New Orleans Saints Debut In NFL

On August 2, 1967, that the New Orleans Saints played their first ever pre-season game.  The Saints lost to the Los Angeles Rams 16-7 in the first professional football game ever held at Anaheim Stadium.

The Saints first season in the NFL started off with a bang as John Gilliam took the opening kick-off of the year and returned it 94 yards for a touchdown.  However, the Saints would go on to lose the game and finished the season with a 3-11 record, which surprisingly was the most ever wins by a team in their expansion year.  New Orleans had been one of the worst franchises in the league for quite awhile, but all that changed a few seasons ago.

The New Orleans Saints had a magical 2009 season, in which they started the year 13-0, on their way to the no. 1 seed in the NFC.  They smashed the Cardinals 45-14 in the divisional round and beat the Vikings 31-28 to reach the Super Bowl.  The Colts entered the Superbowl as the favorite, but that didn’t stop the Saints from winning it all for the franchise’s first ever Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Since their spectacular win in 2009, the Saints organization has been in ‘hotwater’ regarding bounties and coaching issues with over the last two seasons, and as recently as the 2011 NFC Divisional Playoff game against the 49ers here in San Francisco.

Atlanta Falcons Trade To Get Michael Vick

On April 21, 2001, the first day of the NFL draft was held at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The draft is most remembered for the trade that took place between the Atlanta Falcons and the San Diego Chargers.

Ladainian Tomlinson was selected fifth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers.

The Falcons traded their first round pick, fifth overall, along with their third round pick in 2001, a second round pick in 2002 and wide receiver Tim Dwight to the Chargers for the No.1 overall pick.
 
Atlanta used the No.1 pick to draft quarterback Michael Vick out of Virginia Tech, while San Diego took running back Ladainian Tomlinson from Texas Christian University with the fifth selection.


When this trade was first made, it was tough to tell who got the better deal, but after some time it was quite obvious who the winner was.

Michael Vick was selected No. 1 overall in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.

Although Vick had some early success in Atlanta, his off-field problems all but killed his career, until his resurgence a few years ago in Philadelphia.

However, Tomlinson was a premier running back in the NFL for the entire decade with the Chargers and a solid tandem back with the Jets.

Vick is still currently in the NFL, now with the New York Jets, while Tomlinson is happily retired.

Cardinals Move From St. Louis To Phoenix

On March 15, 1988, the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals move to Phoenix and become the Arizona Cardinals.

An original St. Louis Cardinals football hat.

Despite losing the Cardinals the city of St. Louis would regain a football team seven years later when the Los Angeles Rams would move to St. Louis and become the St. Louis Rams.

A banner from the Phoenix Cardinals inaugural game at Sun Devil Stadium in 1988.

The Cardinals franchise has long been known as one of the fledgling franchises in NFL history, as they were without a championship since 1947, and have only been the playoffs six times in the last 66 years.

However the Cardinals franchise has been to the playoffs in two of the past six years (2008-2009), including a Super Bowl appearance in 2008 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tom Clancy Buys Minnesota Vikings

On Feb. 5, 1998, Author Tom Clancy confirms he signed agreement to purchase Minnesota Vikings for slightly more than $200 million, an NFL franchise record.

The 1998 season was a good one for Clancy and the Vikings.

With a spectacular offense led by quarterback Randall Cunningham (who replaced an injured Brad Johnson), running back Robert Smith, veteran wide receiver Cris Carter, and explosive rookie Randy Moss, the Vikings set a then-NFL record by scoring a total of 556 points, never scoring fewer than 24 in a game.

The Vikings finished the season 15–1, their only loss was to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27–24 in Week 9.

In the playoffs, the Vikings rolled past the Arizona Cardinals 41–21,and came into the Metrodome heavily favored for their NFC title showdown with the Atlanta Falcons, who had gone 14–2 in the regular season.

After kicker Gary Anderson, who had just completed the first perfect regular season in NFL history (not missing a single extra point or field goal attempt the entire year), missed a 38-yard field goal attempt with less than 2 minutes remaining, the Falcon's ensuing drive tied the game. T

his led to a controversial decision by head coach Dennis Green to run out the clock and let the game go onto overtime. Though the Vikings won the coin toss, Atlanta went on to win it 30–27 in overtime on Morten Andersen's 38-yard field goal.

The Vikings became the first 15–1 team to fail to reach the Super Bowl. The Falcons lost Super Bowl XXXIII to John Elway and the Denver Broncos.

