Famous last words. According to an article in the January 3, 1966, issue of Sports Illustrated, that is what Lance Alworth kept repeating after the 1965 AFL championship game in which the underdog Buffalo Bills shutout a potent Chargers offense by a score of 23-0. Seemingly, he was right. On paper, the Bills appeared to be in for a very long day against San Diego. But as the saying goes, “that is why they still play the game.”
There’s No Way They Can Beat Us…
About the Author: Todd Tobias
Todd Tobias's interest in the American Football League began in 1998, when he wrote his master's thesis about Sid Gillman. He created this site to educate and entertain football fans with the stories of the American Football League, 1960-1969. You can follow Todd and get more AFL history on Twitter @TalesfromtheAFL.
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SEAT played the part of BUFF recently to DEN’s version of SD ’65. Great defense football as pitching baseball tends to blunt fireworks. Whether via a safety or punt return, 43-8 mo or less same as 23-0 by any reasonable measure. ‘Mo’ as in ‘mentum’ – one team gets it, the other loses it as well the game (sometimes the losers never have any at all; DEN this era as SD another did not.) ‘Mo’tivation too as BUFF described having had that 1965 post season contest. Sometimes, fate deviates from the script that reason intended; how else to explain it.
A final score alone can be misleading. Nigh on start to finish routs exception rather than expectation. Every game a journey beginning with the initial score, the Bears 46-10 Superbowl evisceration of the Patriots years ago would qualify as an exception in hindsight, more so dominant even than SEATT’s win over DEN.
Momentum changes a contest to a runaway in the final analysis, though not start to finish domination. The first and second Superbowls are no more indicative of routs than the 1968 ‘Heidi’ game. An 43-32 Raiders win via scoring two late tds in scant seconds was not so much 11 point victory as it was 3-point OAK deficit devoured by exceptional circumstance in a NY minute, blink of an eye.
Closer to a wounded heart mine, how does a team that scored 27 points per game & gave up just 12 per on average lose 41-6, post season to wit? The ’68 Chiefs went 12-2 same as the Raiders, splitting two games regular season a cumulative score of 48-45 in favor of OAK. So when one team wins by 35 points it makes no sense at all, just as Alworth aluded following SD’s loss the Championship game 1965 to BUFF. No way games like that should happen, but they do.
The 1967 memory of perennial AFL doormat DEN beating both the NFL’s MINN (two years from their Superbowl appearance) and DET comes to mind…Karras promise too a long shoe leather sojourn home should his Namath-esque pre-game bluster fail him; it did, and so too his feet… you win some you lose some.
How about Chiefs vs. Vikings! January, 1970- easy Chiefs victory. September, 1970- easy Vikings victory. Basically the same squads. I know Minnesota would have preferred to swap victories, but, games can be unpredictable.
True enough.
Another example was KC vs OAK, 1970 AFL Championship. The Raiders had beaten the Chiefs 6 of the previous 7 games the teams played; so naturally, KC went out and won the game played in OAK, advanced to the Superbowl vs MIN & there beat a Vikings team expected to win by more than two touchdowns according to many. On any given Sunday and sometimes if not necessarily always, any given field. Motivation: KC’s loss Superbowl I.
A winter of licking their wounds physical as well psychological, MINN had all it needed. Home field advantage, revenge the motivation trying to make up for their Superbowl loss when they were dominated by KC a neutral field Louisiana. The Vikings won the regular season rematch the very next season.
KC, properly motivated, went out the next week & embarrassed 1970’s eventual World Champion Colts by three touchdowns on Baltimore’s home field on Monday Night football. Next, the Chiefs lost to the 5-8-1 Broncos in DEN, defending Champion’s third straight road game to begin 1970. Any given season. On this one, KC missed the post.
The Vikings followed the Chiefs game with an win over the 2-11-1 Saints & then lost to the 6-8 Packers. 12-2 MINN did make it to post season, their Superbowl redemption motivation… they promptly lost upon their home field to a SF team with a poorer record; on any given Sunday.
All of which reminds of a truism affirmed many times in practice: the team that makes the fewest mistakes tends to win, whether here, there, anywhere. Probably the reason Lombardi’s Packers prevailed so often, GB the benchmark a consistent greatness that is still unmatched in pro football annals.
On the other, that back in the day one league proclaimed superiority, they mere men, similarly constituted, same stock as AFL ones, via membership a men’s club named NFL that had nothing on the other league save for tenure, laughable. They were proven errant, as in the end the ledger read AFL 2 NFL 2.
Have to say that watching the Superbowl’s KC vs MINN & NYJ vs BALT, equated poetic justice. Comeuppins for Tex Maule and his elitist ilk. Too, Lombardi. Much as I revered him/GB for their success, seeing the boilerplate all that engendered a sense of NFL preeminence, with a dour look his face seated the stands, priceless. The bigger they think they are, the harder they fall/did.
A side bar to the 1970 regular season game; a few days before the regular season opened, the Super Bowl IV film was released. That was the famous Stram being wired film. When the film was played to the Vikings they became extra motivated. The “Chinese File Drill”, etc. comments touched a nerve.
Len Dawson said the Vikings were so fired up they barely touched the ground as they ran from the locker room to the field. As an NFL fan, I would have preferred they showed that amount of passion nine months earlier.
The 1969 Chiefs and 1969 Vikings were high water marks for both franchises. They have occasional good years, but, are mostly in the pack.
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