently in order to fool the defense into thinking a long pass is being thrown, when in fact the pass is merely a short one, just beyond the defensive linemen. Screens are usually deployed...
to running back Preston Pearson
Preston Pearson
Preston James Pearson is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League who played for the Baltimore Colts , the Pittsburgh Steelers , and the Dallas Cowboys . Before his NFL career, he played for the University of Illinois, where he excelled at basketball...
for 18 yards. A 4-yard touchdown reception by Golden Richards
Golden Richards
John Golden Richards is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver in the National Football League for eight seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bears. Richards was a starter for the Cowboys in Super Bowl X against the Pittsburgh Steelers...
and a diving catch in the end zone by Preston Pearson put the Cowboys up 21-0 by halftime. Dallas scored again on their first drive of the second half on a shovel pass to Preston Pearson for his third touchdown reception of the game. Toni Fritsch later added three field goals. Harris gave way to backup Ron Jaworski
Ron Jaworski
Ronald Vincent "Ron" Jaworski is a former American football quarterback and currently an NFL analyst on ESPN. He is also CEO of Ron Jaworski Golf Management, Inc., based out of Blackwood, New Jersey, and manages golf courses in southern New Jersey, northeast Pennsylvania, and West Virginia...
, but only John Cappelletti
John Cappelletti
John Cappelletti is a former professional American football running back for the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and the San Diego Chargers. Prior to his professional career, he attended the Pennsylvania State University, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1973. He was inducted into the College Football...
's 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter prevented the Rams from being shut out. Pearson finished the game with 7 receptions for 123 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 20 rushing yards. The Dallas defense allowed only 118 yards, a mere 22 on the ground, and sacked Jaworski 5 times.