Since the team's first season in 1961, the Vikings have had one of the highest winning percentages in the NFL.

They are also one of only six NFL teams to win at least 15 games during the regular season. The Vikings have won one NFL Championship, in 1969, prior to the league's merger with the American Football League (AFL). Since the merger, they have made the playoffs 25 times, third-most in the league.

The team has played in four Super Bowls (IV, VIII, IX and XI), losing in each one. In addition, they have lost in their last five NFC Championship Game appearances since 1978.

The team currently has 12 members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Vikings who currently play at the Metrodome in Minnesota, just broke ground on what will be the franchises fourth stadium, The New Vikings Stadium, which is stated to be opened for the 2016 season. However, in the 2014 and 2015 seasons the Vikings will play at the University of Minnesota, home of the Golden Gophers, at The TCF Bank Stadium.

Super Bowl + Podcast

Scratch Hit Sports creator Stephen Langsam recaps the NFL Pro Bowl with former co-host of the Sporting Hangover, Ryan Hilton, and dives in head first into Super Bowl coverage.

Topics to listen for: Madden Challenge Steve (Seahawks) vs Ryan (Broncos), and who won.

Betting line for Super Bowl, our predictions of the game and who or what will make a major impact on the game.

We also dive into a few thoughts about what a win or loss means for each team.

Super Bowl Podcast

49ers Beat Chargers In Super Bowl

On Jan. 29, 1995, the San Francisco 49ers became the first NFL franchise to win five Super Bowls with a 49-26 victory over the San Diego Chargers in an all-California affair in Miami.

Quarterback Steve Young was named the game's MVP after throwing for 325 yards with a 24-for-36 efficiency.

Young was responsible for all six of his team's touchdowns as he threw six TD passes and no interceptions.

The victory for Young, was his only Super Bowl victory as a starter, he had another victory on the bench behind Joe Montana in 1989.

This was also the last time the 49ers were in the Super Bowl.

The 49ers five Super Bowl victories ties them for second all-time with the Dallas Cowboys and behind only the Pittsburgh Steelers who have six victories.

Last years Super Bowl was also played in New Orleans at the Mercedes-Benz Super Dome, home of the New Orleans Saints, as the 49ers were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens, in what many labeled the "Harbaugh-bowl" or "Harbaughcalypse."

In 1990 the 49ers beat the Denver Broncos 55-10 in the then called Louisiana Super Dome to win Super Bowl XXIV (24), the last under Joe Montana.

Since Super Bowl XXIV (24) the Super Dome has played host to two more Super Bowls, 1997 in Super Bowl XXXI (31) with the Green Bay Packers against the New England Patriots and in 2002 in Super Bowl XXXVI (36) with the New England Patriots against the St. Louis Rams.

NFL Pro Bowl + Podcast

Scratch Hit Sports creator Stephen Langsam recaps the NFL Championship Round Playoffs with former co-host of the Sporting Hangover, Ryan Hilton.

We talk about the "New" style Pro Bowl, and draft our own Pro Bowl teams. Just a quick five on five draft, sorry offensive lineman, this one is just about skill positions!

We also dive into a few thoughts about the Super Bowl.


NFL Pro Bowl Podcast

Super Bowl History

January 26th has been a day where many Super Bowls were played. Here are a few that had some very interesting story lines.

On Jan. 26, 1986 Super Bowl XX (20) was played The Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots by a score of 46-10 in the Louisiana Superdome.

At the time, it was the most lopsided Super Bowl in history as linebacker Richard Dent was named the game's MVP.

New England jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but then Chicago's defense clamped down and the offense picked it up a notch. The Bears rattled off the next 44 points to secure their victory.

The Superdome in New Orleans is playing the host for this years Super Bowl with the 49ers and Ravens.

On Jan. 26, 1992, Super Bowl XXVI (26) was played at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn.,

Mark Rypien of the Washington Redskins was the game's MVP as the Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills by a score of 37-24. Rypien threw for 292 yards on 18-for-33 passing.

Washington had a 24-0 lead before Buffalo even scored its first points in the third quarter.

On Jan. 26, 1997, the Green Bay Packers won their first Super Bowl in the modern NFL over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI (31).

Desmond Howard was the game's MVP as his 99-yard kickoff return in the third quarter sealed the game for the Packers.

The final score was 35-21 as quarterback Brett Favre beat the Patriots' Drew Bledsoe.

