Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen welcomed us to the L.A. Coliseum along with the 90,000 plus in attendance. They purported that it was the largest crowd to see an NFL game to date that season, although it appears a 49ers-Raiders game from earlier that season eclipsed it by a few hundred.
Both teams were 7-1 entering the game, but both starting QBs were on the sidelines due to injury for this one, so it was Gary Kubiak vs. Marc Wilson.
The Broncos didn’t have a great first half and trailed 12-0, but the Raiders’ sloppy play kept them in the game.
First, a Raiders interception of Gary Kubiak was nullified by a roughing the passer penalty, then the Raiders’ Greg Pruitt muffed a punt which the Broncos recovered and turned into three points. On the ensuing drive, Marcus Allen fumbled it away, and the Broncos kicked another field goal to make it 12-6 at halftime.
When Jim Nantz and Phil Simms were teaming up for CBS broadcasts of Broncos’ games in the mid-2000s, Nantz would often bring up Simms’ Super Bowl MVP performance when the Giants beat the Broncos. I always found it a little annoying. Well, it turns out Nantz didn’t invent the technique of flattering your broadcast partner. Dick Enberg never seemed to miss an opportunity to bring up Deacon Jones and the famed Rams defensive line that Olsen was a part of.
In the second half, the two teams traded touchdowns, but the Broncos botched the extra point after their touchdown to make it 19-12. The missed point after was partially due to an injury to Denver guard/long snapper Keith Bishop who was not on the field for the attempt.
The rest of the game was a series of events that often left me thinking, “I know the Broncos pull this out in the end….but how?”
The first of these came on a Raiders’ punt. The ball bounced past Broncos returner Zach Thomas and the Raiders pounced on it inside the Broncos 10 yard line. However, the ruling on the field was that Thomas did not touch the ball. The instant replay on the broadcast was inconclusive - the video quality was just not good enough back then and there wouldn’t be any provision in the rules for a replay review by the officials until 1986. Dick and Merlin suggested that Thomas may have touched it based on how he reacted after it got past him, but nevertheless the Broncos kept possession.
A few minutes later, Chris Bahr had a chance to put the Raiders up by two scores but missed the field goal. However, Sammy Winder fumbled moments later to give the ball right back. From this point, the Raiders were attempting to run the clock. If they could manage at least a field goal on the drive, they would lead by 10 with two minutes to play, an almost insurmountable margin. However, Dennis Smith stripped Marcus Allen, and the Broncos recovered at the Raiders 15.
The Broncos marched downfield, and Kubiak hit Steve Watson for six points. If the Broncos hadn’t missed the earlier point-after try, they would have been in a position to take the lead. Keith Bishop, though injured, came in to snap the ball for this extra point. Rich Karlis connected, and the game went to overtime tied at 19.
The Broncos’ luck seemed to run out when Malcolm Barnwell beat Louis Wright for a 41-yard completion early in overtime to get the Raiders in scoring position. Dick & Merlin wondered aloud if Tom Flores should send out the field goal unit right away. However, they opted for another play and Mike Harden stripped Frank Hawkins of the ball, and the Broncos recovered.
After the teams exchanged punts, and the Broncos moved into position for a game-winning field goal, but Karlis missed from 44. Raider Shelby Jordan patted Karlis on the helmet following the miss.
The two teams again exchanged punts, with the Broncos’ punt coming with only 1:18 remaining.
However, this one also bounces off Greg Pruitt, and the Broncos’ Roger Jackson recovered.
When Pruitt muffed the punt at the end of the first half, there was a non-call for interference on Ricky Hunley. This time, however, the refs flag the Broncos because Pruitt had signaled for a fair catch.
At this point the game seems destined to end in a tie. However, just moments later Marc Wilson is intercepted by the same Roger Jackson who just had his heroic fumble recovery nullified. The Broncos run a single play to set up Karlis for a 35-yard field goal attempt, and with Keith Bishop again coming in to snap the ball, Karlis boots it through as time expires.
Jackson’s interception was the Broncos’ seventh turnover of the game. Although not a team record, the Broncos have not had that many in a single game in the last 38 years.
This game is the one that hooked me on the NFL as a kid. I’m so thankful for the miracle of YouTube making it possible for me to go back and watch again. Otherwise the main memories I had retained from childhood were Kubiak hitting Watson for the touchdown in the fourth quarter and Karlis getting the helmet pat after missing the field goal. It wasn’t the best played game and was a little short on star power with Elway on the sidelines. But it certainly had everything else you could ask for as a fan. Heated rivalry? Check. Historic venue? Check. Legendary broadcasters? Check. Twists and turns? Check. Controversial calls? Check. Late game drama? Check.
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