On Jan. 26, 2003, The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Oakland Raiders, in Super Bowl XXXVII (37).

The final score was 48-21 as the Buccaneers scored three touchdowns directly off interceptions.

Dwight Smith had two of those interceptions and Derrick Brooks had the other as Tampa Bay won their only Super Bowl title in their only appearance in the Super Bowl to this point.

Chargers Land Unitas

On Jan. 22, 1973,  the Baltimore Colts dealt legendary quarterback Johnny Unitas to the San Diego Chargers.

Despite his record numbers, the Colts felt that Unitas was too advanced in years to help them anymore. He was traded for the draft rights to quarterback Bert Jones.

Unitas started just four games for the Chargers before he was benched in favor of Dan Fouts. Fouts would go on to have a legendary career for the Chargers.

Nicknamed "The Golden Arm", Unitas, was a Lithuanian American professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts.

He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football League's most valuable player in 1959, 1964 and 1967. For 52 years he held the record of throwing a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games (between 1956–1960), until New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees broke his long standing record on Oct. 7, 2012.

Unitas was drafted in the ninth round by the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL but was released before the season began as the odd man out among four quarterbacks trying to fill three spots. 

Steelers Head Coach Walt Kiesling had made up his mind about Unitas; he somehow thought him not smart enough to quarterback an NFL team.

The opposite would be true, as Unitas would become one of the greatest on-field leaders of all time, introducing the 2-minute offense to the NFL.

Kiesling never even let Unitas take a snap in practice with the Steelers. Among those edging out Unitas was Ted Marchibroda, future NFL quarterback and longtime NFL head coach. Out of pro football, Unitas--by this time married--worked in construction in Pittsburgh to support his family.

On the weekends, he played quarterback, safety and punter on a local semipro team called the Bloomfield Rams for $6 a game

Unitas was the prototype of the modern era marquee quarterback with a strong passing game, media fanfare and widespread popularity. He has been consistently listed as one of the greatest NFL players of all time.

Unitas was a star studded pro in the NFL earning several honors including three Bert Bell Awards, a 10-time Pro Bowler, being a three-time Pro Bowl MVP, two-time NEA NFL MVP, three-time UPI NFL MVP, three time AP NFL MVP, six-time First Team All-Pro selection, one Second Team All-Pro selection, one Second Team All-Conference award as well a two time NFL World Champion and Super Bowl Champion in Super Bowl V. He also won the 1970 NFL Man of the Year Award.

Unitas was honored to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1994, as well honored as part of the All-Decades team from the 1960s. Unitas’ no. 19 jersey was also retired by the Baltimore Colts.

NFL Divisional Round Playoffs + Brady and Manning Playoff Moments.

Scratch Hit Sports creator Stephen Langsam recaps the NFL Divisional Round Playoffs with former co-host of the Sporting Hangover, Ryan Hilton, our predictions for the championship round, as well who is the best quarterback in each matchup.

We also dive into the previous Tom Brady and Peyton Manning playoff moments.

Scratch Hit Sports NFL Divisional Round Podcast

NFL Debuts Super Bowl

On Jan. 15, 1967, the NFL would host the first ever Super Bowl.

The site was Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Calif. and the Green Bay Packers, led by quarterback Bart Starr, defeated Len Dawson and the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 35-10.

Green Bay scored three touchdowns in the second half to break open a close game that was only 14-10 at the halfway point. Starr was 16-for-23 and 250 yards en route to being named the game's MVP.

The historic day marked the first-ever contest between the NFL and AFL, which were in competition with each other at the time.

The game was created as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League (AFL). It was agreed that the two leagues' champion teams would play in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the merger was to officially begin in 1970. After the merger, each league was redesignated as a "conference", and the game was then played between the conference champions. Currently, the National Football Conference (NFC) leads the series with 25 wins to 21 wins for the American Football Conference (AFC).

Three years later, the leagues merged and the single-greatest game in American team sports took off to become an advertising juggernaut, which is because the Super Bowl every year is one of the most watched sporting events on television.

But it is not just about television and advertising, the Super Bowl is about showing your dominance over the league, and bringing home a Vince Lombardi Trophy to your fans.

The day on which the Super Bowl is played, now considered by some a de facto American national holiday, is called "Super Bowl Sunday". It is the second-largest day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have won six Super Bowls, the most of any team; the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers have five victories each; and both the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants have four Super Bowls championships.

Thirteen other NFL franchises have won at least one Super Bowl.

Ten teams have appeared in Super Bowl games without a win.

The Minnesota Vikings were the first team to have lost a record four times without a win. The Buffalo Bills played in a record four Super Bowls in a row, and lost every one. Four teams (the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans) have never appeared in a Super Bowl.

The Browns and Lions both won NFL Championships prior to the Super Bowl's creation, while the Jaguars (1995) and Texans (2002) are both recent NFL expansion teams.

The Minnesota Vikings won the last NFL Championship before the merger, but lost to the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl IV.

NFL Pro Bowl Debuts

On Jan. 15, 1939, the NFL hosts the first ever Pro Bowl.

The New York Giants played the Pro All-Stars at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, Calif. The Giants won the game by a score of 13-10 over a team that had several future Hall of Fame inductees.

The NFL's version of the all-star game would change formats over several years. Sometimes teams would play college stars. Other times the game would be held in the summer.

For the first time in 1939, the Pro Bowl was held after the season was over.

The NFL All-Star Game was played again in Los Angeles in 1940 and then in New York and Philadelphia in 1941 and 1942 respectively. Although originally planned as an annual contest, the all-star game was discontinued after 1942 because of travel restrictions put in place during World War I.

During the first five all-star games, an all-star team would face that year's league champion. The league champion won the first four games before the all-stars were victorious in the final game of this early series.

The concept of an all-star game would not be revived until June 1950, when the newly christened "Pro Bowl" was approved.

The Los Angeles Publishers Association sponsored the game. It was decided that the game would feature all-star teams from each of the league's two divisions rather than the league champion versus all-star format, which had been used previously.

This was done to avoid confusion with the Chicago College All-Star Game, an annual game that featured the league champion against a collegiate all-star team. The coach of each of the division champions would lead the teams.

The first 21 games of the series (1951–1972) were played in Los Angeles, California. The site of the game was changed annually for each of the next seven years before the game was moved to Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii for thirty consecutive seasons from 1980 through 2009.

The 2010 Pro Bowl was played at Sun Life Stadium, the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins and host site of Super Bowl XLIV, on January 31, the first time ever that the Pro Bowl was held before the championship game, with the new rule that the conference teams do not include players from the teams that will be playing in the Super Bowl. T

The 2011 and 2012 Pro Bowls were played again in Hawaii, but again held during the week before the Super Bowl.

Since the merger with the rival American Football League (AFL) in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference (AFC) against those in the National Football Conference (NFC).

Unlike most other sports leagues, which hold their all-star games during (roughly) the halfway point of their respective regular seasons, the Pro Bowl is played at the end of the NFL season.

Currently, players are voted into the Pro Bowl by the coaches, the players themselves, and the fans. Each group's ballots count for one third of the votes. The fans vote online at the NFL's official website. There are also replacements that go to the game should any selected player be unable to play due to injuries. Prior to 1995, only the coaches and the players made Pro Bowl selections.

In order to be considered a Pro Bowler for a given year, a player must either have been one of the initial players selected to the team, or a player who accepts an invitation to the Pro Bowl as an alternate; invited alternates who decline to attend are not considered Pro Bowlers. Being a Pro Bowler is considered to be a mark of honor, and players who are accepted into the Pro Bowl are considered to be elite.

The Pro Bowl head coaches are traditionally the head coaches of the teams that lost in the AFC and NFC championship games for the same season of the Pro Bowl in question (not the case for the 1980 and 1981 seasons, regarding the Pro Bowls played in 1981 and 1982). However, for the 2010 and 2011 Pro Bowls, a new rule was presented: The teams that lose in the divisional playoff game with the best regular-season record will have their coaching staffs lead their respective conference Pro Bowl team. If the losing teams of each conference had the same regular season record the coaches from the higher-seeded team will get the Pro Bowl honor.

A Player of the Game was honored from 1951–56. From 1957–71, awards were presented to both an Outstanding Back and an Outstanding Lineman.

In 1972, there were awards for both an Outstanding Offensive Player and an Outstanding Defensive Player.

From 1973–2007, only one Player of the Game award was honored (though three times this award has been presented to multiple players in a single game).

In 2008 the award was changed to Most Valuable Player (MVP).^.

Since 1984 the winner has received the Dan McGuire Award.

Players are paid for participating in the game with the winning team receiving a larger payout. In the 2011 season, a record $50,000 was awarded for a win versus $25,000 for the losers.

The NFL's all-star game draws bigger television ratings than all other major sports all-star games. The 2012 Pro Bowl drew 13.5 million viewers

Despite the great viewership and the “fun” aspect the Pro Bowl has for players, on Oct. 24, 2012, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had second thoughts about the Pro Bowl taking place this year, telling a Sirius XM show that if the players did not play more competitively, he is “not inclined to play it anymore.”

Miami Dolphins Hire Jimmy Johnson

On Jan. 10, 1996, the Miami Dolphins announced Jimmy Johnson as their new head coach. 

Johnson replaced legendary Dolphins coach Don Shula, who’s tenure lasted 26 years with the Miami organization.

Before accepting the job with the Dolphins, Johnson led the Dallas Cowboys to back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 1992 and 1993.  Despite all of his accomplishments with the Cowboys, Johnson and team owner Jerry Jones did not see eye to eye on many things, which ultimately led to coach Johnson’s departure. 

Jimmy Johnson also enjoyed success at the collegiate level, coaching the Miami Hurricanes to the 1987 NCAA Division I National Championship. 

At the start of his head coaching days in college he led Oklahoma State to a 29-26-2 record over five seasons and two bowl appearances. Most notably the 24-14 win over Baylor in the Bluebonnet Bowl in 1983.

He left Oklahoma State after rebuilding the program for the Hurricanes of the University of Miami.

In just a few short years Johnson led the Hurricanes to an NCAA National Championship victory in 1987 over Oklahoma.

Johnson left Miami in 1989 for the NFL and the Cowboys, but left Miami with an amazing record of 52-9, and 44-4 record over his final four seasons.

His entire NCAA record as a head coach was 81-34-3.

However, Johnson would not share similar success with the Dolphins, as he went 36-28 in the regular season and just 2-3 in the playoffs during his four-year stay in Miami.

Jimmy Johnson is currently working in television as an analyst for FOX NFL Sunday’s pregame show.  Although there are quite a few coaching opportunities available in the NFL this off-season, do not expect the 69-year-old Johnson to be filling any of those spots.

San Francisco 49ers' Clark Makes "The Catch"

On Jan. 10, 1982, Dwight Clark of the San Francisco 49ers made the play now referred to as "The Catch" in the NFC Championship Game against the Dallas Cowboys.

With less than five minutes to go in the game and the 49ers trailing 27-21, Joe Montana led a strong drive to put the 49ers in position. He found Clark on a short touchdown pass and Clark hauled in the catch with 50 seconds left. After the extra point, the 49ers took a 28-27 lead.

Dwight Clark was a hand picked player for Bill Walsh during his tenure as the 49ers head coach. Bill Walsh drafted Dwight Clark as the first pick of the 10th round of the 1979 NFL draft.

Clark embarked on a stellar career for 49ers in which he had 506 catches for 6750 yards and 48 touchdowns, along with 50 rushing yards. He led the NFL in receptions (60) during the strike-shortened 1982 season, and made the Pro Bowl twice in 1981 and 1982 in his nine NFL seasons.

After Walsh drafted Clark, he made Clark and quarterback Joe Montana practice a certain 20-yard rollout "Hail Mary" pass into the end zone at the end of every practice. Walsh wanted to make sure that they could complete that certain pass in the red zone.

That play that Montana and Clark practiced ended up being “The Catch,” smart thinking by Clark to practice that play, which put them in the 1982 Super Bowl.

After nine successful seasons with San Francisco 49ers, Dwight Clark retired after 1987 NFL season.

Clark was a member of two Super Bowl-winning teams in 1982 and 1985.

To honor Clark's contribution to 49ers, the club retired his number 87.

After retirement, he has served as a team executive for the San Francisco 49ers and the Cleveland Browns as well as starring in the lead role in the 1994 direct-to-video comedy Kindergarten Ninja.

Clark has also appeared in the video game, All-Pro Football 2K8.

Clark joined Comcast SportsNet Bay Area in 2011 as a 49ers analyst for "49ers Postgame Live."

NFL Wildcard Playoffs recap + Divisional Round Predictions + San Francisco 49ers Top 5 Playoff Moments

The NFL Wildcard round is over and the Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers are moving on to face the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers respectively.

I recap the games with a former co-host, Ryan Hilton, from "The Sporting Hangover," as well go over the Top 5 49ers Playoff Moments and then touch on the NFL Divisional Round Playoff matchups.

Youtube video link to Scratch Hit Sports Podcast on NFL Wildcard Round

Podbean audio link to Scratch Hit Sports Podcast on NFL Wildcard Round

Largent Breaks NFL Record

On Dec. 27, 1987, the Seattle Seahawks played against the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium.

The game wasn’t too amazing, but a record set by Seahawks wide receiver Steve Largent was, as he made his record breaking 751 receptions in the NFL.

Although Largent got his record of 751 catches and beyond, the Seahawks lost 41-20 as the season wound down. Largent had a touchdown catch in the game as well.

Largent would finish his career as the All-Time leader in the NFL with 819 receptions, 13,089 receiving yards, and 100 receiving touchdowns, and 177 consecutive games with a catch.

Though shortly after his retirement, former San Francisco 49ers great Jerry Rice would surpass all of his records.

Largent is still known today as one of the best white receivers to play the game, compiling over 13,000 receiving yards, 819 catches and 100 touchdowns.

His career accolades include being named to the Pro Bowl seven times, being an eight-time All-Pro selection, being named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade team, winning the 1988 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, the Bart Starr Man of the Year Award.

Largent was inducted into the Canton Football Hall of Fame in 1995.

He was enshrined into the Seahawks Ring of Honor, as well as having his no. 80 jersey retired by Seattle in 1992 and being named to the Seahawks 35^th Anniversary team in 2010.

After his football career Largent would go into Politics, where he has been in the U.S. House of Represenatives from Oklahoma’s first district from Nov. 29, 1994 to Feb. 15 2002. Largent would win all four elections he was up for by at least 24 percent of the vote.

Immaculate Reception

On Dec. 13, 1972, one of the most exciting plays in NFL history happened between the Raiders and Steelers, the Immaculate Reception.

The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Oakland Raiders in an AFC divisional playoff game Dec. 23, 1972. The Steelers had won nine of their last 10 games. Oakland came in with a six-game winning streak.

With 22 seconds left in the game, the Steelers had a fourth-and-10 on their own 40-yard line down 7-6. Terry Bradshaw scrambled out of the pocket, was nearly sacked twice before letting a 30-yard pass fly to running back John Fuqua. The ball deflected off of defender Jack Tatum and Fuqua and was knocked towards the line of scrimmage about 15 yards. There, Franco Harris scooped up the ball and ran 40-yards to the end zone untouched.

The remarkable comeback was complete as the Steelers beat the Raiders 13-7.

Neither team played well and the Steelers actually had a 6-0 lead before Oakland quarterback Ken Stabler scampered for 30-yards in the fourth quarter for the only score for the Raiders. The seven-point total was the lowest of the season for Oakland.

Pittsburgh lost the AFC Championship to the Miami Dolphins a week later. The Dolphins went on to have the only undefeated season in modern football. Had the Raiders played Miami, the outcome might have been different for the Dolphins.

The New England Patriots would try to recreate the undefeated season with a longer, 16-game schedule in 2007. However, the Patriots would eventually lose to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

Since 2007 no team has come close to have an undefeated season, as no team has gone 16-0 into the playoffs.

1932 NFL Championship Game

On Dec. 18, 1932, at the end of the 1932 NFL season, the Chicago Bears and Portsmouth Spartans finished tied atop the standings.

The Bears were 6-1-6, the Spartans were 6-1-4.

To resolve the tie and crown an NFL champion, a playoff game was staged in Chicago, on Dec. 18, 1932.

At the time, there were no playoff formats as the team with the best record at the end of the season was crowned the best of the year.

A blizzard made playing outdoors at Wrigley Field impossible. The game was moved to Chicago Stadium, an indoor venue that had a smaller field. The field was just 60 yards long and 30 yards wide.

The lone touchdown was a controversial pass play from Bronko Nagurski to Red Grange.

The Bears won the game 9-0. A year later, the first officially scheduled playoff game was held as the NFL entered a new era with postseason play.

Few historical artifacts remain from the impromptu postseason game. One such item is a game program that survived a fire at the offices of the Chicago Bears in the 1960s.

The program cost just 10 cents and was four pages long. The roster of each team was less than 25 players in 1932. The Spartans moved two years later and became the Detroit Lions.

Since the first playoff game 1932 the NFL has had much success building a playoff system that went on to include the AFL in the late 1960’s and after the two leagues merged the Super Bowl was created. The Super Bowl is now one of the most watched television events every year.